法苑珠林 97.25

97.25

又淨飯王泥洹經云。白淨王在舍夷國。病篤將終。思見世尊及難陀等。世尊在王舍城耆闍崛山中。去此懸遠五十由旬。世尊在靈鷲山。天耳遙聞父思憶聲。即共阿難等乘空而至。以手摩王額上。慰勞王已。為王說摩訶波羅本生經。王聞得阿那含果。王捉佛手捧置心上。佛又說法得阿羅漢果。無常對至命盡氣絕。忽就後世。至闍維時。佛共難陀在喪頭前肅恭而立。阿難羅雲在喪足後。阿難陀長跪白佛言。唯願聽我擔伯父棺。羅雲復言。唯願聽我擔祖王棺。世尊慰言。當來世人皆凶暴。不報父母育養之恩。為是不孝眾生設化法故。如來躬欲擔於父王之棺。即時三千大千世界六種震動。一切眾山駊騀涌沒。如水上船。爾時一切諸天龍神。皆來赴喪舉聲哭泣。四天王將鬼神億百千眾。皆共舉喪。白佛言。佛為當來諸不孝父母者故。以大慈悲親欲自身擔父王棺四王俱白佛言。我等是佛弟子。從佛聞法得須陀洹。以是之故。我曹宜擔父王之棺。佛聽四王擔父王棺。即變為人。一切人民莫不啼泣。世尊躬自手執香鑪。前行詣於墓所。令千羅漢往大海渚上取牛頭栴檀種種香木。以火焚之。佛言。苦空無常。猶如幻化水月鏡像燒身既竟。爾時諸王各持五百瓶乳。以用滅火。火滅之後競共收骨。盛金剛函。即於其上便共起塔。懸繒幡蓋供養塔廟。佛告眾會。父王淨飯是清淨人。生淨居天。

Furthermore, the Sūtra on the Nirvāṇa of King Śuddhodana says: King Śuddhodana was in the state of Kapilavastu. Critically ill and nearing his end, he longed to see the World-Honoured One, Nanda, and the others. The World-Honoured One was on Gṛdhrakūṭa Mountain in Rājagṛha, fifty yojanas distant from there. The World-Honoured One, being on Vulture Peak, heard his father's pining voice from afar with his divine ear. Thereupon, together with Ānanda and the others, he arrived through the air. Stroking the king's brow with his hand, after comforting the king, he preached the Mahāpāla Jātaka for him. Hearing it, the king attained the fruit of an anāgāmin. The king took the Buddha's hand and placed it upon his heart. The Buddha again preached the Dharma, and he attained the fruit of an arhat. Confronted by impermanence, his life ended and his breath ceased; suddenly he passed to the afterlife. When the time for cremation (jhāpita) arrived, the Buddha and Nanda stood respectfully before the head of the deceased; Ānanda and Rāhula stood behind the feet of the deceased. Ānandada knelt on both knees and addressed the Buddha, saying: "I pray only that you permit me to carry my paternal uncle's coffin." Rāhula also said: "I pray only that you permit me to carry my royal grandfather's coffin." The World-Honoured One consoled them, saying: "People of future generations will all be violent and cruel, and will not repay the kindness of their parents' nurturing. In order to establish a teaching to transform such unfilial sentient beings, the Tathāgata wishes to carry the coffin of his royal father with his own body." Immediately the trichiliocosm underwent six kinds of quaking; all the mountains pitched and surged, like boats on the water. At that time, all the devas, nāgas, and spirits came to the funeral and raised their voices in weeping. The Four Heavenly Kings, leading hundreds of millions of spirits, all joined in lifting the bier. They addressed the Buddha, saying: "For the sake of those in future ages who are unfilial to parents, the Buddha with great compassion wishes personally to carry his royal father's coffin. The four kings together addressed the Buddha, saying: "We are disciples of the Buddha; hearing the Dharma from the Buddha, we have attained srotaāpanna. For this reason, we ought to carry the royal father's coffin." The Buddha permitted the four kings to carry his royal father's coffin. They immediately transformed into men. None of the people failed to weep. The World-Honoured One personally held an incense burner in his hands and went before, proceeding to the gravesite. He commanded a thousand arhats to go to an isle in the great ocean to take ox-head candana and various fragrant woods to burn him with fire. The Buddha said: "Suffering, empty, and impermanent, like an illusion, the moon in water, or an image in a mirror." When the cremation of the body was completed, the kings each took five hundred vessels of milk to extinguish the fire. After the fire was extinguished, they vied with one another to collect the bones and place them in a vajra casket. Right upon that spot, they built a stūpa together, hanging silk banners and canopies to make offerings to the stūpa. The Buddha addressed the great assembly: "My royal father Śuddhodana was a pure man; he has been born into the Śuddhāvāsa Heaven."