諸經要集 10.142

10.142

Furthermore, the *Ekottarika-āgama* states: “If someone is indolent and plants unwholesome deeds, there will be loss in his affairs. If one can avoid being indolent, this is most exquisite. Why is this so? Maitreya Bodhisattva, after thirty kalpas, was supposed to become a Buddha. By the power of my diligence and a valiant mind, I caused Maitreya to become a Buddha after me. Therefore, one should be mindful of diligence and have no indolence.” Furthermore, the *Dṛṣṭānta-sūtra* states: In the time of Kāśyapa Buddha, there were two brothers who both became śramaṇas. The elder brother upheld the precepts and sat in meditation, single-mindedly seeking the Way without practicing dāna. The younger brother gave dāna and cultivated merit, but was fond of breaking the precepts. The elder brother left home under Śākyamuni and attained the fruit of arhatship, yet his clothing was never sufficient and his food was never filling. The younger brother was born among elephants; because as an elephant he was very strong and could repel enemies, he was cherished by the king of the country, who adorned his body with gold, silver, and precious jewels, and enfeoffed him with several hundred households to supply this elephant with whatever he needed. At that time, the elder brother bhikṣu encountered a great famine in the world; he wandered begging for food for seven days without receiving any. Finally he obtained a small amount of coarse food, barely managing to keep himself alive. Knowing beforehand that this elephant was his younger brother in a former life, he went to the elephant, held the elephant’s ear with his hand, and said to him: “In the past, you and I both committed faults.” The elephant pondered the bhikṣu’s words and immediately recognized the causes and conditions of his past lives; he became despondent and would not eat. The elephant keeper was frightened and went to inform the king. The king asked the elephant keeper: “Has anyone offended this elephant before?” The keeper replied: “There was no other person, only a single śramaṇa who came to the elephant’s side and left shortly thereafter.” The king immediately dispatched men who found the śramaṇa, and asked him: “When you went to the elephant’s side, what did you say?” The śramaṇa replied: “I said to the elephant, ‘You and I both committed faults,’ and nothing more.” The śramaṇa explained fully to the king as above. The king’s mind was awakened, and he immediately released the śramaṇa.