頂生王因緣經

At that time, the Heavenly King Trì Man (Holder of the Garland) joined forces with the Heavenly King Kiên Thủ (Firm Hand) and the Water-Dwelling Nāga. If the asura army were to prevail, then the third defensive force of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three would be shattered, and the asura army would advance from the second tier of Mount Sumeru up to the third tier, the abode of the Heavenly King Thường Kiêu (Ever-Proud). And so, the asura army prevailed...

Thereupon, the Heavenly King Thường Kiêu joined forces with the Heavenly King Trì Man, the Heavenly King Kiên Thủ, and the Water-Dwelling Nāga King to do battle against the asura army. If the fourth defensive force of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three were to prevail, then the asura army would withdraw back to its own palace. If the asura army were to prevail, that is, if the fourth defensive military force of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three were shattered, [404c] then the asura army would advance from the third tier of Mount Sumeru up to the fourth tier, the abode of the Four Great Heavenly Kings. And then, the asura army prevailed...

The Four Great Heavenly Kings then joined forces with the Heavenly King Thường Kiêu, the Heavenly King Trì Man, the Heavenly King Kiên Thủ, and the Water-Dwelling Nāga King to do battle against the asura army. If the fifth force defending the Heaven of the Thirty-Three were to prevail, then the asura army would withdraw back to its own palace. If the asura army were to prevail, that is, if the fifth defensive military force were to disintegrate, then the asura army would advance from the fourth tier of Mount Sumeru to the abode of Śakra. In the end, the asura army prevailed, and the fifth force then re-mustered its four divisions of troops and marched forth to beseech Śakra to send out his army to do battle.

Having arrived at the palace of Śakra, the Four Great Heavenly Kings reported:

"O Lord of the Devas! The asuras have led their four divisions of troops to wage war. The five defending armies of the devas have been shattered, and now we have fled here to the Lord of the Devas. The might of that enemy is exceedingly strong, and we are unable to hold them back. Now we beseech the Lord of the Devas to send forth his army to fight."

Having heard this, Śakra, the Lord of the Devas, said to the devas of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three:

"Worthy ones, you should know that the asura army is exceedingly strong and warlike. The five defending armies have disintegrated and fled here to ask me to fight the asuras. Now, worthy ones, you should be courageous!"

Śakra, the Lord of the Devas, then thought: "Now I must ride the elephant king Thiện Trụ (Well-Established)." Although it was concealing itself in the continent of Jambudvīpa, the elephant king Thiện Trụ, knowing the thought of the Lord of the Devas, arrived at the Heaven of the Thirty-Three in but a moment. It manifested an additional thirty-two heads; each head had six tusks; on each tusk there were forty-nine ponds; in each pond there were forty-nine lotus blossoms; within each lotus blossom there were forty-nine daises; within each dais there were forty-nine pavilions; within each pavilion there were forty-nine guardians; beside each guardian there were forty-nine celestial maidens; each celestial maiden had forty-nine attendant maidens;

and each attendant maiden beat forty-nine drums. Śakra rode upon the most beautiful head, the thirty-two heavenly kings rode in order upon the thirty-two newly manifested heads, and the remaining devas rode as they pleased upon the other parts of the elephant king's body.

The elephant king moved swiftly as a sweeping wind, so that the male and female devas could see nothing before or behind. Ordinarily, after arriving at the Heaven of the Thirty-Three, the elephant king Thiện Trụ would go out the Southern gate to the Thô Kiên (Coarse-and-Firm) garden, [405a] and using his spiritual power would manifest a human body or a deva body to sport and rejoice together with the devas. But on this occasion, Śakra, the Lord of the Devas, rode the elephant king and commanded the four divisions of troops to make themselves orderly and ready, to don armor made of the four kinds of jewels, exceedingly beautiful, and to grasp the four kinds of sharp weapons to do battle against the asura army.

Seeing this, King Đỉnh Sinh (Born-from-the-Crown, Mūrdhaja/Māndhātṛ) said to Śakra:

"Now hold back, do not yet send forth your army. I wish to match my strength against the asura army."

The Lord of the Devas replied:

"Then now is precisely the time when you may act according to your wish."

Thereupon, King Đỉnh Sinh, together with his eighteen koṭis of mighty soldiers and generals, flew up into the sky and drew his bowstring, which gave forth a swift and powerful sound. Hearing that sound, the asura army asked:

"Whose arrow-shot is that sound?"

