法苑珠林 36.129

36.129

The Avadāna-śataka also states: When the Buddha was in the world, there was an elder in Kapilavastu whose wealth and treasures were immeasurable and beyond count. His wife gave birth to a son who was handsome, extraordinary, and rare in the world. As he grew older, he possessed a fine voice that delighted all who heard it. He encountered the Buddha, went forth from household life, and attained the fruit of an arhat. The bhikṣus requested the Buddha to explain the causes and conditions for his attainment of the Way. The Buddha told the bhikṣus: 'Far back in the past, ninety-one kalpas ago, a Buddha appeared in the world named Vipaśyin. After his entry into nirvāṇa, there was a king named Bandhumat who collected his śarīra and built a four-jewel stūpa, one yojana high, to make offerings to them. At that time, a man saw this stūpa and felt joy in his heart; he then performed music to encircle it in offering, made a vow, and departed. By virtue of this merit, for ninety-one kalpas he did not fall into the three miserable destinies, and among devas and humans he always had a fine voice that delighted the multitude. Down to the present, he met with me, went forth from household life, and attained the Way.' Having heard this, the bhikṣus joyfully put it into practice.