法苑珠林 23.41

23.41

Having spoken this verse, the Buddha told the bhikṣus: Long ago, immeasurable ages in the past, there was a bhikṣu with five supernormal knowledges named Vīryabala ('Energy-Strength'). He was seeking the Way in solitary tranquility beneath a tree in the mountains. At that time, four beasts took refuge nearby and were constantly at peace. The first was a dove, the second a crow, the third a venomous snake, and the fourth a deer. These four beasts roamed for food by day and returned to roost at night. One night the four beasts asked among themselves: 'Among the sufferings of the world, which is the heaviest?' The crow said: 'Hunger and thirst are the most painful. At the time of hunger and thirst, the body is emaciated, the eyes are dim, and the consciousness is restless; one casts oneself into nets, heedless of sharp blades. For us to lose our lives never fails to stem from this. Therefore, hunger and thirst are suffering.' The dove said: 'Lust is the most painful. When sexual desire blazes furiously, there is no consideration of anything else; endangering the body and destroying life never fails to stem from this.' The venomous snake said: 'Anger is the most painful. Once venomous thoughts arise, they spare neither near nor distant; one can kill others and also kill oneself.' The deer said: 'Terror is the most painful. When I am in the forest and wilds, my heart is always terrified; I dread hunters, jackals, and wolves. If there is faintly a sound, I flee and plunge into ravines; mother and child abandon each other, heart and gall trembling. Therefore, terror is suffering.' Hearing them, the bhikṣu replied to them, saying: 'What you discuss is merely the branches; you do not investigate the root of suffering. Among the sufferings under heaven, none surpasses possessing a body. The body is a vessel of suffering, bearing boundless grief and fear. For this reason, I renounced the world to learn the Way, extinguishing mental activity and severing thoughts, without greed for the four great elements, wishing to cut off the source of suffering and setting my resolve on nirvāṇa. Hence I know that the body is the great root of suffering.' Therefore the secular book says: 'There is no greater calamity than possessing a body.'