法苑珠林 59.8

59.8

The Sūtra on Karmic Conditions of the Buddha's Prior Deeds says: The Buddha said to Śāriputra: “Long ago in the past, ninety-one kalpas ago, there was at that time a king named Suvaktra-kṛta. There was a brāhmaṇa named Yajnidatta, who loved broad learning and constantly taught five hundred youths of noble families. There was also a brāhmaṇa named Brahmā, exceedingly wealthy and possessing great riches, whose wife was named Śuddhasvarā. Her appearance was foremost, and by nature and conduct she was gentle and harmonious, without jealousy. Yajnidatta took Brahmā as his dānapati, and his wife Śuddhasvarā made offerings of the four requisites to Yajnidatta without lack. There was a pratyekabuddha named Upasikṣa who entered the city to beg for food and happened to arrive at Brahmā's gate. Śuddhasvarā saw that the pratyekabuddha's robes were neat and orderly and that he walked slowly and mindfully, and her heart was filled with joy. She immediately invited him to receive offerings, [saying,] ‘From now on, please always accept my invitation.’ She then filled his bowl with delicious food and gave it to him. Having received it, the pratyekabuddha ascended into the air, circled seven times, and flew back. At that time, the people in the city saw this supernatural footstep; the whole country was filled with joy, making offerings insatiably. Śuddhasvarā's offerings to the pratyekabuddha increased day by day, while her attendance upon Yajnidatta consequently grew meager. Yajnidatta then gave rise to jealousy and words of slander: ‘This religious practitioner truly has no talent or virtue, and engages in impure conduct!’ He then told his five hundred disciples: ‘This religious practitioner violates the precepts and has no energetic practice.’ The youths each returned home and announced: ‘This religious practitioner has no pure conduct; he has intercourse with Śuddhasvarā.’ The people of the country all harbored doubts: ‘If he possesses such supernatural powers, how could there be this scandalous talk?’ The defamatory rumor lasted for seven years before it ceased. Afterwards, the pratyekabuddha manifested the eighteen transformations and entered parinirvāṇa. The multitude only then knew that Yajnidatta had falsely slandered the pratyekabuddha. The Buddha said to Śāriputra: ‘The Yajnidatta of that time was myself. The Brahmā of that time was King Udayana today. The Śuddhasvarā of that time was Ciñcā-māṇavikā today. The five hundred youths of that time were the five hundred arhats today.’ The Buddha said to Śāriputra: ‘Because of sharing offerings at that time, I gave rise to jealousy and together with you slandered the pratyekabuddha. Due to this karmic cause, we together entered the hells, boiled and stewed in cauldrons of boiling liquid for countless thousands of years. Owing to the residual misfortune of this, even though I have now attained buddhahood, together with you all there is still the slander by Ciñcā-māṇavikā.’”