諸經要集 16.42

16.42

Furthermore, the Liudu ji jing says: In the past, the Bodhisattva was a peacock king with five hundred wives who followed him. Abandoning his former mates, he wished to take a bluebird as his wife. This bluebird ate only sweet dew and fine fruit, and the peacock king went daily to fetch them for his wife. The queen of that country fell ill and dreamed of seeing a peacock, saying that its meat could serve as medicine. Awakening, she informed the king. The king ordered hunters to set out swiftly in search of it. The queen said, “Whoever can capture it, I will give him my youngest daughter in marriage and bestow upon him a thousand catties of gold.” The country's hunters dispersed to search for it. Seeing the peacock king accompanied by a single bluebird at their regular feeding ground, one hunter coated the trees with honeyed parched barley meal at every spot. The peacock regularly fetched it to provide for his wife. The archer coated his own body with the honeyed parched barley meal and sat crouching in wait. When the peacock came to take the meal, the man captured him. The peacock said, “Your toil must be for profit. I will show you a mountain of gold, which can be an inexhaustible treasure. Spare my life!” The hunter replied, “The great king will bestow upon me a thousand catties of gold and give me his youngest daughter in marriage. How could I believe your words? I am bound to present you to him.” The peacock said, “The great king harbors benevolence, and his kindness extends everywhere. May he accept my humble words: grant me a little water, and I will empower it with a compassionate spell. Drinking it will cure the illness. If it is ineffective, it will not be too late to execute me.” The king complied with his wish. When the queen drank it, all her illnesses were cured; her complexion became radiant and lustrous, and so it was with the palace attendants. The entire country praised the king's vast compassion in sparing the peacock's life, thereby extending the lifespan of the whole country. The peacock said, “I wish to cast myself into that great lake and empower its waters with a spell, so that the diverse illnesses of the common people throughout the land may be cured. If there is any doubt or suspicion, you may beat my feet with a staff.” The king agreed. The peacock did so. When the people of the country drank the water, they all recovered their strength: the deaf heard, the blind saw, the mute spoke, and the crippled straightened; so it was with all illnesses. The queen's disease was eliminated, and all the people of the country became free from disease and injury. The peacock fully understood the king's intentions, and presenting himself to the king, he said, “Having received the king's kindness that granted me life, I have repaid it by saving the lives of the whole country. Now that my repayment is complete, I beg to depart.” The king said, “Very well.” The bird then took flight, ascended a tree, and said once more, “In the world there are three fools.” The king asked, “What are the three?” The peacock replied, “The first fool is myself; the second fool is the hunter; the third fool is the great king.” The king said, “Please explain.” The bird said, “The strict precepts of the Buddhas regard lust as fire that burns the body and endangers life, all caused by craving for physical beauty. I abandoned five hundred wives who attended upon me and craved a bluebird, seeking food to supply her just like a servant; thus I was caught in a hunter's snare and almost endangered my life. This was my folly. As for the hunter's folly: despite my truthful words, he abandoned a mountain of gold and cast aside inexhaustible treasure, believing the deceitful falsehoods of the queen in the hope of marrying her youngest daughter. Looking at the foolish madmen of the world, all are of this kind: they violate the Buddha's genuine precepts and believe the deceit of demons and ghosts; through alcohol, drugs, and lustful debauchery, they either suffer the ruin of their households or, upon death, enter Mount Tai to face boundless torment. Wanting to return as a human being is then like a featherless bird wishing to fly up to the sky—how could it not be difficult? The bewitching seduction of a wanton woman is like those forest demons; there are none through whom states are not lost and lives not endangered, yet foolish men honor them, though among their myriad words not one is sincere. Yet the archer believed her. This is why I call the hunter foolish. The king obtained a divine physician who eliminated the diseases of the entire country, completely extinguishing all poisons so that faces shone like blooming flowers, and great and small rejoiced in reliance upon me; yet the king let me go. This is why I call the king foolish.” The Buddha told Śāriputra: “From then on, the peacock king traveled throughout the eight directions, always using divine medicine to make gifts with a compassionate heart and cure the diseases of sentient beings. The peacock king was myself. The king of the country was Śāriputra. The hunter was Devadatta. The queen was Devadatta's wife. Such is the Bodhisattva's boundless perfection of compassionate wisdom in practicing generosity.”