法苑珠林 10
English (machine translation) 10
- Language
- English
10.1
Compiled by the Śramaṇa Shi Daoshi of Ximing Temple.
10.2
Chapter Five on the Thousand Buddhas, Part Three: Section 9 on Taking a Consort (comprising six subsections).
10.3
Subsection on Expressing the Intent;
Subsection on Consecration and Royal Headdress;
Subsection on Seeking a Marriage Alliance;
Subsection on Doubts and Slander;
Subsection on the Hardship of Gestation;
Subsection on Divine Anomalies.
10.4
Subsection 1: Expressing the Intent.
10.5
Now, the dharmakāya has no form, but manifests in response to conditions; the capacities and conditions are of ten thousand kinds, and so the traces of transformation are not of a single sort. Some abandon desire to receive the Way; some abide in defilement to display expedient means. If he did not display taking a consort, common understanding would slander him as not being of human stock. Although he displayed the realm of the five desires, he did not alter the determination of his single mind. Thus, he passed through the four gates of the royal city and witnessed the eight sufferings of old age, illness, and death. Thereupon he sighed to himself: "If human life is like this, how can one endure staying in the world? Casting off one's sandals to seek the truth—surely it lies in this!" Hence the *Vimalakīrti-sūtra* says: "First ensnaring them with desire, later causing them to enter the Buddha Way."
10.6
Subsection 2: Consecration and Royal Headdress.
10.7
According to the *Sūtra on Cause and Effect*: When the crown prince was grown, his royal father issued an edict to other kingdoms: "On the eighth day of the second month, the crown prince's head will be consecrated; all may assemble to install him as crown prince." Once the edict arrived, kings and ministers of various kingdoms all gathered like clouds when the time came, to watch the installation of the crown prince and the bestowing of great imperial favor.
10.8
Vinaya Master Daoxuan of Ximing Temple in Chang'an: His virtue was a mirror to the mysterious currents, and his conduct was lofty, pure, and plain. Sincere in his ascetic practices, he dedicated himself to them until the end of his life. Having early on followed a teacher, for over fifty years he traveled restlessly inquiring into the Way, his aspiration set on the maintenance of the Dharma. If only a single matter was worthy of note, it was used to support the Three Jewels. He compiled and edited over a hundred fascicles of norms and models, collecting lofty standards that were all imbued with profound meaning. / In the Great Tang dynasty, during the mid-spring season of the second year of the Qianfeng reign era [667 CE], he was at the former Jingye Temple of Qinggong south of the capital city, seeking quietude to cultivate the Way. Having reached his twilight years and his vigor on the wane, he focused his thoughts on the four modes of birth and also reflected on the three assemblies [under Maitreya]. Suddenly, owing to past karmic affinities, hidden spirits visited and looked after him; his illness gradually abated. Striving with reverent devotion, he elicited a mysterious response. / At that time, heavenly beings, ministers and aides of the Four Heavenly Kings, came to the door of the Vinaya master's room, their footsteps sounding like a person walking. The Vinaya master asked, "Who is it?" / The reply was: "The disciple Zhang Qiong." / The Vinaya master asked again, "From where does the dānapati come?" / The reply was: "The disciple is the fifteenth son of the Southern Heavenly King of the first desire realm. The king has ninety-one sons, heroic, strategic, and divinely martial, each governing lands and capitals. The seas and lands they oversee distinguish the monastic from the secular, and their boundaries for keeping or breaking the precepts are demarcated. All have personally received the Buddha's teaching to protect good and evil, causing the bequeathed Dharma to flourish ever more and accumulating their merit." According to the sūtras, this is the son of King Virūḍhaka of the South, one of the Four World-Protecting Kings; they constantly maintain watch and ward, not set up in vain. / The Vinaya master asked again, "Since the dānapati has not disregarded my deficient virtue and has come to visit me, why remain at the door and not enter?" / He replied: "Without the master's instruction, the disciple would not dare enter arbitrarily." / The Vinaya master said, "Please enter and take a seat." After entering, he paid homage and sat down respectfully. / The Vinaya master asked again, "Since the dānapati has deep faith in the Three Jewels, has received the Buddha's entrustment to protect them, and has kindly come to visit, why do you not manifest your form?" / He replied: "The disciple's retribution body is different from that of ordinary people, and its radiance and color are also extraordinary, which would startle the minds of the multitude. Conversing with the master is quite sufficient; there is no need to trouble to manifest my body." / The Vinaya master asked again, "Since the start of spring, this poor monk's strength has gradually weakened, and medicines have been ineffective. I do not know how much longer my retribution life will last." / He replied: "The Vinaya master's retribution [span] is nearly exhausted; there is no need to trouble with medicine." / The Vinaya master asked again, "On what precise day will my retribution end?" / He replied: "Why is there any need to state the time? Just know that before long the Vinaya master's retribution will be exhausted, and you will be born in the Fourth Heaven, in the presence of Maitreya Buddha." / The Vinaya master asked again, "Who are your companions?" / He replied: "The disciple's third elder brother, Zhang Yu. Thoroughly perceptive and transcendent in awakening, he deeply reveres the Śākya clan's tradition. He composed the *Illustrated Sūtra of Jetavana* in over one hundred fascicles; it is displayed high in the heavenly palaces, but unheard of in the underworld." / Upon receiving this notification, the Vinaya master leaped with joy and requested him to relate it so as to enlighten monastics and laypeople. / There was also a heavenly being, Wei Kun, who was likewise an aide among the eight great generals of the Southern Heavenly King. The Four Heavenly Kings have thirty-two generals in total, and this person is the foremost among them. Endowed with innate intelligence, he early on abandoned the dust of desires, observed pure brahmacarya, and cultivated the practice of youthfulness (kaumārabhūmi). Personally receiving the Buddha's entrustment, the propagation and protection [of the Dharma] are held in his heart; universally overseeing the three continents, he is foremost in the maintenance of the Dharma. Free from self and free from flaw, he deeply cares for the four assemblies; understanding things and transformations, he greatly delivers the five vehicles. Therefore, wherever the