諸經要集 15.55

15.55

Furthermore, the Liudu ji jing says: In the past, the Bodhisattva was an elephant king. His mind was vast and far-reaching: he clearly knew of the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Saṃgha, and constantly took refuge in the three. He always used universal compassion to rescue and deliver sentient beings, making a vow that upon attaining Buddhahood he would liberate all. He was followed by five hundred elephants and had two wives. The elephant king obtained a lotus flower in the water, of extraordinarily exquisite color, and presented it to his senior wife. The senior wife received the flower and rejoiced, saying: 'The ice and cold are severe; how did you happen to obtain such a flower?' The junior wife was covetous and jealous, and made a vow: 'I shall surely kill you with potent venom!' She died from choked indignation. Her spirit was transformed and born as the daughter of a family of the four varnas, with beauty surpassing all people. Her wisdom flowed freely, broadly conversant with past and present; looking up, she observed the celestial signs and understood the seasons and their rise and decline. When the king heard of this, he took her as his consort. Upon arriving, she expounded governance for the state, her righteousness matching that of loyal ministers. The king was pleased and respected her, complying with whatever she said. The consort said: 'In a dream, I saw a six-tusked elephant; my heart desires its tusks to make an armrest and ornaments. If the king does not obtain them, I shall die.' The king said: 'Do not speak such ominous words; people will laugh upon hearing them.' At that time, the consort felt distress and anxiety. The king summoned four councilors, claiming it was his own dream, and asked: 'Has such an elephant existed from ancient times to the present?' One minister replied: 'There has never been such a thing.' One minister said: 'The king did not dream it.' One minister said: 'I have heard of it, but its whereabouts are extremely distant.' One minister said: 'If anyone can obtain it, it would be Śakra Devendra, but this must now be investigated.' The four ministers then summoned archers from the four quarters and questioned them. The southern archer said: 'My deceased father always said it existed, but it is distant and difficult to obtain.' The ministers reported to the throne: 'This man knows of it.' The king then granted him an audience. The consort said: 'Go straight south for three thousand li into the mountains. Traveling for about two days, you will reach the elephant's abode. Dig a pit beside the road, shave your hair and beard, put on the robes of a śramaṇa, and shoot it from within the pit. Sever its tusks and bring back two inches.' The elephant hunter obeyed the order, went to the elephant's place, and first shot the elephant in the foot. Wearing the Dharma robes and holding a bowl, he remained stopped in the pit. The elephant king saw the śramaṇa, bowed his head, and said: 'Vandana, man of the Way! For what reason would you slay my body and life?' He answered: 'I wish to obtain your tusks.' The elephant said: 'My pain is hard to bear. Quickly take the tusks and depart, lest you disturb my mind and cause evil thoughts to arise. One whose thoughts harbor evil will at death enter the realms of Mount Tai, hungry ghosts, or animals. Now, harboring patience and practicing benevolence, repaying evil with goodness—this is the supreme practice of a bodhisattva.' The man then severed the tusks. The elephant said: 'Man of the Way, you should walk backwards, so that the herd of elephants cannot track your footprints.' When the elephant had sent the man far off, the pain became unbearable; he collapsed to the ground with a great cry and suddenly died, being immediately reborn in heaven. The herd of elephants came from all four sides, all saying: 'Who killed our king?' They searched without finding the culprit, and returned to guard the king's corpse, weeping and howling in grief. The hunter returned with the tusks. When the king saw the elephant tusks, his heart was struck with grief and dread. The consort took the tusks in her hands; just as she went to gaze upon them, thunderbolts crashed, she vomited blood, and at death fell into hell. The Buddha told the bhikṣus: 'The elephant king at that time was myself. The senior wife was Gopā; the hunter was Devadatta; and the consort was Sundarī. The Bodhisattva holds fast to his intent to ferry beings across without limit, maintaining the precepts in this way.'