妙色王因緣經

Thus have I heard:

At one time the Blessed One was dwelling in the grove of Jeta, in the garden of Anāthapiṇḍika, in the country of Śrāvastī.

At that time, the Blessed One had just risen from meditative concentration and, for the four assemblies, was expounding the subtle and wondrous Dharma, the unsurpassed ambrosia. At that moment, there were immeasurable hundreds of thousands in the great assembly, surrounding the Buddha before and behind. All of them held their faculties unmoving, attentively listening to the essential teachings of the Dharma. The Bhikṣus, seeing that the whole great assembly was tranquil and still in body and mind, listening so earnestly to the Dharma, were filled with doubt and addressed the Buddha:

"Blessed One, we humbly beseech you in your compassion to dispel the net of doubt within us. The Tathāgata, the Great Teacher, is the Unsurpassed King of the Dharma. Today, upon the precious throne, you expound the Dharma for the great assembly. Why is it that they are so earnest, their bodies and minds unwavering, listening to the subtle and wondrous Dharma as though drinking ambrosia?"

The Blessed One said:

"Bhikṣus, in ages past I too sought the Dharma with a mind so earnest, reverent, and respectful as this. Listen well and keep it carefully in mind, for I shall now expound the causes and conditions of this matter.

"In a distant age, in the great city of Vārāṇasī, there was a king named Wondrous Form, who governed his people with the Dharma. Thus his realm was prosperous, rich, and strong; the people were numerous, peaceful, and joyful. There was no warfare nor harassment by enemy foes, nor were there any disasters or epidemics.

Grain was abundant, livestock plentiful, the scenery beautiful and lush, and the wind and rain were favorable and harmonious. The king bestowed his grace and cared for all his people as for an only child. Moreover, he had a heart of faith and reverence, his mind delighting in the path of virtue.

He made firm vows to benefit himself and to benefit others, his mind of loving-kindness and compassion striving to seek the great Dharma. He cared for his people, cherished his ministers, cast away greed and stinginess, and constantly practiced generosity widely. The king's consort was named Wondrous Beauty; her countenance was lovely, her bearing dignified, and her virtues complete, and so she was treasured by all.

The king and queen had but one son, named Upright. Though the prince was still young, he already manifested clearly a nature of benevolence, loyalty, and filial piety. His royal father loved him deeply and never left his side for a single step.

"Some time later, King Wondrous Form, with his whole heart yearning to seek the subtle, wondrous, and surpassing Dharma, summoned his ministers and said to them:

" 'My heart thirsts and yearns immeasurably for the subtle and wondrous Dharma. Go forth for my sake and seek it out.'

"The great ministers addressed the king:

" 'Great King, you should know that only when the Blessed One, the Greatly Awakened One, appears in the world is there the unsurpassed, subtle, and wondrous Dharma.'

"The king said to his ministers:

" 'Although now there is no Buddha who has come into the world, you should nonetheless try to seek the Dharma for me.'

"Thereupon, the king filled a chest with gold, silver, and jewels, hung it upon a banner-pole, and beat the drum to proclaim it to all the people everywhere, so that they would know:

" 'Whoever can expound the surpassing Dharma for me, I shall reward with this casket of gold to repay his kindness and virtue, and I shall make music of every kind to praise and honor that person.'

"Thus the king called out, but a long time passed and still not a single person was able to expound the Dharma. And so he embraced ever greater sorrow, longing, and yearning.

"At that time, Śakra, Lord of the Devas, was observing all the mortal world, seeing who was good and who was evil, and who, toward the surpassing cause, held a mind that was not slothful or remiss. Śakra beheld this King Wondrous Form, sorrowing and grieving for the sake of the Dharma, and so he thought: 'This King Wondrous Form has long yearned to seek the surpassing Dharma. Let me test him to see whether it is true or false.'

"Śakra then transformed himself into a great yakṣa, with a huge body, strange hands and feet, and a face most terrifying. He came among the people in the royal palace and addressed the king:

" 'Worthy one, you seek the surpassing Dharma. I am able to expound it.'

"When the king heard the sound of the Dharma, he rejoiced beyond measure and said to the yakṣa: 'Lord Guhyapati possesses the subtle and wondrous Dharma. How truly fortunate! I beseech you, expound it, and let me hear it.'

"The yakṣa said:

" 'Now the Great King has a mind that makes light of the Dharma. Deeming the Dharma easy to hear, you bid me expound it at once. The matter cannot be so. I am presently afflicted with hunger—how can I expound the Dharma for you?'

"When the king heard this, he straightway commanded the chief cook, saying: 'Whatever food is the most delicious, quickly bring it forth and offer it to the divine one.' The yakṣa said:

" 'I do not partake of royal fare. I am wont only to eat the cooked blood and flesh of human beings.'

