法苑珠林 84.8

84.8

As the Chapter on the Mind in the Dharmapada explains: Formerly, when the Buddha was in the world, there was a man of the Way who studied the Way beneath a tree beside a river. For twelve years, his thoughts of craving were not eliminated; his mind wandered and his thoughts were scattered, thinking only of lust: his eyes of forms, his ears of sounds, his nose of scents, his tongue of tastes, his body of tangibles, and his mind of dharmas. His body was quiet while his mind wandered, without ever finding peace. In twelve years, he was unable to attain the Way. The Buddha knew he was ready to be liberated, so he manifested as a śramaṇa and went to his location to lodge together beneath the tree. Shortly afterward, under the bright moon, a turtle emerged from the river and came under the tree. There was also an otter roaming hungrily in search of food. Coming upon the turtle, it wished to eat it. The turtle pulled in its head, tail, and four legs, hiding them within its shell, so that the otter could not eat it. When the otter moved slightly away, it brought out its head and legs again, walking as before; the otter could do nothing to it, and so the turtle escaped. Thereupon, the man of the Way asked the manifested śramaṇa: "This turtle has armour to protect its life, so that the otter could not get the advantage of it." The manifested śramaṇa answered: "I reflect that the people of the world are not like this turtle; not knowing impermanence, they give free rein to the six emotions. External Māras gain the advantage over them: their bodies decay, their spirits depart, and saṃsāra is without end. Transmigrating through the five destinies, they suffer hundreds of thousands of miseries, all created by the mind. One ought to exert oneself to seek the peace of cessation and deliverance." Thereupon the manifested śramaṇa spoke this verse: