Dharma Torch

Section Six: The Past Cause of the Wooden Spear Piercing the Foot

Heard like this.

At one time, when the Buddha was at the Bamboo Grove Monastery in the city of Rājagṛha, one morning the World-Honored One put on his robe and took up his alms bowl. Together with the great Sangha of bhikṣus, five hundred in number, and Ānanda, he entered the city to seek alms by begging. Along the path where they were begging, there was a broken piece of wood of hard texture, one foot and two inches long, lying scattered by the roadside. When the World-Honored One passed by, the broken wood stood before the Buddha like a wooden spear. The Buddha then thought, “This is a former condition. It is what I myself have done, and now I should bear the retribution.” When the people heard and saw this, they gathered around to watch, and they all felt greatly astonished. The Buddha further thought, “I will now manifest the repayment of the cause and effect of former conditions, so that the great assembly may deeply believe in cause and effect and not dare to commit evil.”

Thereupon, the Buddha leapt up into the midst of empty space, rising one blade-height above the ground, and the wooden spear also pursued the Buddha, rose one blade-height, and stood before the Buddha. The Buddha again rose two blade-heights, three blade-heights, four blade-heights, up to seven blade-heights, and the spear also followed upward to seven blade-heights. The World-Honored One again rose upward to the height of one tāla tree, and the spear also rose to the height of one tāla tree; up to when the Buddha rose to the height of seven tāla trees, seven li, ten li, one yojana, and seven yojanas, the spear likewise followed him upward in every case, always standing before the Buddha.

In the air, the Buddha transformed and created blue stone six yojanas thick and twelve yojanas in length and breadth. The Buddha stood upon the thick blue stone, and the spear pierced through the stone and came out, standing before the Buddha. Again, in the air, the Buddha transformed and manifested a great body of water, twelve yojanas in length and breadth and six yojanas deep. The Buddha stood upon the water, and the wooden spear also passed through the water and stood before the Buddha. Again, the Buddha transformed and manifested a vast flame, twelve yojanas in length and breadth and six yojanas high. The Buddha stood upon the flame, and the wooden spear still passed through the flame and stood before the Buddha. Again, the Buddha transformed and manifested a great whirlwind, twelve yojanas in length and breadth and six yojanas high, and stood upon the wind. The wooden spear then came slanting from the side and stood before the Buddha.

The Buddha further ascended and dwelt in the palace of the Four Heavenly Kings, and the spear also ascended to the palace of the Four Heavenly Kings and stood before the Buddha. The Buddha again ascended to the Heaven of the Thirty-Three. On the wall above there was a lapis-lazuli stone one yojana square. The Buddha stood upon the lapis-lazuli stone, and the spear also pursued him there and stood before the Buddha. After the Buddha departed, the Four Heavenly Kings said to one another, “The Buddha fears this spear, yet this spear pursues him without letting go.” All were displeased and went away. In the same way, when the Buddha arrived at the Heaven of Yāma, Tuṣita Heaven, Heaven of Joy Emanation, Heaven of Mastery over Others’ Emanations, and Brahmā Heaven, the wooden spear also pursued him there and stood before the Buddha. All the devas discussed this with one another, saying, “The Buddha fears this spear and flees from it, yet this spear pursues him without letting go.”

The World-Honored One then spoke to Brahmā Heaven of his own former condition. The World-Honored One, in order, descended one by one from Brahmā Heaven, Heaven of Mastery over Others’ Emanations, Heaven of Joy Emanation, Tuṣita Heaven, Heaven of Yāma, Heaven of the Thirty-Three, the Four Heavenly Kings, and the other heavens. In each heaven through which he passed, he explained to them his own former condition, until he reached the city of Rājagṛha. The wooden spear also pursued him downward, and the Buddha also explained to the people of Rājagṛha the cause and effect of his own former-life conditions.

The Buddha and the Sangha of bhikṣus left the city, intending to return to the monastery. The wooden spear also followed behind the Buddha, and the people also followed the Buddha out of the city. The Buddha asked the assembly, “Where do you wish to go?”

