眾許摩訶帝經

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At that time, Lady Mahāmāyā saw four dream-omens: first, she saw a white elephant with six tusks; second, this elephant descended from the heavens and entered her womb; third, she herself ascended a high mountain;

fourth, she saw many noble and eminent people gathered together, all coming to kneel and bow before her. The lady presented these dream-omens to King Śuddhodana. The king then took these omens and inquired of those skilled in interpreting dreams, and they all declared that the queen would give birth to a noble son of dignified and majestic form: if he remained in the household life he would ascend the throne as a Wheel-Turning King (Cakravartin), but if he went forth to cultivate the holy life (brahmacarya) he would become the Perfectly Enlightened One, titled Teacher of Gods and Humans.

At that time, when the Bodhisattva descended to be born, the great earth quaked, and a radiant light shone forth brilliantly; sentient beings who beheld it regarded it as something never seen before. Indra (Śakra) and the Four Heavenly Kings who guard the world each held weapons to protect the Bodhisattva, so that no demons or spirits could harm him. At that time the Bodhisattva's body was pure as a maṇi jewel, like the precious gem Kāśyapaka, and no dust or defilement could stain it.

The Bodhisattva also caused his mother's body and mind to become pure as lapis lazuli (vaiḍūrya), so that the bodily form and the faculties of the Bodhisattva could be clearly seen, like clear water that reveals plainly a five-colored light. He further caused his mother to have abundant strength and vitality, without the slightest illness or suffering, her will firm in upholding the five precepts, ever exerting herself diligently to depart from all faults.

At that time, the Holy Mother said to King Śuddhodana that she wished to drink the waters of the four seas. The king took this matter and inquired of the diviners, and they all replied:

"The queen will surely give birth to a Crown Prince endowed with all the excellent marks, who will cultivate the unsurpassed Way and become the Perfectly Enlightened One. If the queen does not drink the waters of the four seas, then the bodily marks of the Crown Prince will not be perfectly excellent."

At that time, in the country of Kapila there was a man skilled in magical arts named Rājadasa, who was summoned by the king to the main hall of the royal palace to transform the waters of the four seas for the lady to drink. After drinking the water, the lady petitioned the king to pardon all those imprisoned for crimes, to give food and clothing to the poor and destitute, and to perform deeds of merit and blessing. On another occasion, Lady Māyā petitioned King Śuddhodana, saying that she wished to go and dwell in a flower garden.

The king then informed King Subhradatta. King Subhradatta thereupon had a flower garden built with beautiful towers and pavilions, with verdant flowers and grasses, named the Lumbinī Garden. The lady and her palace attendants went to dwell there.

Beholding the Aśoka tree green and flourishing, its flowers blooming all over the branches, spreading a fragrant scent, the lady reached out her right hand to take hold of a flowering branch, wishing to give birth to the Crown Prince; but seeing the attendants standing all around, the lady felt a flush of shame. Knowing this, the Heavenly King stirred up a gust of wind and rain to blow upon them, causing the attendants to scatter and run; then the Heavenly King himself transformed into an old woman who came before the lady to attend to the delivery of the Crown Prince.

When the Crown Prince was first born, his body was like a Golden Mountain, his complexion like pure gold. The old woman wished to carry him, but the Crown Prince said:

"Kauśika, do not attend me; I bring myself forth."

At that time the great earth quaked, a great source of light issued forth shining throughout the world, and sentient beings who beheld it all praised it as something never seen before. When King Śuddhodana saw this auspicious omen, he circumambulated the Crown Prince three times, reverently paid homage to the Crown Prince, and then spoke:

"Excellent, excellent! Today I have obtained a son who is a Great Man, full of merit and virtue, who causes me to gain many good benefits."