Buddha's teaching exists within the four modes of existence, when the declining guidelines are mutually compromised and the saṃgha or images are in peril, he unfailingly assists and defends them. / The master repeatedly received audience with him, where excellent counsel was fully provided. He praised the Vinaya master for chronicling the remaining traditions, abridging and compiling the maintenance of holy traces. Thereupon the Vinaya master, having received the spirits' entrustment, braved his illness to take brush in hand, recording whatever he heard, completing ten fascicles in total. The Vinaya master worried that his retribution span was nearly exhausted, and also feared that the heavenly beings would soon return; the path of his brush was hurried, leaving no leisure for other matters. The writing was also rough and abridged; he sought only to exhaust the holy meaning, paying no heed to literary style. All essential points regarding the traces of the teachings on the maintenance of the Dharma that were unresolved, he asked about them to eliminate doubts and illuminate perplexities of mind. Totalling 3,800 items, they were arranged into ten sections: 1. Recounting the Rituals of the Council; 2. Recounting the Gāthās of the Heavenly Maiden; 3. Recounting the Entrustment of the Śarīra; 4. Recounting the Entrustment of the Robe and Bowl; 5. Recounting the Entrustment of the Sūtras and Images; 6. Recounting the Entrustment of Buddha Objects; 7. Recounting the Before and After of the Council; 8 and 9 (these two were unfinished and lack titles); 10. Recounting the Holy Traces of the Maintenance of the Dharma. / The Vinaya master, having personally met and received the transmission from the unseen realm, directly received the bequeathed instructions. As each was produced he rejoiced; though ears and eyes were weary, he felt no fatigue. He only regretted not knowing it sooner, and that the literary sense was not thorough. Now, in accordance with what the heavenly beings explained, not conflicting with the teachings of the Tripiṭaka, they are all compiled and recorded. Although heard from devas, it is still the same as the Buddha's preaching. / Starting from the second month until the sixth month, they came daily to transmit them, without a moment's pause. On the third day of the tenth month, at the beginning of winter, the Vinaya master's vigor gradually ebbed, and fragrant banners filled the sky. The holy assembly of heavenly beings spoke at once, coming from Tuṣita Heaven to invite the Vinaya master. The Vinaya master sat upright, single-mindedly joined his palms, composed his countenance, and passed away. At the time of his passing, more than a hundred monastics and laypeople all saw fragrant flowers welcoming him as he ascended into the sky. / The Vinaya master was my fellow student; on the day we ascended the ordination platform, we studied under the same master. Although our practices differed like fragrant herbs and weeds, our fondness for compiling was identical. Whatever was seen or heard, following the principle or the matter, we gathered from numerous records, abridging and assembling the essentials into compiled articles, all to preserve the bequeathed Dharma for the benefit of its maintenance.
10.9
At that time, the Four Heavenly Kings addressed Vinaya Master Daoxuan: "When the Tathāgata was approaching nirvāṇa, he was dwelling together with the great assembly of humans and gods at the Oxhead Vihāra south of Lake Anavatapta on the summit of Mount Gandhamādana. He addressed Mahākāśyapa: 'Take Subhūti to the summit of Mount Sumeru and blow the great Dharma conch to summon the bodhisattvas of the ten grounds from the ten directions, the saṃgha of śrāvakas, the ten billion Brahmās and Śakras, the Four Heavenly Kings, and the like; also summon the Buddhas of the ten directions to assemble at Mount Gandhamādana.' Kāśyapa complied with the instruction, and the great assembly gathered like clouds. At that time, the World-Honoured One sat cross-legged and entered the vajrasamādhi. The great earth shook in six ways, and he also emitted light from his eyebrows that illuminated throughout the great trichiliocosm for seven days. The great assembly all wondered, not knowing what the reason was. The World-Honoured One arose from samādhi, smiled serenely, and addressed the great assembly: 'When I first vaulted over the city wall and just emerged from the palace gate, outside there was a gandharva king leading his clan, playing hundreds of thousands of divine musical pieces, who came to my place and asked me: "Where do you wish to go?" I replied to him: "I wish to seek bodhi." He said to me: "You are certain to achieve saṃbodhi. When Krakucchanda Buddha was about to enter nirvāṇa, he entrusted me with a golden vase. Inside the vase is a jewelled stūpa containing seven-jewel seals: two golden seals and five silver seals. He bade me entrust them to Siddhārtha and always instructed me to guard them. When you achieve saṃbodhi, I shall promptly come." Relying on his words, I received the vase, and before long achieved the Way. Mahābrahmā and the earth deity Dṛḍhā constructed a great vajra-platform adorned with myriad jewels out of yellow gold and white jade to the south of the Bodhi tree. At that time, the gandharva king addressed the Buddhas of the ten directions: "I saw that when past Buddhas first achieved the Way, they all ascended the vajra-platform, and golden vases holding water were used to consecrate their heads to establish them in the rank of Dharma King. Now I see Śākya-Venerable has just attained bodhi; he too should ascend the vajra-platform like the previous Buddhas. I have heard that below the King of Mountains, within the sevenfold blue sea, there is water endowed with the eight virtues. When the Buddhas of antiquity wished to ascend to the rank of Dharma King, they all climbed the vajra-platform and used this water to consecrate their heads. I shall go myself to fetch it, wishing to consecrate Śākya's head." That gandharva king opened the vase, took out the seal-stūpa, and carried the vase to fetch the water. At that time, the Buddhas of the ten directions bid me ascend the platform. I then circumambulated the platform three times, ascended from the south, turned west and paused at the north, and arriving at the centre of the platform, I spread my niṣīdanamyself and paid homage to the Buddhas of the ten directions. The Buddhas instructed me to sit and enter the vajrasamādhi. The Buddhas who had come from the ten directions also told the Nāga King Sāgara: "Go to the summit of Mount Piṅgala on the Jewel-Horse King Isle at the bottom of the great ocean. There is a great rock cave there named the Vajragarbha, which is used to store the bells of cakravartins and the bells of Dharma Kings. They are all made of yellow gold and inlaid with the seven jewels and white jade. When Buddhas appear in the world, a thousand bells are used to pour consecration on their heads; when