眾許摩訶帝經

Volume 4

At that time Devadatta took up his bow and arrows and went out of the city of Kapilavastu to practice archery. Prince Siddhartha, knowing this, also took up his bow and arrows together with five hundred kinsmen and went out of the city. When they arrived, Devadatta from his chariot took aim and shot at a tree, and when the arrow struck it the tree fell at once. The Prince too took aim and shot at a tree; though the tree was struck by the arrow and cut in two, it still stood firm. Seeing this, Devadatta asked the Prince:

"I have heard that you have mastered the five modes of archery, yet why did your shot at that tree fail to strike it down?"

No sooner had Devadatta finished speaking than a gust of wind arose, and the tree that had been struck by the arrow toppled down, which astonished him greatly. This came about because Sakra, lord of the gods, reflected: "Now I must make manifest the spiritual power of the Bodhisattva; otherwise, how would sentient beings know that the Bodhisattva is able to penetrate all things?" And so he produced that gust of wind.

At that time the Prince had seven Buddala trees, seven iron drums, and seven iron tubs set up, and told everyone to shoot. Devadatta pierced through the first wooden tree, Nanda's arrow penetrated as far as the second tree, while Prince Siddhartha shot clean through all seven wooden trees, the seven iron drums, and the seven iron tubs, and the Prince's arrow penetrated even as far as the palace of the Dragon King. The Dragon King, seeing the arrow the Bodhisattva had shot, then took up that arrow and planted it above a spring, causing water to gush forth. Brahmins and lay devotees of faith then built a stupa at that place to make offerings, and the bhikshus would often come there to pay homage.

After the archery contest, the Prince mounted his chariot and returned to the palace. At that time there was a physiognomist who predicted that at the age of twenty-nine, if the Prince did not leave the household life, he would become a Wheel-Turning Monarch ruling over the four continents, with a thousand sons surrounding him. King Suddhodana, hearing this, was greatly delighted and announced the news to his officials. One great minister addressed him:

"If Your Majesty wishes the Prince to succeed to the throne of the Wheel-Turning Monarch, then you should urgently issue a decree to choose, from among the maidens of the dukes, ministers, officials, and even the common people, one to be wed to the Prince. And you must have a magnificent palace built, adorned with countless jewels, and have garments of surpassing beauty sewn; then choose an auspicious day and have the Prince seated upon the lion throne. The beautiful daughters of the officials or of the lay devotees and elders must all come to the palace, and if there be any maiden gentle and virtuous, rich in merit, who pleases the Prince and to whom he gives precious gifts, then she shall be chosen as his consort."

The king acted according to this counsel. When the chosen day arrived, the king bade the Prince ascend the hall and sit upon the lion throne, and decreed that the maidens should come and attend the gathering. At that time there was a maiden named Yasodhara who did not wish to attend the gathering. Her father asked her why, and she replied:

"Does our house lack jewels or silks? Why then must I go to the king's palace to beg for favors?"

Her father said:

"You go to the royal palace so that you may be chosen by the Prince to be his wife, not merely to receive gifts."

Hearing this, Yasodhara then arrayed herself in beautiful garments, adorned herself with precious ornaments, and went to attend the gathering.

The Prince, seeing that Yasodhara had marks of merit surpassing all the other maidens, her form radiant and bright, was filled with joy in his heart. He stepped down from the throne, greeted her according to traditional ceremony, then returned to his seat, joining his palms with solemn reverence. Seeing this, the officials reported to the king that this maiden had many auspicious marks and deep merit, well suited to be the Prince's consort. The king then decreed that twenty thousand maidens should escort Yasodhara into the palace.

At that time, not far from the city of Kapilavastu, there was a great river named Rohaka. On the bank of the river there was a great tree named Salakalinu, which had sprung up at the very moment the Prince was born, and before long it had grown a hundred cubits tall. Before the sun had risen, the trunk of the tree was very soft, so that even a fingernail could pierce it, but once the sun had risen, an axe could not split it nor fire burn it.