When the Crown Prince was first born, his bodily marks were complete, within and without translucent as lapis lazuli, without the slightest defilement. The Crown Prince walked seven steps toward the four directions. The Eastern direction manifested the supreme Nirvāṇa; the Southern direction manifested benefit and joy for the multitude of beings; the Western direction manifested liberation from birth and death; the Northern direction manifested the utter ending of the cycle of rebirth.

At that time the devas in the void held a white parasol over the Crown Prince's head and poured down two showers, one warm and one cool, to bathe the Crown Prince. Other devas and dragon spirits (nāgas) played music in harmony, and from the void scattered down all kinds of flowers such as mandārava, utpala, kumuda, puṇḍarīka, and various fragrant scents such as agarwood, sandalwood, powdered incense, and tamāla incense, together with wondrous garments, and they spoke a verse:

When the devas had recited this verse, four kings each simultaneously had a Crown Prince born. King Araṇa of the country of Śrāvastī had a Crown Prince born, and the king thought: "When my son was born, the world became pure and at peace, so let the Crown Prince be named Pratisenajit." King Mahāpadma in the city of Rājagṛha had a Crown Prince born, and the king thought: "When my son was born, a radiant light shone throughout the world, so let the Crown Prince be named Vimalā." King Śaktanika in the city of Kuśinagara had a Crown Prince born and thought: "When my son was born, the world shone brightly and heaven and earth were clear, so let the Crown Prince be named Udāna." The king of the country of Ujjayinī, Anandanaiṣṇu,

had a Crown Prince born and thought: "My son was born when a great light shone everywhere, leaving no trace of gloom, so let the Crown Prince be named Pralāda." These four Crown Princes were all born through the transforming power of the Bodhisattva.

Not far from the city of Kapila there was a great mountain named Kṛṣṇagiri. There was a seer named Asita who often dwelt there cultivating the holy life. At that time this seer's nephew, named Naradatta, had gone forth to cultivate practice with the seer. When the Bodhisattva descended to be born and the light shone everywhere, Naradatta, doubtful and afraid, not knowing what it meant, at once entered the hermitage to ask his teacher. The seer replied:

"This light now is golden in color, not scorching, gently shining throughout the three realms; this is an auspicious omen announcing that a Buddha has descended to be born."

Naradatta said:

"Now I wish to go there to pay homage to the Bodhisattva."

The seer said:

"He possesses great majestic virtue; devas and dragon spirits ever surround and protect him, so he cannot be approached. Wait until the Buddha has become renowned and returns to the city of Kapila; then if you go there you will gain great benefit."

Furthermore, when the Bodhisattva descended to be born, five hundred white elephants and five hundred attendants were also born. Treasures within the earth naturally appeared, and the heavens rained down sweet dew (amṛta). The lesser kingdoms all came to offer congratulations. When King Śuddhodana saw that the Crown Prince was born with many auspicious omens, he silently thought: "My son is born endowed with full merit and virtue, accomplishing many excellent things," and so he gave the Crown Prince the title Sarvārthasiddha (All Aims Accomplished).

In the city of Kapila there was a yakṣa spirit named Śākyavardhana; whenever someone gave birth to a child, they would bring the child to the spirit's shrine to seek the spirit's protection. At that time King Śuddhodana likewise had the Crown Prince ride in a chariot of the four treasures to the shrine to pay respects to the spirit. When the Crown Prince's chariot had just arrived at the shrine courtyard, the yakṣa spirit hastily came out to receive him, reverently bowing before the chariot. Seeing this, the king said:

"This venerable heavenly spirit has paid homage to the Bodhisattva; therefore let the Crown Prince's title be Devaputra (Son of Heaven)."

The members of the Śākya clan were stubborn and difficult to subdue by nature, but seeing the Crown Prince's majestic bodily form, his dignified, gentle, and harmonious countenance, honored by both gods and humans, they of their own accord turned their minds and abandoned their arrogance; their dispositions became gentle and yielding, and they silently gazed in admiration upon the Crown Prince. On this account the king gave him yet another title, Muni (the Silent Sage).