cakravartins appear in the world, a thousand bells are also used for consecration. Bring the Buddha-bells, do not use the cakravartin ones, to hold the water of eight virtues to consecrate Śākya." At that time, having received the Buddha's instruction, the Nāga King took the golden bells and offered them to the Buddhas of the ten directions. Having received them, the Buddhas instructed the gandharva king: "Take that water and pour it into our golden bells." When the Buddhas had received it, the earth shook in six ways, and the Buddhas who had come from the ten directions each emitted a white uṣṇīṣa-curl light. Within that light they praised the merits of the Buddha Jewel. Arising from samādhi, I also emitted light from my eyebrows, which merged with the lights of the Buddhas into a single jewelled canopy that covered the great trichiliocosm everywhere. The sun, moon, stars, constellations, great ocean, mountains, and the karmic retributions of sentient beings all appeared within the canopy. Furthermore, within this jewelled canopy were ten billion Buddha-lands. The Buddhas instructed me to rise and stand upon the golden platform, and I again paid homage to the Buddhas of the ten directions. At that time, the Buddhas of the ten directions again addressed the Nāga King Vāsuki: "Go to the summit of Mount Piṅgala. In that mountain there is a cave that conceals the seats of Buddhas and the seats of cakravartins. They are all made of yellow gold, like Mount Sumeru. The Buddha-seat is encircled by nine nāgas, and the cakravartin-seat is encircled by five nāgas. Now is the seat for when the Dharma King ascends the throne." At that time, the Buddhas of the ten directions also commanded the great demon king and Mahābrahmā to carry the Buddha-seat together and bring it onto the golden platform. The Buddhas bid me sit, and I complied with their words and sat down. At that time, the Buddhas of the ten directions held the golden bells filled with water and consecrated my head. After the Buddhas had consecrated me, next the Four Kings, Śakra, Māra, and Brahmā consecrated me in turn. After receiving the consecration, I attained the pure samādhi, and immeasurable Buddha-dharmas all manifested at once. The earth shook greatly again, and ten billion māras all came to surrender. The Brahmā kings of the ten directions each held heavenly musical instruments and played the melody of the Buddha's attainment of the Way, and from within all the musical instruments light was emitted, expounding the six pāramitās. Then the gandharva king brought the previous seven-jewel seals and offered them to the Buddhas of the ten directions. Having received them, the Buddhas imprinted them on the seven apertures of my face. The Buddhas further addressed me, saying: "Now we imprint your seven apertures so that you are endowed with the seven limbs of awakening. First we imprint your mouth in order to select among afflictions and the factors of knowledge; in this manner your ears, eyes, nose, and so forth are imprinted in turn." They also offered the golden seals to the Buddhas of the ten directions. Having received them, the Buddhas imprinted them on three places on my chest: because I obtained the Dharma-seals, I thereby realized the knowledge of the three voids and understood all Buddha-dharmas. Next he took the silver seals and also offered them to the Buddhas of the ten directions. Having received them, the Buddhas imprinted them on my crown as well as my hands and feet: having received the seals, I realized the uncontaminated knowledge and was endowed with the fivefold dharmakāya. When the Buddhas had finished imprinting, they all extended their golden hands to stroke my head. Having received the stroking, I realized hundreds of thousands of samādhis and attained a thousand illuminative gateways of the Dharma. These Buddha-dharmas I had already realized long ago, but for the sake of sentient beings I displayed the same characteristics as a cakravartin, and also displayed rare and auspicious signs. My crown and my hands and feet all emitted five-coloured light, and within each light were hundreds of thousands of multi-storeyed pavilions. My emanation-buddhas were all inside the pavilions, and all received the seals and ascended the great Dharma rank just as I had. Since attaining the Way, I have constantly kept this vase and stūpa; I had never shown them to you, but only now do I reveal them.' Furthermore, the Buddha instructed the Great Being Samantabhadra to open the vase and take out the jewelled stūpa. In accordance with the command, he took out the stūpa and set it standing before the World-Honoured One. The World-Honoured One arose and paid homage to the stūpa, whereupon the stūpa door opened on its own. Inside there were pearl pavilions, numbering one hundred and thirty thousand; each pavilion formed a single seal, together with golden folds of vinaya, also numbering one hundred and thirty thousand. Inside were five bhikṣus who had entered the cessation concentration. The Buddha addressed Mañjuśrī: 'Take my Dharma horn mounted with yellow gold, go to where those bhikṣus are, and blow my melody of appearance in the world and my melody of arising from deep concentration.' Hearing the musical sound, the bhikṣus immediately arose from concentration and asked Mañjuśrī: 'What Buddha has arisen in the world now?' He replied: 'The fourth, Śākyamuni Buddha, in this Bhadrakalpa.' The bhikṣus said further: 'We are great śrāvaka disciples of Krakucchanda Buddha. When he entered nirvāṇa, he bid us stay inside this stūpa to guard the seals and the like until Rucika Buddha, when we may finally enter nirvāṇa.' At that time, the bhikṣus arose from their seats, paid homage to the World-Honoured One from afar, enquired after his health, and also addressed Mañjuśrī: 'That Buddha instructed us: "When Śākyamuni approaches nirvāṇa, take twenty-three seals from among the seals and entrust them to all the bequeathed teachings after Śākyamuni Buddha passes into extinction. The sentient beings of that time will have heavy defilements and wrong views, and will not observe the prohibitions and precepts; the gods, nāgas, and spirits will not protect them, causing the four assemblies to lack majesty and virtue. I leave these seals for Śākyamuni Buddha, bidding the great bodhisattvas in future ages to take the twenty-three seals and stamp them everywhere upon the bequeathed Dharma, imprinting those four assemblies so that they are free from violations. If there are those who delight in chanting and reciting the sūtras, imprint their mouths so that they have no forgetfulness. If there are those who cultivate concentration and practice with a straight mind, imprint them all, causing their corpses after death to not decay, or to possess radiance. When wicked sentient beings see such auspicious signs as these, they will all give rise to joyful and reverent minds."' Having spoken these words, the stūpa door closed again on its own."
