辟支佛因緣論

The King of Vārāṇasī had the karmic conditions to encounter a Pratyekabuddha.

The Assistant Minister Soma likewise had the conditions to encounter a Pratyekabuddha.

The kings and the Elders (Gṛhapati) of the country of Vārāṇasī had the conditions to encounter the Pratyekabuddhas.

I take refuge in the All-Knowing One, the World-Honored One,

Who clearly knows the three times, the bright lamp of light;

I take refuge in the supreme essential Dharma,

And again have met the true Holy Saṅgha.

I have heard of the tranquil, serene Pratyekabuddha,

Who clearly understands the causes and conditions of his practice,

Whose mind bears no stain from the afflictions,

Who well upholds the precepts and can remain pure,

Like an autumn sky with no clouds to veil it,

Unafraid of being obscured by dense forest.

I now thirst and aspire toward those merits,

With sincere heart I revere and comply, giving rise to faith and joy.

Though in that very place doubt may wish to arise,

That power moves me to cultivate and increase my faith all the stronger.

Hearing how he swiftly attains the true and genuine conduct,

Yet there is one in whom no mind of faith and reverence is born—

I shall now speak of the Pratyekabuddha,

Of but a small portion of his wondrous conduct and merit,

Which I received of old, hearing it from the Patriarchs.

I speak only the true text and do not speak falsely.

As the great elephant walks the path, the small elephants follow;

Therefore I now open and reveal it.

It is asked: By what causes and conditions does the Pratyekabuddha keep to such stillness, fearing entry into the mind that gathers with others, dwelling still in the secluded forests; upon the bank of a deserted river he sets his mind to carry out this quietude? Moreover, he speaks not a single word, like the rhinoceros with a single horn—how can it be so?

It is again asked: What merits does the Pratyekabuddha possess?

The answer is: Together the ancient Masters of old have spoken of this matter.

In days of old, when the Buddha was in the palace of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three to teach the Dharma, and afterward wished to descend again to Jambudvīpa.

At that time Śakra commanded Viśvakarman, saying: For the Buddha's sake, fashion three precious roads by which to return to Jambudvīpa. These three stairway roads descended down to the country of Sāṃkāśya. The Tathāgata then, from the palace in that heaven, ascended these stairs and descended.

At that time the Lord Śakra and Brahmā, together with their retinues, rained down flowers in offering. Then the Bhikṣuṇī Utpalavarṇā, seeing the Buddha descend, at once before him transformed herself into a Wheel-Turning Holy King (Cakravartin), of majestic and dignified appearance, adorned all over with the seven treasures. At that time the multitude, seeing such a thing, all gave rise to doubt that this was something unprecedented, and spoke these words: Surely there is one who, by surpassing supernatural power, can exceed that Bhikṣuṇī?

At that time the World-Honored One, seeing that the multitude all beheld the three stairway roads and gave rise to delight, and likewise seeing the Bhikṣuṇī Utpalavarṇā produce these supernatural transformations so that many gave rise to thirsting aspiration—wishing to make that faithful mind believe—then said: There is a Pratyekabuddha whose supernatural power is loftier and more surpassing than this Bhikṣuṇī. His name and renown surpass hers.

There were then those who delighted in him as in a Buddha not yet come into the world, who comes into the world to perform deeds of benefit for the sake of all beings. To display this form and appearance, he manifests hunger and thirst and receives robes and food. To create a field of merit, he adorns the various practices of the Dharma.

For the sake of pure tranquil cessation and the subduing and renunciation of desire, he makes beings behold this, so that those of evil mind at once set aside knife and staff, like the rhinoceros encountering some small matter.

The Masters transmitted to one another the hearing of this matter. What was heard? — I have heard of old that in the time of Buddha Kāśyapa there was one who left the household life, who lived to ten thousand years cultivating the holy life (brahmacarya) and guarding the right precepts. He cultivated patient endurance throughout, ever diligent in cultivation.

