法苑珠林 96.6

96.6

As the Suvarṇaprabhāsa-sūtra says: The Buddha told the great assembly: In the past there was a king named Mahāratha, who constantly practiced good dharmas and had no enemies. At that time he had three sons, extraordinarily preeminent. The first prince was named Mahāpraṇāda, the second prince was named Mahādeva, and the youngest prince was named Mahāsattva. These three princes went on an excursion in a garden and gradually arrived at a bamboo grove, where they halted their chariot to rest. The first prince spoke these words: 'Today my mind is very fearful; will there not be some ruin or harm in this forest?' The second prince also spoke these words: 'Today I do not cherish my own body, but being separated from what I love makes my mind sorrowful.' The third prince also spoke these words: 'Today I alone have no fear, nor do I have sorrow or distress. The mountain's empty solitude is praised by the divine sages; this quiet place brings one peace and security.' Moving further ahead, they saw a tigress that had given birth seven days before, surrounded by her seven cubs, starving, exhausted, emaciated, and on the verge of dying. When the first prince saw this tigress, he said: 'If she is pressed by hunger, she will certainly turn to devour her cubs.' The third prince said: 'Who among you can provide food for this tigress?' The first prince said: 'This tigress has little life left, and there is no room to seek food for her elsewhere; her life certainly cannot be saved. Who could for her sake not spare their own body and life?' The second prince said: 'Of all things hard to relinquish, none surpasses one's own body.' The third prince said: 'If great beings desire to benefit others and give rise to great compassion, it is not difficult.' Then the princes were filled with great sorrow. Standing for a long time watching her, their eyes did not leave her. Having made this observation, they soon departed. At that time, the third prince said: 'The time has now come for me to relinquish my body. From the past until now, I have cast away this body many times for no purpose at all. According to the seasons I have nurtured it, letting it lack nothing, yet it knows no gratitude and instead gives rise to enmity and harm; moreover, it cannot escape impermanence and destruction. Now I will relinquish this body to perform an unsurpassed deed, making a great bridge across the ocean of birth and death, forever leaving behind sorrow, adversity, impermanence, and mutation, fully perfecting wisdom and merit.' Thereupon he said: 'My brothers, you may now return with your attendants to your residence.' At that time, Prince Mahāsattva returned to where the tigress was, took off his clothes, hung them on a bamboo branch, and made this vow: 'I now, for the benefit of all sentient beings, to realize the most supreme, unsurpassed path, and desiring to cross over all sentient beings in the three realms of existence…' Having made this vow, the prince threw himself down to lie before the starving tigress. Through the power of his great compassion, the tigress was unable to act. The prince reflected: 'The tigress is now emaciated and powerless, unable to take my body's flesh and blood to eat.' He immediately arose to seek a knife, but could not find one at all. He then pierced his neck with dry bamboo to draw blood. At that moment, the great earth shook in six ways, the sun lost its brilliant light, and mixed flowers and various wondrous perfumes rained down. At that time, the gods in empty space saw it, rejoiced in their hearts, and praised it as unprecedented: 'Splendid, O Great Being! Truly one of great compassion! For the sake of sentient beings, you can relinquish what is hard to relinquish; before long you will realize pure nirvāṇa.' Seeing the blood flow and stain the prince's body, the tigress then licked the blood, devoured his flesh, and left only the remaining bones. At that time, the two elder brothers saw the earth shake violently, the sun lose its brilliant light, and flowers and perfumes rain down: 'It must be that our younger brother has relinquished his cherished body.' Then the two princes were filled with great grief and dread; weeping and lamenting, their faces haggard, they led one another back to the place of the tigress. They saw that the clothes worn by their younger brother were all upon a bamboo branch, and his bones, hair, and nails were scattered in disarray, with blood flowing everywhere and staining the ground. Seeing this, they fainted and could not contain themselves. Throwing themselves upon the bones, it was a long time before they revived. They then arose, raised their hands, and wept, crying out to heaven: 'Our younger brother was young in years but surpassed others in ability; cherished by our father and mother, he has suddenly relinquished his body. If we now return to the palace and our parents ask, how shall we answer? I would rather end my life here in the same place; I cannot bear to return and face our parents and kin.' At that time, the attendants led by the youngest prince scattered in all directions, asking one another: 'Where is our master today?'