Section Two: The Past Cause of Śāmīvatī
Heard like this.
At one time, the Buddha was at the Great Anavatapta Spring together with five hundred great bhikṣus. They were all Arhats, possessing the six supernormal powers, with only one bhikṣu as an exception, namely Ānanda.
At that time, the Buddha told Śāriputra, “In the extremely distant past, ninety-one kalpas ago, there was then a king named Eloquent, and the city where he dwelt was called Made by Eloquent. In the city there was a brahmin named Yañjoda. He delighted in learning and was widely knowledgeable. He was proficient in external learning, the three collections of scriptures, astronomy, prophetic charts, divination by signs, and the arts. He understood the seven kinds of books and the teachings of the heterodox paths. He had deep understanding of all kinds of doctrinal principles, and he was familiar with worldly classics, thirty kinds in all. He constantly taught five hundred sons of noble families. There was also a brahmin named Brahma, who was extremely wealthy and possessed riches, elephants, horses, the seven treasures, attendants, and servants. His wife was named Melodious. She was beautiful beyond compare, foremost in appearance, gentle in character, and without a jealous mind. Yañjoda took Brahma as his dānapati, and Melodious made offerings to Yañjoda, providing him with food and drink, clothing and bedding, sleeping implements, and medicines.
“At that time there was a Pratyekabuddha named Studious. He came into the city, holding his robe and carrying his alms bowl, preparing to seek alms. By chance he arrived at the gate of Brahma’s house. Melodious saw the Pratyekabuddha. He was dressed neatly, his deportment was dignified, and his six faculties were pure. Her heart was very joyful, and she immediately invited him and made offerings to him, saying, ‘From now on, your clothing and bedding, food and drink, sleeping implements, and medicines will all be provided by me. Please accept my offerings.’ Melodious then gave him abundant food and filled his alms bowl. The Pratyekabuddha received the alms bowl, rose into the air, circled seven times in the sky, and then flew back to his dwelling place. When the people in the city saw this supernormal power, they said, ‘The country has such a holy person. We are blessed.’ Throughout the whole country, high and low alike rejoiced, and they made offerings without weariness.
“Melodious made more and more offerings to the Pratyekabuddha, while her offerings to Yañjoda gradually decreased. Yañjoda felt that he was being neglected and that the treatment given to the Pratyekabuddha had improved, and so a mind of jealousy and slander arose in him. He said, ‘This practitioner in fact has no virtue of precepts. Why? Because he has engaged in impure conduct with Melodious. Because of this, she treats him with special favor.’ Yañjoda said to his five hundred disciples, ‘This practitioner has violated the precepts and lacks diligent cultivation. Each of you should return home and proclaim, “This practitioner has no pure conduct. He is involved with Melodious.”’ The disciples answered, ‘Yes. Just as the teacher says, this practitioner truly has a mind of lust.’ The five hundred disciples accepted his instruction, entered the city, and went along the streets and lanes proclaiming, ‘This practitioner has a mind of lust and is involved with Melodious.’ The people of the country became doubtful about this, saying, ‘Could one who has such supernormal power of movement truly have such a stain upon his name?’ This rumor was not clarified until seven years had passed. Later, the Pratyekabuddha displayed eighteen kinds of supernormal transformations and entered Nirvāṇa. Only then did the people understand that Yañjoda’s words were false and that the Pratyekabuddha was pure.”
The Buddha said to Śāriputra, “Do you know who Yañjoda was at that time? He was I myself. Brahma at that time is King Udayana now. Melodious at that time is Śāmīvatī now. The five hundred Youths at that time are the five hundred Arhats now.”
The Buddha said to Śāriputra, “At that time, because I lost offerings, a jealous mind arose in me, and together with you I slandered the Pratyekabuddha. For this reason, you and I together fell into hell and underwent endless suffering. Because of the residual effect of this, even though I have now accomplished the fruit of Buddhahood, I still undergo Śāmīvatī’s slander.”
At that time, the Buddha recited a verse concerning the causes and effects of former lives:
“In the past I was a brahmin, widely learned in the four collections of scriptures of the heterodox paths.
I dwelt in a tree grove, teaching five hundred youths.
There was a Pratyekabuddha, pure and endowed with supernormal power.
When I saw that he received offerings, I slandered him without cause,
And turned to tell the youths,‘The practitioner’s conduct is impure.’
When I said these words, the Youths were all delighted.
After the Youths heard them, they went throughout all the streets and lanes,
Speaking to the people, ‘The practitioner has committed impure conduct.’
Because of such causes and conditions, we suffered in hell for a long time.
You and I all underwent endless pain.
Because of this residual cause and condition, you five hundred people
Were slandered by Śāmīvatī.
I am now in my final life, having accomplished the unsurpassed Buddha Way,
Yet I have undergone Śāmīvatī’s slander.
I myself have become the honored Buddha, the great General of the three realms.
Therefore I speak of the causes and conditions of former lives here in the Great Anavatapta Spring.”
The Buddha said to Śāriputra, “Look at me, the Tathāgata. All evil actions have already been eliminated, and all good actions have already been fulfilled. I can deliver devas, nāgas, ghosts and spirits, emperors, ministers, and people. Flying insects and crawling worms can all obtain deliverance and reach the peaceful state of the unconditioned. Although I have such merit, I still cannot completely avoid the causes and conditions of former lives. How much more so, then, for those foolish people who have not yet attained the Way?”
The Buddha said to Śāriputra, “You should learn this, and the other Arhats and all sentient beings should all learn these things.”
The Buddha said to Śāriputra, “You should protect the three precepts of the body, the four precepts of speech, and the three precepts of the mind. Śāriputra, you should learn these.”
When the Buddha spoke these words, Śāriputra, the five hundred Arhats, the great nāga king Anavatapta, devas, nāgas, ghosts and spirits, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kiṃnaras, and mahoragas, having heard the Buddha’s teaching, all accepted it with great joy and practiced it.
Dharma Torch 