法苑珠林 58.9

58.9

Furthermore, the *Old Avadāna Sūtra* states: When the Buddha was in the world, there was a prominent family who always took pleasure in giving. Later they gave birth to a boy who had no hands or feet, and whose bodily form resembled a fish; he was named Fish Body. When his parents died, he inherited and managed the family estate, lying in the inner bedchamber so that no one saw him. At that time, there was a strongman who ate at the royal kitchen; he was constantly hungry and impoverished. Alone he hauled sixteen carts of firewood to sell to support himself, yet his body was constantly unprovided for. Fish Body requested to meet with him and showed him his physical form. The strongman reflected to himself: 'My strength is like this, yet I am inferior to a man without hands or feet.' He went to the Buddha's place and asked about what he doubted. The Buddha said: 'Long ago, in the time of Kāśyapa Buddha, Fish Body and this king together offered a meal to the Buddha. At that time, you were poor and helped serve them. Whatever Fish Body prepared, he had the king perform it, but he said to the king: "Today I have affairs to attend to and cannot go together with you. If I were to go, it would be no different from severing my hands and feet." The one who went at that time is the present king; the one who did not go and spoke those words is Fish Body; the one who assisted them at that time is your own self.' The strongman's mind was awakened; he immediately became a śramaṇa and attained the path of an arhat. Furthermore, the *Sūtra of the Hundred Avadānas* states: When the Buddha was in the world, in the city of Śrāvastī there was an elder whose wealth and treasures were immeasurable and incalculable. His wife gave birth to a boy who was limbless and had no hands. Upon being born, he was immediately able to speak, and cried out: 'Hands such as these are extremely difficult to obtain!' He gave rise to deep cherishing of them. His parents thought it extraordinary, and thus gave him the name Handless. Gradually growing up, he saw the Buddha, heard the Dharma, attained the fruit of a srotāpanna, and requested the Buddha to go forth as a renunciant. The Buddha told him, 'Welcome!' His hair and beard fell away naturally, kāṣāya robes draped over his body, and he became a śramaṇa. Diligently cultivating and practicing, he attained the fruit of an arhat, revered and looked up to by gods and mortals. At that time, the bhikṣus requested the Buddha to explain his past cause and condition. The Buddha told the bhikṣus: 'In this Bhadrakalpa, in the time of Kāśyapa Buddha, there were two bhikṣus: one was an arhat, and the other was an ordinary person who was a Dharma-reciting master. At that time, the people competed to invite them, and the Dharma master was always led along to accept the dānapatis' invitations. Later, on one day, the Dharma master was away, so he took another person along. In anger, [the Dharma master] scolded him, saying: "I have always served you, and now you go together with someone else! From now on, if I ever serve you again, may I be without hands!" Having spoken these words, each departed, ceasing to travel together. Due to this karmic cause, he received this retribution for five hundred lifetimes. Therefore, he cried out: "Hands such as these are extremely difficult to obtain!" Because he served a holy person at that time, he has now been able to meet me, go forth as a renunciant, and attain the path.' Having heard this, the bhikṣus rejoiced and practiced accordingly.