諸經要集 10.178

10.178

Śakra, lord of the gods, heard it. Together with eighty thousand gods, he came to the side of the well and said, 'Having not heard the noble teachings, we have long dwelled in darkness. What you just spoke is no ordinary matter. We pray that you will proclaim the Dharma further.'
The jackal replied, 'The heavenly lord lacks instruction and does not know what is fitting for the occasion. The Dharma master is below, while you place yourself above. Without showing any respect at the start, you ask for the essentials of the Dharma.'
Thereupon, Śakra caught and received him with heavenly robes, bowed down, and repented, [saying,] 'I recall that in the past I once saw worldly people first set out a high seat and only then invite the Dharma master.'
The gods then each took off their precious robes and piled them up into a high seat. The jackal ascended the seat and said, 'There are two great causes and conditions: first, preaching the Dharma to convert gods and humans brings immeasurable merit; second, repaying the kindness of those who provide food brings immeasurable recompense.'
The heavenly lord said, 'To be spared the peril of the well—the merit of that should be great. Why is that kindness not equal [to giving food]?'
He replied, 'Life and death each have what is fitting. Some covet life, and some rejoice in death. There are foolish people who do not know that after death one is reborn again; they violate and turn away from the Buddha-Dharma and do not encounter an enlightened master; coveting life and fearing death, upon death they fall into hell. There are wise people who attend upon the Triratna, encounter an enlightened master, and reform evil to cultivate good; such people detest life and rejoice in death, and upon death are born in heaven.'
The heavenly lord said, 'As your honor has instructed, preserving life brings no merit. Our sincere wish is to hear about the gift of food and the gift of the Dharma.'
He replied, 'Giving food and drink saves a single day of life; giving precious jewels saves from the perils of a single lifetime, yet only increases saṃsāra. But preaching the Dharma to convert others enables sentient beings to transcend the mundane path, attain the fruits of the three vehicles, escape the three evil destinies, and receive the bliss of gods and humans. Therefore, the Buddha taught that the merit of giving the Dharma is immeasurable.'
The heavenly lord said, 'Is this present form of yours, Master, a karmic retribution or a manifest transformation?'
He replied, 'It is retribution for sin, not a manifest transformation.'
The heavenly lord said, 'I took you to be a sage, but now I hear it is a karmic retribution for sin. Not knowing the reason, I pray to hear the causes and conditions.'
He replied, 'In the past, I was born in the city of Paduma in the kingdom of Vārāṇasī as the child of a poor family of the kṣatriya clan. From my youth I harboured an agile intelligence and was particularly fond of study. When I reached the age of twelve, I followed a master into the mountains, never missing a proper time, for fifty years. Of the ninety-six kinds of scriptures and treatises, there was none I did not master. This was all due to the kindness of my upādhyāya, a merit difficult to repay. Because of my former learning and wisdom, I can recognize my past lives. Later, receiving the royal throne, I became extravagant, lustful, and attached to pleasure. When the retribution was exhausted and my life ended, I was born into hell and as an animal.' (What follows below is elaborate and omitted.)
At that time, Śakra and the eighty thousand gods received the ten good deeds from him. [Śakra asked,] 'We are now returning to the heavenly palace. When will you, upādhyāya, renounce this sinful retribution and attain rebirth in heaven?'
The jackal said, 'Strictly after seven days, I will abandon this body and be born in Tuṣita Heaven. You may also wish to be born there, for in that heaven there are many bodhisattvas who preach the Dharma and instruct beings.'
After seven days, his life ended and he was born in the Tuṣita royal palace; afterwards, he recognized his past lives and practiced the path of the ten good deeds.
Furthermore, the Xianyu jing says: The Buddha was in the kingdom of Vārāṇasī, in a forest marsh, expounding the wondrous Dharma for gods, humans, and the four assemblies. At that time, a flock of five hundred wild geese in the sky heard the Buddha's voice; their hearts were filled with deep joy, and they wheeled around, wanting to alight. A hunter had spread a net; the geese fell into it and were killed by the hunter. They were reborn in Trāyastriṃśa Heaven, sitting on the knees of their parents like eight-year-old boys, incomparably dignified and upright, their radiance like golden mountains. They thought to themselves, "By what cause was I born here?" Immediately they recognized their past lives and the retribution for having loved the Dharma. Together holding flowers, they descended to Jambudvīpa, went to the Bhagavat's place, bowed to his feet, and said, "Having received the sound of the Dharma, we were born in a wondrous heaven. We pray that you will explain it to us again." The Buddha preached the Four Noble Truths, and they attained the fruit of srotāpanna, then returned to heaven. (This briefly sets forth the praise of the Dharma's merit. If one would explain at length the rules and methods for seeking the Dharma, it is fully present above in fascicle 2, under "Revering the Dharma.")