法苑珠林 59.20

59.20

"Therefore, Great King, you should abandon evil and follow good. Those who are foolish, do not study or inquire, and have not yet recognized the true Path, laugh in jest over minor transgressions, yet later they must wail and weep. One must not commit offenses in jest and afterward suffer great calamity." The king said to Jīvaka: 'Compound good medicine, wash the wound, and treat it with mantras; you must cause it to be healed promptly.' Jīvaka replied: 'Yes.' Jīvaka then paid homage to the Buddha, washed the foot, applied the medicine, and after that the pain ceased. Jīvaka brought out fine cotton cloth worth hundreds of thousands [of coins] to wrap the Buddha's foot, rubbed the foot with his hands, and kissed it with his mouth, saying: 'May the Buddha live to an old age, may this affliction be quickly removed, and may all sentient beings also attain liberation from the suffering of the long night [of saṃsāra].' He then arose, paid homage to the Buddha, and stood to one side. The Buddha thereupon preached the Dharma of the Four Noble Truths for the king and the entire assembly. Sixty bhikṣus attained the extinction of defilements and mental liberation; eleven thousand people attained the purity of the Dharma eye. Furthermore, hundreds of thousands of devas told one another and all came to comfort the Buddha; after speaking verses of praise, they paid homage to the Buddha and departed. The Buddha said to Śāriputra: 'Long ago, countless asaṃkhyeya kalpas in the past, there were two groups of merchants, five hundred men in each, in the kingdom of Vārāṇasī. Each group pooled their capital, prepared ships, and crossed the ocean. Sailing directly with the wind, they arrived at a treasure island. On the island there was great abundance: clothing, bedding, food and drink, exquisite maidens, and various naga-treasures—there was nothing lacking. One group of merchants said to their members: "What we sought has already been obtained; we should now stay here and amuse ourselves with the five desires." The second sārthavāha told his group: "We should not stay here long." At that time, a devī in the sky, taking pity on these people, spoke from the sky to the merchants: "Although there are treasures, maidens, clothing, and food here, it is not suitable to stay long. After seven days, this land will completely sink into the water." Having finished speaking, she transformed and vanished. There was also a Māra-woman who wished to make them drown entirely; she admonished them not to leave: "What the previous goddess said about water submerging this place is entirely false and untrustworthy." Having spoken, she transformed and vanished. The first sārthavāha did not believe the goddess's announcement, and delighting to stay, did not leave. The second sārthavāha, fearing the water, would not stay. After seven days, as the previous goddess had said, the water covered the land. Having prepared their ship beforehand, before the day arrived, the group led by him was able to board the ship. The first sārthavāha had not prepared a ship beforehand; on the day the water arrived, with those who were prepared, they donned lances and took up staves to fight one another. The second sārthavāha pierced through the first sārthavāha's foot with a lance, and he immediately died. The Buddha told Śāriputra: 'Do you know that the first sārthavāha was what is now Devadatta? The second sārthavāha was myself. At that time, the first group of five hundred merchants were the five hundred disciples of Devadatta today. At that time, the second group of five hundred merchants were the five hundred arhats today. At that time, the first devī was Śāriputra today. At that time, the second devī was the bhikṣu named Pūrṇamāsa, a disciple of the brāhmaṇa. The Buddha told Śāriputra: 'When I was a sārthavāha in the past, coveting the division of wealth in the face of death, crossing the ocean and contending with him for the ship, I pierced the sārthavāha's foot with a lance. Because of this condition, I underwent the suffering of hell for countless thousands of years; I fell into the animal realm and was shot by men; for countless thousands of years among the hungry ghosts, I trod upon iron awls. Although I have now attained a vajra body, because of the remnant of that calamity, I have now been pierced by a wooden stake.'