10.10
Section Three: Seeking a Marriage Alliance
10.11
As the *Sūtra of the Buddha's Former Deeds* says: At that time, the Crown Prince gradually grew up, and when he reached the age of nineteen, King Śuddhodana built three seasonal palaces for him. The first was a warm palace intended for deep winter; the second was a cool palace intended for summer heat; and the third was a moderate palace intended for spring and autumn. In the rear garden he extensively constructed ponds and terraces, and planted flowers and fruits. People played music and attended upon him according to the seasons, beyond complete description. King Śuddhodana recalled again that when the Prince was first born, the physiognomist Asita predicted that he would be a cakravartin, also predicted that he would be a majestic king, and also predicted that he would achieve the Way. [Thinking,] 'What expedient means can be used to prevent him from leaving home and ensure that he inherits the royal throne?', the Śākya clan reported to the king: 'We should now quickly build separate palace chambers for the Prince and have palace maidens entertain him; in this way, the Prince will not renounce [the household] and leave home.' And they spoke a verse:
10.12
"What Asita predicted
Is certain and without alteration.
The Śākyas observe the erection of the palaces,
Hoping to prevent him from leaving home."
10.13
The King again spoke to the Śākyas: 'You should look to see whose daughter is worthy to be the consort for the Prince.' At that time, five hundred Śākyas each proclaimed: 'My daughter is worthy to be the consort.' The King considered again: 'If I abruptly take someone else's daughter and she is said to be unsatisfactory, it will become a breach of promise. If I ask the Prince, he will certainly never speak of it.' He thought further: 'I can have diverse jewels fashioned into vessels of freedom from sorrow, give them to the Prince, and have him bestow them upon the maidens. I will secretly send someone to observe and see upon whom the Prince's eyes gaze, and then betroth her as consort.' The King then rang a bell and proclaimed in Kapilavastu: 'From now until seven days hence, my Prince wishes to see all the Śākya maidens and bestow upon them all diverse jewels and various plaything vessels of freedom from sorrow.' At that time, all the maidens adorned their bodies and assembled at the palace gate wishing to see the Prince. Because the Prince's majesty and virtue were so great, they dared not look at him directly; they merely took the jewel vessels, and each bowed her head and passed by quickly. When the jewel vessels were exhausted, the very last maiden, the daughter of the Śākya minister Mahānāma of the Vāsiṣṭha clan, named Yaśodharā, came surrounded by attendants before and behind. Seeing the Prince from afar, she held her head high and fixed her gaze, advancing slowly with graceful steps, gazing straight ahead without looking sideways. Advancing gradually, she came forward to meet the Prince like an old acquaintance, without the slightest shame on her face. She then said to the Prince: 'You may give me jewels.' The Prince replied: 'Since you came late, they have all been given away.' The maiden spoke again: 'What fault have I, that you cheat me and do not give me a jewel vessel?' The Prince replied: 'I do not cheat you; it is merely that you were too late.' At that time, beside his thumb he wore a signet ring valued at a hundred thousand; he took it from his finger and gave it to her. Yaśo said: 'Can it be that before you, I am worth only this much?' The Prince replied: 'Take whatever you wish from the other necklaces and ornaments that I wear.' The maiden spoke again: 'How could I now strip the Prince? I should only adorn the Prince.' Having spoken these words, she was displeased in her heart, and immediately turned and departed.
