Ninth Section: The Past Cause of Eating Horse Oats
Heard like this:
At one time, the Buddha was at Anavatapta Spring, accompanied by five hundred great bhikṣus, all of whom were Arhats, possessing the six supernatural powers.
The Buddha said to Sariputta, “In the distant past, there was a Buddha named Vipaya, the Thus Come One, the Worthy of Offerings, the Right and Universal Knowledge one, the Perfect Clarity and Conduct one, the Well Gone, the Knower of the world, the Unsurpassed leader, the Teacher of Heavenly and Human Beings, Buddha, the World-Honored One. In the city of Pantāmāba, there were 168,000 great bhikkhus who constantly followed the Buddha and practiced with him. The king of the country was named Pantā, and all the great ministers, citizens, and followers of the city offered food and supplies to the Vibhāyā Tathagata and the great bhikkhus with deep reverence, ensuring they were provided with food, clothing, and all necessities. At that time, in the city, there was a Brahmin teacher named Intigīli, who was proficient in the various scriptures of Brahmanical teachings and also knew the methods of the Nigaṇṭha sect and the Brahminical precepts. He taught five hundred young students.
The king organized a grand offering feast and first invited the Buddha. The Buddha silently accepted the invitation. The king then prepared various delicacies and laid out fine woollen blankets on the seats. Once everything was prepared, the king, holding a censer, kneeled on the ground and prayed, saying, ‘The time for the offering has arrived. We respectfully invite the World-Honored One to partake in the offering.’ When the Buddha saw that the time had come, He, with His disciples holding their robes and alms bowls, came to the king’s palace to receive the offerings. After everyone was seated, the king personally offered the various dishes.
At that time, a bhikkhu named Metteya was ill and unable to come to partake in the offerings. After the meal, as the Buddha and the assembly were returning, He took some food for Metteya. When they passed by the Brahmin Mountain, Intigīli, smelling the delicious food, became filled with jealousy and said, ‘This bald-headed bhikṣu should eat horse oats, not be served such delicious food.’ He turned to the five hundred students and asked, ‘Did you see these bald-headed bhikṣus eating such good food?’ The students replied, ‘Yes, we saw. Their teacher and disciples should all eat horse oats!’”
The Buddha then said to Sariputta, “Do you know who the Brahmin on the mountain was at that time? He was my past life. The five hundred students at that time are now the five hundred Arhats present here. The bhikkhu Metteya, who was ill, is now the Bodhisattva Metteya. In that life, because of the jealousy I harbored, I said that these bhikṣus should eat horse oats instead of such delicious food. You all agreed with me. Because of this, I, along with you, underwent rebirth in heck for thousands of years. Now, though I have attained Buddhahood, due to the residual effects of past karma, we together endured eating horse oats for ninety days in Vairantya. At that time, I did not say that the Buddha should eat horse oats, only that the bhikṣus should. So, what I ate then was the grains, while you all agreed and said that the Buddha and His disciples should also eat horse oats, you ate the bran.”
The Buddha then recited the following verse about his past karmic causes:
“I was once a Brahmin, with vast knowledge,
Teaching five hundred children in the garden of trees.
In the time of Vibhāyā Buddha, I insulted the bhikkhus,
Saying that they should not eat rice, but should eat horse oats.
You children all agreed, saying, ‘Indeed, as the teacher says,
This teacher, too, should eat horse oats.’
Because of this karmic cause, I suffered long in heck.
The residual effects of that karma caused five hundred bhikkhus to suffer,
When the Brahmins invited us to gather in Vairantya,
We, together, ate nothing but horse oats for ninety days.
The cycle of cause and effect will never vanish, nor will it disappear into thin air.
We should protect these three types of cause and effect and not violate the moral conduct of body, speech, and mind.
Now, I have become the honored Buddha, the leader of the three realms,
And in the Anavatapta Spring, I personally recount the karmic causes of my past lives.”
The Buddha then said to Sariputta, “Look at the Tathagata. All evil has been eradicated, all virtues are complete. the Heavenly beings, Nāgas, gods and spirits, kings, ministers, common people, and all beings desire to be guided to the other shore. Yet, even I cannot avoid the retribution for past wrongs. How much more so for ignorant beings who have not yet attained the Way?”
The Buddha said to Sariputta, “you should diligently protect the three practices of body, speech, and mind. Sariputta, thou should learn this!”
As the Buddha spoke these words, Sariputta, the five hundred Arhats, the Anavatapta Nāga King, the Heavenly beings, Nāgas, Yakṣas, Gandharvas, Asuras, Garudas, Kinnaras, Mahoragas, all the beings gathered, listened to the Buddha’s teachings and accepted them with great joy, following them in practice.
Dharma Torch 