Because the river water seeped into the bank, it gradually rotted the roots of the tree, so that the tree fell across the river, causing the water downstream to dry up. King Suprabuddha, knowing that the tree had blocked the river so that the people of the land had no water to use, then sent a messenger to inform King Suddhodana of this matter and to express his wish that the Prince use his spiritual power to remove the tree obstructing the river.

King Suddhodana remained silent and did not answer, for the king wished the Prince to come to the place and act of his own accord rather than have the king directly command him to go. There was a great minister named Sthana who secretly understood the king's intent, and so said to the Prince:

"Near the Rohaka River there is a flower garden, in which are many rare flowers and grasses, and beautiful pavilions and towers well worth visiting and enjoying."

Hearing this, the Prince, together with his kinsmen and officials, left the city of Kapilavastu and went to the flower garden to enjoy themselves. At that time Devadatta saw a goose flying across the sky, and drawing his bow he shot it, and the goose fell right before the Prince. Out of compassion the Prince picked up the goose, drew out the arrow, then released it to fly away. Devadatta sent someone to seize the goose, but the Prince said:

"I have aroused the mind of bodhi and practice the conduct of loving-kindness and compassion to benefit sentient beings and cause all creatures to escape suffering. Therefore I have saved the goose. So let it be, and do not be angry or resentful."

Hearing this, Devadatta fell silent but showed displeasure. At that time King Suprabuddha, knowing that the Prince was present in the flower garden near the river, then sent his people to the riverbank to pull the tree up out of the stream, and their shouts and cries resounded. Hearing the shouting, the Prince asked those around him, and the officials reported:

"Those are the people of King Suprabuddha, sent to pull up the fallen tree obstructing the river."

The Prince said:

"Let me go there and see."

Not far from the riverbank there was a cave, the dwelling place of a venomous dragon. When the Prince approached, the venomous dragon crawled out of the cave. Everyone, fearing it would harm the Prince, slew the venomous dragon with swords. Its venom was such that whoever was tainted by it would have his whole body turn dark purple; hence it was called Kaluna (one with dark skin). The Prince reached the riverbank and told Devadatta to pull up the tree first. Devadatta pulled with all his strength, but the tree would not budge. Then Nanda exerted his full strength, yet could lift the tree only a little. The Prince then used his own strength to break the tree into two pieces, casting one piece onto each bank of the river, and said to everyone:

"This tree is a most precious medicine; fire cannot burn it. Whoever suffers from scabs, sores, or swelling, let him apply it and he will be cured. Let everyone remember this!"

When he had spoken, the Prince mounted his chariot and returned to the city. There was a physiognomist who examined the Prince's marks and said:

"If within seven more years the Prince does not leave the household life, he will ascend the throne of the Wheel-Turning Monarch."

As soon as the Prince had returned to the royal palace, there was a maiden named Gunhanka, the daughter of a man of the Sakya clan named Katanigli, who was standing upon a high tower. Suddenly seeing the Prince's upright and dignified form, she gave rise to a mind of reverent love. The Prince, seeing her, signaled to halt the chariot and turned his head to look up, and the bow and arrows in his hand suddenly fell to the ground. Everyone, seeing that this maiden had many marks of merit, all considered that she was fit to wait upon the Prince. When the king his father learned of this, he sent twenty thousand attendant maidens to escort Gunhanka into the palace.

After establishing his consort, the Prince wished to go outside the city to roam, and bade his charioteer prepare the chariot and horses in readiness. The charioteer named Angada (1), receiving the command, brought the chariot before the Prince, and the Prince mounted it to go roaming outside the city. Suddenly the Prince saw an old man with wrinkled skin and white hair, leaning on a staff and groaning, dragging his steps before the chariot, choked with grief. He then asked Angada:

"What kind of person is that?"

Angada replied:

"That is an old man."

The Prince asked further:

"Why is he called old?"

The charioteer reported:

"The body is a false thing, nothing about it is firm; the four marks change, the six faculties grow dim, standing and sitting become difficult, so that he must lean on a staff. Therefore he is called old."

The Prince asked:

"Can you escape old age?"

The charioteer replied:

"How could your servant possibly avoid it?"

The Prince pressed on:

"Then can I escape old age?"

The charioteer said:

"Though rich and poor may differ, the body is alike a false thing in all. As the days and months pass, no one can avoid old age."

Hearing this, the Prince was not pleased, and returning to the palace he reflected: "The four great elements are a false union, the five aggregates are not real; one is young, then suddenly becomes old. Truly pitiable!" King Suddhodana asked Angada:

"When the Prince went out of the city to roam, did anything happen?"

Angada reported:

"The Prince went outside the city and met an old man, white-haired and wrinkled..." and he recounted the whole matter.

Hearing this, the king recalled the physiognomist's prediction that the Prince would surely leave the household life to cultivate the Way; yet the king thought that since the Prince now dwelt in the palace enjoying every pleasure, his heart would surely become enamored and abandon the intention of leaving the household life. Thinking thus, the king recited a verse:

I have heard the physiognomist predict of the Prince,

Fearing that he will later forsake the throne and leave the household life;

Now I bind him with the pleasures of the senses,

Enamored, he will surely consent to succeed to the heavenly throne.

A second time, the Prince also bade Angada prepare the chariot for him to go roaming outside the city. This time, on the road, the Prince saw a sick man, his body gaunt and emaciated, his spirit feeble and weak. Astonished in his heart, the Prince asked the charioteer:

"What kind of person is that?"

The charioteer replied:

"That is a sick man."

The Prince then asked:

"Why is he called sick?"

Chandaka replied:

"When the four great elements of the body cannot harmonize, then sickness arises; the form becomes gaunt and ugly, and within there is no peace. Therefore he is called sick."

He asked:

"Can you escape sickness?"

He replied:

"There is no avoiding it."

The Prince asked again:

"Since you cannot avoid it, then I too cannot escape sickness, is that not so?"

He replied:

"The Prince also has this false, illusory body, so how could he escape sickness!"

Returning to the palace, the Prince again reflected: "This body of false union is the gathering-place of all manner of sicknesses, yet sentient beings do not know it. Truly pitiable!"

This time too the king asked as before, and Angada likewise reported the whole matter fully. Hearing the report, the king, fearing that the Prince would leave the household life, decreed that in the palace every pleasure should be used to serve the Prince, and spoke a verse:

Sights, sounds, scents, tastes, and touches of marvelous quality

Will gratify the Prince's senses in the depths of the palace;

I hope my son will be bound fast in delight

And forsake the resolve to leave home in quest of right awakening.

A third time, the Prince again wished to go outside the city to roam and observe, and Angada again took the Prince forth. This time the Prince saw a corpse, its spirit and vital breath utterly extinguished, like a brick or tile, like earth and stone without consciousness, and around it kinsfolk, men and women, were wailing and weeping. The Prince then asked Angada:

"What kind of person is that?"

Angada answered:

"That is a dead man."

He asked:

"Why is he called dead?"

The charioteer replied:

"This conditioned body, whether its life span be long or short, when the principle of impermanence arrives must part forever from kin and loved ones. This is called death."

He asked:

"Then will you die?"

The charioteer reported:

"O Prince, your servant too will one day die."

The Prince asked:

"And I—can I escape this?"

Angada answered:

"O Prince, the law of impermanence spares no one; your body too will one day be thus."

Hearing Angada's words, the Prince was not pleased and bade the charioteer turn back. Returning to the palace, the Prince constantly reflected on the principle of impermanence. He saw clearly that from human beings up to the gods of the realm of form, the formless realm, and the sphere of neither-perception-nor-non-perception, none can escape it; and so he grieved and felt compassion for sentient beings.

This time too, King Suddhodana asked what the Prince had encountered on his roaming outside the city, and Angada reported that the Prince had seen a dead man. The king reflected, recalling the prediction of the Brahmin physiognomist, and then decreed to the inner palace that every pleasure be used to relieve the Prince's sorrow so that he might abandon the resolve to leave the household life. The king again spoke a verse:

I will use the five desires and wealth and rank

To free the Prince from sorrow and care;

He will forget his aspiration to seek transcendence

And willingly ascend the lofty throne of the Wheel-Turning Monarch.

A fourth time, the Prince again wished to go outside the city to roam, and ordered Angada to adorn the chariot and horses as on the previous occasions. Angada obeyed, then drove the chariot and took the Prince forth. Now the god of the Tushita heaven, knowing that the Prince had gone roaming outside the city, then devised a means to provide the conditions for the Prince's renunciation. The god then transformed himself into a sramana holding an alms bowl for begging, and stood before the Prince's chariot. The Prince, seeing him, asked the charioteer:

"What kind of person is that?"

Angada answered:

"That is one who has left the household life."

He asked:

"What is one who has left the household life?"

He replied:

"That one clearly understands the principle of birth and death, has made the vow to cut off the round of rebirth, cultivates the path of bodhi in quest of the fruit of liberation, has shaved off his beard and hair, his body clad in the Dharma robe, his mind tranquil and luminous. This is one who has left the household life."

Hearing this, the Prince was glad and descended from the chariot to ask the bhikshu:

"Venerable sir, what are the benefits of leaving the household life?"

That bhikshu replied:

"One who leaves the household life forsakes his kin, is not enamored of glory, constantly cultivates the holy life, single-mindedly upholds the precepts, casts off all the cares and troubles of worldly life, guards the faculties so that errant thoughts do not arise, and nurtures wholesome conduct. Practicing diligently in this way, one is called a person who has left the household life."

Hearing this, the Prince was filled with boundless joy and praised the bhikshu:

"Excellent! You are truly a great man, who in this turbid age skillfully subdues body and mind and diligently cultivates—truly one who has left the household life, truly a true good friend!"

When he had spoken, the Prince reverently bowed to the sramana and then mounted his chariot to return. Reaching the royal palace, the Prince constantly thought upon the ideal of leaving the household life—its conduct truly lofty, its principle truly profound—and so he gave rise to weariness, wishing to forsake life in the king's palace and seek the path of liberation. King Suddhodana again came and asked Angada:

"On this roaming, what did the Prince encounter? Was his mind delighted?"

Angada reported and recounted the whole matter fully. Hearing this, the king reflected: "The physiognomist said that if the Prince does not leave the household life, he will become a Wheel-Turning Monarch. Now I must devise a means to make the Prince abandon his wish to leave the household life." Then he said to the Prince:

"The region of Karshaka is a place of vital importance to the country. Now you shall go there in my stead to comfort the people, so that all may dwell in peace and joy."

Hearing this, the Prince was not pleased and sought day and night for a way to leave the household life, but could not yet do so. He had to follow his father's command and go to the region of Karshaka. When he had gone about halfway, he encountered five spirits guarding treasure who sprang up from the earth and said to the Prince:

"All this treasure belongs to the Bodhisattva. May the Bodhisattva accept it."

The Prince replied:

"These treasures are gathered together from various jewels and gems; sentient beings constantly crave them, but I take no delight in them."

These spirits, knowing that the Prince would not accept the treasures, then all together entered the great sea. The Prince continued on his way to the land of Karshaka, where he saw the people plowing and harrowing in the fields, their bodies toilworn, their clothes ragged, hungry and thirsty and wretched, bound by every kind of suffering. The Prince, grieved, asked his attendants, and was told by them that these were his own serfs. The Prince then decreed that they should be allowed to act according to their own wishes, and that the officials should not constrain them. Having issued this order, the Prince went beneath the shade of a Jambu tree and sat in the cross-legged posture in meditation, and the officials and all the people came and stood surrounding the place where the Prince sat.

At that time the king his father, seeing that the Prince had gone long and had not yet returned, then ordered horses and chariot prepared and went in person to the place of the Prince. Arriving there, the king saw the Prince sitting absorbed in meditative concentration beneath the shade of the tree, and at that time the sunlight had moved on, yet the tree's shadow still remained in its former place to shelter the Prince. Seeing this, the king then praised him:

"Excellent! A great man of abundant majestic virtue—truly rare indeed: the sun moves on, yet the tree's shadow does not shift."

When he had spoken, the king bowed his head in homage and spoke a verse:

Excellent, great man,

Truly rare in the world!

When you were born, radiance blazed forth,

And the whole great earth trembled and shook.