10.14
At that time, after the World-Honoured One had attained Buddhahood, the Venerable Udāyin said to the Buddha: "Why did the Tathāgata take all the priceless neck-ornaments from his body and bestow them on Yaśodharā without being able to make her heart rejoice?" The Buddha told Udāyin: "Listen attentively with all your heart, and I shall explain it." Udāyin said: "Please explain it to me." At that time the Buddha told Udāyin: "I remember that in the past, countless ages ago, in the kingdom of Kāśi in the city of Vārāṇasī, there was a king who governed by adhering to false views. That king had a son who committed a minor offense. His father the king drove him out of the realm. Traveling gradually, he arrived at a shrine of the gods, where he stayed with his wife. Their provisions were exhausted. The prince went hunting, killing and capturing various creatures to sustain their lives. At his hunting place, he saw a monitor lizard. He pursued and killed it, stripped its skin, placed it in water, and boiled it. When it was nearly done, the broth boiled away completely. At that time the prince said to his wife: 'The meat is not yet fully cooked. Go fetch some more water.' His wife then went to fetch water. After she left, the prince was famished, unable to endure it. He immediately ate the lizard meat, finishing it entirely, leaving not even a scrap. When the prince's wife returned with the water, she asked her husband: 'Where is the lizard meat from here?' The prince replied: 'The lizard suddenly came back to life and has already run away.' His wife did not believe that such a sudden thing could happen: 'The lizard meat was already cooked, how could it run away?' Her heart did not believe it, and she thought: 'My husband was surely starving and ate it all, lying to me that it ran away.' Harried by resentment, her heart was constantly unhappy. Several years later his father died. The ministers then welcomed the prince and anointed him as sovereign. Having become king, he gave all the various treasures he obtained to his consort, but the consort was not pleased. The king said to the consort: 'Why are you unhappy in your expression?' His wife then spoke a verse to reply to the king:
10.15
"Listen, supreme great king! / In the past when we were out hunting, / Holding arrows or brandishing a blade, / After shooting and killing the wild lizard, / Stripping its skin and boiling it nearly done, / You sent me to fetch water to add, / But ate the meat without leaving a scrap, / And lied to me that it ran away!"
10.16
The Buddha told Udāyin: "You should know this: the king at that time was myself, and that queen was Yaśodharā today. Because of my minor offense back then, she is still displeased today." Furthermore, the Abhiniṣkramaṇa-sūtra says: At that time the minister Mahānāman, seeing that the prince's skills and wondrous wisdom were foremost among all, spoke these words: "May the prince accept my apology. Formerly, I thought the prince was not proficient in many skills, which made me doubtful and unwilling to marry my daughter to him. Now I know; please accept my daughter as your consort." Then the prince, divining an auspicious day and auspicious asterism, prepared the ceremonial rites in accordance with his own resources, welcoming and taking her as wife with the power and majesty of a great king. Yaśodharā adorned her body with various neck-ornaments, and followed by five hundred court maidens, was welcomed into the palace to revel in the five sensual pleasures. Therefore a verse says:
10.17
"Yaśodharā, daughter of the minister, / Her fame covered the kingdom, known far and near. / Divining an auspicious day, he took her as consort, / Welcoming her into the palace halls. / Together with her the prince indulged in worldly pleasures, / Enjoying wanton delights without satiation, / Just like Kauśika, the king of the gods, / Sporting with his consort Śacī."
10.18
At that time, after the World-Honoured One had first attained the Way, Udāyin said to the Buddha: "I wonder, World-Honoured One, in times past, what karmic connections did you have with the Śākya maiden Gautamī that could make her abandon all the young men and directly choose the Tathāgata as her husband, taking joy in her heart? How was this achieved?" At that time the Buddha told Udāyin: "Udāyin, listen attentively with all your heart. It was not only in this life that the Śākya maiden Gautamī disliked the other Śākya youths and took pleasure in me; in past lives it was also like this: she rejected those Śākya youths and chose me as her husband. I remember in the past, beneath the Snow Mountains, there were diverse kinds, countless and boundless wild beasts roaming freely, each following its companions and feeding at will. At that time, among those beasts there was a tigress of exquisite form, having few equals, peerless among all the beasts. This tigress, with lustrous and radiant fur, was sought after by the countless beasts wishing to take her as a mate. Each one said: 'Belong to me! Belong to me!' Furthermore, the beasts said among themselves: 'Wait a while and do not fight. Let the tigress choose for herself whom she will make her mate, and that beast shall be our king.' At that time, among the beasts there was a bull king who spoke a verse to the tigress:
10.19
"People of the world take my dung / And use it to smear the ground for purification. / Therefore, fair and virtuous tigress, / You ought to take me as your husband!"
10.20
Then the tigress replied with a verse to the bull king:
10.21
"The dewlap upon your neck is huge, / Fitting only to draw a cart or haul a plow. / How could you, with this ugly body, / Suddenly wish to be my master and husband?"
10.22
Then there was a great white elephant who spoke a verse to the tigress:
10.23
"I am the great elephant king of the Snow Mountains; / In battle, none can defeat me. / Since I possess such great power, / Why do you not become my wife?"
10.24
Then the tigress also replied with a verse to the white elephant:
10.25
"If you see or hear the lion king, / Your courage crumbles, and panic-stricken you flee, / Discharging your urine and dung in disarray; / How could you be fit to be my husband?"
10.26
At that time, there was a lion among them, the king of beasts, who spoke a verse to the tigress:
10.27
"Look now upon this form of mine: / Broad in front and slender behind. / Freely living in the mountains, / I can also protect other sentient beings. / I am the king of all beasts, / None can surpass me. / If any see me or hear my voice, / All the beasts flee without stopping. / Since my strength is so ferocious, / And my divine power too vast to describe, / Therefore, virtuous tigress, you should know / That you may become my wife."
10.28
Then the tigress spoke a verse to the lion king:
10.29
"Possessing great power, valor, and divine might, / Your physical form is exceedingly handsome. / Having found such a husband now, / I will surely revere and serve you."
