法苑珠林 24.54

24.54

Furthermore, the Za baozang jing says: At that time, the kingdom of Pañcāla presented five hundred white geese to King Prasenajit. The king ordered them sent to the Jetavana Vihāra. When the assembly of monks ate, each person begged for food. Seeing the assembly of monks, the geese came and stood before them. The Buddha preached the Dharma with a single voice, and living beings each understood according to their kind. At that time, the flock of geese also understood the monks' speech. Hearing the Dharma, they were delighted; calling in harmony with one another, they returned to the pond water. Later, as their feathers grew longer, they flew to another place. A hunter covered them all with a net and killed them. One goose made a call and all the geese harmonised, making the sounds from when they listened to the Dharma. Riding on this wholesome thought, they were born in the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven. According to the law of heavenly rebirth, there are three mindfulnesses: first, minding where one originally came from; second, minding where one is definitely born; third, minding what karma one previously performed to be born in heaven. They then reflected and saw their own past causes: there was no other wholesome deed, only listening to the Dharma beside the Buddha and the saṃgha. Having had these thoughts, the five hundred sons of the gods immediately descended beside the Tathāgata. The Buddha preached the Dharma for them, and they all attained the srotāpanna fruit. King Prasenajit happened to visit the Buddha's place. He had regularly seen the five hundred geese lined up before the Buddha, but on this day he did not see them. He then asked the Buddha, "Where have the geese here gone?" The Buddha said, "If you wish to see those geese, earlier the geese flew to another place and were killed by a hunter. At the end of their lives, they were born in heaven. Today, these five hundred sons of the gods wearing fine celestial crowns, handsome and extraordinary, are they; through listening to the Dharma today, they have all attained the srotāpanna fruit." The king asked the Buddha, "Due to what karmic conditions did these geese fall into the animal realm, and then at the end of their lives be born in heaven and today attain the path?" The Buddha said, "In the past, at the time of Kāśyapa Buddha, five hundred women all took the precepts together. Because their minds were not firm, they broke the precepts they had received. Due to the conditions of breaking the precepts, they fell into the animal realm and took on these goose bodies. Because they had received the precepts, they met the Tathāgata, heard the Dharma, and attained the path. Due to the condition of listening to the Dharma in goose bodies, they were born in the heavens."