法苑珠林 67.43

67.43

爾時一切諸受罪眾生。聞佛作如是說。悲號動地。淚下如雨。而白佛言。唯願世尊久住說法。令我等輩而得解脫。佛言。若我久住。薄德之人不種善根。謂我常在不念無常。善男子。譬如嬰兒母常在側不生難遭之想。若母去者便生渴仰思戀之心。母方還來乃生歡喜。善男子。我今亦復如是。知諸眾生善惡業緣受報好醜。故般涅槃。爾時世尊即為此諸受罪眾生而說偈言。

At that time, all the sentient beings suffering punishment, hearing the Buddha speak thus, wailed in grief, shaking the earth, tears falling like rain, and addressed the Buddha, saying: "We only pray that the World-Honoured One will abide long to preach the Dharma, so that we may attain liberation." The Buddha said: "If I were to abide long, those of little merit would not plant good roots; they would think that I always remain, and would not contemplate impermanence. Good sons, it is like an infant whose mother is always at its side, who does not produce the thought that she is hard to encounter; if the mother goes away, it then gives rise to thirsting longing and yearning thoughts, and only when the mother returns does it rejoice. Good sons, I am also like this: knowing the good and bad karmic conditions of sentient beings and their fine or ugly retributions, I therefore enter parinirvāṇa." At that time, the World-Honoured One spoke a gāthā for all these sentient beings suffering punishment: