法苑珠林 96.6

96.6

如金光明經云。佛告大眾。過去有王。名摩訶羅陀常行善法無有怨敵。時有三子。殊特第一。第一太子名摩訶波那羅。次子名摩訶提婆。小子名摩訶薩埵。是三王子。於園游戲。漸到竹林憩駕止息。第一王子作如是言。我於今日心甚悑懼。於是林中將無衰損。第二王子復作是言。我於今日不自惜身。但離所愛心憂愁耳。第三王子復作是言。我於今日獨無悑懼。亦無愁惱。山中空寂神仙所讚。是處閑靜令人安隱。轉復前行見有一虎。適產七日。而有七子。圍繞周匝。飢餓窮悴。身體羸損。命將欲絕。第一王子見是虎已言。若為飢逼必還噉子。第三王子言。君等誰能與此虎食。第一王子言。此虎餘命無幾。不容餘處為其求食。命必不濟。誰能為此不惜身命。第二王子言。一切難捨不過己身。第三王子言。若諸大士。欲利益他。生大悲心。不足為難。時諸王子心大愁憂。久住視之。目未曾捨。作是觀已尋便離去。爾時第三王子言。我今捨身時已到矣。我從昔來多棄是身。都無所為。隨時將養令無所乏。而不知恩反生怨害。然復不免無常敗壞。今捨此身作無上業。於生死海中作大橋梁。永離憂患無常變異。智慧功德具足成就。即便語言。兄等今者。可與眷屬還其所止。爾時王子摩訶薩埵。還至虎所。脫身衣裳。置竹枝上。作是誓言。我今為利諸眾生故。證於最勝無上道故。欲度三有諸眾生故。是時王子作是誓已。即自放身臥餓虎前。以大悲力虎無能為。王子念言。虎今羸瘦身無勢力。不能得我身血肉食。即起求刀了不能得。即以乾竹刺頸出血。是時大地六種震動。日無精光。又雨雜華種種妙香。時虛空中有諸天見。心生歡喜歎未曾有。善哉大士。真大悲者。為眾生故。能捨難捨。不久當證清淨涅槃。是虎見血流污王身。即便舐血噉食其肉唯留餘骨。爾時兩兄見地大動日無精光雨諸華香。必是我弟捨所愛身。時二王子心大愁悑。洟泣悲歎容貌樵瘁。復共相將還至虎所。見弟所著衣裳。皆悉在一竹枝之上。骸骨髮爪布散狼籍。流血處處遍污其地。見已悶絕不自勝持。投身骨上良久乃寤。即起舉手呼天而哭。我弟幼稚才能過人。父母所愛奄忽捨身。我今還宮父母設問。當云何答。我寧在此併命一處。不忍還見父母眷屬。時小王子所將侍從。各散諸方互相謂言。今者我天為何所在。

As the Suvarṇaprabhāsa-sūtra says: The Buddha told the great assembly: In the past there was a king named Mahāratha, who constantly practiced good dharmas and had no enemies. At that time he had three sons, extraordinarily preeminent. The first prince was named Mahāpraṇāda, the second prince was named Mahādeva, and the youngest prince was named Mahāsattva. These three princes went on an excursion in a garden and gradually arrived at a bamboo grove, where they halted their chariot to rest. The first prince spoke these words: 'Today my mind is very fearful; will there not be some ruin or harm in this forest?' The second prince also spoke these words: 'Today I do not cherish my own body, but being separated from what I love makes my mind sorrowful.' The third prince also spoke these words: 'Today I alone have no fear, nor do I have sorrow or distress. The mountain's empty solitude is praised by the divine sages; this quiet place brings one peace and security.' Moving further ahead, they saw a tigress that had given birth seven days before, surrounded by her seven cubs, starving, exhausted, emaciated, and on the verge of dying. When the first prince saw this tigress, he said: 'If she is pressed by hunger, she will certainly turn to devour her cubs.' The third prince said: 'Who among you can provide food for this tigress?' The first prince said: 'This tigress has little life left, and there is no room to seek food for her elsewhere; her life certainly cannot be saved. Who could for her sake not spare their own body and life?' The second prince said: 'Of all things hard to relinquish, none surpasses one's own body.' The third prince said: 'If great beings desire to benefit others and give rise to great compassion, it is not difficult.' Then the princes were filled with great sorrow. Standing for a long time watching her, their eyes did not leave her. Having made this observation, they soon departed. At that time, the third prince said: 'The time has now come for me to relinquish my body. From the past until now, I have cast away this body many times for no purpose at all. According to the seasons I have nurtured it, letting it lack nothing, yet it knows no gratitude and instead gives rise to enmity and harm; moreover, it cannot escape impermanence and destruction. Now I will relinquish this body to perform an unsurpassed deed, making a great bridge across the ocean of birth and death, forever leaving behind sorrow, adversity, impermanence, and mutation, fully perfecting wisdom and merit.' Thereupon he said: 'My brothers, you may now return with your attendants to your residence.' At that time, Prince Mahāsattva returned to where the tigress was, took off his clothes, hung them on a bamboo branch, and made this vow: 'I now, for the benefit of all sentient beings, to realize the most supreme, unsurpassed path, and desiring to cross over all sentient beings in the three realms of existence…' Having made this vow, the prince threw himself down to lie before the starving tigress. Through the power of his great compassion, the tigress was unable to act. The prince reflected: 'The tigress is now emaciated and powerless, unable to take my body's flesh and blood to eat.' He immediately arose to seek a knife, but could not find one at all. He then pierced his neck with dry bamboo to draw blood. At that moment, the great earth shook in six ways, the sun lost its brilliant light, and mixed flowers and various wondrous perfumes rained down. At that time, the gods in empty space saw it, rejoiced in their hearts, and praised it as unprecedented: 'Splendid, O Great Being! Truly one of great compassion! For the sake of sentient beings, you can relinquish what is hard to relinquish; before long you will realize pure nirvāṇa.' Seeing the blood flow and stain the prince's body, the tigress then licked the blood, devoured his flesh, and left only the remaining bones. At that time, the two elder brothers saw the earth shake violently, the sun lose its brilliant light, and flowers and perfumes rain down: 'It must be that our younger brother has relinquished his cherished body.' Then the two princes were filled with great grief and dread; weeping and lamenting, their faces haggard, they led one another back to the place of the tigress. They saw that the clothes worn by their younger brother were all upon a bamboo branch, and his bones, hair, and nails were scattered in disarray, with blood flowing everywhere and staining the ground. Seeing this, they fainted and could not contain themselves. Throwing themselves upon the bones, it was a long time before they revived. They then arose, raised their hands, and wept, crying out to heaven: 'Our younger brother was young in years but surpassed others in ability; cherished by our father and mother, he has suddenly relinquished his body. If we now return to the palace and our parents ask, how shall we answer? I would rather end my life here in the same place; I cannot bear to return and face our parents and kin.' At that time, the attendants led by the youngest prince scattered in all directions, asking one another: 'Where is our master today?'