At that time King Śuddhodana instructed the palace attendants to wholeheartedly and carefully nurture the Crown Prince: in all matters of food, drink, and bathing they must always be moderate, his garments always dignified, and they should not be negligent. When the Crown Prince was first born, the heavens rained down sweet dew. The physiognomists examined his marks and saw that the Crown Prince was endowed with the thirty-two marks of a Great Man: if he remained in the household life he would be a Wheel-Turning King possessing the seven treasures—the Golden Wheel, the Precious Elephant, the Precious Horse, the precious maṇi jewel, the jewel-woman, the treasury-keeper minister, and the commander minister;

these seven treasures would always be complete, and a thousand sons would surround the Wheel-Turning King—truly a rare thing; the king would be exceedingly valiant, able to destroy all manner of injustice.

At that time, the physiognomist spoke a verse:

The treasury lord of majestic virtue,
Master of all the treasures in the world,
The precious jewels within the depths of the sea—
When the king requires them, he at once makes them appear.

At that time King Śuddhodana asked the physiognomist:

"What are the thirty-two excellent marks of the Crown Prince?"

The physiognomist replied:

"The thirty-two excellent marks are these:

1. On the soles of the Crown Prince's feet there are a thousand line-marks forming circles like wheels, exceedingly even and regular.

2. The Crown Prince's hands and feet are soft as tūla-cotton flowers.

3. Between the Crown Prince's fingers and toes there are webs like those of the goose-king, the webbed membranes colored as pure gold.

4. His fingers and toes are all exceedingly long.

5. His heels and the insteps of his feet are proportionate and balanced.

6. The soles of the Crown Prince's feet are level and even.

7. His toes and fingers taper slenderly toward their tips.

8. His two arms are long, reaching past the knees.

9. His male organ is concealed and hidden from sight, like that of the dragon-horse or the elephant-king.

10. Each of the pores has fine downy hair curling and colored blue-green.

11. His body-hair grows upright, his body the color of gold, delightful to behold.

12. His skin is fine and smooth; dust and dirt cannot cling to it.

13. From his skin a golden light radiates forth, exceedingly dignified, causing both gods and humans to love and revere him.

14. The palms of his hands, the soles of his feet, his neck, and his two shoulders are all full and rounded.

15. His shoulders and neck are all beautiful.

16. Beneath his two armpits is full and rounded.

17. His face is exceedingly dignified.

18. His bodily form is tall and great, more dignified by far than gods and humans.

19. His bodily form is rounded and full all around the body.

20. His upper body and chest are majestic as a lion's.

21. His body has a light shining out for the distance of a fathom.

22. He has a full forty teeth, even, white and clean as snow, close-set and firm.

23. He has four front teeth that are white and sharp.

24. All food, when eaten, always turns into superior flavor; his throat secretes fluid so that he swallows with ease; he is constantly without illness, his body and mind joyful.

25. His tongue is broad, clean, and long, able to be extended to cover up to the hairline.

26. His voice is loud, resounding like the heavenly drum, yet harmonious and gentle, soft as the call of the kalaviṅka bird.

27. His eyelashes are pure blue-green like those of the ox-king.

28. His eyes are blue-green, distinguished from the whites of the eyes with perfect clarity.

29. The Crown Prince's face is full and rounded like the full moon.

30. His eyebrows are long and curved like the bow of the king of the heavens.

31. Between his two eyebrows there is a white hair, curling toward the right, soft as the tūla-cotton flower, radiating a light purer even than the light of snow.

32. On the crown of his head there is a fleshy protuberance (uṣṇīṣa) rising high like a heavenly parasol.

These are the thirty-two excellent marks of a Great Man. The Crown Prince diligently cultivated the holy life, moral conduct, and all the wholesome dharmas through countless kalpas in the past, continuously and without interruption, and therefore he now obtained these marks of good merit and virtue. For this reason, when the Crown Prince was born into the royal palace, all manner of food and drink, garments, beds, elephants and horses, and all precious things were complete; his relatives were numerous, the royal lineage was carried on without cease, and among gods and humans none could equal him. If the Crown Prince did not go forth, then at the age of thirty-two he would become a Golden-Wheel King.

