法苑珠林 37.48

37.48

As the Bodhisattva-caryanirdeśa-sūtra says: In the past when the Buddha was in the world, the Buddha and Ānanda entered the city of Śrāvastī to beg for food. At that time, a brāhmaṇa in that city came from outside, and saw the Buddha coming out of the city, his radiant marks towering and majestic. The brāhmaṇa rejoiced and leaped for joy; he circumambulated the Buddha once, paid homage, and departed. The Buddha smiled and told Ānanda: "This brāhmaṇa saw the Buddha and rejoiced, circumambulating the Buddha once with a pure heart. By this merit, from now on for twenty-five kalpas he will not fall into the evil destinies, and his joy among gods and humans will be boundless. At the end of the twenty-five kalpas, he will attain pratyekabuddhahood, named Daṇḍanāgiri. For this reason, if a person circumambulates the Buddha or circumambulates a Buddha's stūpa, the merit obtained wherever they are born is boundless."