法苑珠林 49.59

49.59

Furthermore, the Ajātaśatru Sūtra states: Devadatta envied the Buddha's followers and returned to tell the Crown Prince Ajātaśatru, 'Your father has used the state's treasures to make offerings to the Buddha and the Saṃgha, leaving the state treasury empty and exhausted. You should plot against him at once and ascend the throne as king; I shall raise an army and go forth to conquer the Buddha. You can be the king, and I shall be the Buddha. Both attaining our desires—would that not be wonderful?' Thereupon, [the prince] commanded a powerful minister to seize [the king's] seals and ribbons of office and cast the king into prison. The king's mind remained tranquil, clearly perceiving this as his past misfortune; his heart knew no dread, and he placed deep faith in the Buddha's words. The king asked, 'What fault have I committed that you penalize me?' From the queen and noble consorts down to the people of the entire realm, great and small, none did not weep in sorrow. The king looked upon the weeping ones and said, 'The Buddha taught that heaven and earth, the sun and the moon, Mount Sumeru, and the oceans all must decline once formed; that which flourishes must wither; those who gather must separate; and those who are born must die. The round of transmigration is boundless; when even this body cannot be preserved, how could any kingdom be permanent?' The king said to the crown prince, 'Whenever you were ill, my heart scorched within me; I wished to risk my own body and life to rescue you from danger in your stead. A parent's benevolent love is second only to heaven. What intention do you harbor that you can bear to commit such rebellious evil? Truly, one who murders his parent enters Mount Tai upon death. I am your elder, yet I bestow the kingdom upon you; I wish only to go to the Buddha and request to become a śramaṇa.' The crown prince said, 'Say no more. Having attained my long-cherished wish, how could there be any pardon?' He ordered the jailer, saying, 'Cut off his provisions and starve him to death.' King Bimbisāra bowed his head and made repeated obeisance in the direction of where the Buddha was, saying, 'My son's evil is as great as heaven and earth, yet I have not a hair's breadth of fault.' Looking up to heaven, he cried, 'How bitter! How can Heaven allow such a course?' Throughout the entire country, great and small, none did not weep in sorrow. The queen said to the crown prince, 'The great king is in fetters in a prison cell, needing help even to sit and lie down. I wish to see the great king; may I not?' The crown prince said, 'You may.' The queen purified her body with a bath, smeared her body with honeyed parched flour, and entered to see the great king. His visage was emaciated and his former form unrecognizable. The queen said, 'The Buddha taught that glory and joy are impermanent, while sinful suffering is enduring.' The king said, 'The jailer has cut off provisions, and I have been hungry and thirsty for a long time. The body has eighty families [of worms], and each family has several hundred kinds of worms that agitate inside my belly. My flesh and blood are completely consumed, and my life is about to end.' As he spoke, he choked with sobs; his breath ceased and then resumed. The queen said, 'I perceive these hardships fully. I have smeared my body with parched flour and honey; you may partake of it. You should contemplate the Buddha's admonitions and not heedlessly let your heart drown in sorrow.' After the king finished eating, he choked with sobs and bowed his head toward where the Buddha was: 'The Buddha said that glory and fortune are difficult to retain, being like illusions and dreams. Truly it is as the Honored One taught! I do not fear death; I only regret not being able to receive in person the Buddha's pure teachings, or to discourse on the profound depths of the Honored Way with Śāriputra, Maudgalyāyana, and Mahākāśyapa.' The king said to the queen, 'Even Maudgalyāyana and the others, who have already eradicated all defilements and attained the six divine penetrations, were still beaten by greedy and envious brāhmaṇas. How much more so for me! When evil is done, misfortune pursues, as a shadow follows a form or an echo an utterance. An era with a Buddha is difficult to encounter, and divine transformations are difficult to hear of; to receive his pure teachings is indeed also difficult to meet with. I shall die now, my spirit shall depart and journey far away. If one wishes to establish resolve, nothing surpasses the Buddha's teaching. Keep it vigilantly, so as to avert future calamities.' Hearing the king's admonition, the queen wept in renewed grief. At that time, the crown prince cross-examined the jailer, saying, 'The king's food has been cut off for a long time; why has he not died?' [The jailer] replied, 'The queen enters the prison with parched flour and honey smeared upon her body, presenting it to prolong his life.' The crown prince said, 'From now on, do not let the queen see the king's body.' The king, gathering his strength through hunger, arose and bowed toward where the Buddha was; immediately he ceased to be hungry, and in the night there was radiance. Hearing of this, the crown prince ordered the windows to be blocked up and the soles of [the king's] feet to be pared away, so that he could not rise to behold the Buddha's light. The officers then pared the soles of his feet. The pain was immeasurable, yet he was mindfully recollecting the Buddha without forgetting. From afar, the Buddha preached a sūtra for the king, saying: 'Indeed, good and evil deeds, misfortunes and blessings return to one's own body. Can one not be vigilant?' Bimbisāra replied, 'Even if my limbs were dismembered and my body hacked inch by inch, I would never harbor evil thoughts.' The World-Honoured One said again, 'Now I am a Buddha; the heavenly gods, spirits, and dragons of the thousand worlds of the sun and moon all bow their heads [to me]. Yet the lingering misfortunes of my past have not been released even to this day. How much more so for ordinary mortals fully experiencing past misfortunes!' The king then clasped his hands and bowed from afar toward the Buddha: 'Today my life comes to an end, and I permanently lose [your] divine transformation.' Lamenting and sobbing, within moments his breath ceased. The ministers and subjects of the entire country all beat their breasts and stamped their feet, crying to heaven, 'What can be done?' Great King Bimbisāra at once attained the stage of stream-entry and was born above in heaven; the gates of the three [destinies] were closed, and all hindrances were eradicated.