法苑珠林 64.53

64.53

時彼仙人說此偈已因發誓心。願我世世不起殺想。常不噉肉。入白光明慈三昧。乃至成佛制斷肉戒。作此語已自投火坑與兔并命。是時天地六種震動。天神力故樹放光明。金色晃曜照千國土。時彼國人見此光者。皆發無上正真道心。佛告式乾。汝今當知。爾時白兔王者。今我身是。時兔兒者。今羅睺羅是。時誦經仙人者。今此眾中婆羅門子彌勒菩薩是。時五百群兔者。今摩訶迦葉等五百比丘是。時二百五十山樹神者。今舍利弗目揵連等二百五十比丘是。時千國王跋陀婆羅等者。今千菩薩是。從我出世乃至樓至。於其中間受法弟子得道者是。佛告式乾。菩薩求法勤苦歷劫不惜身命。投於火坑以身供養。便得超越九百萬億劫生死之罪。時式乾等五百梵志。求佛出家成阿羅漢。時彼仙人投火坑已生於梵世。乃至成佛。其食肉者犯於重禁。後身生處常飲熱銅。

After the ṛṣi spoke this verse, he then made a vow: 'May I, life after life, not give rise to thoughts of killing, constantly refrain from eating meat, enter the white-radiance compassion-samādhi, and, upon attaining Buddhahood, establish the precept prohibiting meat.' Having said this, he threw himself into the fire pit to perish together with the rabbits. At that time, heaven and earth shook in six ways. Due to the power of the devas, the trees emitted light, radiant with a golden hue that illuminated a thousand realms. When the people of that kingdom saw this light, they all aroused the aspiration for the unsurpassed, truly authentic path. The Buddha said to Śikhi: 'You should know now that the white rabbit king of that time was myself; the young rabbit was Rāhula; the sūtra-chanting ṛṣi was the brāhmaṇa youth Maitreya Bodhisattva in this assembly; the flock of five hundred rabbits were Mahākāśyapa and the five hundred monks; the two hundred and fifty mountain and tree spirits were Śāriputra, Maudgalyāyana, and the two hundred and fifty monks; the thousand kings such as Bhadrapāla were the thousand bodhisattvas, who, from my appearance in the world until Rucika, are the disciples during that interval who receive the Dharma and attain the path.' The Buddha said to Śikhi: 'When a bodhisattva seeks the Dharma through hardship across kalpas, not begrudging body and life, and throws himself into a fire pit to offer his body, he immediately transcends the sins of birth and death for nine hundred million myriad kalpas.' At that time, Śikhi and the five hundred ascetics sought ordination under the Buddha and became arhats. After the ṛṣi threw himself into the fire pit, he was reborn in the Brahmā world until he achieved Buddhahood. Those who eat meat violate a grave prohibition; where they are reborn in future lives, they will constantly drink molten copper.