法苑珠林 68.78

68.78

As the Saṃyuktaratnapiṭaka Sūtra states: In the past, when the Buddha was in the world, King Prasenajit had a daughter named Prabhāvatī (Shanguang). She was intelligent and upright, and her parents cherished her, while the entire palace loved and respected her. Her father said to the daughter, "It is through my power that the entire palace loves and respects you." The daughter answered her father, "I have my own karmic power; it is not due to you, Father King." Hearing this, the king became furious and said to her, "Now I shall test whether you have your own karmic power!" He immediately dispatched his attendants to seek out the lowliest, poorest beggar, and gave his daughter to him as a wife. The king said to his daughter, "You have your own karma and do not rely on me; from now on, this can be proven." The daughter still replied, "I have karmic power." She then went forth together with the poor man. The wife asked the husband, "Do you have parents or not?" The husband answered his wife, "My parents were previously the foremost elders in this city of Śrāvastī. My parents and household have all died out completely; having nothing to rely upon, I therefore beg in poverty." The wife further asked, "Do you now know where your former residence was?" He replied, "I know the place. The walls and house were ruined, so it has become vacant land." Husband and wife went together to the old dwelling and inspected it all around. Wherever she walked, hidden treasures emerged of themselves. They then used the precious jewels to hire people to build a residence. Before a month was full, palace dwellings were completely finished, with court ladies, performing girls, slaves, and servants beyond count. The king suddenly remembered: "How is my daughter Prabhāvatī making a living?" Someone answered the king, "Lady Prabhāvatī's palaces and wealth are not inferior to the king's!" That very day, the king's daughter sent her husband to invite the king to their residence. The king then accepted the invitation. Seeing that within her home the palace buildings were ornate and splendid, he exclaimed that it was unprecedented. The king went to ask the Buddha, "What meritorious karma did this daughter perform in previous lives that she was born into a royal family with radiance on her body?" The Buddha answered the king, "Ninety-one kalpas ago in the distant past, after Vipaśyin Buddha entered nirvāṇa, there was King Bandhuma who erected a seven-jeweled stūpa with the Buddha's relics. Seeing this, the king's chief consort immediately took her heavenly crown and whisks and placed them on top of the image, and took the wish-fulfilling jewel from the heavenly crown and placed it upon the spire of the stūpa. She thereupon made a vow, saying: 'May I in the future have radiance on my body, purple-sheened gold in color, and be honored, noble, rich, and exalted, and never fall into the three evil paths or the eight places of difficulty!' The consort of that past time was Prabhāvatī today. Later, at the time of Kāśyapa Buddha in the past, she again offered fine food to the Buddha and the Saṃgha, but her husband blocked and stopped her. The wife then urged and entreatied him: 'I have already invited them; please let them be fully satisfied.' The husband then relented to his wife. The wife at that time was Prabhāvatī today, and the husband at that time was today's husband. Because he previously blocked his wife, he was constantly poor and lowly throughout lifetimes; because he subsequently relented, he was destined through his wife to obtain great wealth and honor; when he was without his wife, he later reverted to being poor and lowly. Due to these causes and conditions, wholesome and unwholesome karma follows the person to receive retribution, never failing."