Avadānaśataka
Sutra Vol. 4, (Chapter on
Arising of Bodhisattva No. 4)
The Buddha
was at Shravasti Jetavana Vihara when he led the bhiksus to the city on alms-round
for food. When they entered an alley, they met a Brahman. This Brahman used his
finger to draw a line on the ground and then pointed at it, blocking the
World-Honored One and his delegates from passing through the alley. Then, he
demanded: “You have to give me five hundred gold coins today before I will let
you pass. If you do not give me, I will not let you, Buddha, pass through.” At
that time, the World-Honored One and his bhiksus had no choice but to remain there
in silence, as they could not proceed any further.
News about
this matter spread so quickly, that it not only startled King Bimbisāra and King
Prasenajit but also reached the ears of the Viśākha and Pūrna tribe as well as
many others. Each and everyone came with their rare treasures and various kinds
of assets, offering them to the Brahman so as to have the Buddha and his
bhikkhus out of this difficult situation.
However,
this Brahman was unwilling to accept the treasures from them, until an elder
Sudatta who heard about this took out his five hundred gold coins and delivered
them to the Brahman. After having received the gold coins, he allowed the
Buddha and his bhiksus to walk through the alleyway into the city.
At that time, the bhiksus who had witnessed
and were all together in this entire incident asked the Buddha: “The
World-Honored One! What are the causes and conditions which led this Brahman to
unexpectedly make things difficult for the World-Honored One, refusing to let
you pass through the alley?” The World-Honored
One then answered the bhiksus: “You should all listen carefully! I, Buddha
Sakyamuni, will explain to you the causes and conditions. It happened eons ago,
there lived a king of Vārānasī named Brahmadatta, and his crown prince Sujāta.
One day, this prince led his relatives and friends out for fun, watching
various kinds of entertainment. Along the way, they met a person who was
gambling with the son of the prime minister. The stake was five hundred gold
coins. At that time, the prime minister’s son lost his bet, and owed the
gambler five hundred gold coins. That gambler continuously sought after his
winnings from the prime minister’s son, who however refused to pay his debts.
Thus, they were unable to reach a compromise.
In an attempt to break the stalemate,
Prince Sujāta told the gambler: “If the prime minister’s son does not want to
pay you any money, I will repay his debts on his behalf.” Even till the end,
the prime minister’s son who had relied on his father’s power had not repaid the
gold coins that he owed. From then on, over immeasurable eons, this gambler
became a gambler life after life, and moreover always claimed debts from me.”
The Buddha continued to tell his bhiksu
disciples: “You all should know that the prince then was a former reincarnation
of me, Buddha Sakyamuni. The son of the prime minister who owed money and did
not repay his debts then, is today the elder Sudatta. And the gambler then is
the Brahman who blocked my way today! Hence you should know, everything has its
causes and conditions as well as karmic retributions. We should be careful of
our own physical, verbal, and mental acts. If
there is any loss of other people’s property or promises that you’ve made to
others, never deny or ignore but make sure to repay whatever debts you have
because the causes and conditions are inevitably followed by karmic
retributions. Words once spoken become vows, for example, my promise to the
gambler in the past to repay the debts on another gambler’s behalf. Even though
I have become Buddha now, I still could not avoid the trouble this time.” At
that time, the bhiksus believed what the Buddha taught them and were delighted
to follow his teachings.
#Buddha #Buddhism #reincarnation #Buddhistscriptures
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