諸經要集 8.19

8.19

Furthermore, the Zabaozang jing says: At that time, Devadatta constantly harboured malice and wished to harm the Bhagavat. He then hired five hundred brahmins skilled in archery, directing them to take bows and arrows, go to the Bhagavat, draw their bows, and shoot the Buddha. The arrows that were shot transformed into flowers. When the five hundred brahmins saw this supernatural transformation, they were all greatly terrified; they immediately cast down their bows and arrows, bowed to the Buddha, and repented. The Buddha expounded the Dharma for them, and they all attained the path of the srotāpanna. They further addressed the Buddha, saying, "We pray that you will permit us to leave the household life and study the path." The Buddha said, "Welcome, bhikṣus!" Their hair and beards fell off of themselves, and the robes of the Dharma wrapped their bodies. He again expounded the Dharma for them, and they attained the path of the arhat. The bhikṣus said to the Buddha, "The Bhagavat's spiritual power is extremely rare! Devadatta constantly wishes to harm the Buddha, yet the Buddha always generates great benevolence." The Buddha said, "Not only today is it like this. In the past, there was a caravan leader in the city of Vārāṇasī named Unmindful-of-Kindness. Together with five hundred merchants, he entered the sea to gather jewels. Having obtained the jewels, on their return they reached a swirling whirlpool, where they encountered a water-rākṣasa who seized their ship so that it could not move forward. The merchants were all greatly terrified and cried out together, 'Gods of heaven, gods of earth, gods of the sun and moon! Who can compassionately rescue and deliver us?' There was a great turtle whose back was one league across. It generated pity, came to the ship, carried the crowd, and delivered them across the sea. At that time, the turtle took a short nap. Unmindful-of-Kindness wished to strike the turtle's head with a great rock and kill it. The merchants said, 'We received this turtle's deliverance from hardship and our lives were spared; to kill it is inauspicious and ungrateful.' Unmindful-of-Kindness said, 'I am pressed by urgent hunger; who can think of kindness?' He promptly killed the turtle and ate its flesh. That very night, a great herd of elephants trampled and killed all those people. At that time, the great turtle was myself; Unmindful-of-Kindness was Devadatta; and the five hundred merchants were these five hundred brahmins who have left the household life and attained the path. In the past, I delivered them from peril; today, I have once again uprooted their affliction of birth and death."