法苑珠林 78.8

78.8

Furthermore, the Liudu ji jing says: In the past, the Bodhisattva was an elephant king. His mind was vast and far-reaching, knowing and aware that the Buddha, Dharma, and Saṃgha exist, and he constantly took the threefold refuge. He always delivered sentient beings with universal benevolence, vowing that upon attaining buddhahood, he would liberate everyone. He was followed by five hundred elephants. At that time, he had two wives. The elephant king obtained a lotus flower in the water, exquisite in color, and gifted it to his senior wife. Receiving the flower, the senior wife rejoiced and said, 'The ice and cold are severe; by what cause is there such a flower?' The junior wife, greedy and jealous, angrily made a vow, saying, 'I will surely kill you with potent poison!' Succumbing to indignation, her life ended, and her spirit miraculously transformed into a woman of the four castes. Her beauty surpassed all others, her intellect was penetrating and versatile, and she was widely learned in antiquity and the present; looking up at the celestial patterns, she clearly understood the rise and fall of the times. Hearing of this, the king took her as his consort. Upon arrival, she set forth policies for governing the state, which were upright and aligned with loyal ministers. The king was delighted and respected her, complying with whatever she said. The consort said, 'I dreamed of seeing a six-tusked elephant; I desire its tusks to make ornaments and an armrest. If the king does not obtain them, I shall die.' The king said, 'Speak no bewitching words; if people hear them, they will only laugh at you.' The consort felt sorrow and melancholy. The king consulted four deliberating ministers, recounting it as his own dream, saying, 'Has there ever been such an elephant in antiquity or the present?' One minister replied, 'There is none.' One minister said, 'Your Majesty did not dream it.' One minister said, 'I once heard that there is such an elephant, but its dwelling is exceedingly distant.' One minister said, 'If anyone could fetch it, only Śakra could; let us deliberate on this now.' The four ministers then summoned archers from the four directions to inquire of them. The archer of the south said, 'My late father often spoke of it, but it is distant and hard to reach.' The ministers reported to the king, saying, 'This person knows of it.' The king then summoned him to appear. The consort said, 'Go straight south for three thousand li, enter the mountains and travel for about two days, and you will reach the elephant's dwelling. Dig a pit beside the road, shave your beard and hair, put on the robes of a śramaṇa, shoot it from within the pit, sever and take its tusks, and bring two inches of them.' The hunter obeyed the order and went to the elephant's abode. He first shot the elephant, then put on the Dharma robes, and holding an alms bowl, remained inside the pit. Seeing the śramaṇa, the elephant king lowered his head and said, 'Vandana, man of the Path! For what reason do you test my life?' He replied, 'I wish to have your tusks.' The elephant said, 'My pain is unbearable; quickly take the tusks and go. Do not disturb my mind and cause evil thoughts to arise. For those whose intentions harbor evil will upon death enter Mount Tai, or the paths of hungry ghosts and animals. Bearing patience and practicing benevolence, repaying evil with goodness—this is the supreme practice of a bodhisattva.' The man then sawed off the tusks. The elephant said, 'Man of the Path, you must walk backward, lest the herd of elephants follow your footprints.' When the man had gone far, the pain was unbearable; the elephant threw himself to the ground with a loud cry and suddenly died, immediately taking birth in the heavens. The herd of elephants came from all sides, all crying, 'Who killed our king?' They searched around but found no one, then returned to guard the king's corpse, weeping and wailing in sorrow. The hunter returned with the tusks. Seeing the elephant tusks, the king's heart was gripped with grief and fear. The consort placed the tusks in her hands, but just as she was about to look at them, thunder and lightning struck; battered by them, she vomited blood, died, and entered hell. The Buddha told the bhikṣus: 'The elephant king at that time was myself. The senior wife was Gopī. The hunter was Devadatta. The consort was Sundarī. Such was the Bodhisattva's upholding of resolute commitment to the perfections and observance of the precepts.'