法苑珠林 62.23

62.23

又雜寶藏經云。昔日有一婆羅門。事廟室天晝夜奉事。天即問言。汝求何等。婆羅門言。我今求作此天祀主。天言。彼有群牛。汝問最前行者。即如天語。往問彼牛。汝今何似為苦為樂。牛即答言。極為大苦。刺刺兩肋。柴戾脊破。駕挽車載。重無休息。時復問言。汝以何緣受是牛形。牛答之言。我是天祀主。自恣極意用天祀物。命終作牛。受是苦惱。聞是語已即還天所。天即問言。汝今欲得作天祀主不。婆羅門言。我覩此事實不敢作。天言。人行善惡自得其報。婆羅門悔過。即修諸善改往前惡。又雜寶藏經云。昔有老公其家巨富。而此老公思得肉食。詭作方便指田頭樹。語諸子言。令我家業所以諧富。由此樹神恩福故爾。今日汝等宜可群中取羊以用祭祀。時諸子等承父教勅。尋即殺羊禱賽此樹。即於樹下立天祀舍。其父後時壽盡命終。行業所追還生己家羊群之中。時值諸子欲祠樹神。便取一羊。遇得其父。將欲殺之。羊便咽咽笑而言曰。而此樹者有何神靈。我於往時為思肉故。妄使汝祀。皆共汝等同食此肉。今償殃罪。獨先當之。時有羅漢過到乞食。見其亡父受於羊身。即借主人道眼令自觀察。乃知是父心懷懊惱。即壞樹神悔過修福。不復殺生。

Furthermore, the Saṃyuktaratnapiṭaka-sūtra says: In the past, there was a brāhmaṇa who served a shrine deity, worshipping it day and night. The deity asked him, "What do you seek?" The brāhmaṇa said, "I now seek to become the master of sacrifices for this deity." The deity said, "Over there is a herd of oxen. Go ask the one walking at the very front." He then followed the deity's words and went to ask the ox, "How is it with you now? Is it suffering or joy?" The ox then replied, "It is extreme and great suffering. The goad stabs my two flanks; the wooden yoke breaks my spine. Harnessed to pull the loaded cart, it is heavy and there is no rest." He then asked again, "By what cause did you receive this ox's body?" The ox answered him, "I was once the master of sacrifices to this deity. Giving free rein to my desires, I consumed the offerings of the deity's sacrifice. At the end of my life, I became an ox and suffer this torment." Having heard these words, he returned to the deity. The deity asked, "Do you now wish to become the master of the deity's sacrifices or not?" The brāhmaṇa said, "Seeing this matter, I truly dare not do so." The deity said, "When people do good or evil, they themselves receive their retribution." The brāhmaṇa repented of his faults, immediately cultivated various virtues, and reformed his past evils. Furthermore, the Saṃyuktaratnapiṭaka-sūtra says: In the past, there was an old man whose family was extremely wealthy. This old man desired to eat meat. Devising a cunning expedient, he pointed to a tree at the edge of the field and spoke to his sons, saying, "The reason our family estate is prosperous and wealthy is due to the grace and blessings of this tree spirit. Today you ought to take a sheep from the flock to offer as a sacrifice." Then the sons, obeying their father's instruction, immediately slaughtered a sheep to pray and give thanks to this tree, and set up a shrine under the tree. Later, when the father's life span ended and he died, pursued by his karmic deeds, he was reborn among the flock of sheep in his own household. At that time, the sons wished to sacrifice to the tree spirit, so they took a sheep, which happened to be their father. When they were about to kill it, the sheep wept and laughed, saying, "What spiritual power does this tree possess? In the past, because I craved meat, I falsely made you offer sacrifice, and together with you I ate this meat. Now, paying for the calamitous guilt, I alone must suffer it first." At that time, an arhat came by begging for food. Seeing that the deceased father had received the body of a sheep, he lent the host the spiritual eye to observe it for himself. Knowing that it was his father, his heart was filled with grief and distress; he immediately destroyed the tree shrine, repented his faults, cultivated merits, and killed living beings no more.