The people answered, “We wish to follow the Tathāgata to investigate these causes and conditions.”

The Buddha told the people, “Each of you should return home. The Tathāgata himself knows the proper time.”

Ānanda asked the Buddha, “Why does the Tathāgata send the people back home?”

The Buddha told Ānanda, “If the people see the condition of my repaying former conditions, they will certainly faint and fall to the ground.” Ānanda remained silent and did not speak.

The World-Honored One returned to the Bamboo Grove Monastery and immediately ordered the bhikṣus each to return to his own room. Thereupon, each of the bhikṣus received the instruction and returned to his room.

Ānanda asked the Buddha, “What about me?”

The Buddha said, “You also must return to your room.” Thereupon Ānanda also went back.

The World-Honored One alone reflected in his dwelling place, “This is a former condition from my past. I myself created evil karma, and I must repay it.” He then took his great robe, folded it into four layers, sat upright on his seat, and composed his body properly. Then the Buddha stretched out his right foot, and the wooden spear pierced through the top of his foot and passed through the sole. It then pierced into the floor, gradually passed through the earth disk, which was sixty-eight thousand yojanas deep, and the water disk, which was sixty-eight thousand yojanas deep, and then reached the fire disk, which was sixty-eight thousand yojanas high. Only then was the wooden spear burned away by the fire of the fire disk. At that time, the great earth shook in six ways. Ānanda and the bhikṣus each thought in their own minds, “Now this great earth is shaking. The wooden spear must surely have pierced and wounded the Buddha’s foot.”

The pain of the Buddha’s foot being pierced was bitter pain, sharp pain, aching pain, breath-cutting pain, and other intense pains. Ānanda went to the Buddha’s dwelling place to visit him. When he saw the wound where the Buddha’s foot had been pierced through by the spear, he immediately fainted and fell to the ground. The Buddha sprinkled water on Ānanda, causing Ānanda to awaken. Ānanda rose, bowed his head at the Buddha’s feet, rubbed the Buddha’s foot, and, weeping without ceasing, said, “With this foot, the Buddha went beneath the tree and subdued Māra, and ascended to the Heaven of the Thirty-Three to speak the Dharma for his mother. The World-Honored One’s body is like vajra. By what causes and conditions has it been wounded in this way by so small a piece of wood?”

The Buddha told Ānanda, “Stop. Do not grieve and weep any further. The causes and conditions and fruits of retribution in the world turn through birth and death, and therefore there is this suffering and affliction.”

Ānanda asked the Buddha, “Is your foot wound now better, or is the pain greater?”

The Buddha told Ānanda, “It is gradually becoming better.”

Śāriputra and the Sangha of bhikṣus came to where the Buddha was. After bowing their heads at the Buddha’s feet, they stood to one side. Śāriputra asked the Buddha, “World-Honored One, is your wound more painful, or is it better?”

The Buddha told Śāriputra, “The pain of the wound has gradually lessened.”

Among the assembly of bhikṣus, those practitioners whose afflictions had not yet been exhausted saw the condition of the wound, and all grieved and cried out, saying, “The World-Honored One of great loving-kindness and great compassion saves and delivers all sentient beings. How could there be such a painful condition?”

The Buddha told the bhikṣus, “Do not weep any further. This is an evil condition I created in a past life. I must bear it myself. There is nowhere that cause and effect can be avoided. This resentment was not created by my father or my mother, nor was it created by a king, nor by devas, nor by śramaṇas or brahmins. It was created by me myself, and now I must bear it myself.” Among them were bhikṣus whose outflows were already exhausted and who were complete in supernormal power. Hearing the Buddha say this, each silently reflected on the verse the Buddha had spoken in the past:

“The actions done by people in the world, whether good deeds or evil deeds,

These actions return to one’s own body, and in the end do not decay or perish.”

When Jīvaka heard that the Buddha had been pierced by the wooden spear, he went weeping to the residence of King Ajātaśatru. Ajātaśatru asked, “Why are you weeping?”

Jīvaka answered, “I have heard that the Buddha’s foot has been pierced by a wooden spear, and therefore I weep in sorrow.”