Queen Mahāmāyā, seven days after giving birth to the Crown Prince, passed away and was reborn in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three (Trāyastriṃśa), enjoying the five kinds of delights. The Crown Prince's bodily form was so dignified that whoever beheld him gave rise to love and reverence; even a skilled goldsmith could not cast an image as beautiful as his bodily form. Just as the devas of the Heaven of Pāṇḍukambala have a great light shining clearly everywhere, so too was the light upon the Bodhisattva's body, still, tranquil, and pure.

Again, just as the lotus flower blooming above the water spreads a fragrant scent, so that all sentient beings who behold it love it, so too did beholders of the Bodhisattva's bodily form give rise to a mind of reverence. The Bodhisattva's eyes were clear and bright, seeing afar the most minute forms of dust at the distance of a yojana, surpassing even the eyes of the devas, and day and night were no different to them.

The sound within the Bodhisattva's voice was clear and wondrously pleasing to the ear, like the call of the kalaviṅka bird; and just as the birds on the Snowy Mountains, having eaten the various water-flowers until intoxicated, then sing forth harmonious sounds, so too was the voice of the Bodhisattva.

At that time, the seer Naradatta told his master Asita that he wished to go to the city of Kapila to pay reverence to the Bodhisattva. Master and disciple then employed their spiritual powers and together came to the city of Kapila. When they drew near the city, because of the majestic virtue of the Bodhisattva the seer's spiritual powers were no longer effective, and they had to go on foot to the palace of King Śuddhodana. The gatekeeper of the city, seeing them, reported to the king. The king rejoiced and ordered them to be received into the palace, then invited them to be seated on a throne, had music performed, and laid out a banquet to entertain them most reverently; then the king asked the seer what matter had brought him here in person. The seer Asita replied:

"Now I wish to see the Sarvārthasiddha, the Great Muni-teacher."

The king said that the Crown Prince was still asleep and asked them to wait a short while. Asita only asked to come to the bed to gaze upon the Crown Prince. At that time, though the Crown Prince slept, his eyes remained open; seeing this, the seer at once spoke a verse:

When the seer had finished speaking the verse, the palace women and the wet-nurse also carried the Crown Prince before him. Asita closely examined the extraordinary countenance of the Crown Prince and then asked the king whether any physiognomist had come to examine the marks of the Crown Prince. The king said there was a brahmin physiognomist who had examined him and predicted that the Crown Prince, if he did not go forth, would surely be a Wheel-Turning King, but if he went forth would become the Perfectly Enlightened One. Hearing this, the seer at once spoke a verse:

In times past my body, alas, was caught in the snares of heterodox paths;
Now I have met the meritorious Wheel-Turning King.
Able to end afflictions, he will realize Bodhi,
Expounding the marvelous Dharma deep as the sea.

Excellent in marks, yet he will forsake the precious throne,
Becoming the Great Muni who saves the multitude of beings.
Therefore I now reverently pay homage,
Praying to draw near and end the toil of worldly dust.

Having spoken the verse, the seer examined for himself how much longer his lifespan would last—whether he could meet the time when the Crown Prince became a Buddha. Having contemplated this, he saw that at the age of twenty-nine the Crown Prince would leave the royal palace and enter the mountains to go forth, would practice austerities for six years in the forest, and then would awaken to the Dharma of sweet dew, eliminating afflictions and realizing the Unsurpassed Way; but when he examined himself, he saw that he could not live until the time the Crown Prince attained the Way, and so, grieved and saddened, he burst into sobbing tears. At that time, when King Śuddhodana saw the seer weeping thus, he was greatly alarmed and at once spoke a verse:

At that time, when the seer Asita had heard the verse, he said to the king:

"Before long the Crown Prince will become the Perfectly Enlightened One; what is there to fear! Even if there poured down from the void a fullness of diamonds and precious jewels, it could not harm a single hair of the Bodhisattva. Great winds, raging fires, deadly poisons, blades and swords, bows and arrows filling all of heaven and earth could not violate him either; even venomous dragons and ferocious beasts could not harm him—because in the past the Crown Prince cultivated the practice of loving-kindness and compassion, never forsaking sentient beings, causing all sentient beings ever to be at peace.

