諸經要集 2.40

2.40

Furthermore, the Zabaozang jing says: In the past there was a woman, clever and wise, who deeply believed in the Triratna. She would regularly invite a bhikṣu by roster from the saṅgha into her home to make offerings. Later, an old bhikṣu happened to visit her house in turn. He was advanced in years, dull of faculties, and devoid of any understanding. When the vegetarian meal was finished, the woman sincerely entreated him to preach the Dharma, laid out a seat before him, and sat quietly with closed eyes. The bhikṣu, knowing he did not understand how to preach the Dharma, took advantage of her closed eyes to flee and return to the monastery. Yet this woman contemplated with sincere devotion: conditioned phenomena are impermanent, suffering, and empty, lacking self-mastery. Observing deeply in mind, she immediately attained the fruit of srotāpanna. Having attained the fruit, she went to the monastery looking for him in order to repay his kindness. Yet this bhikṣu, examining himself and finding no knowledge, had abandoned her and fled; feeling doubled shame and disgrace, he hid away even more. But this woman sought him relentlessly, until at last he showed himself. When the woman saw him, she recounted in full the circumstances of her attaining the fruit of the Way and presented offerings to repay his kindness. When the old bhikṣu heard this, he felt great shame and deeply reproached himself, and he too attained the fruit of srotāpanna. Therefore, practitioners should sincerely and wholeheartedly seek the Dharma. If one is sincere, whatever one seeks will certainly be attained. Furthermore, the Ji yiqie fude sanmei jing says: Long ago in the past, an asaṃkhyeya of kalpas ago, there was a ṛṣi named Uttama. Dwelling in the mountain forests, he was endowed with the five abhijñās and constantly practiced a benevolent mind. Later he thought: "It is not only a benevolent mind that can deliver sentient beings; only by gathering vast learning can one extinguish sentient beings' defilements and wrong views and give rise to right view." Having thought so, he went to cities, towns, and villages, everywhere seeking a teacher to preach the Dharma. At that time, a heavenly Māra came and said to the ṛṣi: "I now possess a single verse spoken by the Buddha. If you can now flay your skin for paper, draw your blood for ink, and snap your bones for pens to copy this verse, I will speak it for you." Hearing this, the ṛṣi Uttama thought: "Throughout immeasurable hundreds of thousands of kalpas, I have constantly been cut and dismembered by others for no purpose, suffering immeasurable pain with no benefit whatsoever. Today I should renounce this unsolid body to readily obtain the sublime Dharma." Rejoicing and leaping with joy, he at once used a sharp knife to flay his skin for paper, drew his blood for ink, and snapped his bones for pens, joining his palms toward heaven to request the preaching of the Buddha's verse. Seeing this, Māra grew sorrowful, depressed, and withered, and vanished at once. Seeing this, the ṛṣi spoke these words: "For the sake of the Dharma, I do not begrudge body or life, flaying my skin for paper, drawing my blood for ink, and snapping my bones for pens; for the sake of sentient beings, I am utterly sincere and not deceitful. If in other worlds there is one of great compassion who can preach the Dharma, may they appear before me." When he spoke these words, thirty-two Buddha-lands away to the east, there was a Buddha-land named Samantamalā. In that land was a Buddha called Vimalaprabharāja, who suddenly stood before him and emitted a great light illuminating Uttama's body. His pain was immediately eliminated and he was restored as before. The Buddha then expounded to him at length the samādhi of gathering all meritorious virtues. Hearing the Dharma, Uttama attained unimpeded eloquence. When the Buddha had finished preaching the Dharma, he vanished again. Having obtained eloquence, the ṛṣi Uttama expounded the sublime Dharma widely for sentient beings, causing immeasurable sentient beings to abide in the path of the three vehicles. Only after a thousand years had passed did his life come to an end, and he was born in the land of Samantamalā of Vimalaprabharāja. Because of his veneration of the Dharma, he has now attained buddhahood. The Buddha told Vimalaprabha: "He who was Uttama in the past is my very own person today." Therefore, one should know that if someone can reverently seek the Dharma, the Buddha does not enter nirvāṇa for that person, nor does the Dharma perish. Although in a different land, they will always see the Buddha face to face and get to hear the true Dharma. (This is like the boy of the snowy mountains in the Nirvāṇa-sūtra renouncing his body for half a verse, or Bodhisattva Sadāprarudita in the Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā-prajñāpāramitā-sūtra breaking his bones to extract marrow for the sake of seeking the Dharma; such causes and conditions are immeasurable and cannot be fully recounted).