法苑珠林 81.47

81.47

Furthermore, the Avadānaśataka states: When the Buddha was in the world, there was an elder in the city of Śrāvastī whose wealth and treasures were boundless and beyond count. His wife gave birth to a boy, upright and extraordinarily handsome, rare in the world. On the day he was born, the heavens sent down heavy rain. His parents were joyful, and the whole country heard of it. A diviner made an auspicious prognostication and accordingly gave him a name, calling him Yaśomitra. He did not drink breast milk; between his teeth, water of the eight virtues naturally welled up to satisfy him. As he gradually grew older, he saw the Buddha, left the household life, and attained the fruit of an arhat. He was respected and admired by all the devas and worldlings. Having witnessed this, the monks asked the Buddha to explain the causes and conditions of his past merit. At that time, the World-Honoured One told the monks: In this Bhadrakalpa, a Buddha appeared in the world named Kāśyapa. In his Dharma, there was an elder of advanced old age who left the household life to enter the path, but could not be diligent. Moreover, he fell gravely ill. A skilled physician examined him and instructed him to take clarified butter so that the disease might be cured. He immediately followed the physician's instructions, obtained clarified butter, and took it. During that night, the medicine induced fever and thirst. He ran about seeking water, but the water vessels were all empty. He then went to springs and rivers, but they were all dried up. Having sought water everywhere without obtaining any, he deeply reproached himself. On the bank of that river, he took off his robes, tied them to a tree, abandoned them, and returned. When morning came, he reported the situation to his master. Hearing these words, the master answered him: 'This suffering you have encountered resembles that of a hungry ghost. Now you should take the water from my vase and distribute it among the Saṃgha.' He accepted the instruction and took the vase of water, but the water completely dried up. Anxious and terrified, he thought that upon the end of his life he would surely fall among the hungry ghosts. He immediately went to the Buddha's presence, fully related the matter above, and said to the World-Honoured One: 'Please deign to instruct me.' The Buddha told the monk: 'You should now distribute pure water among the Saṃgha; you can thereby escape this body of a hungry ghost.' Having heard this, he was overjoyed and regularly distributed pure water among the Saṃgha. After twenty thousand years, his life came to an end. Wherever he was born, pure water of the eight virtues always naturally satisfied him between his teeth, and he did not drink breast milk, until now when he met me, left the household life, and attained the path. Having heard this, the monks joyfully carried it out.