法苑珠林 9.119

9.119

爾時太子生長王宮。孩童之時游戲未學。年滿八歲出問詣師入於學堂。從蜜多及忍天所二大尊邊。受讀諸書并一切論兵戎雜術。經歷四年至十二時。種種技能遍皆涉獵。既通達已。隨順世間悅目適心。曾於一時在勤劬園遨游射戲。自餘五百諸釋種童子。亦各在其自己園內嬉戲。時有群雁行飛虛空。是時童子提婆達多彎弓而射即著一雁。其雁被射帶箭遂墮悉達園中。時太子見彼雁帶箭被傷墮地。見已兩手安徐捧取已。跏趺安雁膝上。以妙滑左手擎持右手拔箭。即以蘇蜜封其瘡。是時提婆遣使來語太子言。我射一雁墮汝園中。宜速付來不得留彼。是時太子報使人言。雁若命終即當還汝。若不死者終不可得。時提婆達復更重遣使人語言。若死若活決須相還。我手於先善功射得。云何忽留。太子報言。我已於先攝受此雁。所以然者。自我發於菩提心來。我皆攝受一切眾生。況復此雁。而不屬我。以是因緣即便相競。聚集諸釋宿老智人判決此事。是時有一淨居諸天。變化作老宿長者。入釋會所而作是言。誰養育者即是攝受。射著之者即是放捨。時彼諸釋宿老諸人一時印可。高聲唱云。如是如是。如仁者言。此是提婆達多童子。共於太子最初搆結怨讎因緣。

At that time the prince grew up in the royal palace. In his childhood he disported himself and had not yet studied. Having reached eight years of age, he set out to consult a master and entered the schoolroom. From the two great teachers, Viśvāmitra and Kṣāntideva, he received and recited the various scripts along with all treatises and miscellaneous martial arts. He spent four years until he was twelve, traversing every single sort of skill and technique. Having fully penetrated them, he conformed to the world, pleasing the eye and gladdening the mind. Once he was roaming and archery-shooting in the Diligence Park. The other five hundred Śākya boys were also each frolicking in their own gardens. At that time, a flock of wild geese flew in formation through the sky. Then the boy Devadatta drew his bow and shot, hitting one goose. Struck and carrying the arrow, the goose fell into Siddhārtha's garden. Seeing the goose injured by the arrow and fallen to the ground, the prince gently lifted it with both hands, sat cross-legged, placed the goose upon his lap, supported it with his delicate, smooth left hand, and extracted the arrow with his right hand. He then sealed its wound with ghee and honey. At that time Devadatta sent a messenger to tell the prince, "I shot a goose and it fell into your garden. Hand it over quickly; you must not keep it." The prince replied to the messenger, "If the goose dies, I will return it to you; if it does not die, you shall never have it." Devadatta again sent a messenger to say, "Whether dead or alive, it must certainly be returned. It was obtained by my hand through skill in shooting; why do you suddenly retain it?" The prince replied, "I have already taken this goose under my care. Why is that? Since I brought forth the mind of awakening, I have taken all sentient beings under my care. How much more so this goose—why should it not belong to me?" Because of this cause, they disputed with one another. They assembled the senior and wise men among the Śākyas to resolve the matter. At that time, a god of the Śuddhāvāsa transformed himself into an aged elder, entered the Śākyas' assembly, and spoke these words: "He who nurtures it has taken it under his care; he who shot and struck it has cast it away." At that time the senior Śākyas all concurred at once, exclaiming aloud, "So it is, so it is, as the benevolent one says!" This was the initial cause of the boy Devadatta forming enmity with the prince.