法苑珠林 44.14

44.14

Furthermore, the Za piyu jing states: Anciently, there was a king who took pleasure in eating human flesh. He commanded his cooks, saying, 'Prowl by night and secretly gather humans to provide food for the kitchen.' He made this a regular practice. His subjects and ministers all came to know of it; they banded together, banished him, and cast him outside the borders, choosing another virtuous and worthy person to be king. Thereupon, after thirteen years had passed, two wings grew on the man-eating king's body, and he could fly about eating people regardless of near or far. He besought the deity of the mountain trees to grant him blessings, [promising]: 'I shall take the bodies of five hundred kings to sacrifice to the mountain tree deity, so that you may cause me to return and recover my kingdom.' The king then flew about capturing them, and had already caught four hundred and ninety-nine men. He brought them to a mountain valley, blocking the entrance with a stone. At that time, there was [another] king who took his ladies of the inner palace to a pool to bathe and disport themselves. Just as he went out through the palace gate, he encountered a practitioner of the Way reciting verses and begging for alms. The king immediately promised him, [saying that] upon returning to the palace he would bestow gold and silver upon him. When the king entered the pool and was about to bathe, the man-eating king flew through the air, seized the king in his arms, carried him off, and returned to the mountains. When the king saw the man-eating king, he showed neither fear nor dread, and his facial expression remained unchanged. The man-eating king said, 'I initially terrified people because I had to offer sacrifices to the deity; I have already obtained four hundred and ninety-nine men. Now that I have obtained you, the number is fulfilled, and I will kill you to sacrifice to the deity. Why are you not afraid?' The king replied, 'Where there is life, there is death; where things form, they decay; where there is union, there is separation. When retribution arrives, it takes its share—why must one grieve? This morning when I came out of the palace, I encountered a practitioner of the Way on the road who recited verses for me. I promised to give him gifts, but have not yet had the chance to do so. This is my only regret. Now, if the King, in your vast compassion, would graciously grant me a reprieve, I shall return here after completing the almsgiving, not daring to violate the agreement.' [The man-eating king] then allowed him to leave, and told him, 'I give you a period of seven days. If you do not return, it will not be difficult for me to go and take you.' The king immediately returned to his palace, and everyone throughout the capital, within and without, was overjoyed. He at once opened the storehouses and distributed alms near and far. He enthroned the crown prince as king, took fond leave of the hundred surnames, and departed. When the man-eating king saw him coming, he thought, 'Could this be an extraordinary person? Having escaped death to gain life, he has still returned!' He then asked, 'One's body and life are what people of the world hold dearest; yet you give up your life, which is rare in this world. I wonder what your aim is? Please explain your intent.' The king replied, 'Today I gave alms and sincerely vowed that I shall attain the anutpatti[kadharma-kṣānti] samyaksaṃbuddha, vowing to deliver [all beings in] the ten directions.' That king asked, 'What does this business of seeking the Buddha mean?' The king then broadly expounded to him the five precepts, the ten good deeds, the four immeasurables, and the six pāramitās. His mind opened up extensively; he received the five precepts from him and became a pure-faith lay disciple (upāsaka). Thereupon, he released the four hundred and ninety-nine men, sending each back to his country. The kings all went together to his country; moved by his truthful vow by which they had received the salvation of their lives, none was willing to return to his original realm. Thereupon, they remained and dwelt in this country. For this king, each of them built a supreme residence, adorned with carvings and engravings, gleaming, ornate, and stately. The food, drink, and royal equipage of the various kings were no different from those of the king himself. When people from the four directions arrived, they asked, 'Why are there so many residences like the king's palace spread throughout this one kingdom?' The crowd replied, 'These are all the dwellings of the various kings.' Their fame subsequently spread far and wide, and from that time onward, it was therefore called Rājagṛha ('City of Kings' Abodes'). After the Buddha attained the Way, he himself recounted this former deed: 'The king who established trust was myself; the man-eating king was Aṅgulimāla. Those who were delivered in infinite numbers when I returned to Rājagṛha to teach the Dharma were all individuals who had karmic connections with me when I was a king in a past life.'