10.30
At that time the Buddha told Udāyin: "Udāyin, you should understand this: the lion, king of beasts at that time, was myself. The tigress was the Śākya maiden Gautamī today. Those beasts are the five hundred Śākya youths today. At that time, Gautamī already disliked those beasts and had no desire for them; hearing my verse, she immediately became my wife. Today it is just the same: having forsaken the five hundred youths of the Śākya clan and slighted them, she took me as her husband." Furthermore, the Sūtra on Cause and Effect says: When the prince reached the age of seventeen, the king gathered his ministers to consult together on arranging a marriage. There was a Śākya brāhmaṇa named Mahānāman who had a daughter named Yaśodharā, with fair countenance, bright and wise, of virtuous talent surpassing others, fully possessed of decorum. Having such virtues, she was sought as consort. Although the prince took her as his consort, though walking, standing, sitting, and lying down together with her, he never had any worldly thoughts, cultivating only dhyāna and contemplation. Furthermore, the Lalitavistara-sūtra says: At that time the Śākya champions and elders addressed the king: "If the prince becomes a Buddha, the lineage of universal monarchs will be severed." The king said: "Where is there a jewel woman suitable to be consort to the prince? We shall test them through expedient means." He ordered master craftsmen to fashion dark robes and gold statues inscribed with characters, stating that only a woman endowed with virtue matching his standards could qualify. The king told the brāhmans around him to enter the kingdom of Kapilavastu to observe far and wide. They saw a jewel woman, pure as a lotus blossom, resembling the jewel woman of a universal monarch. She was the daughter of the Śākya Dandapāṇi named Gopī. Seeing the prince's extraordinary skills, Dandapāṇi gave his daughter Gopī to be the Bodhisattva's consort. Again, at age seventeen, the king sought a consort for him. After screening several thousands, the very last maiden was named Gopī, foremost in beauty, fully endowed with spiritual virtues; she was the flower girl from his past life. Although taken as consort, for a long time they did not unite. Women naturally have carnal desire and wished to draw near. The prince said: "Step back! Women have defilements that will surely soil these garments." The woman dared not approach. All the women suspected the prince was not a man. The prince pointed to the consort's belly with his finger, saying: "Six years from now, you will give birth to a boy." Thereupon she became pregnant. Furthermore, the Pañcasvapna-sūtra says: The prince had three consorts. The first consort was of the Gautama clan, the daughter of elder Śākyan. The elder was named Shuiguang (Water Light), and his wife was named Yuming (Remaining Brightness). The wife lived near the border city; when she gave birth to the daughter, the sun was about to set, but the remaining brightness illuminated their house thoroughly. Therefore she was named Gopī (meaning "Bright Maiden"); she was the prince's first consort. The second consort gave birth to Rāhula, named Yetan, also named Yaśo. Her father was the elder Yi-shi. (According to the Rulying benqi, Shanquan zhong jing, and the Mahāprajñāpāramitā-śāstra, all say that Rāhula was born to the second consort, Yaśodharā. Relying on the Pañcasvapna and the Shi'eryou jing, they say he was born to the first consort. The Shi'eryou jing originally lacked this, and its transmission was deficient; it is feared that arhats of the western regions compiled them separately, as explained in the preceding fascicle.) The third consort was named Mṛgī, and her father was the elder Śākya. Because the prince had three consorts, King Śuddhodana built three-season palaces for him. (According to the western regions, a year is divided into three seasons: spring, summer, and winter; autumn is not separately established, four months being treated as one season; hence they are called three-season palaces.) Each palace had twenty thousand court maidens to entertain the prince. If the prince had not left home, he would have become a cakravartin, also called a Cakravartin-rāja (meaning an "emperor of flight").
10.31
Section 4: Doubts and Slander
10.32
As the Mahāprajñāpāramitā-śāstra says: The Bodhisattva had two wives. One was named Gopī, a jewel woman who was barren. The second was named Yaśodharā. When the Bodhisattva left home, someone said at night: "Now that the prince has left home, how can she be pregnant? Defiling our clan!" The Śākyas wanted to throw mother and child into a fire pit to burn them. Yaśodharā, aggrieved by the baseless accusation, made a great vow: "If I have committed improper conduct, let the child in my belly and the mother perish with the fire!" Having made this vow, Yaśodharā leaped into the fire pit. Thereupon the fire was extinguished, and both mother and child survived unharmed. The fire turned into a lotus pond, with the mother seated upon a lotus seat, proving her truthfulness. Later, she gave birth to a child whose body resembled the Bodhisattva's. The father-king was overjoyed. He prepared delightful sweetmeats of a hundred flavors to offer to the Buddha. The Buddha manifested five hundred monks who all looked identical to the Buddha's body. Rāhula held the sweetmeat and placed it directly into the Buddha's bowl, thereby confirming the truth. Furthermore, the Great Upāyakauśalya-sūtra says: Because people suspected the Bodhisattva was not a man but a eunuch, he took the Śākya maiden Gopī as wife. Rāhula manifested through transformation from heaven, coming into being without the union of parents.
10.33
Furthermore, the Abhiniṣkramaṇa-sūtra says: At that time, Mahāprajāpatī and that Śākya maiden Yaśodharā took Rāhula, prepared offerings abundantly, brought various articles, and went to the place of that deity. That deity was named Rudraka; named after the deity, that garden was also called Rudraka. In that garden, in former days when the Bodhisattva was still at home, he constantly took massages and disported himself in that park. Within that garden there was a large stone upon which the Bodhisattva in former days had sat and risen. The Śākya maiden Yaśodharā at that time had Rāhula lie and rest upon that stone. Afterwards, she took the stone and threw it into the water, and then made a solemn vow, saying: 'Now I make a vow, true and not false! Excepting only the Crown Prince, no other man has ever had commerce with me. The child born of me is truly the issue of the Crown Prince's body. If this is not false, may this great stone float upon the water and not sink!' Then that great stone, according to her solemn vow, floated immediately upon the water; just like a plantain leaf floating upon the water, neither sinking nor submerging, it was even like this. Thereupon the great assembly, having seen and heard this, gave rise to a sense of the wondrous; cheering and whistling, their leaping and bounding was endless; crying out, jumping, dancing, singing, whirling their hems and fluttering their sleeves, they also made various sounds of music and entertainment, and further celebrated Rāhula's birthday. At the time when Yaśodharā gave birth to the child, the asura king Rāhula seized and devoured the moon, but within an instant seized it and released it again; hence he was named Rāhula. Rāhula was pleasing and handsome; whoever saw him was delighted. His complexion was yellowish-white like genuine gold; yet his head and neck were like an umbrella canopy, his nose was high and prominent like a parrot's beak, and both of his arms were slender and long, hanging down past his knees. In all his limbs and joints there was nothing lacking; his sense faculties were complete and perfect in every way.