Someone who knew answered:

"That is the sound of the arrow-shot of King Đỉnh Sinh."

The asura king was inwardly astonished at such a method of shooting arrows. The asura army had been fighting against the devas, the forces of both sides being evenly matched, with neither side gaining or losing anything. Now King Đỉnh Sinh had just sent forth his troops, his might surpassing that of the asura army, and had at once flown up into the sky. Therefore the asuras thought: "Long have we heard the renown of the king of the human race named Đỉnh Sinh, that he is a valiant True Person, possessed of great merit, virtue, and majestic power, beyond compare, able to fly higher in the sky than we." Having thought thus, the asura army was terrified and at once withdrew back to its own palace.

At that time, King Đỉnh Sinh asked his generals:

"Now which army has prevailed?"

The generals answered:

"Now your Majesty has prevailed."

The king then thought: "I am mightier even than the Heaven of the Thirty-Three. I have ruled the continents of the Southern Jambudvīpa, the Eastern Pūrvavideha (Excellent-Body), the Western Aparagodānīya (Cattle-Goods), and the Northern Uttarakuru, possessing the seven kinds of treasures, with a thousand sons of utterly noble appearance, courageous and mighty, able to subdue enemy armies; and there has rained gold coins for seven days in my palace.

Now I have come to the Heaven of the Thirty-Three, entered the palace of Śakra, and been given half the throne of Śakra in the Hall of the Good Dharma (Sudharmā). If Śakra, the Lord of the Devas, were to pass away while I am upon this throne, I would become king of both the deva realm and the human realm. To become the most honored one in the deva realm and the human realm—how could that not be delightful!"

No sooner had he given rise to such a thought than the king lost all his spiritual powers and majestic might, fell back down to his own palace in the continent of Jambudvīpa, and was furthermore afflicted and tormented by illness and sorrow, his body emaciated and weak, on the verge of death. Among the close ministers at that time there was one aged high official who came before the king and said:

"O Son of Heaven! If hereafter someone should ask about the time when King Đỉnh Sinh was about to pass away, how should I answer?"

[405b] The king said:

"After I have passed away, if someone should ask such a thing, you should answer thus: 'The great King Đỉnh Sinh was one most noble and of majestic virtue, possessed of the seven treasures and the four kinds of spiritual power. What are these four kinds of spiritual power? The great King Đỉnh Sinh had an exceedingly long lifespan, living in the world throughout the span of one hundred and fourteen successive Śakras.

This is the first spiritual power, that of lifespan. The great King Đỉnh Sinh had a countenance handsome to the utmost degree, nobler than the appearance of the human race, possessed of the appearance of the devas, worthy to be gazed upon. This is the second spiritual power, that of appearance.

The great King Đỉnh Sinh furthermore enjoyed the full possession of all things, with little illness, little sorrow, a healthy body, good digestion of food and drink, neither cold nor hot, in accordance with the seasons, ever regulating himself so as to be at ease and joyful. This is the third spiritual power, that of freedom from illness. The great King Đỉnh Sinh was furthermore beloved and gazed upon by all people, who never tired of it, as a child gazes upon its father.

The great King cared for and comforted the people, as a father loves his child, causing them to be joyful. When he went out to view the flower gardens, the great King would always tell his charioteer to let the carriage go slowly so that all might gaze upon him. The people would also say to the charioteer: "Sir!

Drive the carriage slowly so that we may follow along and gaze upon the noble marks and the beauty of the great King." This is the fourth spiritual power, that of being beloved. The great King Đỉnh Sinh was the supreme king ruling over the four Great Continents; afterward the king came to the Heaven of the Thirty-Three and was given half the jeweled throne by Śakra. Although he attained such things in full, the king still did not tire of the pleasures of the five sense-desires.' When about to pass away, King Đỉnh Sinh recited a verse:

How wretched is the scene of craving and desire in the world!

Though gold and silver be abundant, still there is no satiety;

Therein the pleasure is little and the suffering much—

The wise should ever understand this clearly.

Even the pleasures of desire in the deva realm,

Through the mind of craving, bring no liberation.

Who can drain dry the source of craving?

Only the noble disciples of the Buddha can!

Suppose one were to amass a vast store of pure gold,

As great as Mount Sumeru, king of mountains—

Still none would feel it enough within their heart.

The wise skillfully understand it thus.

Whoever knows that craving is the cause of suffering,

And whoever would desire to crave the objects of desire—

Craving and attachment, the affliction of the world—

The wise skillfully know and should master it."

The Buddha said:

"O great king! That King Đỉnh Sinh, by reason of this causal condition, further declared that, even up to the moment of death, few people of the world are able to understand clearly and know contentment regarding the scene of the five sense-desires; [405c] and that exceedingly many people are unable to understand and feel no weariness of the scene of the five sense-desires."

Thereupon, wishing that the people of later ages might gain much benefit, King Đỉnh Sinh spoke a verse:

Flowing on within birth-and-death is utter suffering;

Lifespan, you should know, also diminishes.

One should swiftly cultivate the various wholesome merits;

Not cultivating merit, one will undergo suffering.

To cultivate merit is the good kind of desire;

One must give in accordance with the proper Dharma-rites.

In this life and in all lives to come,

By cultivating merit one constantly gains joy.

At that time, hundreds of thousands of the people, hearing news that the king had fallen ill, all came to inquire after him. King Đỉnh Sinh then fully expounded for the people to hear the methods of counteracting the obstructive conditions such as craving and desire, and so forth, and told them that they should renounce household life to study the Way. At that time, countless people, having heard this, then went forth into homelessness and cultivated the four Brahma-conducts; countless others also utterly extinguished craving and desire and were reborn in the Brahmā Heaven.

The Buddha said:

"O great king! That King Đỉnh Sinh, from the time he was a child until the time he became crown prince, and then became a Wheel-Turning King ruling over the four great continents—the Southern Jambudvīpa, the Eastern Pūrvavideha, the Western Aparagodānīya, and the Northern Uttarakuru—coming to dwell at the Seven Golden Mountains, and then coming to the Heaven of the Thirty-Three, passed through the span of one hundred and fourteen successive Śakras.

Great king, you should know that one hundred years in the world equal one day and one night in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three. In this deva realm, a month likewise has thirty days and nights, and a year likewise has twelve months; therefore the deva Śakra, with a lifespan of one thousand deva years, reckoned out, equals three koṭis and six million years in the world.

Furthermore, great king, of old, when he was in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three, the bhikṣu Kāśyapa was then Śakra, and King Đỉnh Sinh gave rise to the thought of wishing that Śakra, the Lord of the Devas, would share with him half the throne to sit upon. And when King Đỉnh Sinh thought, 'If Śakra, the Lord of the Devas, were to pass away upon this throne so that I might become king of both the human realm and the deva realm, how delightful that would be,' it was at the time when Kāśyapa Tathāgata was acting as Śakra, the Lord of the Devas. King Đỉnh Sinh had great merit and resounding renown, yet because he gave rise to a single sinful thought, he lost his spiritual powers, and his body was afflicted and tormented by illness and the various sufferings until he passed away.

[406a] Great king! That King Đỉnh Sinh was no stranger—he is none other than I myself. At that time, I brought about vast and great benefit, helping sentient beings to be at peace and joyful and to turn toward Supreme Wisdom; yet I encountered many Māra-obstructions hindering the fruit of Supreme Bodhi. By the force of causes and conditions, it was made to be thus."

At that time, the king of the country of Kośala, the great King Prasenajit (Thắng Quân, Victorious Army), suddenly gave rise to a doubt and then asked:

"O World-Honored One! That King Đỉnh Sinh, from of old, while in the causal stage, cultivated what kind of conduct and karma, that he should evoke the natural raining down of gold coins in his palace for seven days like that?"

The Buddha answered:

"Great king! In the distant past there was a Buddha who came into the world, named Nhất Thiết Tăng Thượng (All-Surpassing) Tathāgata, Worthy of Offerings, Perfectly and Completely Enlightened One, Perfect in Knowledge and Conduct, Well-Gone One, Knower of the World, Unsurpassed One, Tamer of Persons to be Tamed, Teacher of Devas and Humans, Buddha, World-Honored One. At that time, in a certain country, the son of an elder formed the marriage bond of husband and wife with a young woman according to the proper rites of the world.

One day, that wife had just brought beautiful flowers made of the four kinds of jewels and fragrant, delicious food and drink to offer to her husband. The husband received them, then took the flowers made of the four jewels, boarded his carriage, and was returning home. Along the road, he saw Nhất Thiết Tăng Thượng Tathāgata, Worthy of Offerings, Perfectly and Completely Enlightened One, walking along at a leisurely pace.

