法苑珠林 85.9

85.9

又涅槃經云。菩薩為法因緣剜身為燈。㲲纏皮肉。蘇油灌之。燒以為炷。菩薩爾時受是大苦。自呵其心而作是言。如是苦者於地獄苦。百千萬分猶未及一。汝於無量百千劫中。受大苦惱。都無利益。汝若不能受是輕苦。云何而能於地獄中救苦眾生。菩薩摩訶薩作是觀時。身不覺苦。其心不退。不動不轉。菩薩爾時應自深知。我定當得阿耨菩提。菩薩爾時具足煩惱未有斷者。為法因緣。能以頭目髓腦手足血肉施於眾生。以釘釘身投巖赴火。菩薩爾時雖受如是無量眾苦。其心不退不動不轉。菩薩當知。我今定有不退之心。當得阿耨菩提。

Furthermore, the Mahāparinirvāṇa-sūtra states: For the sake of the Dharma, a bodhisattva gouged out [flesh from] his body to make lamps, wrapping his skin and flesh in fine cloth, pouring oil over them, and burning them as wicks. The bodhisattva at that time underwent this great suffering, rebuking his own mind with these words: 'Such suffering does not amount to even one part in a hundred thousand myriad of the suffering in the hells. Over immeasurable hundreds of thousands of kalpas, you have undergone great afflictions without any benefit whatsoever. If you cannot endure this light suffering, how will you be able to rescue suffering sentient beings in the hells?' When the bodhisattva-mahāsattva made this contemplation, his body did not perceive suffering, and his mind was non-retrogressing, unmoving, and unswerving. At that time the bodhisattva should deeply know within himself: 'I will surely attain anuttarasambodhi.' At that time, the bodhisattva was fully possessed of defilements that had not yet been severed, yet for the sake of the Dharma he was able to bestow his head, eyes, marrow, brain, hands, feet, blood, and flesh upon sentient beings, drive iron nails into his body, and throw himself off cliffs into fire. Although the bodhisattva at that time underwent such immeasurable myriad sufferings, his mind was non-retrogressing, unmoving, and unswerving. The bodhisattva should know: 'I now definitely possess an unretrogressing mind, and shall attain anuttarasambodhi.'