諸經要集 8.62

8.62

又大悲經云。佛告阿難。過去之世有大商主。為採寶故。將諸商人入於大海。彼所乘船眾寶悉滿。至海中間其船卒壞。時彼商人心懷怖畏。極生憂惱。其中或有得船板者。或有浮者。有命終者。我於爾時。作商主在彼大海中。用以浮囊安隱而度。時有五人呼商主言。大士商主唯願惠。施我等無畏。說是語已。爾時商主即告之言。諸丈夫勿生怖畏。我令汝等從此大海安隱得度。阿難。彼時商主身帶利劍而作是念。大海之法不居死屍。如其我今自捨身命。此諸商人必能得度大海之難。作是念已即喚商人。置已身上令善捉持。彼諸商人有騎背者。有抱肩者。有捉髀者。爾時商主。為欲施彼無怖畏故。大悲修心起大勇猛。即以利劍斷已命根。迎取命終。于時大海漂其死屍置之岸上。時五商人便得度海。安隱受樂。平吉無難還閻浮提。阿難。彼時商主豈異人乎。我身是也。五商人者今五比丘是也。是五比丘。昔於大海而得度脫。今復於此生死大海。而得度脫。安置無畏涅槃彼岸。

Furthermore, the Mahākaruṇā-sūtra states: The Buddha told Ānanda: In a past age, there was a great caravan leader who, in order to gather jewels, led a company of merchants into the great ocean. The ship they rode was filled with all kinds of jewels. In the middle of the ocean, their ship suddenly broke apart. At that time, those merchants were terrified and deeply distressed. Among them, some obtained planks from the ship, some floated, and some perished. At that time, I was the caravan leader in that great ocean, crossing safely by means of a floating bag. Five men called out to the caravan leader: 'Great Being, caravan leader, we only pray that you bestow fearlessness upon us!' Having heard these words, the caravan leader said to them: 'Good men, do not be afraid. I shall cause you to cross over safely from this great ocean.' Ānanda, at that time the caravan leader was wearing a sharp sword and thought: 'The rule of the great ocean is not to keep a dead corpse. If I sacrifice my own life now, these merchants will surely be able to cross over the danger of the great ocean.' Having thought this, he called the merchants, had them mount his body, and told them to hold on tight. Among those merchants, some rode on his back, some clung to his shoulders, and some held his thighs. At that time, in order to bestow fearlessness upon them, the caravan leader cultivated great compassion in his mind, aroused great vigor, and cut off his life-faculty with the sharp sword, meeting his death. Then the great ocean drifted his dead corpse and deposited it on the shore. The five merchants were then able to cross the ocean, experience safety and joy, and return peacefully without harm to Jambudvīpa. Ānanda, was that caravan leader anyone else? He was myself. The five merchants were the five bhikṣus of today. These five bhikṣus were delivered in the great ocean in the past, and now in this ocean of birth and death they are again delivered and established on the other shore of fearless nirvāṇa."