10.34
Section 5: Difficulties of Gestation
10.35
As the Abhiniṣkramaṇa-sūtra says: That Rāhula only emerged from his mother's womb six years after the Tathāgata went forth from home. On the day the Tathāgata returned to his father's house, Rāhula was just six years old. Question: For what reason did Rāhula abide in his mother's womb for six years without emerging? Answer: In the past, Rāhula was a king; he took a ṛṣi into his garden, and [the ṛṣi] did not come out for six days. Therefore, [Rāhula] remained in his mother's womb for six years. The general sense is the same as before. Question: For what reason did his mother Yaśodharā carry the pregnancy for six years? Answer: Therefore the Abhiniṣkramaṇa-sūtra says: The Buddha said: 'Monks, I remember in the past, incalculable ages ago, there was a herd of cattle in a pasture. The cowherd's wife herself took a daughter and went to the herd of cattle to milk them and obtain curd. The two vessels they brought were both filled to the brim. The larger vessel she made the daughter carry, while she herself bore the smaller vessel. Arriving halfway along the road, she said to her daughter: "Walk quickly! The path here is hazardous and there is great terror." At that time, the daughter said to her mother: "This vessel is very heavy; how can I now walk quickly?" Her mother thus repeated two or three times: "Walk quickly! On this road there is great danger." At that time the daughter thought: "Why make me carry the heaviest vessel and further urge me to walk hastily?" Because of this, the daughter became angry and said to her mother: "Mother, take this milk vessel as well; I wish to relieve myself for a moment." Then that mother took the large vessel, shouldered it, and walked on, while the daughter strolled slowly behind. At that time, the mother, bearing the heavy burden alone, thus walked for six krośas.'
10.36
'At that time, the Buddha told the monks: "If any of you harbour doubt in your mind that that girl who harboured anger and caused her mother to carry the heavy load for six krośas might be someone else, do not think otherwise: it was the Śākya maiden Yaśodharā. Since at that time she caused her mother to carry the heavy load along that road for six krośas, because of that karmic obstacle, she underwent immeasurable suffering within the defilements of saṃsāra; and owing to the residue of that karma, now in this life she carried the pregnancy for six years."' (There are also sūtras that say: because Rāhula in a past life blocked a rat's hole and trapped the rat for six days without letting it out, he remained in the womb for six years.)
10.37
Section 6: Divine Anomalies
10.38
As the Guānfó sānmèi lùn says: At that time, Yaśodharā and five hundred palace handmaidens made this thought: 'The Crown Prince’s birth into the world possessed many wonders, but there is only one matter about which we have doubts.' Among the assembly of palace women, there was a girl named Sumanā, who said to the Princess: 'The Crown Prince is a divine person. Having served him for many years, I have never seen his male organ, let alone worldly affairs.' There was another woman named Jìngyì, who said: 'Mistress, I have served the Crown Prince for eighteen years and have never seen the Crown Prince have any trouble with defecation or urination, let alone anything else.' At that time, the women spoke diversely, all maintaining that the Crown Prince was not a potent male. When the Crown Prince took a daytime nap, he heard all the women wanting to see the Crown Prince's sheath-concealed private organ. Thereupon, from the place of his organ, the Crown Prince produced white lotus flowers, pinkish-white in colour, with two or three flowers connected above and below. Having seen this, the women again said to one another: 'Such a divine person has the mark of a lotus flower; how could this person have defiled attachment in his mind?' Having said this, they were choked with emotion and could not speak. At that time, within the lotus, a male organ suddenly appeared, shaped like that of a boy. Seeing this, the women again said to one another: 'The Crown Prince now manifests a wonder: suddenly he has a male organ like a man's shape!' Seeing this, the women could not contain their joy. When this mark was manifested, the mother of Rāhula saw that organ: flower upon flower arranged in sequence, like divine karpāsa; atop each flower there were countless large-bodied bodhisattvas holding white flowers and surrounding the organ. Having manifested, it disappeared again, like the sun's orb setting. This is called the Bodhisattva's mark of a sheath-concealed private organ. At that time, there were also courtezans who all said that Gautama was an organless man. When the Buddha heard these words, according to the manner of a horse-king, it gradually emerged: when it first emerged, it was like that of an eight-year-old boy; the organ gradually grew larger, like the form of a youth. Seeing this, all the women were delighted. Then it gradually grew as large as a lotus banner; within each layer there were ten billion lotus flowers; each lotus flower had ten billion jeweled colours; within each colour there were ten billion transformation Buddhas; and each transformation Buddha had ten billion bodhisattvas and an immeasurable great assembly as his retinue. At that time, the transformation Buddhas, with different mouths speaking in unison, disparaged the faults of women's evil desires and spoke a verse:
10.39
'If there were men,
All fifteen or sixteen years of age,
In their prime and of great vigour,
In number filling the sands of the Ganges,
Used to satisfy a woman,
They would not fulfill her desire for a single moment.'