"The king asked:

" 'Human blood and flesh—how can these be found at once?'

"The yakṣa said:

" 'The king should bring his beloved son here.'

"When the king heard this, he thought: 'For a long time I have endured hardship in seeking the surpassing and wondrous Dharma. Now that I have heard the sound of the Dharma, this is beyond all price.'

"At that time, Prince Upright was standing beside his royal father. Hearing this, he knelt down and addressed his father the king:

" 'I humbly beg you, royal father, do not give rise to sorrow. What you seek shall be fulfilled to perfection. I am able to offer up my body for Guhyapati to eat, that his hunger may be relieved.'

"The king said:

" 'Because you perceive the greatness of seeking the Dharma, you would relinquish your own beloved body. Excellent, O great-hearted one! Let it be according to your wish.'

"Prince Upright then brought his body and offered it to the yakṣa.

"The yakṣa accepted his words and said to the king and to all the people:

" 'Tear apart the prince's body, that I may drink his blood and eat his flesh.' Although the king clearly knew this, because of his mind's profound thirst and yearning for the Dharma, he was not afraid.

"Lord Guhyapati again said to the king:

" 'I am still very hungry. Give me your beloved wife.'

"At that time, Consort Wondrous Beauty was also standing beside the king. Hearing this, she straightway begged the king to let her offer up her own body to the yakṣa, just as the prince had done.

"The yakṣa, having eaten and drunk the blood and flesh of Consort Wondrous Beauty, again said to the king:

" 'I am still not satisfied, and I am yet very hungry!'

"The king said:

" 'Lord Guhyapati has eaten up my wife and my son, yet still you say you are hungry. Now, whatever the divine one chooses, I will provide it in full, and my mind shall never turn back.'

"The yakṣa said:

" 'Bring the king's own body to me to eat.'

"The king said:

" 'Excellent! Truly I dare not begrudge it! But if my body dies, how then can I hear the Dharma? Now I beg first to hear the wondrous Dharma and, having received and upheld it, then I shall relinquish my body and offer it up to the divine one.'

"Thereupon, the yakṣa bade the king rise, and in the midst of the immeasurable hundreds of thousands of myriad koṭis of the great assembly, he expounded a surpassing, subtle, and wondrous verse:

From craving arises sorrow,

From craving arises fear.

If one can depart from craving,

There is neither fear nor sorrow.

"When the king had heard this surpassing, subtle, and wondrous Dharma, his mind gave rise to immeasurable joy, and he said to Lord Guhyapati:

" 'I have heard the Dharma and upheld it thus. Now the divine one may eat the flesh of my body as he pleases.'

"At that time, Śakra, seeing that the king devoted his whole heart for the sake of the Dharma, his body and mind unmoving like Mount Sumeru, knew for certain that the king would realize the fruit of unsurpassed awakening. And so he cast off the form of the yakṣa and manifested once more the form of Śakra. With a mind greatly joyful and a countenance of delight, he came forward, with one hand leading the prince and with the other hand grasping the consort's hand, and said to the king:

" 'Excellent! Excellent! Truly you are a virtuous great-hearted one, donning sturdy armor to shatter the bandits of the afflictions, ferrying the foolish and deluded out of the ocean of birth and death. I clearly perceive this valiant mind, and so it is certain that before long you shall surely attain Unsurpassed, Perfect Awakening. Your wife and son I now restore to you.'

"The king said to Śakra:

" 'Excellent! Excellent! Lord of the Devas, Kauśika, you have manifested clearly a mind of great loving-kindness and compassion. You are a good and virtuous friend who has fulfilled my mind's yearning to seek the Dharma.'

"At that time, Śakra suddenly vanished from the midst of the great assembly."

The Blessed One said to the Bhikṣus:

"What do you think? Do not suppose it to be anyone else. King Wondrous Form at that time was none other than I myself; Prince Upright was Rāhula; and Consort Wondrous Beauty was Yaśodharā.

"You should know! In ages past, because I devoted myself to seeking the Dharma, I relinquished my beloved wife and son, and even my own body I did not begrudge—how much less other things. Because of these causes and conditions, today I have all this great assembly who follow me to listen to the Dharma, single-mindedly comprehending and receiving it without ever growing weary or weary of it. And because in ages past I sought the Dharma forgetful of all toil, today, throughout my whole life expounding the Dharma for the sake of beings, I never grow weary either.

"Bhikṣus, learn to follow my conduct of reverence, respect, and devotion in seeking the surpassing Dharma. Having heard the Dharma, then in accordance with the teaching cultivate and practice it; do not be heedless."

The Bhikṣus and the assemblies of devas and humans, having heard what the Buddha taught, all rejoiced and reverently put it into practice.