法苑珠林 84.10

84.10

The Sūtra on Seeking Deliverance from the Prison also states: At that time, King Aśoka had a younger brother named Shanrong (also named Weituoshouji) who went into the mountains to hunt. He saw various brāhmaṇas engaged in naked austerities without any attainment. The king's brother saw them and asked: "You practice the Way here; what troubles and burdens prevent you from achieving success?" The brāhmaṇas replied: "Because herds of deer frequently gather and mate here, when we see them our minds are stirred and we cannot control ourselves." When the prince heard this, an evil thought arose in him: "These brāhmaṇas live on the wind and feed on air; their vigor is weak and exhausted, yet their faults of lust have not been eradicated. The śramaṇas of the Śākyan clan eat sweet and delicious foods, sit on fine couches, wear fine clothes suited to the seasons, and perfume themselves with fragrant flowers. How could they be free from desire?" At that time, King Aśoka heard that his brother held such an opinion and felt grief and distress: "I have only one brother. If he suddenly gives rise to false views, I fear he will be lost forever. I must devise an expedient means to eliminate his evil thoughts." He immediately returned to the palace and ordered the singing girls to adorn themselves and go to Shanrong's quarters to entertain each other. He instructed his great ministers in advance: "I have a plan. If I command you to execute Shanrong, you must remonstrate, requesting to wait seven days before letting the king execute him." The singing girls then went to entertain him. Before long, the king went in person and said to his brother: "Why have you taken my singing girls, wives, and concubines to amuse yourself at will?" Depriving him in stern anger, the king hurled his discus into the air, summoned the ministers, and announced to them: "Do you know? I am not yet decrepit and old, nor have foreign invaders or powerful enemies breached our borders. I once heard an old proverb from ancient worthies: 'When a man has blessings, the four seas submit to him; when his blessings are exhausted and his virtue is thin, those at his armpits rebel against him.' Examining myself, no such upheaval has occurred. Yet my brother Shanrong has seduced my singing girls, wives, and concubines to indulge his desires at will. Matters being such, how could I tolerate him? Take him away to the marketplace and execute him!" The ministers remonstrated: "We only pray that the Great King will heed our humble words. You have only this one younger brother, and he has few heirs to succeed his line. We pray you grant him seven days, after which we will carry out the royal decree." The king remained silent and granted the ministers' request. The king then extended a generous mercy, ordering the ministers: "Allow the prince to wear my royal garments, heavenly crown, and awe-inspiring adornments without difference from mine. Let him enter my palace to play music with the courtesans and make merry together." He also commanded an officer from that day onward to don armor, hold a weapon, draw a sharp sword, and go tell Prince Shanrong: "Know that your deadline of seven days will expire, at which point you must face execution. Strive to open and indulge your five desires to amuse yourself; if you do not enjoy yourself now, you will have regrets after death, and remorse will be of no avail." After one day passed, the officer went again and said: "There are six days remaining." Thus it went in sequence until the final day, when the officer went and reported: "The prince should know: six days have passed and only tomorrow remains, when you must meet death. Strive to indulge your passions and amuse yourself with the five desires." When the seventh day arrived, the king sent an envoy to ask: "How was it, prince? During these seven days, was your will unrestrained and joyful?" The brother replied to the king: "The Great King should know: I saw nothing and heard nothing; what joy could there be?" The king asked his brother: "Wearing my clothes, entering my palace, entertaining yourself with courtesans, and eating sweet delicacies, why do you lie to my face that you saw nothing, heard nothing, and had no joy?" The brother said to the king: "A person condemned to die, though his life has not yet ceased, how is he different from the dead? What mind could I have to cling to the five desires?" The king told his brother: "Ah, what foolish words you spoke before! You, in this single life, had a hundred varieties of worry and sorrow; being on the verge of annihilation in this single life, you found no joy in desires. How much more so for a śramaṇa who contemplates the three periods of time! When this single body dies and is destroyed, one receives yet another body, through hundreds of thousands of myriads of lives, body after body suffering pain and immeasurable afflictions. Even if reborn as a human, one runs errands for others, or is born into an impoverished family destitute of food and clothing. Reflecting on this bitterness, one leaves home to practice the Way, seeking the non-conditioned essentials for transcending the world. If one is not diligent, one will undergo again the suffering of countless kalpas." At that moment, the prince's mind was opened and his understanding cleared. He stepped forward and addressed the king: "Only now, hearing the king's instruction, have I awakened. Birth, old age, sickness, and death are truly to be reviled; grief, sorrow, pain, and afflictions circulate without cease. I only pray that the Great King will permit me to practice the Way and diligently cultivate it." The king told his brother: "Know that this is the proper time." The brother then took leave of the king to become a śramaṇa. Upholding the precepts and diligently striving day and night, he subsequently attained the fruit of arhatship, his six penetrations clear and transparent without hindrance.