10.40
At that time, when the women heard these words, their hearts were filled with shame and distress, and they threw themselves to the ground, raising their hands and beating their heads, saying: 'Alas, evil desire! It has caused the Buddhas to speak of such things. We harboured evil minds, attached to filthy desires and unaware of their fault, causing the Buddha to hear and rebuke our revulsion of evil desires!' Each reviled her female body; four thousand women all resolved upon bodhi; two thousand women left dust and defilement behind and attained the purity of the Dharma-eye; and two thousand women would attain the path of pratyekabuddhas in future ages.
10.41
The Buddha told Ānanda: 'When I first attained the Way by the banks of the Nairañjanā River, there were five Nirgranthas leading seven hundred and fifty disciples who claimed to have attained the Way; they came to my place, having their male organs coiled around their bodies seven times. Coming to my place, they spread grass and sat down, and made this statement: "Because we are free from desire, our organs are like this, like Maheśvara's. Our spiritual path today surpasses that of the śramaṇa by a hundred thousand myriad kotis." At that time, the World-Honoured One said to the Nirgranthas: "You do not know the bodily marks of the Tathāgata. If you wish to see them, observe as you please. The Tathāgata has cultivated pure conduct for accumulated kalpas; when at home, he had no thoughts of desire at all; his mind was unstained by black [defilement], hence he obtained this retribution. Like a jewel-horse, it conceals and appears without constancy. Now I shall manifest a little of my bodily marks for you." Thereupon the World-Honoured One descended from the air and manifested on the ground four waters like the four great oceans; in the midst of the four oceans was Mount Sumeru. The Buddha lay on his back with body upright atop Mount Sumeru, emitting golden light. His radiance was dazzling, outshining the bodies of all the devas. Slowly he brought forth his horse-sheath organ and coiled it around the mountain seven times, like a golden lotus flower, flower upon flower in sequence reaching up to the Brahmā world. From the Buddha's body emerged one hundred million nayutas of variegated jewel lotuses, covering the horse-sheath organ like flower banners. These one hundred million lotuses had ten billion tiers; each tier had hundreds of thousands of immeasurable transformation Buddhas; each transformation Buddha had ten billion bodhisattvas and countless bhikṣus as attendants. The transformation Buddhas emitted light illuminating the realms of the ten directions. Seeing this, the Nirgranthas were greatly astonished and their minds submitted: "The Buddha's marks of pure conduct are even inconceivable like this; his form is not hideous, but like a lotus flower! We now pay homage to the Buddha's ocean of merits." They begged the Buddha to go forth from home, and all attained the fruit of the Way.'
10.42
Section 10: Revulsion at Suffering (this has four subsections)
10.43
Subsection on Expressing the Intent
Subsection on Viewing the Fields
Subsection on Going on an Excursion
Subsection on Revulsion at Desires
10.44
First Subsection: Expressing the Intent
10.45
Contemplating the divisions of the three realms of existence and the natures endowed upon the four modes of birth, those who wander in the burning house together sink into the sea of desires; squirming and crawling are the sentient creatures, panting and crying are the various beings. Thus, when the Dharma King encounters the fortunes of this world, the Awakened One accords with the appointed time for his vehicle, guiding those playing children to return to this sublime land, pitying the worldly net and compassionately delighting in renunciation. Therefore, seeing the dancing girls like sprawled corpses, he realised the palace halls were like decayed graves; lamenting the suffering of birth, old age, and sickness, he yearned for the eternal bliss of transcendence. Hence, he abandoned his kingdom and departed high above, subduing Māra and attaining the Way.
10.46
Second Subsection: Viewing the Fields
10.47
As the Abhiniṣkramaṇa-sūtra says: King Śuddhodana, together with many Śākyas, took the Crown Prince out to the countryside on an excursion to observe the ploughing and planting of the fields. At that time, all the labourers in that land were stripped to the waist, working diligently at tilling and plowing; birds were preying upon one another. He then cried out: 'Alas, alas! Sentient beings in the world undergo extreme sufferings—namely birth, old age, sickness, and death—and further suffer various types of affliction, revolving among them unable to escape. Why do they not seek to abandon these sufferings?' When King Śuddhodana finished observing the work in the fields, he returned with the youths into a garden. At that time, the Crown Prince looked about leisurely and walked to and fro in various places, seeking quietude. Suddenly he saw a place where there was a jambu tree, luxuriant and spreading, delightful for people to behold. Seeing it, he said to his attendants: 'All of you, move far away from me; I wish to walk in private.' Thereupon the Crown Prince dismissed his attendants, and having made them all disperse, he gradually approached beneath the tree. He sat cross-legged upon the grass and contemplated with focused mind: 'Sentient beings suffer the various pains of birth, old age, sickness, and death.' Giving rise to loving-kindness and compassion, he immediately attained a concentrated mind; separated from desires and having cast aside all unwholesome phenomena, his outflows of the desire realm were exhausted and he immediately attained the first dhyāna. All the devas, Śakra, and the like, seeing the Crown Prince sitting in the tree's shade, flew down to the Crown Prince's place, paid homage, spoke verses of praise, and departed. When King Śuddhodana did not see the Crown Prince for a brief moment, he felt displeased and unhappy in his heart, and asked people: 'Where is my Crown Prince now? Suddenly he is nowhere to be seen.' At that time, the ministers ran back and forth in all four directions, searching for the Crown Prince without knowing where he was. Then a minister saw the Crown Prince from afar beneath the shade of that jambu tree, contemplating and sitting in dhyāna. He also saw that all the tree shadows had shifted, but the jambu shade alone still covered the Crown Prince. When that minister saw this rare and inconceivable event of the Crown Prince, he was overjoyed and leaped with irrepressible delight. Hurrying at full speed, he ran to the King's place; having arrived, he knelt down and, according to what he had seen, spoke a verse:
First 47 of 145 passages. Read on
Linked texts (1)
- 法苑珠林 — 道世, Classical Chinese