法苑珠林 59.6

59.6

興起行經云。如來將五百羅漢。常以月十五日於中說戒。因舍利弗問佛十事。舍利弗自從華座起立。整服偏露右臂右膝跪坐向佛。叉手問世尊言。世尊。無事不見。無事不聞。無事不知。世尊無比。眾惡滅盡諸善普備。一切眾生皆欲度之。世尊今故現有殘緣。願佛自說使天人解。以何因緣被孫陀利謗。以何因緣被奢彌跋提謗。及五百羅漢。以何因緣世尊自患頭痛。以何因緣世尊自患骨節疼痛。以何因緣世尊自患背痛。以何因緣被木槍刺脚。以何因緣被調達破指出血。以何因緣被多舌女人舞杅大眾來相誹謗。以何因緣於毘蘭邑與五百比丘食其馬麥。以何因緣在欝祕地苦行六年。佛語舍利弗。還服華座。吾當為汝說先因緣。舍利弗即還復坐。阿耨大龍王聞佛當說。踊躍歡喜即為佛作七寶交露蓋。蓋中雨旃檀末香。周遍無數。諸天八部皆來詣佛作禮而立。佛告舍利弗。往昔過去波羅奈城有博戲人。名曰淨眼。時有婬女。名曰鹿相。端正姝好。時淨眼語鹿相曰。當詣園中共相娛樂。女曰可爾。鹿相便歸莊嚴衣服。即共嚴駕至園娛樂經於日夜。淨眼貪心當殺此女取其衣服。復念殺已當云何藏之。時此園中有辟支佛。名樂無為。去其不遠伺乞食後。埋其廬中持衣而去。誰知我處。念已殺埋平地如故。乘車而去。從餘門入城。爾時國王名梵達。國人不見鹿相。遂徹國王。王召群臣。遍城求之不得。往到園廬搜索得屍。諸臣語無為曰。已行不淨胡為復殺。辟支默然不答。如此至三不答。辟支便手脚著土。此是先世因緣故。眾臣便反縛辟支栲打問辭。樹神現半身語眾人曰。汝莫栲打此人。眾臣曰。何以不打。神曰。此無是法。終不行非。諸臣雖聞不肯聽用。持詣王所。王聞瞋恚。勅諸臣等急縛驢馱打鼓遍巡。出城南門將至樹下。計矛鍼之。貫著竿頭。極弓射之。若不死者便破其頭。諸臣受教。國人皆怪。或信不信眾人悲傷。於時淨眼在破牆中。藏聞眾人言。盜視逐行。見已念言。此道人枉死。念已走趣。大眾並喚。上官莫困殺此人。是我殺耳。願放道人縛我治罪。諸官皆驚曰。何能代他受罪。即共解辟支。便縛淨眼反縛如前。諸上官等皆向辟支佛作禮懺悔。我等愚癡。無故枉困道人。當以大慈原赦我罪莫令將來受此重殃。如是至三。辟支不答。辟支佛念不宜更復重入波羅奈城乞食。我宜眾前取滅度耳。便於眾前踊昇虛空。於中往反坐臥住立作十八變。一腰以下出煙腰以上出火。二或腰以下出火腰以上出煙。三或左脇出煙右脇出火。四或左脇出火右脇出煙。五或腹前出煙背上出火。六或腹前出火背上出煙。七或腰以下出火腰以上出水。八或腰以下出水腰以上出火。九或左脇出水右脇出火。十或左脇出火右脇出水。十一或腹前出水背上出火。十二或腹前出火背上出水。十三或左肩出水右肩出火。十四或左肩出火右肩出水。十五或兩肩出水或兩肩出火。十六或舉身出煙。十七或舉身出火。十八或舉身出水。即於空中燒身滅度。於是大眾皆悲啼泣。或有懺悔。或有作禮取其舍利。於四衢道起於偷婆。諸官即將淨眼詣王。手脚復以著土。王忿依前殺之。佛語舍利弗。爾時淨眼者則我身是。其鹿相女者今孫陀利是。爾時梵達王者今執杖釋種是。我於爾時由殺鹿相枉困辟支。以是罪緣。無數千歲墮在泥犁。無數千歲墮在畜生。無數千歲墮在餓鬼中。爾時餘殃今雖作佛故獲此謗。