For this reason many Bhikṣus would draw near to him. Then those Bhikṣus said to one another: In cultivating we shall be taught, we shall be able to learn. The minds of these Bhikṣus were all gentle, yet some were noisy and clamorous, and so did not behold the truth.

When the time of his death drew near, he thought thus: I have beheld the Ten Powers, and this place of teaching the Dharma is truly subtle, wondrous, and profound, hard to be heard; yet I was able to hear it. But if one is heedless one cannot attain the fruit of the Way. I have ever been pure in upholding the precepts and have practiced the conduct of patient forbearance and taught and transformed beings, yet I see that this noise and clamor encroaches upon and harms the concentration of the mind, like frost that veils and dims, harming the fine stalks of grain.

Therefore it has made me unable to attain the fruit of the Way. Then he spoke a verse, saying:

I am now sunk in the three realms,

Within the various afflictions,

Like an aged, declining elephant

Not yet plunged into the deep mire.

Like that Pratyekabuddha,

Who, finding those mountains and forests,

Like the rhinoceros with a single horn,

Departs far from the assemblies,

As one departs from a fierce flame.

One should urgently cultivate,

Departing far from the noise and clamor.

I vow that I shall depart afar

From that clamorous, bustling company.

Having uttered this vow, when his life ended he was reborn in the heavens, and in that heaven enjoyed the pleasures of desire. When his merit was exhausted he was again reborn in the country of Kāśi; there in the city of Vārāṇasī, the foremost consort of King Brahmadatta conceived, and he at once entered into the womb within that consort's body, like a soft and tender flower within a pool of clear water. Then the consort, knowing she was with child, used a verse to address the king:

I feel that I am now with child,

Joyful, yet anxious in heart.

This is surely a son—

Proclaim amnesty for the guilty.

The king heard and was truly delighted,

And at once sought out those condemned to punishment.

She further addressed the king, saying:

I wish to give in charity far and wide.

The king heard and rejoiced as well,

Ordering the granaries opened,

Bestowing upon the poor and needy,

So that none were left unprovided.

Then the consort gave birth to the prince—upright and beautiful, like the full moon. By the age of eight he was truly intelligent and benevolent; and when that king passed away, the people of the land cherished and mourned him throughout. At that time there was an Assistant Minister named Wordspeaker (Vacana).

He at once raised the prince to the throne. Only a year later, by the power of his original vows, he did not perform evil deeds, his nature was gentle and kind, and he had a mind of deep compassion toward all beings. He wished only to dwell in quietude within the royal palace, using a flower-house as his dwelling.

Moreover, in those noisy places he cultivated meditative concentration, wishing to depart from birth and death, and spoke of this. Cultivating his mind with the Way, he wished to renounce the affairs of kingship. The ministers admonished him, saying: Now the Great King attends only to the practice of the Way and does not attend to the affairs of state.

If it be so, bands of evildoers may rise up and ruin the upright customs. Like crossing the sea, if there is no helmsman, surely fierce calamity will befall. They then spoke a verse, saying:

The king inherits from the ancestors,

The land obtained in accord with the Dharma;

Though you govern the myriad people,

You vow to relinquish that kingdom.

If the king governs by the right Dharma,

The worthy will not grow few;

The throne of the king should be made manifestly great—

Guarding the realm is the foremost merit.

Then this king, having heard these words, sighed and pondered, and at once replied with a verse, saying:

If I do not govern the land,

My land must surely be lost;

My power can guard the land,

And evildoers can hardly harm it.

If I am one who governs the land,

The affairs of kingship lie upon my mind.

If there be one who commits an offense,

Surely there will be increase or diminution.

These words bind that one,

Sever that one's hands and feet,

That one must enter into the punishment of death,

That one wishes to flee from these eyes.

As in this present evil age,

One must maintain the penalties.

If one carries out punishment upon the guilty,

That is to be a Caṇḍāla.

