法苑珠林 91.46

91.46

Furthermore, the Avadānaśataka states: The Buddha was staying in the Jetavana, Anāthapiṇḍada's park, in Śrāvastī. In the first watch of the night, five hundred devaputras, bearing fragrant flowers and shining with brilliant radiance that illuminated the Jetavana grove, came to the Buddha's place. Having paid homage, they stepped back and sat down. The Buddha expounded the Dharma for them, and they attained the fruit of a srotāpanna. They circumambulated the Buddha three times and returned to the heavenly palace. In the morning, Ānanda asked about the past causes for the coming of these devas. The Buddha told Ānanda: “Long ago, in the time of the past Buddha Kāśyapa, there were two brāhmaṇas who followed a king to the Buddha's place to pay homage and make inquiries. At that time, among the retinue there was an upāsaka who urged the two brāhmaṇas to receive the rules of the fast together, one seeking rebirth in heaven and the other seeking to be a king of humans. Having received them, they returned together to the gathering place of the brāhmaṇas. The brāhmaṇas said, ‘You are hungry and thirsty; you may eat and drink with us.’ They urged them repeatedly and earnestly, and they could not resist their insistence. The one who sought rebirth in heaven then ate and drank. Because he broke the fast, his wish was not fulfilled; after his life ended, he was reborn among the nāgas. The one who did not eat was able to become a king. Because of having received the fast together in their previous lives, the [nāga] was born in the water of a pond in that king's garden. At that time, the keeper of the garden daily presented various fruits and melons as offerings to the king. In the pond water, he found a delicious fruit with wonderful colour and fragrance. He thought: ‘Whenever I enter and exit, I am always turned away by the gatekeeper; I should take this fruit and give it to him.’ Having had this thought, he immediately took it and gave it to him. The gatekeeper, having received it, also thought: ‘Whenever I enter and exit, I am always turned away by the eunuch; I should take it and give it to him.’ Having had this thought, he immediately took it and gave it to him. The eunuch, having received it, also thought: ‘The queen often praises my virtues to the great king; I should take this fruit and give it to her.’ Having had this thought, he immediately took it and gave it to her. The queen, having received it, offered it to the great king. The king, having received the fruit, immediately ate it and found it exceedingly fragrant and delicious. He then asked the queen, ‘Where did you get this fruit today?’ The queen then truthfully replied, ‘I got this fruit from the eunuch.’ In this way, tracing it back step by step, it came to the gardener. The king then summoned him: ‘Such a delicious fruit was in my garden; why did you not present it to me, but instead gave it to another?’ The gardener then related the whole story from beginning to end. The king would not listen to his words and told him, ‘From now on, you must constantly present this fruit; if you do not present it, I will execute you.’ The gardener returned and entered his garden, wailing and weeping, unable to control himself: ‘This fruit has no seed; by what means can it be obtained?’ At that time, that nāga king heard this crying, transformed into a human form, and came to ask him, ‘Why are you weeping so bitterly today?’ The gardener fully answered the reason. Hearing these words, the nāga returned into the water, took fine, delicious fruits, placed them on a golden platter, and gave them to the gardener. He then further told him, ‘Take these fruits and offer them to the king, and convey my intention, saying: “I and the king, long ago when the Buddha was in the world, were originally close friends. We were both brāhmaṇas and received the Eightfold Fast together, each seeking what he wished. Because your precepts were complete, you became a king; because my precepts were incomplete, I was born among the nāgas. Now I wish to cultivate the practice of the fast again, seeking to shed this body. I pray that the king will seek the text of the Eight Precepts Fast for me and send it to me. If you refuse, I will overturn your kingdom and make it into a great sea.”’ The gardener then received the platter of fruits, and after presenting them to the king, he conveyed the message entrusted by the nāga. When the king heard this, he was exceedingly unhappy. Why was this so? Because at that time, there was not even the name of the Buddha's Dharma, let alone the text of the Eight Precepts Fast! If he failed to obtain it, he feared harm would befall him. Pondering this matter, there was no way it could be accomplished. At that time, that king had a minister who was most worthy of respect, and the king told him, ‘The nāga demands from me the text of the Eight Precepts Fast; I rely on you to obtain it.’ The minister replied, ‘There is no Dharma in the world today; how could it be obtained?’ The king further told him, ‘If you do not obtain it, I will surely kill you.’ Having heard this, the minister withdrew to his home, his countenance altered, exceedingly sorrowful and distressed. At that time, the minister had an aged father. Whenever the father came in from outside, seeing his son's countenance so altered, he immediately questioned him. The son then explained the details of the situation to his father. The father answered the son, saying, ‘I have seen a light upon the pillar of our hall. Cut it down for me, and try breaking it open to see.’ Inside, he obtained two rolls of scriptures: one was the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination, and the second was the text of the Eight Precepts Fast. Having obtained them, the minister was overjoyed, placed them on a golden platter, and offered them to the king. The king obtained them and was overjoyed beyond measure; he sent them to the nāga king. The nāga king obtained them and rejoiced exceedingly, presenting precious treasures as gifts to the king. Each returned to his abode. Together with five hundred nāga sons, he diligently cultivated the practice of the Eight Precepts Fast. Thereafter, their lives ended, and they were reborn in Trāyastriṃśa Heaven; they came to make offerings to me, and that was their light.” The Buddha told Ānanda, “If you wish to know who the five hundred nāga sons who cultivated the practice of the fast at that time were, they are these five hundred devaputras now.” When the Buddha spoke this story of causes and conditions, some attained the four fruits of a śramaṇa, and some generated the mind of unexcelled awakening. Hearing what the Buddha said, they rejoiced and practiced it.