When King Ajātaśatru heard these words, he fell from his couch-seat to the ground and fainted. Only after a long while did he awaken. The entire palace, inside and outside, was also shocked and alarmed. The king rose, wept in sorrow, and commanded the ministers, “Prepare a carriage immediately. I wish to go to where the Buddha is.” King Ajātaśatru immediately took Jīvaka and the ministers, left the city of Rājagṛha, and came to the Bamboo Grove Monastery.

The clans of the four castes in the city and the faithful lay devotees heard that the Buddha had been pierced by a wooden spear. Together with the king, Jīvaka, and these people, they went by the hundreds and thousands, surrounding one another, to the place where the Buddha was. After they arrived, King Ajātaśatru descended from his carriage, removed his crown, untied his sword, dismissed the parasol-canopy, and entered on foot to visit the Buddha. The Buddha was lying on his right side. After Ajātaśatru bowed to the Buddha, he held the Buddha’s foot in his hands and gently rubbed it, announcing his country and name, “Ajātaśatru, king of the land of Magadha, inquires after the World-Honored One. Has the pain in your foot become better?”

The Buddha said to King Ajātaśatru, “May the great king always have peace and security, long life, and freedom from illness. Great king, you should govern the country with the Right Dharma, and you should not practice what is contrary to Dharma.” The Buddha then asked the king to sit down, and the king sat down.

After the king had taken his seat, he asked the Buddha, “From the Tathāgata’s teaching, I know that the Buddha’s body is like vajra and cannot be destroyed. Why now has it been so severely wounded by a wooden spear?”

The Buddha told the king, “All dharmas have causes and conditions. Although my body is like vajra and cannot be damaged by a wooden spear, it can be damaged by resentment from former lives.”

At that time, the World-Honored One spoke a verse:

“What people in the world have done, each sees according to his actions.

Doing good, one obtains good retribution; doing evil, one obtains evil retribution.”

“Therefore, great king, one should abandon all evil dharmas and practice all good dharmas. If one lacks wisdom and cannot recognize a person who has truly entered the noble path, but instead mocks and despises him, then for this offense of contempt, in a later life one will cry out and weep while undergoing retribution. Therefore, great king, you should remind yourself not to mock others and create offenses. You should learn in this way.”

The great king told Jīvaka, “Prepare the finest prescription and treat the Buddha’s wound, making certain that the foot wound would heal as quickly as possible.”

Jīvaka said, “I obey.” Jīvaka then bowed to the Buddha, washed the Buddha’s foot, applied a wondrous medicine for generating new flesh, and reverently recited a pain-stilling spell. Jīvaka further wrapped the Buddha’s foot in precious woolen cloth, rubbed the foot with his hands, and sincerely made this vow: “May the Buddha have long life into old age, and may this affliction soon be removed. May all sentient beings also be liberated from the suffering of the long night.” Then he rose, bowed to the Buddha, and stood to one side.

The Buddha then spoke the Dharma of the Four Truths for King Ajātaśatru and the assembled multitude: “What are the Four Truths? The Truth of Suffering, the Truth of Origination, the Truth of Cessation, and the Truth of the Path. These are the Four Truths.” When he spoke these Four Truths, sixty bhikṣus attained the exhaustion of outflows and the opening of mind and understanding; eleven thousand people attained the purity of the Dharma eye.

King Ajātaśatru then took his leave, saying, “World-Honored One, I still have affairs of state. At this moment I wish first to take my leave.”

The Buddha said, “Good. Now is the proper time.”

The king then rose, bowed his head at the Buddha’s feet, circumambulated the Buddha three times, and returned. The assembled multitude who accompanied him also each bowed to the Buddha, circumambulated the Buddha three times, and returned.

At midnight that day, seven devas came to where the Buddha was, bowed their heads at the Buddha’s feet, circumambulated the couch once, and stood there. One deva said to the Buddha, “Gautama the śramaṇa, like a lion that has been wounded, can endure extreme suffering and pain without speaking of it to others.”

