法苑珠林 64.49

64.49

Furthermore, the Bodhisattva-caryanirdeśa-sūtra says: The Buddha said to the king: In a past age, in this Jambudvīpa, there was a kingdom called Buliusha. The king was named Potanning, and the queen consort was named Varmagatī. At that time, grain was expensive in the world, the people were starving, and in addition there was pestilence. At that time, the king was also ill. The queen herself went out to sacrifice to the gods. Beside the stairs there was a household; the husband was away traveling. The wife had just given birth to a child, yet had no maidservants; emaciated with hunger after giving birth, she had no food. She thought to herself: 'Now death is imminent, and there is no other plan.' Wishing to eat her child herself, she took up a knife just about to kill the child, but her heart was seized with grief and she wailed aloud. At that time, as the queen was returning to the palace, she heard this woman's sorrowful and agonized cries; moved with pity, she stopped and listened. Just as the woman raised the knife intending to kill her child, she thought to herself: 'How can I bear to eat my own child's flesh?' Having thought this, she wept aloud again. The queen entered her house, approached her, and asked: 'Why are you weeping? What are you about to do?' The woman answered her fully. When the queen heard it, her heart was filled with grief and pity. She said: 'Do not kill your child. When I reach the palace, I will send food.' The woman replied: 'You are noble and venerable, my lady; you might be delayed, or you might forget. But my life today hangs on a breath, not outlasting a short span of time. It would be better to eat my own child to preserve my life.' The queen asked: 'If you could obtain other meat to eat, would that do?' She replied: 'If it can only preserve my life, I will not ask whether it is fine or vile.' Thereupon the queen immediately took the knife and cut off her own breast. She made a vow: 'Now, by offering my breast as dāna to save this perilous extremity, I do not wish to become a cakravartin, Śakra, a Māra king, or a Brahmā king. May I, by this merit, accomplish the unsurpassed, truly authentic path!' She then gave the breast to this woman. Just as she had raised the knife and cut off the one breast, the three-thousand-great-thousandfold world trembled violently. Śakra, Lord of the Gods, observed this and saw that the queen had cut off her own breast to rescue her from peril. Thereupon Śakra, Lord of the Gods, together with countless devas, descended at once, stood in the open air, and, weeping with grief, stood before the queen and asked: 'What you have given today is exceedingly hard to equal. What vow do you seek?' The queen replied: 'By this merit I seek the unsurpassed, truly authentic path, to deliver all sentient beings from their suffering and peril.' Śakra replied: 'What proof do you have in seeking this vow?' Thereupon the queen immediately made a solemn vow: 'If the merit of my gift today will truly and surely bring about saṃbodhi, let my breast immediately be restored as before.' Her breast was immediately restored as before. Śakra praised her: 'You will achieve Buddhahood before long!' The devas rejoiced. Then, manifesting their forms, they praised the queen, saying: 'In what you have given today, have you not felt regret and pain?' She replied: 'If what I have given today in seeking the Buddha path is free of regret and pain, let my female body turn into a man's.' As soon as she finished this vow, she instantly turned into a man. The devas praised: 'You will achieve Buddhahood before long!' At that time, all diseases in the kingdom were eliminated, grains became abundant and cheap, and the people lived in peace and joy. Later, when the king died, he was appointed king. The population flourished, and the kingdom consequently prospered. The Buddha said to the king: 'The queen of that time was myself. Because I did not begrudge my body and life, I have now achieved Buddhahood.' The great assembly rejoiced, paid homage, and departed.