[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Indian literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in) › [Buddhist Literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha) › [Taishō Tripiṭaka (Chinese Buddhist canon)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho) › [法苑珠林](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2122) › 91.46 # 法苑珠林 91.46 法苑珠林 91.46 - **Language:** Classical Chinese ### [91.46](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2122.91.46) 又百緣經云。佛在舍衛國祇樹給孤獨園。於其初夜有五百天子。齎持香華光明赫奕。照祇桓林。來詣佛所。禮已却坐。佛為說法得須陀洹果。繞佛三匝還詣天宮。於其晨朝。阿難請問諸天來緣。佛告阿難。乃往過去迦葉佛時。有二婆羅門。隨從國王來詣佛所。禮拜問訊。時彼從中有一優婆塞。勸二婆羅門共受齋法。一求生天。二求人王受已俱還諸婆羅門聚會之處。諸婆羅門言。汝等飢渴可共飲食。殷勤數勸不免其意。求生天者即便飲食。以破齋故不果所願。其後命終生於龍中。其不食者得作國王。以其先身共受齋故。生彼國王園池水中。時守園人日日常送種種果蓏奉上獻王。於池水中得一美果。色香甚好。作是念言。我惟出入常為門監所見前却。我持此果當用與之。作是念已。尋即持與。門監得已復作是念。我惟出入復為黃門所見前却。當用與之。作是念已尋即持與。黃門得已復作是念。夫人為我常向大王歎譽我德。我持此果當用與之。作是念已即便持與。夫人得已復上大王。王得果已即便食之。覺甚香美。即問夫人。汝今何處得是果來。夫人即時如實對曰。我從黃門得是果來。如是展轉推到園子。王即召呼。吾園之中有是美果。何不見送乃與他人。園子於是本末自陳。王不聽言而告之曰。自今以後常送此果。若不送者吾當殺汝。園子還歸入其園中。號咷洟泣不能自制。此果無種何由可得。時彼龍王聞是哭聲。化作人形來問之言。汝今何以啼哭乃爾。園子具答所由。龍聞是語還入水中。取好美果著金槃上。持與園子。因復告言。汝持此果奉上獻王。并說吾意云。我及國王昔佛在世。本是親友。俱作梵志共受八齋。各求所願。汝戒完具得作國王。吾戒不全生在龍中。我今還欲奉修齋法求捨此身。願王為我求八關齋文。送來與我。若其相違吾覆汝國用作大海。園子於是納受果槃。奉獻王已。因復說龍所囑之語。王聞是已甚用不樂。所以然者。當爾之時乃至無有佛法之名。況復得有八關齋文。若其不獲恐見危害。思念此理無由可辦。時彼國王有一大臣。最可敬重。而告之言。龍從我索八關齋文。仰卿得之。大臣答曰。今世無法。云何可得。王復告言。汝若不獲。吾必殺卿。大臣聞已。却退至家。顏色異常。甚用愁惱。時臣有父。年在耆舊。每從外來。見子顏色改易異常。尋即問言。即向父說委曲情理。父答子言。吾家堂柱。我見有光。汝為就伐。試取破看之得經二卷。一是十二因緣。二是八關齋文。大臣得已甚用歡喜。著金槃上奉獻與王王得之喜不自勝。送與龍王。龍王得已甚用歡慶。齎持珍寶贈遺與王。各還所止。共五百龍子勤加奉修八關齋法。其後命終生忉利天來供養我。是彼光耳。佛告阿難。欲知彼時五百龍子奉修齋法者。今五百天子是。佛說是緣時。有得四沙門果者。有發無上菩提心者。聞佛所說歡喜奉行。 > Furthermore, the Avadānaśataka states: The Buddha was staying in the Jetavana, Anāthapiṇḍada's park, in Śrāvastī. In the first watch of the night, five hundred devaputras, bearing fragrant flowers and shining with brilliant radiance that illuminated the Jetavana grove, came to the Buddha's place. Having paid homage, they stepped back and sat down. The Buddha expounded the Dharma for them, and they attained the fruit of a srotāpanna. They circumambulated the Buddha three times and returned to the heavenly palace. In the morning, Ānanda asked about the past causes for the coming of these devas. The Buddha told Ānanda: “Long ago, in the time of the past Buddha Kāśyapa, there were two brāhmaṇas who followed a king to the Buddha's place to pay homage and make inquiries. At that time, among the retinue there was an upāsaka who urged the two brāhmaṇas to receive the rules of the fast together, one seeking rebirth in heaven and the other seeking to be a king of humans. Having received them, they returned together to the gathering place of the brāhmaṇas. The brāhmaṇas said, ‘You are hungry and thirsty; you may eat and drink with us.’ They urged them repeatedly and earnestly, and they could not resist their insistence. The one who sought rebirth in heaven then ate and drank. Because he broke the fast, his wish was not fulfilled; after his life ended, he was reborn among the nāgas. The one who did not eat was able to become a king. Because of having received the fast together in their previous lives, the \[nāga\] was born in the water of a pond in that king's garden. At that time, the keeper of the garden daily presented various fruits and melons as offerings to the king. In the pond water, he found a delicious fruit with wonderful colour and fragrance. He thought: ‘Whenever I enter and exit, I am always turned away by the gatekeeper; I should take this fruit and give it to him.’ Having had this thought, he immediately took it and gave it to him. The gatekeeper, having received it, also thought: ‘Whenever I enter and exit, I am always turned away by the eunuch; I should take it and give it to him.’ Having had this thought, he immediately took it and gave it to him. The eunuch, having received it, also thought: ‘The queen often praises my virtues to the great king; I should take this fruit and give it to her.’ Having had this thought, he immediately took it and gave it to her. The queen, having received it, offered it to the great king. The king, having received the fruit, immediately ate it and found it exceedingly fragrant and delicious. He then asked the queen, ‘Where did you get this fruit today?’ The queen then truthfully replied, ‘I got this fruit from the eunuch.’ In this way, tracing it back step by step, it came to the gardener. The king then summoned him: ‘Such a delicious fruit was in my garden; why did you not present it to me, but instead gave it to another?’ The gardener then related the whole story from beginning to end. The king would not listen to his words and told him, ‘From now on, you must constantly present this fruit; if you do not present it, I will execute you.’ The gardener returned and entered his garden, wailing and weeping, unable to control himself: ‘This fruit has no seed; by what means can it be obtained?’ At that time, that nāga king heard this crying, transformed into a human form, and came to ask him, ‘Why are you weeping so bitterly today?’ The gardener fully answered the reason. Hearing these words, the nāga returned into the water, took fine, delicious fruits, placed them on a golden platter, and gave them to the gardener. He then further told him, ‘Take these fruits and offer them to the king, and convey my intention, saying: “I and the king, long ago when the Buddha was in the world, were originally close friends. We were both brāhmaṇas and received the Eightfold Fast together, each seeking what he wished. Because your precepts were complete, you became a king; because my precepts were incomplete, I was born among the nāgas. Now I wish to cultivate the practice of the fast again, seeking to shed this body. I pray that the king will seek the text of the Eight Precepts Fast for me and send it to me. If you refuse, I will overturn your kingdom and make it into a great sea.”’ The gardener then received the platter of fruits, and after presenting them to the king, he conveyed the message entrusted by the nāga. When the king heard this, he was exceedingly unhappy. Why was this so? Because at that time, there was not even the name of the Buddha's Dharma, let alone the text of the Eight Precepts Fast! If he failed to obtain it, he feared harm would befall him. Pondering this matter, there was no way it could be accomplished. At that time, that king had a minister who was most worthy of respect, and the king told him, ‘The nāga demands from me the text of the Eight Precepts Fast; I rely on you to obtain it.’ The minister replied, ‘There is no Dharma in the world today; how could it be obtained?’ The king further told him, ‘If you do not obtain it, I will surely kill you.’ Having heard this, the minister withdrew to his home, his countenance altered, exceedingly sorrowful and distressed. At that time, the minister had an aged father. Whenever the father came in from outside, seeing his son's countenance so altered, he immediately questioned him. The son then explained the details of the situation to his father. The father answered the son, saying, ‘I have seen a light upon the pillar of our hall. Cut it down for me, and try breaking it open to see.’ Inside, he obtained two rolls of scriptures: one was the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination, and the second was the text of the Eight Precepts Fast. Having obtained them, the minister was overjoyed, placed them on a golden platter, and offered them to the king. The king obtained them and was overjoyed beyond measure; he sent them to the nāga king. The nāga king obtained them and rejoiced exceedingly, presenting precious treasures as gifts to the king. Each returned to his abode. Together with five hundred nāga sons, he diligently cultivated the practice of the Eight Precepts Fast. Thereafter, their lives ended, and they were reborn in Trāyastriṃśa Heaven; they came to make offerings to me, and that was their light.” The Buddha told Ānanda, “If you wish to know who the five hundred nāga sons who cultivated the practice of the fast at that time were, they are these five hundred devaputras now.” When the Buddha spoke this story of causes and conditions, some attained the four fruits of a śramaṇa, and some generated the mind of unexcelled awakening. Hearing what the Buddha said, they rejoiced and practiced it. > — English (machine translation) (machine translation) - [Previous: 91.45](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2122.91.45) - [Next: 91.47](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2122.91.47) - [Up: 91](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2122.91) ## Translations (1) - [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2122~en-mt.91.46) — English, machine translation --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2122.91.46](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2122.91.46) · Pramāṇa