法苑珠林 50.35

50.35

Furthermore, the Saṃyuktaratnapiṭaka-sūtra states: At that time, Devadatta always harboured evil in his heart, wishing to harm the World-Honoured One. He then hired five hundred brahmins skilled in archery, causing them to take bows and arrows and go to where the World-Honoured One was, to draw their bows and shoot the Buddha. The arrows they shot turned into various flowers. Seeing this divine transformation, the five hundred brahmins were all terrified. They immediately threw down their bows and arrows, bowed to the Buddha, and repented. The Buddha preached the Dharma for them, and they all attained the path of the srotāpanna. They further addressed the Buddha, saying: 'We wish to be permitted to go forth from the household and study the Path.' The Buddha said: 'Welcome, monks (ehi bhikṣavaḥ)!' Their hair and beards fell off on their own, and the Dharma robes adhered to their bodies. He preached the Dharma to them again, and they attained the path of the arhat. The monks addressed the Buddha, saying: 'The World-Honoured One's supernatural power is extremely rare. Devadatta constantly desires to harm the Buddha, yet the Buddha always gives rise to great compassion.' The Buddha said: 'It is not only today that it is so. In the past, in the country of Vārāṇasī, there was a merchant leader named Ignorant of Kindness. Together with five hundred merchants, he entered the sea to gather jewels. Having obtained the jewels, on their return journey they arrived at a place with deep whirlpools. They encountered a water rākṣasa that seized their ship so that it could not proceed. The merchants were all greatly terrified, and they all cried out together: 'Deities of heaven, deities of earth, and deities of the sun and moon, who can compassionately rescue and save us?' There was a great turtle whose back was one league (li) across. Giving rise to pity in its heart, it came toward the ship, carried the multitude of people, and enabled them to cross the sea. At that time, the turtle took a short nap. The one named Ignorant of Kindness wished to kill the turtle by striking its head with a large rock. The merchants said: 'We were delivered from disaster and had our lives saved thanks to the turtle. Killing it brings misfortune, and is to be ignorant of kindness.' Ignorant of Kindness said: 'I am severely starved and pressed; who can think of kindness?' He then immediately killed the turtle and ate its meat. That very night, a large herd of elephants trampled and killed the multitude of people. The great turtle at that time was myself. The one named Ignorant of Kindness at that time was Devadatta. The five hundred merchants were the five hundred brahmins who went forth and attained the Path. In the past, I rescued them and freed them from disaster; now I again pull them out of the affliction of birth and death.'