諸經要集 1.14

1.14

Furthermore, the Kāśyapa Sūtra states: Long ago in the distant past, an asaṃkhyeya of kalpas ago, there was a Buddha who appeared in the world named Radiance. After he entered nirvāṇa, there was a bodhisattva named Great Diligence, sixteen years of age, of the brāhmaṇa caste, matchlessly handsome. There was a bhikṣu who painted an image of the Buddha on fine white cloth and gave it to Great Diligence. Seeing the image, Great Diligence rejoiced greatly in his heart and spoke thus: 'If the image of the Tathāgata is so wonderfully fine, how much more so the Buddha's actual body! May I in the future also accomplish such a wondrous body.' Having spoken, he reflected: 'If I remain a householder, this body cannot be attained.' He then addressed his parents, begging to be allowed to leave the household. His parents replied: 'We are now old and have only you as our single child. If you leave the household, we shall die.' The son addressed his parents: 'If you do not grant me permission, from this day forth I will not drink, eat, sit or lie on a couch, nor will I speak.' Having made this vow, he did not eat for one day, up to six days. His parents, relatives, and eighty-four thousand palace maidens all wept in sorrow at the same time, bowed to Great Diligence, and immediately granted him permission to leave the household. Having left the household, he took the image into the mountains, made a seat of grass, and sat cross-legged before the painted image. With single-minded attention, he contemplated that this painted image was no different from the Tathāgata: 'The Tathāgata's image possesses neither perception nor cognition; all dharmas are also like this—unconditioned, detached from characteristics, their essential nature empty and quiescent.' Having practiced this contemplation, after a day and a night, he accomplished the five abhijñās, fully possessed immeasurable eloquence without impediment, and attained the samādhi of universal light, endowed with great illumination. With the pure heavenly eye, he saw asaṃkhyeyas of Buddhas in the eastern direction; with the pure heavenly ear, he heard what the Buddhas preached and was completely able to receive and uphold it. For a full seven months he took wisdom as his food, and all the devas scattered flowers in offering to him. Coming out of the mountains, he arrived at a village and expounded the Dharma to people. Twenty thousand sentient beings generated the bodhicitta; immeasurable asaṃkhyeyas of people became established in the virtues of śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas; and his parents and relatives all became established in non-retrogression toward anuttara-saṃyak-saṃbodhi. The Buddha told Kāśyapa: 'The Great Diligence of that past time is now myself. By virtue of this contemplation of the image, I have now attained buddhahood. If anyone can train in such contemplation, in the future they will certainly accomplish the anuttara path.'