法苑珠林 10.41

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.'