Seeing that the Buddha possessed the thirty-two noble and dignified marks, he gave rise to faith, delight, and a purified mind, and at once descended from his carriage and reverently presented the flowers as an offering to Him. By the force of the awesome spiritual power of the Buddha, that flower then transformed to become as large as a wheel, spinning round in the sky, now turning, now still. Thereupon, the son of the elder gave rise to a purified mind and spoke a verse:

By reason of this great and mighty offering,

May I attain the Buddha's worldly wisdom and natural wisdom;

May I soon escape the sea of birth-and-death,

And ferry across all those the former Buddhas did not ferry.

I offer to the Buddha Nhất Thiết Tăng Thượng

These flowers, beautiful and pleasing.

May I, by reason of this vast and great cause, fulfill the unsurpassed Way that I ever long for.

The Buddha said:

"Great king! By reason of this cause, King Đỉnh Sinh had gold coins rained down from heaven for seven days in his palace."

The great King Prasenajit addressed the Buddha:

"O World-Honored One! By reason of what condition did that King Đỉnh Sinh come to be king of the four Great Continents and to reach the Heaven of the Thirty-Three?"

The Buddha said:

"In the distant past, there was a Buddha who came into the world, named Vipaśyin (Tì-bà-thi) Tathāgata, Worthy of Offerings, Perfectly and Completely Enlightened One, Perfect in Knowledge and Conduct, Well-Gone One, Knower of the World, Unsurpassed One, Tamer of Persons to be Tamed, Teacher of Devas and Humans, Buddha, World-Honored One. [406b] That Buddha journeyed everywhere, using the true Dharma to teach sentient beings, and gradually He came to the city of Mãn-độ-ma-đế.

One day, the Buddha was walking on His alms-round within that city, and a merchant named Quảng Tác (Broad-Deeds), seeing His rare and noble marks, then gave rise to a purified mind and placed a small quantity of mung beans into the bowl as an offering to the World-Honored One. At that moment, four beans lay still within the bowl, but one bean ran about within the bowl, making a sound, and then fell to the ground, whereupon the other beans also scattered and fell to the ground.

Seeing this, the merchant chief gave rise to a purified mind and recited a verse making a vow:

By reason of this great and mighty offering,

May I attain the Buddha's worldly wisdom and natural wisdom;

May I soon escape the sea of birth-and-death,

And ferry across all those the former Buddhas did not ferry.

The Buddha continued:

"Great king! At that time, that merchant chief, in the presence of the Buddha Vipaśyin, although he offered only a small quantity of goods to the World-Honored One, yet by reason of his purified mind the four beans remained within the Buddha's bowl, and so in a later life that person evoked the karmic reward of becoming king of the four Great Continents. Because one bean touched the bowl, made a sound, and then fell to the ground, in a later life that person evoked the karmic reward of reaching the Heaven of the Thirty-Three.

Had that bean not fallen to the ground but had remained within the bowl, then in a later life he would surely have evoked the karmic reward of becoming king of the deva realm. But because that bean fell to the ground, that person only ruled the human realm and did not get to become Lord of the Devas.

Great king! That merchant chief is none other than King Đỉnh Sinh. Because he sowed wholesome roots in the presence of the Buddha and was embraced by the World-Honored One with a mind of Great Compassion, he attained a great karmic reward with resounding renown and a brilliant, majestic radiance. Therefore, one who has wisdom should, according to his ability, cultivate the practice of making offerings to the World-Honored One. You should cultivate and study what I have spoken."

Notes:

[21] True Person 正士 (Also rendered: bodhisattva): a great being who seeks the true Way.

[22] Brahma-conduct 梵行 (S: Brahma-caryā): the pure conduct of both those who have gone forth and those who remain at home. Because the Brahmā deva has cut off the matter of sexual desire, it is called Brahma-conduct; the opposite is non-Brahma-conduct. The brahmins regard the keeping of the precept of non-sexual-desire, the study of the Vedic scriptures, and the various sacrificial rites as Brahma-conduct. Buddhism regards non-sexual-desire and the keeping of the other precepts as Brahma-conduct.

[23] Causal stage (original text: "cause" 因): the stage of cultivating the causes of Buddhahood, that is, the stages of cultivation prior to the fruit of Buddhahood.