法苑珠林 97.25

97.25

Furthermore, the Sūtra on the Nirvāṇa of King Śuddhodana says: King Śuddhodana was in the state of Kapilavastu. Critically ill and nearing his end, he longed to see the World-Honoured One, Nanda, and the others. The World-Honoured One was on Gṛdhrakūṭa Mountain in Rājagṛha, fifty yojanas distant from there. The World-Honoured One, being on Vulture Peak, heard his father's pining voice from afar with his divine ear. Thereupon, together with Ānanda and the others, he arrived through the air. Stroking the king's brow with his hand, after comforting the king, he preached the Mahāpāla Jātaka for him. Hearing it, the king attained the fruit of an anāgāmin. The king took the Buddha's hand and placed it upon his heart. The Buddha again preached the Dharma, and he attained the fruit of an arhat. Confronted by impermanence, his life ended and his breath ceased; suddenly he passed to the afterlife. When the time for cremation (jhāpita) arrived, the Buddha and Nanda stood respectfully before the head of the deceased; Ānanda and Rāhula stood behind the feet of the deceased. Ānandada knelt on both knees and addressed the Buddha, saying: "I pray only that you permit me to carry my paternal uncle's coffin." Rāhula also said: "I pray only that you permit me to carry my royal grandfather's coffin." The World-Honoured One consoled them, saying: "People of future generations will all be violent and cruel, and will not repay the kindness of their parents' nurturing. In order to establish a teaching to transform such unfilial sentient beings, the Tathāgata wishes to carry the coffin of his royal father with his own body." Immediately the trichiliocosm underwent six kinds of quaking; all the mountains pitched and surged, like boats on the water. At that time, all the devas, nāgas, and spirits came to the funeral and raised their voices in weeping. The Four Heavenly Kings, leading hundreds of millions of spirits, all joined in lifting the bier. They addressed the Buddha, saying: "For the sake of those in future ages who are unfilial to parents, the Buddha with great compassion wishes personally to carry his royal father's coffin. The four kings together addressed the Buddha, saying: "We are disciples of the Buddha; hearing the Dharma from the Buddha, we have attained srotaāpanna. For this reason, we ought to carry the royal father's coffin." The Buddha permitted the four kings to carry his royal father's coffin. They immediately transformed into men. None of the people failed to weep. The World-Honoured One personally held an incense burner in his hands and went before, proceeding to the gravesite. He commanded a thousand arhats to go to an isle in the great ocean to take ox-head candana and various fragrant woods to burn him with fire. The Buddha said: "Suffering, empty, and impermanent, like an illusion, the moon in water, or an image in a mirror." When the cremation of the body was completed, the kings each took five hundred vessels of milk to extinguish the fire. After the fire was extinguished, they vied with one another to collect the bones and place them in a vajra casket. Right upon that spot, they built a stūpa together, hanging silk banners and canopies to make offerings to the stūpa. The Buddha addressed the great assembly: "My royal father Śuddhodana was a pure man; he has been born into the Śuddhāvāsa Heaven."