云何父母作字？昔有日種王名師子頰，其王有四子：其第一名淨飯，二名白飯，三名斛飯，四名甘露飯。有一女，名甘露味。淨飯王有二子：悉達陀、難陀。白飯王有二子：跋提、提沙。斛飯王有二子：提婆達多、阿難。甘露飯王有二子：摩訶男、阿泥盧豆。甘露味女有一子，名施婆羅。
是中悉達多菩薩漸漸長大，棄轉輪聖王位，夜半出家，往漚樓陴羅國中尼連禪河邊，六年苦行。
是時淨飯王愛念子故，常遣使問訊，欲知消息：我子得道不？若病？若死？
使來白王：菩薩唯有皮骨筋相連持，身命甚微弱！若今日、若明日，不復久也。王聞其言，甚大愁念，沒憂惱海。我子既不作轉輪王，又不得作佛，一向衰苦，無所得而死！如是憂惱，荒迷憒塞。
是時菩薩棄苦行處，食百味乳糜，身體充滿；於尼連禪水中洗浴已，至菩提樹下，坐金剛處而自誓言：要不破此結跏趺坐，成一切智；不得一切智，終不起也。
是時，魔王將十八億眾到菩薩所，敢與菩薩決其得失。菩薩智慧力故，大破魔軍，魔不如而退。自念：菩薩叵勝，當惱其父。
至淨飯王所，詭言：汝子今日後夜已了。王聞此語，驚佈墮床，如熱沙中魚。
待續 |
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Why did his father and mother give him this name? In the past, there was a king of the Solar clan named "Lion Jaws." The king had four sons. The first was named "Pure Rice." The second was named "White Rice." The third was named "Bushel of Rice." The fourth was named "Sweet Dew Rice." There was a daughter named "Sweet Dew Flavor." The Pure Rice king had two sons, the Buddha and Nanda. The White Rice king had two sons, Badhrika and Tisya. The "Bushe of Rice" king had two sons, Devadatta and Ananda. The Sweet Dew Rice king had two sons, Mahanaman and Aniruddha. The daughter, "Sweet Dew" had a son named Danapala.
Siddharta Bodhisattva gradually grew up among these people and rejected the station of the sagely wheel turning king. In the middle of the night he left behind the homelife and went to the banks of the Nairanjana River in the state of Uruvilva. For six years he cultivated ascetic practices.
At this time, because the Pure Rice king lovingly remembered his son he constantly sent messengers to ask after him. He desired to know the news: "Has my son gained the way or not? Has he become ill or has he died?"
The messengers came and addressed the king, "The Bodhisattva only has skin and bones and ligaments holding them together. That's all. His life force has become very fragile and weak. Whether it's today or whether it's tomorrow is uncertain, but he will not have much longer."
When the king heard their words, he was greatly distressed and his thoughts were sunken in the sea of worry and affliction: "My son not only failed to become the wheel-turning king, he was also unable to gain Buddhahood. What utterly tragic suffering that he should gain nothing whatsoever and then die!" Thus he was afflicted with anguish, lost in desolation and paralyzed with bewilderment.
At this time the Bodhisattva abandoned the site of his ascetic practices and partook of the many-flavored rice gruel with milk, whereupon his body was sustained. After bathing in the waters of the Nairanjana he proceeded to the bodhi tree and sat beneath it on the adamantine seat, vowing to himself, "Without breaking away from this full-lotus posture I must succeed in realizing omniscience. If I do not realize omniscience, I shall never get up."
At this time the king of the Māras led a multitude of followers, eighteen kotis in number, to the site where the Bodhisattva sat, daring to test his attainment. On account of the power of the Bodhisattva's wisdom he utterly vanquished the demon armies. Māra was no match for him, and in making his retreat, thought to himself, "As I can't overcome the Bodhisattva, I'll go afflict his father."
He then went to the Pure Rice king and intending to deceive him, announced, "This very night, in the very last watch, your son was finally finished." When the king heard these words, he collapsed onto his bed, agonizing like a fish stranded on hot sand.
To be continued |