Then the king said to his close ministers: Now listen to this, all of you: The food and drink I take are not of excessive flavors; the clothing I wear is not more than a single set of garments. The seat where I sit is no more than a single place to hold my body. Viewing it from this, what need is there to do so much without knowing sufficiency?

The throne of the king is but an honored title. With this I instruct, so that those deeds too are but words of admonition. Only this should be preserved for the sake of the people.

He further said to the Assistant Minister: Though the king is a place of honor, I have only this one thing: I shall now hand over to you the throne, and you should, for the sake of later ages, govern the land by the right Dharma, to ward off the bandits and rebels that remain from former times. And he at once spoke a verse, saying:

Though I was born in the royal palace,

Receiving from the ancestors,

Yet I have never learned

The offenses of killing and slaughter.

Now I am exceedingly afraid—

I should not create this karma.

You should take my place,

Ever instructing the people.

The people of the world, through folly,

Each create their own errors;

Because of committing offenses,

There arises again fear and dread.

You should take up the right Dharma,

Revealing it, without fear.

Rely upon the right Dharma,

Revealing it to the people.

When the king had finished speaking the verse, he at once handed over the land to the Great Minister, and the Great Minister at once obtained the land. For two years he gave no charity to the people. His mind grew unsettled and he created various unlawful deeds, and as this went on for a long time, relying upon his high authority and weighty office, he gave rise to arrogance and heedlessness, performing unlawful deeds as many as rivers and mountains, causing much harm and ruin.

He gathered up all manner of taxes within the city. Then the people within the city all remonstrated about this matter. The king, hearing their straightforward words, gave rise to anger redoubled, and at once changed his countenance and said: How dare you speak such words!

Do you not fear the authority and power of the king?

Because of these deeds, day by day it increased, like fire meeting dry kindling, which turns and burns the greater. Wantonly licentious and violently rebellious, contrary to reason and opposed to the Way. The king not only became infatuated with women but even violated their chastity.

Then the king's consort, seeing this, was at once distressed and wept, and came to address the king; but because of her foolish, haughty mind, her lips trembled and she spoke not a word, like a child who beholds. On account of this matter she turned toward the king to speak. The king, having heard this, at once summoned her and said: I have caused the harem ever to endure in patience, and I have done unlawful deeds, harming the myriad people, whereas a king must give instruction.

From now on it shall not be so.

Then that Assistant Minister, seeing that the king still harbored doubt about this matter and thus caused the people to forsake and abandon him, at once forsook the land and departed, going to that other country, and met that king there together with his soldiers, and then turned toward his homeland, wishing to bring soldiers to conquer it. At that time, in his native country, there were former Assistant Ministers who used troops to fight back and break this army, and they came to stab and slash one another.

The former Assistant Ministers further addressed the king, saying: That one wishes to invade and seize the throne. So at once, together with that general, they engaged in battle at the king's place. At that time the king changed countenance and at once manifested shame and manifested an aspect of fear.

The king said: How terrifying indeed is birth and death! And he at once spoke a verse, saying:

Folly has obscured and lost the mind,

Not clearly seeing the great suffering to come.

Because of the conditions of small pleasure,

Now I receive this remorse.

Like eating fine rice

Whose flavors are all complete,

Yet within it is full of poison,

Which the fool does not behold;

Coveting the flavor, he takes and eats it,

And having eaten, it becomes his harm.

The king said to the Assistant Ministers: These offenses are so many that they cannot be reckoned; so my intention is that I do not wish to repeat them. And he at once spoke a verse, saying:

All of it arises from craving—

Proclaim swiftly the pardon of offenses.

Do not see the harming of his life,

So that he may attain peace and joy.

The committing of offenses is truly deep and profound,

So one should turn toward a mind of loving-kindness.

That one brings the offense upon himself,

So one should give rise to a mind of compassion.

If one harms that one's life,

One destroys for oneself the cherished Dharma.

The former ministers at once addressed the king, saying: If we now disobey the king's command, surely we shall be punished. In the end they would not let go, and at once before the king they brandished their swords to stab and slash. The king, seeing this, at once gave rise to a mind that departs from evil deeds.

Seeing again the scene before him, as well as how in the past he had a mind to cultivate patient forbearance. Then he sought a way to open up and clearly reveal the path of the Pratyekabuddha. Like the utpala flower blooming open, he then used his body to fly up into the empty void, and all his attendants joined their palms toward the Pratyekabuddha who had departed far from birth and death; thus he realized the Way in such a manner.

I now have obtained the fruit-reward of upholding the precepts, and at once spoke a verse, saying:

Though I wear pearls and jewels,

My mind cultivates the holy practice;

Restraining the body, subduing the faculties,

Plain and frugal, ever silent.

Toward all people

I cast away knife and staff and the rest;

I cultivate but a single thing alone,

Like the rhinoceros with a single horn.

Having spoken this verse, his hair then fell away of itself. At that time the gods of the Pure Abode (Śuddhāvāsa) offered a kāṣāya robe, and he then made his way into the void to the Snow Mountains. At that time, within the mountains there was a Pratyekabuddha, who asked, saying: From that royal throne, how did you depart from evil deeds and awaken to this Way?

And he spoke the verse as above to reply. This is because the Tathāgata, for the sake of those who cannot cultivate the deed of patience, therefore spoke of the causes and conditions of patient forbearance. Because of greed they draw near to noisy places; therefore he spoke of not drawing near to such conditions, wishing to make clearly known the merit of the Pratyekabuddha.

For this reason he spoke of the causes and conditions of the Pratyekabuddha. The Buddha, for the sake of the gods in the Hall of Good Dharma (Sudharmā), spoke of the causes and conditions of the Pratyekabuddha. The Buddha, in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three, caused the gods to give rise to a mind that departs from evil deeds.

Therefore he spoke of the matter of the Pratyekabuddha Vāsiṣṭha. Then at Vaiśālī he spoke of the matter of relinquishing the body and entering Nirvāṇa. Now there presently exists a precious stūpa named Udaya, and the Assistant Minister Soma awakened to the causes and conditions of the Pratyekabuddha.

Firmly upholding the precepts, not destroying them,

The wise ones attain liberation;

Not learning from another, not troubling another,

Solitary in a single thing, like the rhinoceros.

Never before had this been heard from the Masters in such a manner. In the time of Buddha Kāśyapa there was a Bhikṣu who lived to ten thousand years cultivating the holy life; when seated in meditation, he ever cultivated the guarding of precepts, departing from those noisy places and practicing the ascetic conduct of the dhūta. At the end of his life he was reborn in the heavens. In the heavenly palace he enjoyed the pleasures of desire. When his lifespan in the heaven was exhausted, he was reborn into the womb of the consort of the Assistant Minister Deva in the city of Bhaskita. Then the consort at once spoke a verse to address her husband, saying:

Your handmaid is now with child,

My heart is full of joy and delight;

Surely there is one of merit

Come to be my son.

On account of this matter, even now I ever feel compassion for all. Furthermore, now I have stopped the heedless mind, and at once have no thought of the pleasures of desire. Like the Malaya mountain within that sea which can stop and calm the waves of the sea, so I stop these longings in like manner.

I now fear false speech, and ever speak the truth. Moreover, like one who has wholesome merit and fears another's faults, I too am now like this. I now look upon wine as upon poison.

I fear those riches and goods as I fear a heap of fire. All such evil deeds I depart from. Because all of this is because I am now bearing a son of merit, I have no delight in lustful matters.

Then the Assistant Minister at once said to his wife: Now according to your wish, cultivate the five precepts. Then the consort performed all these wholesome deeds. After ten months she gave birth to this child.

He was named Soma, and the child gradually grew up; there was no scripture or treatise, including the sixty-four arts, that he did not master thoroughly, upright and surpassing, like the full moon, able to fulfill the wishes of his father and mother. When he reached adulthood, the Assistant Minister addressed the king, saying: I am now advanced in years; for the sake of the later age, please make merit on my behalf. Then the king replied: I now cannot make merit for you, because there is an obstruction.

Take your son Soma and let him serve me in your stead, doing good in your place. The Assistant Minister rejoiced, and thereafter the king made Soma an Assistant Minister, bestowing emoluments greater even than his father's. Everyone revered and loved him, and they came together to visit the place of the former Great Minister, the Bull-King (Govindṛṣabha), which had caused the maidens here to long after him.

At that time the king's consort loved Soma. She said to Soma: If you can now act according to my words and strike down this country, when the king is dead I shall follow you. And I can also keep you from any ill repute.

This too is the very place of giving the gift of the Dharma, no different from that with the former king. Then Soma held his intention firm and was not weak or cowardly, but replied with a verse, saying:

I beg to hear these words,

Not yet clear, full of doubt.

When I hear these words,

It is as water flowing into the earth.

Like a wild horse

When it comes to hardship,

Entering into the ranks of battle,

Dares not advance.

When I see that woman,

My feelings are not stained or attached;

My mind does not open,

Like a flower at night.

In all reverence,

She is no different from a mother;

How much more toward a husband

Whom I do indeed esteem.

My mind holds firm,

Revering what is worthy of reverence.

For the sake of a son's duty,

I do not act as a rebel-bandit.

When my own lust and desire

At the moment arise,

Seeing that woman,

It naturally stops.

Though flooded by surging waters,

Again and again by wind and waves,

I am like autumn water,

Naturally pure and clear.

Then the consort

Thought to herself thus:

If that one cuts me off,

Drawing near this intention,

I shall surely upon that one

Give rise to slander.

So at once she addressed the king:

The Assistant Minister Soma

Has formed an unreasonable intention,

Wishing to violate and seize me.

Then the king felt doubt and judged whether it was true or not true. At the same time Soma came to that garden and saw two oxen bearing yokes, plowing on the heights, truly suffering bitterly, and gave rise to a mind that departs from evil. Then the king was moved and believed the slanderous words of the consort, and at once gave the order to go and kill Soma.

Then Soma, like a horse shot by an arrow striking the bone, at once contemplated thus: When a person is rich, the cherishing of beautiful forms is exhausted, even up to now. Like eating poison within fine foods; when one wishes to digest it, the body is at once ruined and destroyed. Like one who craves the five desires, this flavor is exceedingly deep.

It is also like a roof tile of gold burned by fire. The one who craves those forms enters within and is harmed. When the time of his death drew near and his mind was anxious, he at once consoled himself and thought: I have been able to guard the precepts purely without destruction or transgression; I am one who upholds the precepts, clearly like the yak that loves its tail.

I guard the precepts, like one who covets and obtains the protection of the earth—he is exhorted to guard it. And he spoke a verse, saying:

The coarse and foul of the evil paths

I have already passed beyond.

I meet with a perilous, urgent matter,

Yet I guard the precepts and do not relinquish them.

Like the great ocean sea

That is not lost anywhere,

Now I guard and keep the precepts—

This matter is likewise so.

Having spoken this verse, at that time the gods and good spirits, seeing this Assistant Minister make such a vow, all gave rise to joy. Then the evil demons sought out the consort, and the consort went mad; at once before the king, on account of the demons, she spoke a verse, saying:

I am now ruined and undone,

My very body receives death;

I am wholly a good person—

One should not add to this grief and sorrow.

I met with folly,

My mouth like Mount Sumeru,

Could not be moved.

That one truly has no evil conduct;

I forgot, and gave rise to this doubt.

Then that Assistant Minister, within the flower garden, contemplated departing from evil, and became a Pratyekabuddha, rising up into the void, and his hair fell down. At that time the gods of the Pure Abode offered a kāṣāya robe. Then the gods urged and entreated, saying: We pray you do not forsake us and ascend up to the heavens. Then the Pratyekabuddha spoke the verse as above to reply to the gods, flew to the Snow Mountains, met the various Pratyekabuddhas, again as in the matter above, and spoke it in full.

The Great Minister Candraka (Moon-Beloved) awakened to the conditions with the Pratyekabuddha.

The water of the sea does not overflow in excess;

The yak grasps its tail unto death;

As the nature of the moon is of itself cold,

It cannot turn to become hot;

One who subdues the various faculties

And guards the precepts is likewise so.

This is called: solitary conduct,

Like the rhinoceros without a second.

From of old the Great Masters

Have changed their forms to instruct;

I have from before heard much,

Now I wish to reveal and expound this.

In one age past there was a Pratyekabuddha named Candraka (Moon-Beloved) who, in the place of the Buddha Bhagavat Kāśyapa, planted the various wholesome roots, well cultivating the conduct of the precepts, ever using wisdom to contemplate the aggregates, all of which are impermanent. In the place of that Buddha he did not attain the fruit of the Way of the Śramaṇa, and when his life ended, he was at once reborn in the heavens.

By the power of the good of his former life, he enjoyed the pleasures of the heavens, and when these were exhausted, he returned to be a human, born into the house of an Elder (Gṛhapati) of the country of Campā. When he was first born, he ever relied upon the precepts to cultivate himself. Viewing these wholesome deeds, he surpassed even the seasoned elders, and was moreover not frivolous, nor had any anger.

His wealth and possessions he all gave to provide for the poor, dividing it evenly according to household. He used the precepts as a garland to adorn himself. When his father died, he governed the household in accord with the Dharma.

The people of that city, seeing this loyalty and filial piety, gave rise to deep reverence and faith, as toward their own master. When he reached adulthood, his features were upright. With the young maidens, all who saw him were none who did not love him.

The merchant traders, on account of this loyalty and truthfulness, came to rely upon him.

At that time in the Northern region there were merchants who came by fine carts to the country of Campā, and the king of Campā took away all these carts. The king's mind was cruel and violent, without faith, and did not rely upon the right Dharma. The king thought to himself: I have now obtained many of those carts; how shall it be, that I might obtain these carts without paying a price?

So he gathered with his flattering ministers to discuss this matter. The flattering ministers addressed the king, saying: If you are told to pay the money, the value in the treasury will be drained dry. The king then replied: If I now do not pay the price for them, I shall be an evil person, my name shall be spread throughout the realm, all the people of the land shall be angry with me, and moreover I shall sever relations with the merchant traders of all places, shall I not?

The deceitful ministers again addressed him: For the king's sake we have a plan. Without paying the money, you may yet obtain those carts and horses. And it can also keep the king from bearing ill repute before the people of the land and from being reproached.

At that time within the kingdom there was a Great Minister, Candraka (Moon-Beloved), who, for the sake of all people, manifested a heart of trustworthiness. He came and reported to the king, saying: "I, Candraka, will send gold to assist you, to pay those merchant traders and buy all ten thousand of those carts and horses. For each cart, pay ten thousand strings of cash." If the king believes the words of this Great Minister Candraka to pay those merchants, then the people within the land will surely give rise to doubt and suspicion.

Either they suspect the king; or they suspect Candraka. The king will bear ill repute and need not have it spread abroad. Moreover, it is not for the sake of the people to depart from the evil, and those merchant houses afterward again addressed the king, saying: Return our horses to us so that we may go back home.

The king then replied: Did I not first use Candraka to reward you in such a manner—how then can it be that it is not fitting so? The merchants then replied to the king: This Candraka, from beginning to end, truly did not agree with us upon the price of those horses, yet that loyalty and faithfulness—would he not cast away his very body and life here? In the end he does not speak falsely; his words concern the matter of paying our price.

And they spoke a verse, saying:

Suppose the moon should rain down fire,

The heavens should rain down upon frozen water,

That pressing sand should become oil,

That suppressing water should become vinegar,

That a lotus should be born within fire—

To wish to make Candraka

In any way unloose false speech—

In the end there is none of it here.

Those merchant traders again addressed the king, saying: You are a person amidst heaven and earth—command Candraka, and according to the king's edict let him speak with us. In the end I shall have no anger. Then the king at once summoned Candraka and said: Did you not before, in my presence, promise me that you and you would take money to reward the merchant traders?

The king then glared with his eyes, manifesting a cunning aspect. If you do not follow me, I shall kill you. Then the Minister Candraka knew his own fault and thought thus: From this day on I must speak the true word; for the king's words make me scheme to myself, and because guarding the Dharma-body is superior even to this very body, it is far superior; so I at once decide upon a plan—I would rather cast away this body than ever cast away the body of the precepts and the Dharma.

And he at once spoke a verse, saying:

I now ponder for myself,

Concerning these two bodies,

Which body I should cast away,

Truly contemplating for myself.

Though I should harm this foul and ugly form,

In the end I do not cast away the precepts and discipline.

If I must cast away the Dharma-body,

An ill name shall be handed down and spread.

If into the hands of a good person,

For that one's sake it is maintained;

If I fall into the hands of an evil one,

I myself have no peace or joy.

The mind gives rise to the hot fire of remorse;

Casting away this filthy body,

I shall enter into the realm of hell.

Promising to oneself those precepts,

In the end again there is no peace and joy.

Only for the sake of a little pleasure

To harm many other bodies—

But if one is a keeper of the precepts,

Immeasurable bodies are at peace.

In such a manner I shall act,

Protecting the Dharma-body,

Not letting it be destroyed.

For the sake of benefiting the right Dharma,

I must cut off false speech.

The Great Minister Candraka at once addressed the king, saying: I pray the king bestow grace and not be angry with me. I truly do not recall seeing the king together with that matter of paying the price. Then the king grew angry, drew his sword, and said: Why do you not recall it? The Great Minister Candraka settled his intention again and thought thus:

Rather die for the holy Dharma

Than live through folly.

Of all things that are born,

Who in turn does not die?

If I am now to be slain,

For the Dharma's sake I do not cherish the body,

Resolved to be reborn in the heavens—

Why then should I give rise to fear?

To reply to the king's words: even should the king command that this body be cut into small pieces, I am resolved still to guard the precepts and not cast them away. At that time I stand amidst the Sages and Holy Ones. If I use this tongue to speak words that are not true, then I cannot speak them.

If I now, for the sake of the king, commit false speech and fall into hell, what is there to rely upon? The king at that time, both ashamed and angered redoubled, and the king's eyes were as if burning. Yet the mind of Candraka at that time was exceedingly joyful, and at the very moment I gave rise to settled intention, and at that time it was also the time of guarding the Dharma, so in whatever land, wishing to seek to hear the Dharma, and this very day here it is for my sake that the Dharma is expounded, and I have for the Dharma's sake cast away body and life.

The king is now toward me exceedingly affectionate. Thus mindful of the Dharma, he at once awakened and became a Pratyekabuddha, using his body to fly up into the void, and made those who break the precepts, seeing this, all give rise to shame and conscience. For those who cultivate the wholesome, he increased their faith.

For those who speak the true word, he manifested the true fruit. In the void his hair then fell down, and at that time the gods of the Pure Abode offered a kāṣāya robe, and he flew to the Fragrant Mountain (Gandhamādana) together with the other Pratyekabuddhas, dwelling together in one place, and then spoke the verse as above.

The Treatise on the Causes and Conditions of the Pratyekabuddhas.

End of the upper scroll.