Moreover, in the void there are always Indra (Śakra) and the Four Heavenly Kings supporting and protecting him, so what has the Crown Prince to fear? The reason I now grieve and weep is that I see I am already too old; tomorrow or the next day I shall pass away, and shall not be able to take part in hearing the Buddha expound the marvelous Dharma hereafter. Precisely because I have no share in that benefit do I grieve for myself and weep.

I pray the king not to be anxious."

At that time the seer Asita further thought: "I originally possess spiritual powers, but because they are subdued by the majestic power of the Bodhisattva they cannot manifest, and so I came on foot into the royal palace. Now if I again go out of the city on foot, it would not fail to cause sentient beings to give rise to a mind of arrogance, thinking that even a great seer must go on foot like this forever." Having thought thus, the seer then said to King Śuddhodana:

"Now I take my leave of the king; I pray the king have the road repaired leading from within the city out beyond the city."

King Śuddhodana then ordered his officers and soldiers to repair the road clean, to sprinkle white sandalwood-scented water upon the road, to hang up banners and pennants and precious cords, and to burn incense along the way; then the king, together with his officers, the elders, and the lay-disciples, all surrounded him and reverently saw the seer off out of the city. Asita, having been seen out beyond the city by the king, then went straight back to Kṛṣṇagiri Mountain, and thereafter strove to cultivate meditative concentration. Before long he recovered his spiritual powers as before; and if his body had any illness, he had only to use a little food and a few fruits and the illness was gone.

One day, the disciple said to his master:

"I went forth to cultivate practice because I wished to seek the Dharma of sweet dew, the deliverance. Now that the master has realized it, I pray the master transmit it to me."

The master said:

"I have cultivated practice for a long time, yet I have still not tasted the flavor of sweet dew; how could I transmit it to you? The Crown Prince Siddhārtha, son of King Śuddhodana, will become the Perfectly Enlightened One and obtain the true sweet-dew flavor of the Dharma. Whoever goes forth following him to purely cultivate the holy life, making no distinction of caste, of this and that, of self and other, will attain the unconditioned Way."

At that time the seer Asita further spoke a verse:

When the seer had finished speaking the verse, Naradatta, moved by his master's teaching, paid reverence and made offerings to his master, and then asked to journey to the country of Vārāṇasī to meet five hundred Mānavaka brahmins and study the Veda scriptures. After some time, knowing that this was not the ultimate Way and could not be drawn close to, the seer then went to the place of the Buddha, hoping to hear the essential purport of the Buddha-Dharma. In those days Naradatta had the clan-name Kātyāyana, and used the clan-name as his name; when he received from the Buddha the revelation of the essential purport of the Buddha-Dharma, he attained the joy of tranquil cessation, and so came to be named Mahākātyāyana.

Now to speak again of the Crown Prince, who lay in the arms of the wet-nurse, holding a golden vessel containing food. When he had finished eating, the wet-nurse went to clear away the vessel, but the vessel was so heavy that she could not lift it at all. The wet-nurse then reported this matter to the king, and the king sent many palace attendants together with her to lift it, but the vessel grew heavier still—so much so that even when the king had a very large elephant brought to lift it, the elephant could not make the vessel budge in the slightest.

