法苑珠林 64.40

64.40

又四分律。佛言。乃往過去世時有王。名曰慧燈。乃使閻浮提人若男若女能言之者。皆行十善。王初生時有八萬四千藏。自然而出。於四交道隨所求索者。一切施與。時天帝釋便作是念。此王慧燈隨其所索一切施與。將恐來世奪我坐處。我今寧可往試。為以無上道故施。為以退轉耶。即化作男子。自相謂言。王慧燈教我等行十惡。殺生乃至邪見。時諸大臣皆往白王。王答言不。我先有是語。令閻浮提人能行之類皆行十善。不殺生乃至不邪見。我當為王。是故無是語。汝等今可嚴駕象乘。我欲自行教化國人。天象既至。王即便乘。王言可示我。彼人言我教國人行十惡者。彼即示王。王問言。慧燈教汝行十惡耶。答言。實爾。王復問言。可有方便行十善不。答言有。問言。何者是耶。彼答言若得成就菩薩生食其肉飲其血。乃得行十善。時王慧燈作如是念。我於無始世已來。經歷眾苦輪轉五道。或受截手截脚耳鼻出眼截頭。竟何所益。即取利刀自割股肉。以器盛血授與彼人。而告之曰。善男子。汝可食飲此肉血奉行十善。時彼男子不堪王慧燈威德。即沒不現。忽有天帝而在前立。問王言。王今布施為一天下二三四天下耶。為日月天帝釋魔王梵王耶。王答言。我布施不為天下乃至魔梵等。我作意欲求無上正真一切智。度未度者。解未解者。未得涅槃者令得涅槃。度生老病死憂悲苦惱如是等者。時天帝釋便作是念。我今令王慧燈以此瘡死者甚非。所以當以天甘露灌其身上。即便灌之瘡即平復如故。佛告瓶沙王言。爾時利益眾生王者。豈異人乎。即今父王白淨是也。時王第一夫人者。今母摩耶是。時王慧燈者。即我身是。我於前世教化閻浮提數人皆行十善。以是因緣故足下千輻相輪輪郭成就。光明晃曜照三千大千國土。

Furthermore, the Four-Part Vinaya says: The Buddha said: In the past, there was a king named Lamp of Wisdom (Prajñāpradīpa). He caused all people in Jambudvīpa who were able to speak, whether men or women, to practice the ten virtues. When the king was first born, eighty-four thousand treasures naturally emerged. At crossroads, he gave everything away in accordance with whatever was sought. At that time, Śakra, Devānām Indra, thought: “This King Lamp of Wisdom gives everything in accordance with whatever is asked for. I fear that in a future life he will seize my seat. I should go now to test him: does he give for the sake of the unsurpassed path, or will he regress?” He then transformed himself into a man and went about saying to others, “King Lamp of Wisdom has instructed us to practice the ten non-virtuous actions, from killing living beings to holding wrong views.” At that time, the ministers all went to inform the king. The king replied, “No. I previously spoke words bidding all beings in Jambudvīpa who are capable of action to practice the ten virtues, from not killing to not holding wrong views, and only thus would I serve as their king. Therefore, I uttered no such words. You may now harness my elephant mount; I wish to go out myself to instruct and transform the kingdom's people.” When the heavenly elephant arrived, the king mounted it. The king said, “Show me the man who claims that I instructed the kingdom's people to practice the ten non-virtuous actions.” They pointed him out to the king. The king asked, “Did Lamp of Wisdom teach you to practice the ten non-virtuous actions?” He replied, “Indeed so.” The king asked again, “Is there an expedient means by which you can practice the ten virtues?” He answered, “There is.” The king asked, “What is it?” He replied, “If one can obtain an accomplished bodhisattva alive, eat his flesh, and drink his blood, then one will be able to practice the ten virtues.” At that time, King Lamp of Wisdom had this thought: “From beginningless eons onward, I have experienced numerous sufferings, transmigrating through the five realms, sometimes having my hands and feet cut off, ears and nose removed, eyes gouged out, or head severed; what benefit came of it after all?” He took a sharp knife, cut the flesh of his own thigh, caught the blood in a vessel, gave it to the man, and said to him: “Good man, you may eat this flesh and drink this blood, and practice the ten virtues.” At that time, the man could not withstand King Lamp of Wisdom's majesty and virtue, and vanished from sight. Suddenly, Śakra appeared standing before him and asked the king, “Does the king practice this dāna for the sake of one world, or two, three, or four worlds? Or for the sake of the Sun and Moon, Śakra, Māra, or Brahmā?” The king replied, “I do not practice dāna for the sake of worlds, nor for Māra, Brahmā, and the rest. I have set my mind on seeking unsurpassed, true, and complete omniscience; to cross over those not yet crossed over, to liberate those not yet liberated, to cause those who have not attained nirvāṇa to attain nirvāṇa, and to deliver those afflicted with birth, aging, sickness, death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, and distress.” At that time, Śakra thought: “It would be most improper for me to let King Lamp of Wisdom die of this wound. I must pour heavenly amṛta over his body.” He poured it immediately, and the wound recovered just as before. The Buddha told King Bimbisāra: “Could that king who benefited sentient beings at that time have been anyone else? He was none other than my father, King Śuddhodana. The king's primary consort was my present mother, Māyā. King Lamp of Wisdom was my very self. In a previous life, I instructed and transformed numerous people of Jambudvīpa, causing them all to practice the ten virtues. Due to these causes and conditions, the thousand-spoked wheel signs beneath my feet were accomplished with full rims, shining with bright light that illuminates three thousand great thousand realms.”