Dharma Torch

Translated by Śramaṇa Hui Jian of the Song Dynasty

Heard like this:

At one time, the Buddha was in the Jetavana Grove of Anāthapiṇḍada in the country of Śrāvastī, together with one thousand two hundred fifty śramaṇas. Also present were ten thousand Bodhisattvas. At that time, celestial beings, nāgas, ghosts, and countless others assembled, reverently surrounding the Buddha, listening to his teachings, all filled with joy.

At that moment, there was an old poor man, two hundred years of age. His eyebrows were elegant, his ears extended beyond the sides of his head, his teeth were even and white, and his arms reached past his knees. Judging by appearance alone, he seemed to bear auspicious marks. Yet the old man was destitute, worn by hardship, and his clothing did not cover his body. His limbs and neck were exposed, and he was constantly hungry. Only when walking would he move his body, indicating he still clung to life. Having heard that the Buddha was present in the world, his heart was filled with great joy. Day and night he made vows, yearning to see the Buddha. From the moment he made his vow and began his journey, ten years passed before he finally arrived on this very day. The old man came, leaning on a staff, hoping to see the Buddha. But Śakra and Brahmā stood guard at the gate and did not report his arrival.

So the old man cried out loudly: “I was born into this world and, unfortunately, encountered poverty, hardship, hunger, cold, a wish to die unmet, and life without support. I heard that the World-Honored One is compassionate and universally benefits all sentient beings, and that all beings rely on the Buddha and none fail to receive his grace. Therefore, my heart was filled with joy, and day and night I vowed to see the Buddha. From the day I set out until now, I have traveled for ten years, and only today have I arrived. I have come from afar solely to request one special glimpse, hoping to escape the many sufferings. Yet you bar my entry, denying my wish and contradicting the intention of the holy one. Is this proper?”

The Buddha became aware of this and turned to Ānanda, saying, “Have you seen an old man outside, bearing marks of long life and auspiciousness, yet still suffering the retribution of past karma that has not yet been exhausted?”

Ānanda, joining his palms and kneeling, asked the Buddha, “How can one with the marks of long life and blessings be suffering karmic retribution? And how can one undergoing retribution have auspicious marks? I have not seen such a man—where is he now?”

The Buddha said, “He is just outside the gate. Śakra and Brahmā are preventing him. Go and summon him to come.”

“Thereupon, the old man pressed his elbows to the ground and crawled forward. When he saw the Buddha, he was filled with both grief and joy—his nose ran, and his tears flowed. He paid homage to the Buddha, joined his palms, knelt, and said: “I was born into this world and suffered misfortune: poverty, hardship, hunger, cold, a wish for death unmet, and a life without support. I heard that the World-Honored One is compassionate and universally benefits sentient beings, and that all beings rely on the Buddha and none fail to receive his grace. Therefore, my heart was filled with joy, and day and night I vowed to behold the Buddha’s noble face. From the day I set out on my journey until now, ten years have passed, and only today have I finally arrived. Just now I was outside the gate, unable to enter for a long time. I considered turning back, but lacked the strength—it was truly a situation with no way forward or back. I feared that if I were to die there, I would defile the sacred gate and add to my karmic offenses. Little did I know that the divine one had already taken pity and compassion upon me. Now that I have been permitted to come forth, even if I were to die, I would have no more regrets. May I swiftly reach the end of this life, that my karmic retribution may be exhausted, and that in future lives I may, by the Buddha’s grace, be granted supreme wisdom.”

The Buddha said, “The reason one bears the burden of life is due to the causes and conditions of saṃsāra. Your many karmic causes have brought about this root of suffering. Today I shall tell you of your origin. In a past life, you were born in a powerful and prosperous kingdom, into the royal family of the wise and intelligent King Minghui. At that time, you were the crown prince. Because of your noble status, you became exceedingly arrogant. Above, you were cherished by your parents; below, you were served by your ministers and subjects. Thus, you acted recklessly and oppressed others at will. You were proud and self-conceited, disdainful and unaccepting of others. Though you possessed vast wealth—amounting to countless millions—all of it came from the people. The common folk lived in poverty, burdened by heavy taxation, yet you knew only to amass riches, never to give or be generous.

“At that time, there was a poor śramaṇa named Quiet Aspirations who came from a distant land and arrived at your country. He asked for little, only lacking dharma robes. But you did not receive him kindly and instead treated the śramaṇa with cruelty. You gave him neither food nor clothing, made him sit outside the palace gate, and forbade him from leaving. For seven days and nights, he was without water or sustenance, left with only a thread of life, like a flickering flame about to die out on a candle. When you saw him in this state, you were greatly pleased, and even gathered others to watch, taking great joy in his suffering. One of your attendants, a loyal minister, tried to dissuade you: ‘Crown Prince, please do not act this way. The śramaṇas are compassionate and revere the true path. They possess inner virtue. Though they may suffer cold, they do not feel chilled. Though lacking food, they do not feel hunger. Their alms-seeking is to create blessings for you. If you cannot grant them comfort, at least do not torment them. Please let this one go so that you do not bring misfortune upon yourself.’

“The crown prince replied, ‘Who is this person pretending to have virtue? I am merely testing him with some hardship—I wouldn’t let him die. Very well, as you say, let him go. Do not be troubled over this.’ So the crown prince released the śramaṇa and drove him out of the country.

“Yet the śramaṇa had not gone even ten miles beyond the country borders before he encountered starving bandits. The bandits intended to kill and eat him. The śramaṇa said, ‘I am a poor and emaciated ascetic, with a frail body barely held together by bone. My flesh is rank and inedible. Killing me would be a pointless death—of no use to you.’

“But the starving bandits replied, ‘I have been famished for days and have eaten nothing but dirt. Though you are thin and weak, you are still meat.’ The bandit refused to let him go and intended to kill him. As he came forward to seize the śramaṇa, the latter tried to escape, and chaos broke out between them.

“When the crown prince learned the śramaṇa was in danger, he went out personally to rescue him, saying, ‘I’ve already denied him food and clothing—am I now to allow him to be killed by starving bandits?’ The bandits, seeing the prince, all bowed down, confessed their guilt, and released the śramaṇa.

“That śramaṇa at the time is now Maitreya Bodhisattva. And the arrogant, noble crown prince back then is you in your present life. The suffering of poverty you now endure is the karmic result of your former stinginess. Your longevity is the reward for having saved the śramaṇa’s life. Karmic retribution—both positive and negative—arises from corresponding actions, just as a shadow follows a body, or an echo responds to a sound.”

The old man said to the Buddha, “The evil deeds of the past have now borne their retribution. May the suffering end here and now. In these few remaining twilight years of life, I wish to become a śramaṇa. In future lifetimes, may I always serve at the Buddha’s side.”

The Buddha said, “Excellent, excellent.” At that moment, the old man’s beard and hair naturally fell to the ground, and dharma robes spontaneously appeared on his body. His form became healthy and full of vigor; his senses became sharp and clear. He instantly attained supreme wisdom and entered into the gate of samādhi.

Then the World-Honored One spoke this verse:

“In former days, when you were a crown prince, you knew not benevolence nor righteousness.

Feeling pride in your nobility, you acted recklessly, without restraint.

Because you were a prince of a mighty kingdom, you claimed there were no karmic consequences — that such a state would last forever.

Yet you did not know the truth. That which arises must also cease. Thus you have now met this misfortune.

From karmic suffering you came, and by karmic merit you were protected—allowed to witness the Deva of Devas,

Escape past wrongdoing, and in your twilight years enter the gate of Dharma.

Forever departing from stinginess, long shall you uphold the seeds of wisdom,

And in life after life, serve by the Buddha’s side, your years enduring for countless kalpas.”

The elderly bhikṣu, having heard the sūtra, rejoiced and paid homage to the Buddha.

At that time, the World-Honored One said to Ānanda: “If anyone reads or recites this scripture, they will behold the thousand Buddhas of the Auspicious Kalpa. Those who practice this sūtra and propagate it in future generations will surely receive a prediction from Maitreya Buddha. These are the words spoken by the Tathāgata’s long, broad tongue and they are never false.”

All those in the assembly, having heard the Buddha proclaim this sūtra, rejoiced in faith and received it with reverence, bowing in homage to the Buddha.