Why? This was due to the divine power of the Bodhisattva: with a single left finger he held the golden vessel, so that the elephant, though it exerted all its strength, could not move the vessel. At that time King Śuddhodana thought: "If the Bodhisattva were to use two fingers to hold the vessel, then even a hundred great elephants could not lift it, because the Bodhisattva has the strength of a thousand elephants.

If there were any youths who wished to play and contend in strength with the Bodhisattva, it would truly be no different from matching the strength of a wild duck against the power of the king of geese."

When the Bodhisattva, together with five hundred relatives of the palace, began to go to study, arriving at the school to read books, the teacher handed a book to the Crown Prince to read. The Crown Prince said:

"This book I already know well!"

The teacher handed him another book, and the Crown Prince likewise said he had thoroughly mastered it. The teacher then handed the Crown Prince five hundred other kinds of books, and the Crown Prince likewise said he had already read and understood them all, and asked to be given other books to read. The teacher said:

"In this world there are only these five hundred kinds of books; beyond these I do not know what other kinds of books there might be."

At that time the Crown Prince then took up the brush and wrote out a book himself, and handed it to the teacher to read. The teacher confessed that from of old he had never seen such a book. The Crown Prince said that it was the book of Brahmā. Thereupon Brahmā, knowing that this Wheel-Turning King wished him to recite and chant this book, used his subtle and marvelous Brahmā-voice to chant and recite it; then the Great Brahmā from the void said in a loud voice:

"That book is indeed the book of Brahmā."

When the teacher heard this, he believed all the more in the words of the Crown Prince. In those days, on the Crown Prince's maternal side there were two renowned masters skilled in the art of archery, named Sānadeva and Sahadeva, who had as many as five hundred students following them. These two renowned masters discussed together:

"Devadatta is rough and harsh by nature, given to jealousy; if we transmit the art to him, it could cause much harm. The Crown Prince Siddhārtha is compassionate, wise, and given to pity for sentient beings, so we should transmit our teaching to the Crown Prince."

The art of archery has five kinds: first, shooting at a distance—that is, standing very far off and shooting. Second, shooting by sound—that is, shooting according to the cry of an animal. Third, shooting to hit the target according to one's intent. Fourth, shooting close to the target—that is, the arrows set close to one another. Fifth, shooting to sever an object—that is, the object struck is pierced through and severed. The Crown Prince thoroughly mastered the five methods of shooting.

At that time, in the city of Vaiśālī there was a great elephant, of upright and proper form, of boundless strength. The people of that city discussed together: "King Śuddhodana in the city of Kapila has a Crown Prince named Siddhārtha, whom the physiognomists have predicted will ascend the throne as a Wheel-Turning King; therefore let us take this elephant and present it to the Crown Prince." Everyone agreed, and so they adorned the elephant with precious jewels and brought the elephant to the city of Kapila. When they arrived at the royal palace, they encountered Devadatta. Devadatta had just stepped out of the city gate; seeing the elephant, he asked:

"Where has this elephant been brought from?"

The gatekeeper replied:

"This elephant belongs to the people of the city of Vaiśālī; because they know that the Crown Prince Siddhārtha will ascend the throne as a Wheel-Turning King, they have brought it to present to the Crown Prince."

When Devadatta heard this, jealousy and hatred rose up in him, and he said at once:

"How could Siddhārtha ascend the throne?"

Having said this, he then used a staff to beat the elephant to death. At that time Nanda saw the elephant's carcass and knew it had been beaten to death by Devadatta; in a fit of fury, wishing to display his own strength, he then took hold of the carcass's tail and flung it out seven feet. At that time the Crown Prince Siddhārtha came to the place and, seeing that the elephant's carcass was no longer in its former spot, knew that Nanda had wished to display his strength.

The Crown Prince then with one hand took hold of the carcass's tail and flung it up into the air, higher than the seven layers of the city walls, no different from flinging a clod of earth. The envoy of the city of Vaiśālī, who had come to present the elephant, seeing such might and power of the Crown Prince Siddhārtha, then spoke a verse: