..续本文上一页short of killing his mother and, instead, ordered the court officials to lock her in an inner chamber and not to allow her to leave.

　　[3] 时阿阇世问守门人。父王今者犹存在耶。时守门者白言。大王。国大夫人身涂麦蜜。璎珞盛浆持用上王。沙门目连及富楼那。从空而来为王说法。不可禁制。时阿阇世闻此语已。怒其母曰。我母是贼。与贼为伴。沙门恶人。幻惑咒术。令此恶王多日不死。即执利剑欲害其母。时有一臣名曰月光。聪明多智。及与耆婆。为王作礼。白言大王。臣闻毗陀论经说。劫初已来。有诸恶王贪国位故。杀害其父一万八千。未曾闻有无道害母。王今为此杀逆之事。污刹利种。臣不忍闻。是栴陀罗。我等不宜复住于此。时二大臣说此语竟。以手按剑却行而退。时阿阇世惊怖惶惧。告耆婆言。汝不为我耶。耆婆白言。大王。慎莫害母。王闻此语忏悔求救。即便舍剑止不害母。敕语内官。闭置深宫不令复出。

　　Shakyamuni”s visit to Vaidehi

　　[4] Vaidehi, thus confined, grew emaciated with grief and despair. Facing the Vulture Peak, she worshipped the Buddha from afar and said, "O Tathagata, World-Honored One, you used to send Ananda to comfort me. Now I am in deep sorrow and distress. Since there is no way of my coming to look upon your august countenance, World-Honored One, I pray you send the Venerable Mahamaudgalyayana and the Venerable Ananda here to see me."

　　When she had said these words, tears of sorrow streamed down her cheeks like rain. Then she bowed towards the Buddha in the distance. Even before she raised her head, the World-Honored One, who was then staying on the Vulture Peak, knew Vaidehi”s thoughts and immediately ordered Mahamaudgalyayana and Ananda to go to her through the air; he himself disappeared from the mountain and reappeared in the inner chamber of the royal palace.

　　After worshipping him, Vaidehi raised her head and saw Shakyamuni Buddha, the World-Honored One. He was the color of purple gold and was seated upon a lotus-flower of a hundred jewels. He was attended by Mahamaudgalyayana on his left and Ananda on his right. Shakra, Brahma, the guardian gods of the world and other devas were in the air about him. Scattering heavenly blossoms like rain, they paid homage to the Buddha.

　　When she saw the World-Honored One, Vaidehi tore off her ornaments and prostrated herself on the ground. Weeping bitterly, she said to the Buddha, "O World-Honored One, what bad karma did I commit in former lives that I have borne such an evil son

　　 I wonder, World-Honored One, what karmic relations could have made you a relative of Devadatta

　　[4] 时韦提希被幽闭已。愁忧憔悴。遥向耆阇崛山。为佛作礼而作是言。如来世尊在昔之时。恒遣阿难来慰问我。我今愁忧。世尊威重无由得见。愿遣目连尊者阿难。与我相见。作是语已。悲泣雨泪遥向佛礼。未举头顷。尔时世尊在耆阇崛山。知韦提希心之所念。即敕大目揵连及以阿难。从空而来。佛从耆阇崛山没。于王宫出。时韦提希礼已举头。见世尊释迦牟尼佛。身紫金色坐百宝莲华。目连侍左。阿难在右。释梵护世诸天在虚空中。普雨天华持用供养。时韦提希见佛世尊。自绝璎珞举身投地。号泣向佛白言。世尊。我宿何罪生此恶子。世尊复有何等因缘。与提婆达多共为眷属。

　　Vaidehi wishes to be born in Amida”s Pure Land

　　[5] "I beseech you, World-Honored One, to reveal to me a land of no sorrow and no affliction where I can be reborn. I do not wish to live in this defiled and evil world of Jambudvipa where there are hells, realms of hungry spirits, animals and many vile beings. I wish that in the future I shall not hear evil words or see wicked people. World-Honored One, I now kneel down to repent and beg you to take pity on me. I entreat you, O Sun-like Buddha, to teach me how to visualize a land of pure karmic perfection."

　　Then the World-Honored One sent forth from between his eyebrows a flood of light, which was the color of gold and illuminated the innumerable worlds in the ten quarters. Returning to the Buddha, the light settled on his head and transformed itself into a golden platform resembling Mount Sumeru. On the platform appeared the pure and resplendent lands of all the Buddhas in the ten quarters. Some of these lands were made of seven jewels, some solely of lotus-flowers; some resembled the palace in the Heaven of Free Enjoyment of Manifestation by Others, while some were like a crystal mirror in which all the lands in the ten quarters were reflected. Innumerable Buddha-lands like these, glorious and beautiful, were displayed to her.

　　Vaidehi then said to the Buddha, "O World-Honored One, these Buddha-lands are pure and free of defilement, and all of them …

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