Another deva said, “Gautama the śramaṇa, like an elephant that has been wounded, can endure extreme suffering and pain without speaking of it to others.”

One deva said, “Gautama the śramaṇa, like a humped bull when it bellows, does not feel suffering and pain.”

Another deva said, “Gautama the śramaṇa, like a water buffalo when it bellows, does not feel suffering and pain.”

One deva said, “Gautama the śramaṇa, like the eight-armed deva king when wounded, can endure extreme suffering and pain.”

One deva said, “Gautama the śramaṇa, like a precious horse when wounded, does not feel suffering and pain.”

Another deva said, “Gautama the śramaṇa, because his mind is awakened and pure, does not feel suffering and pain.”

The first deva said, “Buddha, you are the lion among humans, the elephant among humans, the humped bull among humans, the water buffalo among humans, the eight-armed deva king among humans, the precious horse among humans, and the one among humans who examines truth with purity. Because of this, the World-Honored One can endure this extremely great suffering and pain. Ordinary people only force themselves to endure pain, but the World-Honored One, through wisdom, carefully examines the true character of reality and thereby understands suffering and pain. Those of the heterodox paths and brahmins who have passed middle age, become lax in cultivation, are attached to love, and take wives, yet hope to gain liberation from the sea of suffering, cannot be delivered, because their methods of cultivation are not ultimate. The Tathāgata’s teaching is pure and ultimate. It cuts off all desire, extinguishes afflictions, and realizes Nirvāṇa. Only this can carry one across the defiled sea of afflictions in the three realms to the other shore. Why is this so? Because those who cultivate according to the Tathāgata’s teaching have minds rightly concentrated, and through the Dharma of the Four Truths attain Nirvāṇa.”

The deva then praised him in verse:

“Fierce in nature, hard to subdue, foolish and doubtful, without firm wisdom,

One’s resolve wasted away like dew in the wild, one cannot cross the abyss of birth and death.

Firm wisdom removes fierceness and folly; when the mind is regulated, all kinds of bonds are released.

When one’s resolve is calm, without madness or delusion, this is the way to cross the great sea of birth and death.”

After the deva had spoken the verse, the Buddha silently assented. Seeing that the Buddha was silent, the devas knew that he had given approval. They then bowed their heads at the Buddha’s feet, circumambulated the Buddha three times, and in an instant vanished.

In the early morning, the Buddha told Śāriputra, “In the past, countless asaṃkhyeya kalpas ago, in the land of Benares, there were two merchant caravans, each with five hundred people. Each gathered funds and planned to prepare ships to cross the sea. After all the equipment was ready, they raised their sails and went out to sea. Riding the wind, they traveled onward and reached an island. The island was rich in produce. Everything needed for food, clothing, dwelling, and travel was fully present, and there were also various assorted treasures and lovely maidens. The leader of one merchant caravan said to his members, ‘We have worked hard to gather wealth and have crossed the ocean to come here. What we sought has already been obtained. We may dwell in this place and amuse ourselves with the five pleasures.’ The leader of the second merchant caravan said to his members, ‘Although this place is rich in many treasures, and the five pleasures, maidens, clothing, and food are lacking in nothing, we should return to our homeland and should not remain here for long.’”

“At that time, a heavenly maiden in the air, out of compassion for these merchants, and in order to let them fulfill the wishes in their hearts, obtain much wealth, and return to their homeland, told the merchants from the air, ‘Although this place has riches, the five pleasures, maidens, clothing and bedding, and food and drink, it is not suitable to remain here for long. You should leave this place early and return to your homeland, because after seven days this place will be submerged by seawater.’ After the heavenly maiden had spoken, she disappeared. Then a Māra heavenly maiden, wishing to cause these merchants to perish there, said from the air, ‘You need not worry about a water disaster. This is a place of happiness. This place will not be flooded. If it were to be flooded, how could there be these treasures, food and drink, clothing and bedding, maidens, the five pleasures, and the like? What the previous deva said, that seawater will submerge this place, is not true. Please do not believe it.’ After she had spoken, she disappeared.

