法苑珠林 24.50

24.50

Furthermore, the Dharmapada-avadāna-sūtra says: In the past, when the Buddha was at the Jetavana Vihāra in the country of Śrāvastī preaching the Dharma for gods and humans, King Prasenajit had a widowed daughter named Vajrā. Her parents pitied her and built her a fine, separate residence, giving her five hundred singing girls to entertain her. Together they had an elder bondwoman named Duśeng, who regularly went to the marketplace to buy rouge, powder, incense, and flowers. At that time, she saw an innumerable multitude of men and women, each carrying incense and flowers, going out of the city to visit the Buddha. She immediately asked the travelers, "Where do you wish to go?" The multitude replied, "The Buddha has appeared in the world. As the Venerable of the Tridhātu, he delivers all living beings so that they all attain nirvāṇa." Hearing this, Duśeng was glad of heart and delighted. She thought to herself, "Seeing the Buddha in my old age today is due to the blessing of past lives." She then set aside part of the incense money to buy fine flowers. Following the crowd, she went to the Buddha's place, paid homage, and withdrew to stand aside. Having scattered the flowers and burned the incense, she wholeheartedly listened to the Dharma; after that, she passed through the market to obtain the incense. Because of the merit of listening to the Dharma and pursued by past practices, the incense's fragrance was smelled afar and its weight was double that of before. [The women] were displeased that she was late and questioned her together. Duśeng, honouring the Way, spoke according to the facts: "In the world there is a holy master, the Venerable of the Tridhātu, who beats the unsurpassed Dharma drum, shaking the trichiliocosm. Innumerable people go to listen to the Dharma. In truth, I followed along to listen to the Dharma, and that is why I was delayed." When Vajrā and her companions heard that the World-Honoured One's Dharma discourse was wondrous and unheard of in the world, their hearts rejoiced in awe, and they sighed, saying, "What sin do we have that we alone are separated from hearing it?" They immediately said to Duśeng, "Try preaching it for us." Duśeng said, "My person is lowly and my mouth impure; I dare not declare it right away. The etiquette for preaching the Dharma is first to set up a high seat. If I receive your command, I will fully declare the holy intention." The five hundred attendants were all greatly delighted. Each took off a garment and piled them up to make a high seat. Duśeng bathed, and relying on the Buddha's spiritual power, preached the Dharma as appropriate. Vajrā and the five hundred attendants had their knots of doubt broken, destroyed badness, and attained the path of the srotāpanna. The preaching of the Dharma was so delightful that they did not notice a fire breaking out. They were burned to death at the same moment, and were immediately reborn in the heavens. The king led his retinue to rescue them from the fire, but seeing that it had already burned down, he gathered them for encoffining and completed the burial. He then went to the Buddha's place, paid homage to the Buddha, joined his palms, and said, "Vajrā was unfortunate; she did not notice the outbreak of fire, and great and small were completely burned up. We have just finished the encoffining. I do not know what sin caused them to meet with this calamity of fire. May the World-Honoured One make known what has not been heard." The Buddha told the great king: "In a past life, there was a city named Vārāṇasī. A householder's wife led five hundred court maidens to a great sacrificial altar outside the city. Its rule was strict and urgent: people of other families were not permitted to approach its edge, regardless of whether they were close or distant relatives; whoever came was thrown into the fire. At that time, there was a pratyekabuddha named Kāla living in the mountains. In the morning he came to beg for food (piṇḍapāta), and in the evening he always returned to the mountains. Kāla came begging for food and approached the suburban sacrificial altar. When the householder's wife saw him, she was infuriated and angry, and together they seized Kāla and threw him into the fire. His entire body was scorched and burned. He then displayed supernatural powers and flew up into empty space. The women were frightened, wept, and repented. Kneeling for a long time and raising their heads, they declared: 'We women are foolish and ignorant, failing to recognise the Ultimate Truth. Filled with delusion and growing arrogance, we insulted a divine spirit. Reflecting on our transgression, our sins are as high as a mountain. May your revered virtue descend to dispel our heavy calamity.' Following their voices, he immediately descended and entered parinirvāṇa. The women erected a stūpa and made offerings to his relics (śarīra)." The Buddha spoke a gāthā for the great king: