佛為勝光天子說王法經

Thus have I heard:

At one time, the World-Honored One was dwelling in the Jeta Grove, the Garden of Anāthapiṇḍika, in the land of Śrāvastī, together with an assembly of great bhikṣus numbering a hundred thousand, all of them Arhats whose outflows had been wholly extinguished. There were also immeasurable Great Bodhisattvas, all of them renowned among humankind, all of them those who would be bound to but one more birth.

At that time, the World-Honored One sat cross-legged upon the supremely wondrous seat beneath a tree, and in the midst of the great assembly, for the sake of all the gods and humans, he expounded the profound Dharma that he himself had realized. Its words and meaning were subtle and wondrous; the beginning, the middle, and the end were all good, of a single character, the pure conduct of holiness, complete and perfect.

At this time, the king of the land of Kośala, the Heavenly Son Prasenajit (Thắng Quang), set forth his carriage in due order and, together with his retinue, went out from the city of Śrāvastī and came to the Jeta Grove in order to behold, reverence, make offerings to, serve, and draw near to the World-Honored One. Upon arriving, the king descended from his carriage and arranged his robes so as to approach the World-Honored One.

From afar the king beheld the Tathāgata seated peacefully beneath the tree, expounding the teaching of the Dharma for the great assembly: his appearance majestic and dignified, his faculties harmonious and concordant, his mind at ease and joyful, tranquil and abiding in the realm of the supreme concentration. He was the elephant-king among humans, like the lion-king, even as the bull-king, like the well-trained, wise horse;

he was the most honored among humankind, like a white lotus blossom, like a pool of water clear and still, like Mount Sumeru abiding firm amid the great ocean, fully endowed with the thirty-two marks and the eighty fine features, like a banner of pure gold lovely and complete in every hue, even as the sun radiating a thousand brilliant beams of light, like the full moon encircled by the host of stars.

When the king beheld him thus, joy arose in his mind, his whole body was moved, and he attained what he had never had before. The Great King, having received the consecration of Dharma, possessed five things: the wish-fulfilling jewel, the white parasol, the white whisk, the jeweled sandals, and the jeweled sword. All of these he set aside entirely, and in ordinary garments alone, leading his great ministers, he abided in right mindfulness, his faculties tranquil and still.

He arranged his robes and crown, bared his right shoulder, bowed his head and joined his palms toward the place of the World-Honored One, made obeisance at the feet of the Buddha, scattered various subtle and wondrous flowers, burned various fragrant incenses as offerings, circumambulated him to the right three times, and then withdrew to sit to one side.

At that time, King Prasenajit rose from his seat, ever maintaining dignified deportment, joined his palms toward the Buddha, and said:

"I pray that the Great Teacher will awaken me, and skillfully instruct me in the Dharma of a king, so that in the present life I may obtain peace and joy, that after the end of my life I may be born among the heavens, and that the mind of Bodhi may ever be continued without break."

The Buddha said:

"Great King! Excellent, excellent! The Great King should listen single-mindedly. This is a most rare matter. Whoever is able to inquire so as to seek the attainment of supreme provisions should accord with the Dharma in his conduct and transformation of others, and put an end to evil deeds. Why is this so? Great King! If a king and his great ministers forsake the wholesome Dharma and practice the evil Dharma, then in the present life they are despised and reproached by others, who dare not draw near and all give rise to minds of doubt; they constantly behold evil dreams, have many who hate and oppose them, and again give rise to remorse, and after death they fall into the hells.

"Great King! If a king and his great ministers depart far from the evil Dharma and cultivate the wholesome Dharma, then in the present life they are honored by others, who all come to draw near and give rise to no doubt; they constantly behold auspicious dreams, are able to remove all enemies and adversaries, never harbor remorse, and after the end of their lives are born among the heavens, even unto the realization of the fruit of the supreme way, the ever-blissful Bodhi.

"Great King! It is as when father and mother love their children: they constantly wish for their children to be at peace and secure, not afflicted or harmed, restraining them from evil deeds and exhorting them to cultivate what is wholesome.

"Great King! To be a Heavenly Son is likewise so. Toward the host of ministers and even the attendants, and all the multitudes of people within the land, one should employ the Four Means of Embracing to teach and transform them. These are: Giving, Loving Speech, Beneficial Conduct, and Working Together with Others. At that time, such a king, within his realm, being able to bring about great benefit of this kind, accomplishes two things. What are these two?

1. As a king, he is no different from a father and mother who love their children.

2. The multitudes within the land regard him as their father, and with all their hearts are loyal and filial.

"Furthermore, Great King! To be a Heavenly Son one must have kindness and feeling, be magnanimous and tolerant, lighten taxes and levies, reduce the burden of corvée, establish officers and apportion duties without requiring great numbers; one should dismiss and punish those who do evil, and recommend and reward the worthy; those who are disloyal and unkind should be swiftly sent far away. Following the holy kings of old, do not carry out executions or slaughter. Why is this so? Because in regard to living beings, the Way holds it best to employ various conditions to move and transform them; for if one cuts off the lives of living beings, one will surely receive an evil retribution in return.

"Great King! One must constantly, with a single mind, revere the Three Jewels, and not give rise to wrong views. After I have entered Nirvāṇa, the teaching of the Dharma should be wholeheartedly upheld by the king, the great ministers, and the chief counselors; do not let it suffer decline or loss.

You must light bright the torch of the right Dharma and turn the wheel of Dharma, so that even to the very end of future ages it is forever kept from being cut off. If one is able to rely upon the teaching of the Dharma and practice in this way, then it will cause the dragon-kings within the land to rejoice, the rains to be timely and the winds harmonious, the gods to be glad; it will cause the multitudes of people to be wealthy and at peace and joy; the various calamities and disasters will be removed, the country will be at peace and tranquil, the king's own person will obtain wondrous bliss, his throne will ever be held firm, his merit, virtue, and majestic power will be long-lasting, with no further grief or affliction, and his lifespan will increase.

In the present life his good name will resound throughout the ten directions, and the kings of other lands will all praise him, saying: 'The Heavenly Son of that country is benevolent, virtuous, humble, courteous, loyal, and filial; he uses the right Dharma to teach and transform, to rescue, succor, and have compassion upon the multitudes of his people; he is the foremost and most supreme among all the lands. At present we should all submit and take refuge in this great Dharma-King.' And after he has cast off his bodily life, he will be born among the heavens, receive the supreme and wondrous joys, and reach the fruit of the Bodhi-way.

"Furthermore, Great King! All dharmas are, in their very essence and nature, empty and still, impermanent, and bound to decay and perish. It is as when a person at night, lying asleep, dreams that he sees a lovely flower-garden, mountains and rivers, dense forests, clear springs, throngs of people, houses and dwellings, towers and pavilions; toward all of these he feels delight; yet when he awakens, he no longer sees any of them.

The Great King should know! The royal station that he inherits, and his lifespan, the various fine, splendid, sovereign, and honored things, the delights of the five desires—such as elephants, horses, carriages, father and mother, brothers, sons and daughters, queens and consorts, and all the multitudes of the people presently within the land; and then the host of ministers, the wives and concubines, gold and silver, gems and treasures, garments, food and drink, and all the storehouses of treasure—all of these, when death comes, are entirely cast off and abandoned.

All these things are dharmas of impermanence, decay, and ruin, hard to hold and keep; their characteristics are ever changing, and in the end they all come to dispersion and separation. They are a place worthy of dread, whence suffering and affliction newly arise; therefore there is no self and nothing belonging to a self, nor is there any ruling sovereign. One should therefore constantly contemplate and reflect, and not be heedless.

"Furthermore, Great King! It is like a great tree: at first it puts forth leaves and blossoms with flowers, and only afterward bears fruit; and when the fruit has ripened, it falls away one by one; the green leaves give way in succession to the yellow, until in the end all of them fall away entirely, leaving only the bare tree. That tree withers and dries, and then, meeting a great fire that blows upon it, it blazes up fiercely and in a moment is wholly consumed.

"Furthermore, Great King! It is like the moon and the sun, which have great majestic power and are fully endowed with great radiance, able to dispel the realms of darkness; yet even this does not last long, and all returns to decay and ruin. The Great King should observe these dharmas of impermanence, no-self, and decay in this way, and give rise to dread and apprehension. As the king of a country, one should use the Dharma to teach and transform, and not act in accordance with what is contrary to Dharma; one should constantly cultivate all wholesome things, and not follow what is evil.

"Furthermore, Great King! It is as if on each of the four sides there were great mountains, joined one after another throughout the four directions, the whole of them solid and firm, without breach or gap, rising above to reach empty space and below pressing close against the earth; and in between there were grasses and trees, dense forests, and the various kinds of living beings dwelling there—then not a single creature would be able to escape, no person, however strong, would be able to withstand it, nor could spells, medicines, or wealth cause it to turn aside.

"Great King! The four mountains of the world are likewise so. They are the several things of aging, sickness, death, and the loss of all one's power.

"Great King! When old age comes, one grows feeble and haggard; when sickness arrives, suffering and affliction arise; when death appears before one, it will surely cut off one's life; and when one loses one's power, one's majestic strength is likewise extinguished.

"Furthermore, Great King! It is like the lion-king, swift and full of strength, with sharp fangs and claws, who enters a herd of deer and at will seizes and devours them, none being able to stop him. Those various beasts, threatened by another kind, are not free.

The Great King should know! All living beings are struck by the arrow of death; they have no strength, no place of refuge, none to save them. When their life is about to end, their bones and joints come apart, their blood and flesh dry up, their mouths can no longer speak, their hands and feet grope and flail, their strength is about to fail, saliva flows out, urine defiles their whole body; the six faculties—the eyes, the ears, and the rest—all cease to function; the throat is choked and stifled, the breath does not pass through, food and drink cannot be taken; thought succeeds thought, and afterward the consciousness departs far away.

From beginningless time until now, one is forever born, ages, sickens, and dies, drifting and turning within the sea of suffering, going to take on rebirth in accordance with one's karma. Even at this very moment, when the life-faculty is just cut off, whatever karma one has created all appears before one's eyes; the messengers of King Yama are exceedingly to be dreaded; the long night is dark and one cannot resist it; the breath, going out and coming in, all at once ceases entirely; alone one departs, heading toward a place of terror, casting off this life to take on a body in the life to come.

One will fall into a great pit, a deep and dark abyss; one passes only along a road of peril and calamity, with no provisions; the wind of karma blows one onward, and one knows not the way ahead. At that time, the sufferings, calamities, and disasters offer no clear place of return; one only follows one's karma and receives its retribution.

"Great King! There is a dhāraṇī-method named Banner of Victory (Vijaya-dhvaja). If a person has formerly upheld and retained it, then within the realm of birth and death it can be a good friend, and together with him bring rescue and aid. Let the Great King listen; I will now pronounce the mantra for you:

"Namo Śākyamuni-mardaye. Tathāgatāya, arhate samyak-saṃbuddhāya. Tadyathā oṃ. Śame śame sarva pāpa, praśamanaye svāhā.

The Buddha said:

"Great King! This dhāraṇī-method is the speech of all the Buddhas. Each day, having bathed and made oneself clean, if one constantly recites it seven times, then it has great majestic power and one can be rescued and aided—just as in a time of bitter cold one meets a great fire, as in a time of great heat one meets cool water, as in the burning heat of summer one suddenly meets the shade of a tree upon the road, as one who is thirsty meets a clear spring, as one who is hungry meets fine food, as one who is sick obtains a divine mantra and medicines, and again meets a skilled physician, as one who is afraid meets a strong and healthy companion.

"Great King! For one who has merit of this kind, when he is about to die, there will surely be auspicious signs and tokens that lead the way for him.

"Great King! In that very moment, only the wholesome Dharma is able to protect and keep him in mind and serve as his place of reliance; this very dhāraṇī-method is well able to rescue and aid. Therefore, Great King!

Day by day one should recite and chant this mantra, and then one is able to extirpate all the obstructions of one's offenses, and able again to give rise to abundant merit and virtue. One should skillfully contemplate that all dharmas are impermanent, subject to decay and ruin, and wholly empty; within the gate of death one should give rise to a great mind of dread; one should teach and transform the world with wholesome deeds, do no evil, ever cultivate works of merit, and arouse a mind of loving-kindness and compassion.

Why is this so? Because toward this body one constantly delights in cherishing and guarding it, supplying it with the finest of foods, resting at ease whenever one will, free from sorrow and care; yet though one receives such supreme and wondrous pleasures, in the end one cannot escape death. When one is about to give up one's life, the fire of hunger will come to torment one, and burning, one dies.

"Great King! The garments one wears are all of the finest sort—the white silk of Kāśi, brocades and damasks and fine silks—which, when worn, are cool or warm, and gratify one's feelings in the enjoyment of pleasures; yet in the end one cannot escape death. When one is about to die, one lies still upon the bed and mat, turned and shifted only by others; the various impurities appear all about one's person, and bedding and coverlets are heaped around the place where one lies, so that those who see it give rise to a mind of revulsion.

"Furthermore, Great King! Day by day, while one is alive, one constantly bathes and makes oneself clean, uses all manner of powdered incense and ointment-incense and various ornaments, perfumed and fragrant, with garlands of flowers set upon one's head; yet though one enjoys such supreme and wondrous pleasures, in the end one cannot escape death, but gradually decays and is ruined, reverting to a foul and stinking form as before; and the bathing and the anointing with the various incenses are all but a passing makeshift.

"Furthermore, Great King! Within the great palace there are many palace women surrounding one; strings and flutes take turns, and to one's full content there is dancing and singing; one delights and rejoices through the passing of time, no longer thinking of pain and grief; yet in the end one cannot escape the suffering brought on by the arrival of death, which presses and oppresses one and, causing terror, brings one to die.

"Furthermore, Great King! One's dwelling place is a palace adorned with every kind of splendor; its doors are airy and cool, suited to the seasons; one takes delight all the day and enjoys oneself through the night. Within the chambers, lamps and torches blaze bright; there are many palace women, fragrant incense wafting far, lovely flowers strewn everywhere, and the bed adorned with the seven kinds of treasures; the mattresses are laid in many layers and the pillows arranged in due order; one sleeps and rests at one's pleasure, with no care for weariness or toil.

Yet when one's karma is exhausted, one cannot escape death; and after the body has perished, it is borne to the burial ground and cast away in the empty wilds, the corpse rotting and decaying, blood and gore streaming forth, bones and flesh coming apart, so that those who see it are sickened and disgusted; it becomes food for birds and beasts of the forest, such as foxes, wolves, kites, and crows. Alas that this body should come to such a state!

"Furthermore, Great King! On a fine morning of fair weather, one bids one's retinue prepare the carriage to go out from the city, journeying to a fragrant grove, and roaming and disporting oneself to one's content. Elephants, horses, and carriages are all made ready, before and behind, and one races along to one's full delight; the officials in attendance stand fanning him, ever majestic; canopies and curtains hang high, and there are jeweled parasols; drums and music of every kind sound forth, and all reverently serve and obey him as they would Śakra, lord of the gods.

But if his merit and his allotted life are exhausted, the messengers of Yama come to seize his spirit-soul and lead it before King Yama, where it is judged and apportioned according to its karma and tried—hard indeed is it to escape. There remain only the bones upon the face of the earth; his father and mother, his wife and children, and the multitudes of the people within the land all weep and wail, cry out and beat their breasts, all of them grieving in anguish.

The funeral carriage bears the coffin to the burial ground; either it is cremated, or buried, or set adrift upon the waters. The various flying birds and running beasts, the fishes, the soft-shelled turtles, the tortoises, the frogs—smelling the scent of that flesh—vie with one another to come and eat it, to swallow and burrow and gnaw at it, until the bones become dust no different from the earth. The Great King should know!

All living beings, all that receive consciousness, are likewise so; entirely do they undergo impermanence, decay, and ruin. The body is hard to preserve, shifting and changing thought by thought; the afflictions within the body are not to be loved. Whoever is a person of wisdom should give rise to a mind that departs far from it.

"Therefore, Great King! One should contemplate that this body is the root of calamity, subject to impermanence, ever pursued and oppressed by the spirit of death. Knowing this matter, one should use the right Dharma to govern the country, and should not let greed, hatred, and delusion command one to commit the various evil deeds. Why is this so? Great King! I do not say that there is any foolish, ignorant ordinary person who, toward the realm of the five desires—form, sound, scent, taste, and touch—forever accumulating much, constantly delighting to draw near to such things, could yet give rise to a mind of satiety and sufficiency.

"Great King! One who, toward the realm of the desires, is able to arouse a mind of weariness and disgust—this is a holy sage, who gives rise to supreme wisdom, and in the very present is able to give rise to a mind of satiety and sufficiency, gradually departing far from it, cultivating and realizing the subtle and wondrous fruit of Nirvāṇa."

At that time, the Heavenly Son Prasenajit, hearing the Buddha expound the Dharma that brings about peace and security for oneself, the Dharma that preserves the country for long, that benefits all the myriad kinds of beings, whose good name resounds throughout the ten directions, and by which, when one passes from this life, one will be born among the heavens and receive every kind of wondrous bliss, was deeply rejoiced in heart and attained what he had never had before. Joining his palms in reverence, single-mindedly gazing upon the Buddha, he said to the World-Honored One:

"The Tathāgata, in his Great Loving-Kindness, has for my sake expounded the meaning of this subtle and wondrous Dharma. Now, with the utmost reverence, I vow to spread and transmit it throughout the whole land, so that everyone may recite, chant, cultivate, and practice it."

The Buddha praised him:

"Excellent, excellent! Great King! In former lives you cultivated the causes, and so in this life you receive a supreme retribution, becoming a Heavenly Son, all in accordance with the aspirations of your mind. You should act exactly as has been expounded, and not be heedless."

At that time, the Heavenly Son Prasenajit and the great assembly all rejoiced, faithfully received it, and reverently put it into practice; they made obeisance and withdrew.