“The first merchant leader did not believe the heavenly maiden, but believed the Māra maiden. He said to his group, ‘Do not believe the words of the first devi. Those words are deceptive. Here the pleasures of the five desires are complete and lack nothing. In our homeland, we labored painfully all our lives only in the hope of obtaining these pleasures. Now we have already obtained them. Why should we leave again?’ The second merchant leader believed the heavenly maiden’s counsel and told his company, ‘All of you should not covet the five pleasures and remain here for long. After seven days, seawater will submerge this place. Everyone should first make haste to prepare, inspect, and arrange the ships. The words spoken by the first devi were sincere and not false. Even if, after seven days, it is not flooded by water, we should still leave. How could we covet the pleasures of this place and abandon our fathers, mothers, and wives? If after seven days it is not flooded by water, all of you may also amuse yourselves with the five pleasures and then leave. If it is flooded by water, all of us will already have prepared everything properly, and it will not be difficult to leave safely.’”

“After seven days, as the first devi had said, seawater submerged that place. Because the second merchant leader had already prepared everything properly, he immediately led his group onto the ship. Because the first merchant leader had made no preparations earlier, on the day when the seawater submerged the place, he forcibly seized the ship of the second merchant caravan. In order to protect his company, the shipmaster put on armor and took up a staff, and he fought with the first merchant leader. On the ship, the second merchant leader used an awl-like spear to pierce the top of the first merchant leader’s foot and pierced through the sole. Because of this severe wound, the first merchant leader died.”

The Buddha told Śāriputra, “Do you know who the first merchant leader was? He was Devadatta. The second merchant leader who pierced the first merchant leader with a sharp spear-awl was my past body. The five hundred people of the first merchant caravan at that time are Devadatta’s five hundred disciples now. The five hundred people of the second merchant caravan at that time are the five hundred Arhats now. The first heavenly maiden at that time was Śāriputra. The second heavenly maiden at that time is the present brahmin disciple, the bhikṣu Full Moon.”

“When in the past I was a merchant leader, because I fought with another merchant leader over a ship, I used a sharp iron spear to wound his foot, causing his death. Because of this cause and condition, for countless thousands of years I fell into hell and suffered. In hell, countless thousands of times I was pierced by iron spears. Again, for countless thousands of years, I fell into the animal destiny and was shot and killed by people with iron spears. Again, for countless thousands of years, among hungry ghosts, I climbed the iron spike tree. Now I have become a Buddha, and although I have obtained the Tathāgata’s vajra body, I still cannot avoid the residual calamity of former conditions. Therefore today I was pierced by the wooden spear.

At that time, the Buddha spoke a verse concerning the causes and conditions of his own former lives:

“In a former life I was a merchant caravan leader, sailing by ship upon the sea.

Two merchants fought over a ship, and I used a spear to wound one man’s foot.

Because of this, in hell I endured the pain of being pierced.

As an animal I was often shot and killed by people; as a hungry ghost I was nailed upon the iron spike tree.

Now I have accomplished the Buddha Way, and out of compassion for sentient beings,

Even though I have obtained the vajra body, I could not escape from the wooden spear.

The cycle of cause and effect never decays or perishes; it does not vanish into empty space.

One should carefully protect these three causal relations, and not violate the conduct of body, speech, and mind.

I myself have become the honored Buddha, the General of the three realms.

Therefore I speak of the causes and conditions of former lives here in the Great Anavatapta Spring.”

The Buddha told Śāriputra, “Look at the Tathāgata. All evils have been exhausted, and all good qualities are universally complete. Devas, nāgas, spirits, emperors, ministers, people, and all sentient beings are all to be taught, guided, and caused to cross to the other shore, yet even the Tathāgata still cannot avoid evil retribution. How much more so for sentient beings who are foolish, benighted, and have not attained the Way? Śāriputra, one should well protect the three karmic actions of body, speech, and mind. Śāriputra and the great assembly, you should learn in this way!”

After the Buddha had spoken these causes and conditions of former lives, Śāriputra joyfully accepted them with faith and practiced according to the teaching.