法苑珠林 59.6

59.6

The Sūtra of the Arising of Past Activities states: The Tathāgata, leading five hundred arhats, would regularly recite the precepts among them on the fifteenth day of the month. At that time, Śāriputra asked the Buddha about ten matters. Śāriputra arose from his flower seat, adjusted his robes, bared his right shoulder, knelt on his right knee facing the Buddha, and with palms joined, asked the World-Honoured One, 'World-Honoured One, there is nothing you do not see, nothing you do not hear, nothing you do not know. The World-Honoured One is peerless; all evils are extinguished, and all virtues are fully possessed. You wish to save all sentient beings. Why does the World-Honoured One now still manifest residual karmic conditions? We pray that the Buddha himself will explain this so that devas and humans may understand. By what karmic condition were you slandered by Sundarī? By what karmic condition were you and the five hundred arhats slandered by Ciñcāmāṇavikā? By what karmic condition did the World-Honoured One himself suffer from a headache? By what karmic condition did the World-Honoured One himself suffer from joint pains? By what karmic condition did the World-Honoured One himself suffer from back pain? By what karmic condition was your foot pierced by a wooden splinter? By what karmic condition did Devadatta break your toe and make it bleed? By what karmic condition were you slandered before the great assembly by the sharp-tongued woman carrying a wooden bowl? By what karmic condition did you eat horse barley together with five hundred monks in the town of Verañjā? By what karmic condition did you undergo six years of austerities in the land of Uruvilvā?' The Buddha told Śāriputra, 'Return to your flower seat; I shall explain to you the former conditions.' Śāriputra immediately returned to his seat. Hearing that the Buddha was about to speak, the great dragon king Anavatapta jumped for joy and immediately fashioned for the Buddha an openwork canopy of the seven treasures, from which sandalwood powder incense rained down everywhere in immeasurable quantities. The devas and the eight classes of beings all came to the Buddha, paid homage, and stood by. The Buddha told Śāriputra, 'In the past, long ago, there was a gambler in the city of Vārāṇasī named Śuddhākṣa. At that time there was a courtesan named Mṛgī, who was graceful and beautiful. Śuddhākṣa said to Mṛgī, "Let us go to the garden together and make merry." The woman said, "Very well." Mṛgī then returned home, adorned herself with garments, and together they prepared a carriage, went to the garden, and amused themselves for a day and a night. Greedy in heart, Śuddhākṣa thought to kill this woman and take her clothes. He also thought, "After killing her, how should I conceal her?" At that time, there was a pratyekabuddha in this garden named Modanirvāṇa. Not far from him, Śuddhākṣa waited until he went begging for food, and thought, "I will bury her in his hut, take the clothes, and leave. Who would know my whereabouts?" Having thought this, he killed her, buried her, smoothed the ground as before, mounted his carriage and departed, entering the city by another gate. At that time the king of the country was named Brahmadatta. The people of the country did not see Mṛgī, and word finally reached the king. The king summoned his ministers to search throughout the city, but they could not find her. Going to the hut in the garden, they searched and found the corpse. The ministers said to Nirvāṇa, "Having already committed impurity, why did you go further and kill her?" The pratyekabuddha remained silent and did not reply. This was repeated three times, and he did not reply. The pratyekabuddha then had dirt on his hands and feet; this was due to past conditions. The ministers tied the pratyekabuddha’s hands behind his back, beat him, and interrogated him. A tree deity manifested half of his body and said to the people, "Do not beat this person!" The ministers said, "Why should we not beat him?" The deity said, "He has no such nature; he never does wrong." Although the ministers heard this, they refused to listen and comply, and took him to the king. When the king heard this, he was enraged and commanded the ministers: "Quickly bind him, put him on a donkey, beat the drums, and parade him all around. Take him out of the south gate of the city to beneath the tree; stab him with spears, impale him on a pole, and shoot him with bows to the utmost limit. If he is not dead, then crush his head." The ministers received the order. The people of the country all found it strange; some believed it and some did not, and the crowd grieved. At that time, Śuddhākṣa was hiding behind a broken wall. Hearing the people's words, he stealthily watched the procession. Having seen this, he thought, "This practitioner of the Way is dying unjustly." Having thought so, he ran toward them, shouting to the assembly, "High officials, do not kill this man in distress! I am the one who killed her. Please release the practitioner of the Way and bind me to face punishment!" The officials were all startled and said, "How could anyone take another's punishment upon himself?" They immediately released the pratyekabuddha together, and bound Śuddhākṣa with his hands behind his back as before. The high officials all bowed in homage and repented before the pratyekabuddha: "We were foolish; for no reason we unjustly tormented you, practitioner of the Way. Pray forgive our offense with your great compassion, and do not let us suffer this heavy disaster in the future." This was repeated three times, and the pratyekabuddha did not reply. The pratyekabuddha thought, "It is not fitting for me to enter the city of Vārāṇasī again to beg for food. It is fitting that I enter extinction before the assembly." He then sprang up into the air before the assembly, moving back and forth, sitting, lying, standing, and stopping, performing eighteen transformations: 1. Below the waist emitting smoke, above the waist emitting fire; 2. Or below the waist emitting fire, above the waist emitting smoke; 3. Or from the left side emitting smoke, from the right side emitting fire; 4. Or from the left side emitting fire, from the right side emitting smoke; 5. Or in front of the belly emitting smoke, on the back emitting fire; 6. Or in front of the belly emitting fire, on the back emitting smoke; 7. Or below the waist emitting fire, above the waist emitting water; 8. Or below the waist emitting water, above the waist emitting fire; 9. Or from the left side emitting water, from the right side emitting fire; 10. Or from the left side emitting fire, from the right side emitting water; 11. Or in front of the belly emitting water, on the back emitting fire; 12. Or in front of the belly emitting fire, on the back emitting water; 13. Or from the left shoulder emitting water, from the right shoulder emitting fire; 14. Or from the left shoulder emitting fire, from the right shoulder emitting water; 15. Or from both shoulders emitting water, or from both shoulders emitting fire; 16. Or from the entire body emitting smoke; 17. Or from the entire body emitting fire; 18. Or from the entire body emitting water. He then burned his body in the sky and entered extinction. Thereupon the great assembly all wept and wailed; some repented, and some paid homage, took his relics, and erected a stūpa at the crossroads. The officials then took Śuddhākṣa to the king, and again dirt attached to his hands and feet. The king, enraged, had him executed as before. The Buddha told Śāriputra, "Śuddhākṣa at that time was none other than myself; the woman Mṛgī is now Sundarī; King Brahmadatta at that time is now the Śākya stick-wielder. Because at that time I killed Mṛgī and brought unjust distress upon the pratyekabuddha, due to that karmic offense, I fell into Niraya for countless thousands of years, fell among animals for countless thousands of years, and fell among hungry ghosts for countless thousands of years. Due to the residual distress of that time, although I have now become a Buddha, I still incur this slander."'