法苑珠林 35.26

35.26

When it spoke these words, the earth shook greatly and rain fell from a cloudless sky; the devas, beholding it, rained down flowers in offering. After it died, [the hunter] flayed its hide and carried it to present to the king, seeking a reward. Seeing it, the king thought to himself: 'The scriptures say that if there is a beast with a golden body, it must be a bodhisattva. How could I now give him goods as a reward? If I reward him, I would be no different from him.' The king then asked, saying, 'When the lion died, what auspicious omens were there?' The hunter replied, saying, 'Its mouth spoke eight syllables; flowers rained down, the earth shook, and rain fell from a cloudless sky.' Having heard these words, the king was overcome with mingled sorrow and joy. He immediately summoned his ministers, ordering them to explain this meaning, but none could explain it. At that time, in the mountain forest there was an ascetic named Śama, who was adept at explaining the meaning of syllables. The king immediately invited him to come and explain it for the king: 'Ye-ra-ra means that those who shave their heads and wear kāṣāyas shall swiftly attain liberation from saṃsāra. Va-śa-ṣa means that those who shave their heads and wear dyed robes all bear the marks of the worthy and holy of the three times, and are close to nirvāṇa. Svāhā means that those who shave their heads and wear dyed robes shall be revered and looked up to by all devas and worldly people.' When the ascetic finished explaining, the king was greatly delighted. He immediately summoned the eighty-four thousand lesser kings, all gathering together to make a high carriage of the seven treasures to carry the lion's hide, burning incense and scattering flowers, making offerings with all their hearts. They beat gold to make a coffin, containing the lion's hide to erect a stūpa for it. At that time, because of this good mind, after the people ended their lives, all were able to be born in heaven. The Buddha told Ānanda: "Because the lion at that time gave rise to a good mind toward the person in dyed robes, for a billion kalpas it was a cakravartin, amply providing for sentient beings, widely planting meritorious karma, and achieving buddhahood. That lion was none other than myself today. King Devī at that time, due to the cause of making offerings to the lion's hide, for a hundred billion kalpas was foremost in honor and nobility among devas and humans, cultivating roots of goodness; he is Maitreya today. The ascetic at that time was Śāriputra today. The hunter at that time was Devadatta today. For this reason, if there are sentient beings who hold an evil mind toward śramaṇas wearing kāṣāyas, know that such people have given rise to an evil mind toward all the Buddhas, worthies, and sages of the three times. Because of giving rise to evil, they obtain immeasurable sin. If there are sentient beings who can give rise to a faithful mind and revere those who have gone forth and wear kāṣāyas, they obtain immeasurable merit."