Now beneath the Jambu tree,

The sunlight moves, yet the shadow does not shift;

All people behold it,

And I reverently bow myself down.

After emerging from meditation, the Prince mounted the chariot and returned to the city. As he passed through the Sita forest, he saw the dead lying in the forest, their bodies naked, flesh and bone decayed and putrid, and the Prince felt all the more keenly the suffering of the world. When the king and the Prince entered the city, there was a physiognomist who, seeing that the Prince's majestic virtue was truly extraordinary, then reported to the king:

"Within seven more days, if the Prince does not leave the household life, he will surely ascend the throne of the Wheel-Turning Monarch." Then the physiognomist spoke a verse:

Now let the great king know:

Prince Siddhartha,

If in seven days he does not leave home,

Will become a Wheel-Turning King,

Ruling the four great continents,

Rich beyond reckoning in the seven treasures.

If he becomes the Rightly Awakened One,

He will expound the Dharma and deliver sentient beings.

When the physiognomist had spoken the verse, the Prince continued, mounting his chariot to enter the palace. At that time there was a maiden named Mriganja, the daughter of a man of the Sakya clan named Kalakshama, who, seeing the Prince's awe-inspiring and venerable bearing, then came before the Prince and praised him:

Your father has gained the joy of liberation,

Your mother likewise has gained the same,

In giving birth to you, Siddhartha;

May I too be joined to you as your equal.

Hereafter you will become the Doubly Honored One,

Realize the ultimate Nirvana,

And in the ten directions all will hear your fame.

I now bow in reverence.

Hearing this verse, the Prince was greatly pleased in his heart, and he took a precious necklace of jewels and pearls and draped it around the maiden's neck. King Suddhodana, seeing this, then sent twenty thousand palace women to receive Mriganja into the palace. Thus the Prince had three consorts—Yasodhara, Gunhanka, and Mriganja—together with sixty thousand palace women who served the Prince day and night; yet he remained unenamored, day and night ever thinking of every means to leave the household life. Knowing this, King Suddhodana said to his three royal brothers:

"There is a Brahmin physiognomist who predicts that within seven days, if the Prince does not leave the household life, he will ascend the throne of the Wheel-Turning Monarch. So you, my royal brothers, help me for seven days and nights to prevent the Prince together."

Then the king further ordered the people to build seven tiers of city walls, with deep moats and iron gates, and at each gate hung many bells, so that if a gate were opened even a crack the bells would ring out, audible more than a yojana away. At that time the Prince dwelt in the palace, day and night with palace maidens dancing and singing to delight him; while King Suddhodana ordered the officials to keep careful watch everywhere, and further sent four divisions of the army—elephant troops, cavalry, chariot troops, and infantry—constantly to patrol at the four gates of the city.

At that time King Suddhodana himself guarded the eastern gate of the city, King Dronodana the southern gate, King Suklodana the western gate, and King Amritodana the northern. The kings together with the officials and troops did not sleep at night but kept watch with single-minded attention, and further decreed that the great minister Mahanama should constantly remain on duty, patrolling the four gates to rouse the officials and troops so that they would not fall asleep.

Mahanama came to the eastern gate of the city and asked:

"Who is here? Stay awake and attend to the watch."

King Suddhodana said:

"I am here!"

Mahanama reported:

"O Great King, if you remain ever wakeful thus, then there will be no oversight." Then he recited a verse:

Sunk in drunkenness, like a dead man,

Likewise like one in a stupor;

If one can ward off sleep,

No oversight will befall.

When he had spoken the verse, he again went to the western gate and asked likewise as above. King Dronodana replied:

"I am single-mindedly guarding this place."

Mahanama reported:

"O Great King, if you do not fall asleep, then there will be no oversight."

Then he recited a verse:

One who sleeps is like the dead;

Know that to sleep is to be deluded.

If one can ward off sleep,

No oversight will occur.

When he had spoken, he passed to the southern gate and asked likewise as before. Here he met King Suklodana, who was also awake directing the troops on watch. Mahanama spoke likewise as above and then recited a verse:

Sunk in sleep as if from drinking wine,

Stupefied, entering the realm of nothingness,

Oversight then arises;

Therefore strive not to sleep.