諸經要集 6.41

6.41

Furthermore, the Aśokarāja-sūtra says: In the past, when the Buddha was in the world, he was entering Rājagṛha to beg for alms, surrounded front and back by the bhikṣus and Ānanda. Arriving in an alley, he saw two small boys, one named Devasama and the second named Asama, playing with dirt. They were piling up earth to make a city wall, houses, and granaries, using dirt as roasted flour and placing it in the granaries. These two boys saw the Buddha's marks and characteristics, his golden light shining throughout the city. Devasama rejoiced, scooped up the dirt from the granary that he called roasted flour, and offered it to the World-Honoured One, making a vow: "May I in the future cover heaven and earth and broadly provide offerings." By virtue of this wholesome root and the merit of his vow, one hundred years after the Buddha's parinirvāṇa he became a wheel-turning king, ruling over Jambudvīpa and dwelling in Pāṭaliputra, governing the world with the true Dharma under the title of King Aśoka. He divided the Buddha's relics and erected 84,000 precious stūpas. The king was faithful, frequently inviting the saṃgha to the palace to make offerings to them. At that time, there was a maidservant in the royal palace who was of the lowest, most destitute station. Seeing the king cultivating merit, she reproached herself, saying: "Because in his previous life the king offered a handful of dirt to the Tathāgata, he now enjoys wealth and honor. Cultivating it again today, he will be even more exalted in the future. Because of sins in my past lives, I am this lowly today; furthermore, I am destitute and have nothing with which to cultivate merit. In the future I will be still more degraded—when will I ever have a time of escape?" Having thought this, she wept. When the monks had finished eating, this maid swept the ground and found a copper coin amidst the swept refuse. She immediately offered this single coin to the monks, her heart filled with joy. Not long thereafter, she fell ill and died, and was reborn in the womb of King Aśoka's consort. When ten months were complete, she gave birth to a daughter, upright and extraordinary, rarely equaled in the world. The girl's right hand was always tightly clenched. When she reached five years of age, the consort said to the king, "The daughter born to me always has her hand clenched." The king immediately called her over and held her on his lap. As the king stroked her hand, it opened at once, and right inside her palm was a gold coin. As soon as one was taken, another was produced without end. In an instant, the treasury was filled with gold coins. The king marveled at the cause of this, and at once brought her to ask the Elder Arhat Yaśas: "What merit did this girl cultivate in her past life that she has this gold coin in her palm, inexhaustible when taken?" The Elder replied: "In her past life this girl was a palace servant. She found a copper coin amidst the refuse and offered it to the monks. By this wholesome root she was reborn in the royal house as a king's daughter. Because of the cause and condition of that single coin offered to the monks in the past, she always holds a large gold coin in her hand, inexhaustible when taken." Furthermore, the Zabaozang jing says: In the past, many monks lived on Gṛdhrakūṭa Mountain. Hearing of this, people from all quarters came in great numbers to send offerings. There was a poor beggar woman who saw the elders sending offerings and going to the mountain. She thought: "They must be holding an assembly; I will go and beg." She then headed to the mountain and saw the elders making offerings of various foods to the monks. She reflected to herself: "Those people cultivated merit in past lives and are wealthy today; now they are cultivating it again and will be even more exalted in the future. I did not cultivate it in the past and am poor and suffering in this life; if I do not cultivate it now, it will be even worse in the future." Having thought this, she wept. Previously she had picked up two coins from the refuse and had always kept them safe, intending to use them to buy food later when begging yielded nothing. "I will now take them to offer to the monks, accepting going without food for a day or two." She waited until the monks finished eating and then made the offering. The karmadāna was about to pronounce the blessing before the saṃgha, but the Elder would not allow it, pronouncing the blessing himself; he also set aside food to give to her. When the others saw the Elder begging food for her, they gave to her as well. The woman rejoiced greatly, saying: "I have received my reward!" She took the food outside, went under a tree, ate, and lay down. Moved by the merit of her giving, a yellow cloud covered her. At that time, the king's chief consort had died seven days earlier. The king sent people to seek someone with the merit fit to become his consort. The messengers went with a physiognomist to the tree and saw this woman. The physiognomist divined her marks, finding that her merit was worthy of being the consort. They immediately bathed and purified her with scented water, gave her the consort's robes to wear, which fit her perfectly, and with a thousand chariots and ten thousand cavalry brought her to the king. When the king saw her, he rejoiced and respected her deeply. Later, she reflected to herself: "The reason I now receive this retribution of blessings is entirely due to offering those two coins to the monks. One must know that those monks have bestowed great kindness upon me." She then said to the king: "I was previously lowly; the king saw fit to cleanse and elevate me, allowing me to take my place among people. I pray that you permit me to go to those monks to repay their kindness." The king said, "As you wish." The consort then loaded wagons with food, drink, and precious treasures and went to the mountain to make offerings. The Elder then dispatched the karmadāna to pronounce the blessing and did not pronounce it himself. The consort thought: "Before, when I offered two coins, he personally pronounced the blessing; now that I have brought wagons of precious treasures, he does not pronounce the blessing." The young bhikṣus also disapproved of this matter. The Elder then said to the consort: "You harbor resentment in your heart, thinking: 'When I offered two coins, he pronounced the blessing for me; now that I have brought wagons of precious treasures, he does not pronounce the blessing.' In my Buddha's Dharma, we value only the wholesome mind, not precious treasures. When the consort previously offered two coins, her wholesome mind was supreme. Now that you offer precious treasures, you are full of self-conceit; therefore, I do not personally pronounce the blessing today. Let the young ones also not harbor disapproval of me." Hearing this, the young bhikṣus felt ashamed and all attained the fruit of srotāpanna. Hearing the Dharma, the consort felt ashamed and also attained the fruit of srotāpanna.