The Sūtra of the Arising of Past Activities states: The Tathāgata, leading five hundred arhats, would regularly recite the precepts among them on the fifteenth day of the month. At that time, Śāriputra asked the Buddha about ten matters. Śāriputra arose from his flower seat, adjusted his robes, bared his right shoulder, knelt on his right knee facing the Buddha, and with palms joined, asked the World-Honoured One, 'World-Honoured One, there is nothing you do not see, nothing you do not hear, nothing you do not know. The World-Honoured One is peerless; all evils are extinguished, and all virtues are fully possessed. You wish to save all sentient beings. Why does the World-Honoured One now still manifest residual karmic conditions? We pray that the Buddha himself will explain this so that devas and humans may understand. By what karmic condition were you slandered by Sundarī? By what karmic condition were you and the five hundred arhats slandered by Ciñcāmāṇavikā? By what karmic condition did the World-Honoured One himself suffer from a headache? By what karmic condition did the World-Honoured One himself suffer from joint pains? By what karmic condition did the World-Honoured One himself suffer from back pain? By what karmic condition was your foot pierced by a wooden splinter? By what karmic condition did Devadatta break your toe and make it bleed? By what karmic condition were you slandered before the great assembly by the sharp-tongued woman carrying a wooden bowl? By what karmic condition did you eat horse barley together with five hundred monks in the town of Verañjā? By what karmic condition did you undergo six years of austerities in the land of Uruvilvā?' The Buddha told Śāriputra, 'Return to your flower seat; I shall explain to you the former conditions.' Śāriputra immediately returned to his seat. Hearing that the Buddha was about to speak, the great dragon king Anavatapta jumped for joy and immediately fashioned for the Buddha an openwork canopy of the seven treasures, from which sandalwood powder incense rained down everywhere in immeasurable quantities. The devas and the eight classes of beings all came to the Buddha, paid homage, and stood by. The Buddha told Śāriputra, 'In the past, long ago, there was a gambler in the city of Vārāṇasī named Śuddhākṣa. At that time there was a courtesan named Mṛgī, who was graceful and beautiful. Śuddhākṣa said to Mṛgī, "Let us go to the garden together and make merry." The woman said, "Very well." Mṛgī then returned home, adorned herself with garments, and together they prepared a carriage, went to the garden, and amused themselves for a day and a night. Greedy in heart, Śuddhākṣa thought to kill this woman and take her clothes. He also thought, "After killing her, how should I conceal her?" At that time, there was a pratyekabuddha in this garden named Modanirvāṇa. Not far from him, Śuddhākṣa waited until he went begging for food, and thought, "I will bury her in his hut, take the clothes, and leave. Who would know my whereabouts?" Having thought this, he killed her, buried her, smoothed the ground as before, mounted his carriage and departed, entering the city by another gate. At that time the king of the country was named Brahmadatta. The people of the country did not see Mṛgī, and word finally reached the king. The king summoned his ministers to search throughout the city, but they could not find her. Going to the hut in the garden, they searched and found the corpse. The ministers said to Nirvāṇa, "Having already committed impurity, why did you go further and kill her?" The pratyekabuddha remained silent and did not reply. This was repeated three times, and he did not reply. The pratyekabuddha then had dirt on his hands and feet; this was due to past conditions. The ministers tied the pratyekabuddha’s hands behind his back, beat him, and interrogated him. A tree deity manifested half of his body and said to the people, "Do not beat this person!" The ministers said, "Why should we not beat him?" The deity said, "He has no such nature; he never does wrong." Although the ministers heard this, they refused to listen and comply, and took him to the king. When the king heard this, he was enraged and commanded the ministers: "Quickly bind him, put him on a donkey, beat the drums, and parade him all around. Take him out of the south gate of the city to beneath the tree; stab him with spears, impale him on a pole, and shoot him with bows to the utmost limit. If he is not dead, then crush his head." The ministers received the order. The people of the country all found it strange; some believed it and some did not, and the crowd grieved. At that time, Śuddhākṣa was hiding behind a broken wall. Hearing the people's words, he stealthily watched the procession. Having seen this, he thought, "This practitioner of the Way is dying unjustly." Having thought so, he ran toward them, shouting to the assembly, "High officials, do not kill this man in distress! I am the one who killed her. Please release the practitioner of the Way and bind me to face punishment!" The officials were all startled and said, "How could anyone take another's punishment upon himself?" They immediately released the pratyekabuddha together, and bound Śuddhākṣa with his hands behind his back as before. The high officials all bowed in homage and repented before the pratyekabuddha: "We were foolish; for no reason we unjustly tormented you, practitioner of the Way. Pray forgive our offense with your great compassion, and do not let us suffer this heavy disaster in the future." This was repeated three times, and the pratyekabuddha did not reply. The pratyekabuddha thought, "It is not fitting for me to enter the city of Vārāṇasī again to beg for food. It is fitting that I enter extinction before the assembly." He then sprang up into the air before the assembly, moving back and forth, sitting, lying, standing, and stopping, performing eighteen transformations: 1. Below the waist emitting smoke, above the waist emitting fire; 2. Or below the waist emitting fire, above the waist emitting smoke; 3. Or from the left side emitting smoke, from the right side emitting fire; 4. Or from the left side emitting fire, from the right side emitting smoke; 5. Or in front of the belly emitting smoke, on the back emitting fire; 6. Or in front of the belly emitting fire, on the back emitting smoke; 7. Or below the waist emitting fire, above the waist emitting water; 8. Or below the waist emitting water, above the waist emitting fire; 9. Or from the left side emitting water, from the right side emitting fire; 10. Or from the left side emitting fire, from the right side emitting water; 11. Or in front of the belly emitting water, on the back emitting fire; 12. Or in front of the belly emitting fire, on the back emitting water; 13. Or from the left shoulder emitting water, from the right shoulder emitting fire; 14. Or from the left shoulder emitting fire, from the right shoulder emitting water; 15. Or from both shoulders emitting water, or from both shoulders emitting fire; 16. Or from the entire body emitting smoke; 17. Or from the entire body emitting fire; 18. Or from the entire body emitting water. He then burned his body in the sky and entered extinction. Thereupon the great assembly all wept and wailed; some repented, and some paid homage, took his relics, and erected a stūpa at the crossroads. The officials then took Śuddhākṣa to the king, and again dirt attached to his hands and feet. The king, enraged, had him executed as before. The Buddha told Śāriputra, "Śuddhākṣa at that time was none other than myself; the woman Mṛgī is now Sundarī; King Brahmadatta at that time is now the Śākya stick-wielder. Because at that time I killed Mṛgī and brought unjust distress upon the pratyekabuddha, due to that karmic offense, I fell into Niraya for countless thousands of years, fell among animals for countless thousands of years, and fell among hungry ghosts for countless thousands of years. Due to the residual distress of that time, although I have now become a Buddha, I still incur this slander."'