法苑珠林 44.18

44.18

The Moda guowang jing also states: When the Buddha was in the world, there was a king named Moda. At that time, the king was about to send out an army on a campaign. There was a bhikṣu who had already attained the path of an arhat, who had arrived in the kingdom to beg for food. He was arrested along with others and brought to the gate of the king's palace. The king had an overseer of horses, who made the bhikṣu tend and care for the official horses, toiling in bitter hardship for seven days. Later, the king personally went to inspect the military battle array. When the bhikṣu saw the king, he lightly rose and flew up before him, remaining in the sky and displaying his awe-inspiring spiritual powers. The king became terrified, knocked his head on the ground, and repented of his error: 'I was truly ignorant and could not distinguish the genuine from the false.' He made inquiries throughout the country: 'Who ordered this spiritual person to tend horses like this? I shall now punish him with death.' The bhikṣu said to the king, 'It is neither the fault of the King nor of the people of the kingdom. It is because in my own past life, when I practiced the Way, I constantly made offerings to my teacher. Once, when I set out food for my teacher, my teacher said to me, 'First wash your hands; only then should you serve me food.' In my foolish mind, I thought, 'My teacher is not tending official horses; why did he not wash his hands beforehand?' My teacher then said to me, 'Now you harbor this light thought; how will you bear the heavy consequence later?' Hearing these words, I became sorrowful and distressed. My teacher knew my thought and thought to himself, 'I must inevitably pass into nirvāṇa; why should I cause this person distress?' That very night, at the third watch, he entered parinirvāṇa. Since that distant time, each of us has undergone life and death. Now, on account of this, I have received that residual past calamity and tended horses for seven days. Good and bad deeds always bring calamities or blessings, just like a shadow following a form.' When the king heard about guilt and blessings, he begged to take refuge in the Three Jewels, received the five precepts, and became an upāsaka. The Buddha then preached the Dharma for the king and the people, and they attained the path of a srotāpanna.