法苑珠林 56.34

56.34

Furthermore, the *Bodhisattva-caryanirdeśa-sūtra* states: In the beginning, the elder Sudatta's household was impoverished and in severe distress. Receiving the Buddha's exposition of the Dharma, his body and mind became pure, and he attained the fruit of an anāgāmin. He had only five gold coins. In one day, he gave one coin to the Buddha, one coin to the Dharma, one coin to the Saṃgha, one coin for his own food, and one coin as capital. Day after day it was like this, and he always had one coin, which was never exhausted. Thereupon he received the five precepts, and his sensual desires were severed. His wives and women each followed their own inclinations. One woman parched grain to make flour, but accidentally started a fire that widely burned both people and livestock. King Prasenajit ordered his ministers to establish a restriction: "From this day forward, at night none may light a fire or kindle a lamp or candle. Any who violate this shall be fined a thousand ounces of gold." At that time, Sudatta had attained the Path and remained at home; day and night he sat in meditation and entered samādhi. In the middle of the night, when the cock crowed, he lit a lamp and sat in meditation. The patrol caught him, seized the lamp, and reported it to the king, [saying] that he must pay the fine. Sudatta said to the king: "Now I am impoverished, not even having property worth a hundred coins; with what shall I pay?" The king grew angry and ordered an envoy to shut him in prison; so they took Sudatta and handed him over to the prison guards. In the first watch of the night, the Four Heavenly Kings came down and said to Sudatta: "We will give you the money to pay the king's fine, so that you may be released." He preached the scriptures for the Four Heavenly Kings, and then they left. When it reached midnight, the Lord of the Devas came again to see him; Sudatta preached the Dharma for him, after which Śakra left. Next, in the last watch of the night, Brahmā came down again to see him; he preached the Dharma for him, and Brahmā also left. At night, from atop his watchtower, the king saw a blaze of light over the prison. The next day, the king sent someone to tell Sudatta: "You were imprisoned on account of fire, yet you have no shame and continue to light fires!" Sudatta replied: "I did not light a fire. If I had lit a fire, there would be smoke and ashes." [The messenger] said again to Sudatta: "In the first watch there were four fires. In the middle of the night there was one fire, twice as large as the previous fires. In the last watch there was another fire, again twice as large as the one before. You say you did not light a fire—what then were these?" Sudatta replied: "These were not fires. In the first watch, the Four Heavenly Kings came to see me. In the middle of the night, the Lord of the Devas came to see me. In the last watch, Brahmā came to see me. These were the blazing lights from the bodies of the devas, not fires." The official heard his words and went to report them to the king. When the king heard this, his heart was astonished and his hair stood on end. The king said: "This man's merit is so extraordinary! How could I now humiliate him?" He immediately ordered the official: "Quickly release him; do not delay." He then released him. Sudatta, having been freed, went to where the Buddha was, bowed to the Buddha, and listened to the Dharma. King Prasenajit at once arrayed his carriage and followed to where the Buddha was. When the people saw the king, they all stepped aside and rose; only Sudatta, his mind dwelling on the flavor of the Dharma, saw the king and did not rise. The king felt a slight resentment: "This is my subject, yet harboring disrespect, he sees me and does not rise." He thus harbored an angry mind. The Buddha knew his thoughts and paused, not preaching the Dharma. The king said to the Buddha: "I pray that you preach the scriptures and the Dharma." The Buddha told the king: "Now is not the time to preach the Dharma for the king." [The king asked:] "Why is it not the time?" [The Buddha said:] "When a person gives rise to anger and his resentful knots are not untied, when he greedily lusts for female beauty and is arrogant without reverence, his mind is defiled and turbid; hearing the wondrous Dharma, he cannot understand it. For this reason, now is not the time to preach the Dharma for the king." Hearing the Buddha's words, the king thought to himself: "Because of this man, today I have suffered two losses: I gave rise to anger, and I could not hear the Dharma." He bowed to the Buddha and departed. Going outside, he ordered his attendants: "If this man comes out, strike off his head directly!" Having spoken these words, immediately from all four directions tigers, wolves, lions, and venomous, noxious beasts all came and surrounded the king. Seeing this, the king was terrified and returned to where the Buddha was. The Buddha asked the great king: "Why have you returned?" The king said to the Buddha: "I saw terrors and returned." The Buddha asked the king: "Do you recognize this man?" The king said: "I do not." The Buddha said: "This man has already attained the fruit of an anāgāmin. Because you gave rise to evil intentions toward this man, this was caused to happen. If you had not returned, the king would surely have been in danger and unable to escape with his life." Hearing the Buddha's words, the king was greatly terrified; he immediately repented and bowed before Sudatta, prostrating his five limbs upon the ground. Before Sudatta, the king said: "This man is my subject, yet I humble myself to him; this is truly most difficult." Sudatta said in turn: "Yet I was impoverished, and practiced dāna; this also was most difficult." Śīlaviśuddha, acting as an upright official of the kingdom, was seized by bandits; facing death, he would not commit a false speech, and the bandits then released him; this was truly most difficult. There was also a deva named Śikhā; sleeping on a high pavilion, a divine jade maiden came, yet because he upheld the prohibitions, he would not accept her; this was truly most difficult. Thereupon, the four persons spoke verses before the Buddha, saying: