法苑珠林 59.16

59.16

The Sūtra on the Arising of Past Deeds states: The Buddha was staying in the Bamboo Grove monastery at Rājagṛha together with a great assembly of five hundred bhikṣus. In the early morning, having put on his robes and taken his bowl, he entered the city of Rājagṛha to beg for alms together with the five hundred bhikṣus and Ānanda. Going from house to house in turn, he saw in this lane a piece of cracked hard wood, one foot two inches long, standing upright before the Buddha. The Buddha then thought: 'This is a past condition. I myself created it, and I must certainly receive it.' When the crowd heard of it and saw it, they all gathered to watch. The great assembly saw it and gasped in astonishment. The Buddha thought again: 'Now I must visibly repay the retribution of this past condition, so that people may see it, have faith in, and understand karmic retribution, and not dare to commit evil.' The Buddha then leaped into empty space, a fathom above the ground. The wooden stake pursued the Buddha, also rising one fathom high and standing before the Buddha. The Buddha rose further to two fathoms, four fathoms, and up to seven fathoms; the stake also rose following him up to seven fathoms. The World-Honoured One rose further to the height of a tāla tree; this stake also rose to the height of a tāla tree. The Buddha rose further up to ten tāla trees; the stake also followed him upward and stood before the Buddha. The Buddha rose further to a height of seven li, and even up to seven yojanas; the stake also followed him. The Buddha transformed a blue stone in the air, six yojanas thick, and twelve yojanas in breadth and length; the Buddha stood upon it. The stake then bored through the stone, emerged, and stood before the Buddha. The Buddha again transformed water in the air, ten yojanas broad, two yojanas long, and six yojanas deep, and stood upon the water. The stake again passed through the water and stood before the Buddha. The Buddha again transformed a great fire in the air, twelve yojanas in breadth and length, and six yojanas high, and stood upon its flames. The stake also passed through the flames and arrived before the Buddha to stand. The Buddha again transformed a whirlwind in the air, twelve yojanas in breadth and length, and six yojanas high, and stood upon the wind. The stake came slantwise from the side toward the Buddha and stood before him. The Buddha rose further to the palace of the Four Heavenly Kings; progressing successively in this way, he reached the Brahmā Heaven. From the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven, the wooden stake came up in sequence, even to the Brahmā Heaven, and stood before the Buddha. The devas all said to one another: 'The Buddha fears this stake and flees, yet the stake pursues him without relenting.' At that time, the World-Honoured One preached the Dharma of his past conditions to the Brahmā devas. Returning from the Brahmā Heaven, he progressed back down to the city of Rājagṛha; to all the heavens he passed through, he preached the Dharma of past conditions. The stake also followed him, ascending and descending, to the city of Rājagṛha. The Buddha also preached the Dharma of past conditions to the people of Rājagṛha. The Buddha and the bhikṣu saṃgha went out of the city of Rājagṛha, and the stake also followed behind the Buddha. The people of the kingdom all pursued the Buddha out of the city. The Buddha asked the crowd: 'Where do you wish to go?' The crowd replied: 'We wish to follow the Tathāgata to see this circumstance.' The Buddha said to the crowd: 'Return to your respective homes. The Tathāgata knows the proper time himself.' Ānanda asked the Buddha: 'Why does the Tathāgata send the crowd back?' The Buddha said to Ānanda: 'If the crowd were to see me repay this condition, they would all faint, fall to the ground, and appear dead.' Ānanda then remained silent. The World-Honoured One then returned to the Bamboo Grove saṃghārāma, stayed in his own chamber, and instructed the bhikṣus: 'Each return to your own chambers.' Ānanda asked the Buddha: 'What should I do?' The Buddha said to Ānanda: 'You also return to your chamber.' Ānanda then returned. The Buddha then thought: 'This condition was created by myself in a past life; I must certainly repay it.' He immediately took his saṅghāṭī, folded it fourfold, and returned to sit on his original seat. The Buddha then extended his right foot. The wooden stake then pierced straight through the instep of his foot from top to bottom, entering deep into the earth for sixty-eight thousand yojanas. Passing through the earth, it reached the water; the depth of the water was also sixty-eight thousand yojanas. Passing through the water, it reached the fire; the height of the fire was sixty-eight thousand yojanas. Only upon reaching the fire was it scorched away. At that moment, the earth quaked in six ways. Ānanda and all the bhikṣus each thought to themselves: 'Now this earth has quaked; that stake must have pierced the Buddha's foot.' After the Buddha was wounded, he suffered intense, aching pain. Ānanda immediately went to the Buddha's dwelling. Seeing the wound where the stake had pierced the Buddha's foot, he fainted and collapsed to the ground. The Buddha sprinkled water on him, and Ānanda then arose. Having arisen, he paid homage to the Buddha's feet, rubbed and kissed the Buddha's feet, weeping and shedding tears. [He thought:] 'With these feet the Buddha walked beneath the tree to conquer Māra, and ascended to the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven to preach the Dharma for his mother. The World-Honoured One has a vajra body; for what cause has he been injured by wood?' The Buddha said to Ānanda: 'Cease now and do not weep. Such is the suffering and affliction in the worldly conditions of transmigrating through birth and death.' Ānanda asked the Buddha: 'How is the pain of the wound now—has it increased or decreased?' The Buddha said to Ānanda: 'It has gradually diminished.' Śāriputra and all the bhikṣus came to pay homage to the Buddha, and the questions and answers were likewise. The Buddha said to the bhikṣus: 'Cease now and do not weep. I myself created this condition in a previous life; I must certainly receive it, and there is nowhere to flee or evade it. This retribution was not caused by father or mother, nor was it caused by heavenly kings or śramaṇas; the Buddha created it himself and receives it himself.' Those who had extinguished all defilements and attained supernormal powers each remained silent, contemplating the verse that had been spoken in past days: