福力太子因緣經

Thus King Puṇyabala held sovereignty and reigned to the very ends of Jambudvīpa, his majestic might lofty and supreme, his realm prosperous, mighty, and free. King Puṇyabala bestowed jewels and wealth upon all his people, and by means of the Dharma of the Ten Wholesome Deeds he taught, transformed, and guided them. At that time the people of Jambudvīpa flourished, dwelling in peace, joy, and happiness, without strife or enmity against enemy forces, without theft, without famine or thirst or disease; nor were there any who were destitute or in want.

Everyone possessed full and precious treasuries, had many kinsfolk, and enjoyed sovereign ease according to their wishes. Moreover, in all places the thorns, brambles, stones, and gravel naturally vanished entirely; there was no foul weather, and the rain and dew brought their moistening nourishment. Flowers and fruits grew in abundance, and grain filled the fields.

The people all knew how to increase their merit and might: they practiced giving and all meritorious deeds, their minds and intentions pure, upholding and cultivating moral discipline. When the people of Jambudvīpa came to the end of their lives, they were all reborn in the heaven of the Four Great Heavenly Kings. King Puṇyabala opened forth the roots of goodness in all people of this present age and of ages to come, bringing great benefit; and countless thousands of people, after passing away, were reborn in the Tuṣita Heaven.

The Buddha said to the bhikṣus:

"You should know that this King Puṇyabala was no stranger; he is none other than Myself. When I was still a bodhisattva I was King Puṇyabala. The royal father, King Cakṣurbala, is now King Śuddhodana; the queen Vipulaprabhā is now Queen Māyā. The youth endowed with perfect physical form is now the bhikṣu Ānanda; the youth endowed with perfect diligence is now the bhikṣu Śroṇa-koṭīviṃśa; the youth endowed with perfect craftsmanship is now the bhikṣu Aniruddha; the youth endowed with perfect wisdom is now the bhikṣu Śāriputra; the lord of devas, Śakra, at that time is now the bhikṣu Maudgalyāyana; the king of that other country who was about to die is now Māra; the poor man is now the bhikṣu Rāhula;

"the physician who was punished by the king is now the bhikṣu Kauṇḍinya.

"O bhikṣus, for this reason you should know that at all times and in all moments sentient beings should cultivate this supreme practice of meritorious might. Therefore I first expound the merit and might, for I see no other small dharma whose cultivation yields benefits as great as this."

At that time the bhikṣus all gave rise to doubt and addressed the Buddha:

"World-Honored One, what practices did King Puṇyabala cultivate in his former lives that he came to experience this recompense—becoming a king who ruled over many countries, possessing full renown, supreme majestic virtue, and enjoying the merits of both gods and humans? Whatever necessities he required, merely by thinking of them all appeared as he wished, falling down from the sky. At his birth the earth quaked, precious objects fell from the sky onto the lion throne, Śakra offered a parasol, and a treasury of jewels appeared. How did such things come to be? We beg the Buddha to explain it for us."

The Buddha said:

"O bhikṣus, King Puṇyabala cultivated and accumulated merit over many lifetimes; his vast vows and practices, joined with the power of the various conditions, made it certain that he would receive this supreme recompense of merit.

"O bhikṣus, you should know that all the deeds performed by sentient beings come about through no other than the various conditions; nor are they apart from the elements of earth, water, fire, and wind being bound together; and whether wholesome or unwholesome, they all arise as deeds in accordance with the aggregates, the sense bases, and the elements."

The Buddha spoke this verse:

"Though a hundred kalpas pass,

The causes of deeds do not perish;

When causes and conditions converge,

Sentient beings receive their fruits accordingly."

"O bhikṣus, I recall a distant past kalpa long ago, when a Buddha appeared in the world named Ajita Tathāgata, the Worthy One, the Perfectly Enlightened One, Perfect in Knowledge and Conduct, the Well-Gone One, the Knower of the World, the Unsurpassed One, the Tamer of Men, the Teacher of Gods and Humans, the Buddha, the World-Honored One. After this Buddha had everywhere accomplished the work of a Buddha throughout the world, at last, in a certain country, he entered the great parinirvāṇa without remainder, like firewood exhausted and the flame gone out. The king of that country gathered the relics of his body and built a great precious stūpa to make offerings to them.

"Afterward the assembly of bhikṣus beat the drums, struck the gaṇḍī, and sounded the conch to announce it to the whole assembly. Hundreds of thousands, countless bhikṣus gathered together in one place, and a great Dharma master, on this auspicious day, expounded for all the essentials of the Dharma.

"At that time there was in the country a gambler named Vijaya, who was deeply addicted to games of dice and gambling. His wife was named Vipulajaya, and his son bore the same name. At first this man gathered up his family's wealth and used it for gambling, so that his riches and possessions gradually passed into the hands of others, until in the end his entire estate was squandered away. He was left with only two cloaks, a parasol, a pair of leather sandals that he commonly used, and five gold coins.

"One day this man suddenly said:

"'It is because I have created no causes of merit that I have come to such poverty and suffering.'

"Having said this, he lamented and took those things out of his house, and one by one he asked the gamblers the way to the place where the Dharma was being expounded.

"Vijaya saw the great Dharma master seated upon the lion throne, with many people sitting all around, reverently joining their palms and listening to the Dharma. Seeing this beautiful sight, he gave rise to a pure mind and thought: 'Now I too will listen to the Dharma in this way.' Vijaya then set down the things he had brought in one place, joined his palms, and with utmost sincerity listened to the exposition of the Dharma. At that time the Dharma master spoke this verse:

"One should cultivate the causes of merit,

Practicing thus without interruption;

According to one's liking, doing so in due season,

By accumulating merit one gains peace and joy.

"Vijaya heard the verse and pondered the line 'By accumulating merit one gains peace and joy': 'For a long time I have created no causes of merit, and so I have come to poverty and suffering. Now I should, according to my ability, perform some small deed of merit.' But again he thought: 'My estate and wealth—nothing remains but the things on my person; among them I have five gold coins and one cloak. If I were to give these away in charity, I would have to consider one as poor as a man so destitute that he wishes to take his own life.

Yet if I do not give, I shall forever ruin the cause of merit, and in another life I shall have nothing to rely upon. Now what means can I use to depart from poverty and suffering, to preserve my body and life in this present existence, while cultivating meritorious deeds without losing this supreme cause? Now I would rather endure hunger and poverty so as to gain abundant merit; therefore I shall give away the gold coins and the cloak.'

"While Vijaya was thinking thus, the Dharma master again spoke a verse:

"Wholesome dharmas should be swiftly cultivated,

For thus one can eliminate the burdens of sin and karma;

Thus should one cultivate the cause of supreme merit,

For all sinful deeds bring no peace or joy.

"Vijaya again heard this verse and pondered its words, 'Swiftly cultivate wholesome dharmas,' and resolved to do this deed. Thereupon he aroused a pure mind of giving: he took the parasol and held it over the head of the Dharma master, took the sandals and placed them beneath the Dharma master's feet, spread the five gold coins beside the seat, and draped the cloak over the body of the Dharma master. In his heart Vijaya was filled with boundless joy and felt a soaring exhilaration. He bowed his head at the master's feet, and his pure faith grew all the more, and he made this vow:

"'I vow, by this supreme root of goodness in giving, that in this life and forever after, life after life, I may possess great and supreme meritorious might, possess great renown, enjoy the merits of gods and humans, possess lofty majestic virtue, and become king of many countries. Whatever I need, let that thing appear in accordance with my thought, fine and full and inexhaustible.'

"When Vijaya had made this vast vow, the Dharma master then dedicated the merit to him.

"At that time the gambler departed from the assembly. With only the garment covering his body, he returned home. His wife and son were astonished when they saw him, thinking: 'Earlier he took the household goods out with him; he has probably gambled them all away.' So the wife asked: 'Husband, in our house now there remain only myself and our little child; besides us there is nothing left at all. Are we then about to die as well?'

"The husband, all the more oppressed by poverty and misery, then steadied his mind and, on account of this occasion, spoke a verse:

"In the world no suffering exceeds the suffering of poverty;

The suffering of poverty is the same as the suffering of death.

I would rather willingly endure the suffering of death

Than be content to live with the suffering of poverty.

"Having spoken the verse, Vijaya stood there sighing. Afterward his wife took a vessel out to the well; though she drew up the water, she used all her strength yet could not pull it up. The wife called her husband to come and see; the two of them together, with all their strength, still could not pull it up, so they called their son. Only when all three exerted their full strength did they raise it up a little, and they were utterly astonished to see beneath the vessel three iron tubes filled with gold coins, stacked one upon another. The husband was amazed and thought: 'Could it be that this is the fruit of the giving I performed earlier?' Joyfully he gazed upon those gold coins and spoke a verse:

"How wondrous—merit manifests in this very place;

All transgressions are completely extinguished.

What is gained now was planted before;

Thus should one know that recompense is just like this.

"Vijaya's wife joyfully asked:

"'Husband, how have such wonderful things come about? Please tell me clearly.'

"Vijaya told his wife everything. After that, whenever he gambled he always won, for his meritorious might had opened forth and he now received this recompense. Thereupon his fame resounded everywhere, and all the people in the country said to one another:

"'How rare indeed is this special great merit—he has suddenly become wealthy and at ease.'

"From then on Vijaya turned toward the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Saṅgha, giving rise to pure faith even greater than before. Day after day, at the Buddha's stūpa, he made vast offerings, and he also cultivated and upheld the true Dharma. Each day Vijaya offered fine and choice food in offering to the Saṅgha.

Furthermore, the śramaṇas, brāhmaṇas, and beggars by the roadside were also fully supplied by Vijaya with all that they needed. He also established a vast monastery and invited bhikṣus from everywhere to come and dwell there so that he might serve and make offerings to them. Thus Vijaya's fame spread far to every place.

After this the king of that country suddenly died, leaving no heir to succeed him. The close ministers and the kinsfolk, knowing that this man possessed great meritorious might and great renown, conferred among themselves and then earnestly invited and entreated him to succeed to the royal throne. Thus the name 'gambler' was no more, and instead everyone honored him with the title Great King Vijaya.

"King Vijaya, having attained such an outcome, with a joyful heart aroused a fervent resolve and performed meritorious deeds and giving even more abundantly than before. He cultivated and upheld moral discipline, and after fostering the causes of merit for all his officials and soldiers, his kinsfolk, and all the people, when his life came to an end he was reborn in the Paranirmita-vaśavartin Heaven as a son of that Heavenly King. When he was reborn in heaven, King Vijaya had supreme and marvelous wish-fulfilling jewels and garments fall down to him from the sky, and his body radiated a light that outshone the light of all the other devas. The devas who saw this phenomenon were all amazed and praised it, saying that such a fruit of supreme merit was rare indeed.

"The Buddha said to the bhikṣus:

"'You should know that King Vijaya was no stranger; he is none other than King Puṇyabala of whom I spoke earlier. That man was at first a gambler, yet he was able to arouse a joyful mind that delighted in hearing the Dharma, and he gave all that he possessed to the Dharma master. Therefore in the present he received the supreme recompense, succeeded to the throne of a king, and opened forth the causes of merit.

By this causal condition, for twenty-six lifetimes he was the Heavenly King of the Paranirmita-vaśavartin Heaven; for thirty-six lifetimes the Heavenly King of the Nirmāṇarati Heaven; for thirty-six lifetimes the Heavenly King of the Tuṣita Heaven; for thirty-six lifetimes the Heavenly King of the Yāma Heaven; for thirty-six lifetimes the Heavenly King of the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven; for thirty-six lifetimes the Heavenly King of the Four Great Kings; and for countless hundreds of lifetimes he was a Golden-Wheel-Turning King, governing and transforming all four continents by the true Dharma, complete with the seven treasures—namely, the precious wheel, the precious elephant, the precious horse, the precious jewel, the precious woman, the treasure-master minister, and the army-master minister.

Such seven treasures he enjoyed at will.

"'The king had a thousand sons, of most beautiful form, valiant and strong, diligent, able to subdue all other armies. From the ends of the sky and the corners of the sea throughout all the lands there were no terrors, no theft, no swords or staves; everyone cultivated the true Dharma and dwelt in joy and peace.'

"At that time the World-Honored One spoke verses for the bhikṣus:

"Such victorious ones, great beings as these,

For many lifetimes are sovereigns supreme;

Because the Buddha gathers them up within the world—

This is what the Buddhas have ever taught.

"If one can hear of it, this is a rare event:

This vast causal condition of spiritual power;

A person who has done evil deeds still gives rise to faith,

While those who have wisdom have not yet awakened.

"Therefore such a thing is most rare;

The one of great majestic virtue answers what is sought.

You should honor the gateway of the true Dharma,

And ever remember and reflect upon the words the Buddha taught.

"The Buddha said to the bhikṣus:

"'What I have taught, you should cultivate and learn in just this way. Therefore you should ever be diligent and delight in the true Dharma, honoring, revering, faithfully serving, and making offerings to it. Whatever you do, take this as your support. One who studies and practices in this way gains great benefit.'

"When the Buddha had finished speaking this sūtra, the bhikṣus and all the people who heard the Buddha's teaching were greatly delighted, and they faithfully received it and put it into practice."