諸經要集 14.53

14.53

Furthermore, the Jiu za piyu jing says: In ancient times, a woman gave birth to a daughter who was incomparably beautiful. When she was three years old, the king took her to view her and called a religious practitioner to read her physiognomy to see if she was fit to be a royal consort later. The practitioner reported to the king, 'This girl already has a husband; the king will only obtain her later.' The king said, 'I shall hide her securely; how could it be that I only obtain her later?' He then called a crane to come and asked, 'Where do you live?' The crane addressed the king, saying, 'I reside on a great mountain. Mid-slope there is a tree that neither humans nor beasts have ever reached; below it are whirling waters where no boat can travel.' The king said, 'I entrust this girl to you to rear.' The crane took her and flew away. Day after day, it received food from the king to give to the girl. After a long time like this, there was a settlement upstream that was suddenly washed away by floodwaters. A tree branch drifted downstream with the current. There was a man who clung to the tree, fell into the whirlpool, and could not get out. A vine-tree sprang up, resting against the mountain cliff. The man followed it up and reached the crane's tree, where he had illicit relations with the girl. The girl then concealed him. The crane noticed that the girl's body had become heavy. Searching about, it found the man, picked him up, and cast him down. It reported the matter to the king. The king said, 'The former practitioner was indeed skillful at reading physiognomy!' The master says: People have past karma that cannot be checked by force; when karma is encountered, it comes to pass. It is the same even for animals.