菩薩從兜術天降神母胎說廣普經 7.3

7.3

爾時，世尊入正定三昧，分身變化放大光明——欲令菩薩摩訶薩及四部眾，比丘、比丘尼、優婆塞、優婆夷，破魔境界住於正地——告諸會者：「吾念過去九十一劫，在清明城北雪山南界，師宗五千人山中苦行。我於彼眾最小弟子，諷誦經典、算數、技術，天文、地理靡不綜練。彼眾常法，其有弟子所學已成當報師恩。時我一己亦無財物寶貨可奉上師，即跪拜謝欲下山人中乞索。師不見聽。如是再三求哀乞索，師復不聽。何以故？以我明曉經典眾中最勝。師告我言：『吾有祕要寶藏經典，卿未諷誦。何為捨吾人間乞求？』爾時師即以祕要一句五百言，使我諷誦。未經數日誦習已訖，即前白師：『見聽下山乞求，欲報師恩。』師復不聽而告我言：『汝當學問祕讖文書，日、月、星、辰災怪禍福山移地動，汝亦未知。何為欲捨我人間乞求？』復更出經一句千言，勅教我誦讀。又未經幾日復得成就，白師求乞欲報師恩，師復不聽。『吾更有經一句萬言，經中眾寶，卿亦未誦讀。何由欲捨吾乞求？』即復出經使誦讀，未經幾日已復通達，技術災怪眾星運度皆悉明了。

At that time, the Bhagavat entered the samādhi of correct concentration, dividing his body in transformation and emitting a great light—wishing to cause the bodhisattva-mahāsattvas and the fourfold assembly of bhikṣus, bhikṣuṇīs, upāsakas, and upāsikās to destroy the realm of Māra and dwell on the correct ground—and addressed those in the assembly: "I recall that ninety-one kalpas ago, north of the city of Śuddhodana, on the southern border of the Snow Mountains, a master led five thousand people in ascetic practice in the mountains. Among that group, I was the youngest disciple, chanting the scriptures, calculating, learning arts and techniques, astronomy, and geography, leaving nothing unmastered. According to the standard custom of that group, whenever a disciple completed what he had learned, he had to repay his master's kindness. At that time, I was alone and had no wealth or treasures to offer to my master, so I knelt and bowed in gratitude, wishing to go down the mountain among people to beg for alms. The master would not permit it. Begging for permission two or three times in this way, the master still would not permit it. Why was this? Because my clarity and understanding of the scriptures were the best in the assembly. The master said to me: 'I have a scripture containing secret essentials and precious treasuries that you have not yet recited. Why would you leave me to go begging among people?' At that time, the master then gave me the secret essentials, five hundred words to a single phrase, and had me recite them. In less than a few days, I had finished reciting and practicing them, whereupon I stepped forward and said to the master: 'Permit me to go down the mountain to beg, wishing to repay the master's kindness.' The master again did not permit it and said to me: 'You must study books of secret prognostications, the sun, moon, stars, constellations, portents, disasters and blessings, the shifting of mountains and shaking of the earth, which you do not yet know. Why would you wish to leave me to go begging among people?' He again produced a scripture of a thousand words to a phrase and instructed me to read and recite it. Again, in less than a few days, I had mastered it. I addressed the master, begging for permission to repay the master's kindness, but the master still would not permit it: 'I have yet another scripture of ten thousand words to a phrase, the jewel of all scriptures, which you have not yet read and recited. On what grounds would you wish to leave me to beg?' He then produced the scripture again and had me read and recite it. In less than a few days I had already penetrated it, and the techniques, portents, and movements of the constellations were all completely understood."