The Buddha Shakyamuni told his disciples another long story on Vulture Mountain-

Once upon a time, five hundred merchants went out to sea to collect treasures on a distant island.

They sailed the sea for months, and the various treasures they acquired filled the cabins.

So, they turned the bow of the ship and sailed back to the mainland, perhaps because they had disturbed and injured the sea god while collecting treasure, and the sea god appeared on their course.

Under the dance of the sea god, the storm rises suddenly, the thunder shakes, the sea waves are turbulent like a frightened horse galloping, and the waves roll like a mountain pressing on the top! The wind swept the waves, the sky was overwhelming, the dark clouds were wrapped in lightning, and the sky collapsed and the earth collapsed......

The boats of the merchants are like a small leaf, fluttering and tossing between the peaks and deep valleys formed by the waves, and there is always a danger of capsizing! They were terrified and pale, but they could not do anything......

According to legend, the god of the sea hates the bloody corpses of humans the most, and as long as he sees it, he will avoid it in disgust.

But who would give up their life on their own initiative? They just cried in the storm, helplessly waiting for the final moment when the ship would be overturned by the waves and drowned at the bottom of the sea......

Among these five hundred merchants, there was a bodhisattva who practiced.

He thought, "The purpose of my prayer to the Buddha is to save sentient beings." Sacrificing one's life to save others is the bodhisattva's wish of great compassion. Now, if you can't drive the god of the sea away, the ship will sink and everyone will die!

But how do you drive away the sea god? The only way to do it is to kill yourself!

The Bodhisattva leaned on the side of the ship and said to the merchants, "All of you hold hands and hold my body. ”

Although they did not understand his intentions, they did as he commanded. The Bodhisattva turned to face the sea, faced the sea god with his teeth and claws, took out a sharp knife, and led his neck to kill himself-

The blood gushing from his neck was like a rainbow spilling into the rough sea......

When the sea god saw the blood, he was very disgusted and immediately avoided it.

The sea was calm again, and a boatload of people was finally saved. However, the bodhisattva also lost his breath, and the corpse gradually became cold and cold.

The merchants hugged his corpse and wept bitterly and were full of remorse: at that critical moment, everyone knew that the sea god hated the blood corpse of man, but why was it only the Bodhisattva who sacrificed his life to save people? Why can't you stand up?

You know, if no one takes the initiative to sacrifice themselves, everyone will also sink to the bottom of the sea and be drowned alive!

People find their conscience and begin to reflect deeply and blame themselves bitterly. They beat their chests and feet, crying out to heaven and earth, and praying to God......

The sincerity of the people finally touched the gods of the upper realm, the lord of the heavens, Shati Huanyin.

Inspired by the Bodhisattva's great compassion for sacrificing himself to save others, he went down to the ship and said to the merchants, "This Bodhisattva with the supreme virtue is rare in the world, and he will surely become a virtuous saint and a great Buddha in the future." So, naturally, he will come back to life now. ”

So, Shakti Hengyin took out the elixir of the Heavenly Palace, poured half of it into the bodhisattva's mouth, and half of it was applied to his knife.

The Bodhisattva woke up.

The vast power of Shakti Heng has conjured up a large number of rare treasures, the value of which is millions of times more than the original treasures of the merchants, all of which are dedicated to the Bodhisattva.

Then, with a gentle wind, Shi Ti Hengyin blew their boat back to the mainland.

The long-awaited relatives of the merchants could not believe it when they saw their relatives return.

People expressed their gratitude to the Bodhisattva.

The Bodhisattva gave all the treasures given by Shati Hengyin to the poor people.

Since then, the people of this country have lived in harmony, everyone has helped each other, and lived a peaceful and harmonious happy life.

After the Buddha Shakyamuni told this story on the Vulture Mountain, he said to everyone, "Do you know? The Bodhisattva who sacrificed his life to save the masses was my predecessor; Heavenly Emperor Shakti is Maitreya; And those 500 masters are the 500 great arhats you have here. ”

At this time, Ananda stood up from the crowd and asked the Buddha for advice: "World-honored one, you have often practiced bodhisattva behavior with Maitreya throughout your lifetime, why do you always save people from danger, while Maitreya always brings happiness and joy to people?" ”

The Buddha smiled and said, "Because the karma of sentient beings is incredible, so the power of the bodhisattva's wish is also incredible." Maitreya and I have different aspirations, so there will be some subtle differences in the process of saving sentient beings. ”

Ananda then pleaded, "World-honored One, tell us another story." ”

The Buddha nodded and said, "It turns out that I often tell you about the past, but today, change your appetite and tell you about the future." ”

So, Shakyamuni's voice was like a gentle spring breeze, blowing in the hearts of the monks......

It was a world to come, and there were no rugged mountains or criss-crossing abysses, and the earth was as smooth as a mirror, covered with soft grass, as if it were a garment. At that time, because people were pure-hearted, kind-hearted, and morally noble, they were greatly blessed.

They are tall and have an extremely long lifespan; Temperament is benevolent and elegant; The appearance is good and wonderful, without any disability or pain.

In this wonderful world, everyone pursues the ten good deeds, puts an end to evil deeds, and makes the society harmonious and peaceful, and everyone is happy.

The holy king who rules this world is called "Katsuga".

In his kingdom there was a family of Paramon who gave birth to a boy named Maitreya.

This little Maitreya was born with a golden body, with 32 phases and 80 kinds of good qualities, and exuded a serene and cool light.

When Maitreya grew up, he became a monk and attained supreme enlightenment—Buddhahood.

He held three Dharma meetings in Hualin Garden, exhausted the upper, middle and lower sentient beings, and at the first meeting, 9.6 billion people obtained the Alofa; The second assembly said that 9.4 billion people had become arhats; The third assembly says that 9.2 billion people have become arhats.

These people who have attained enlightenment are all people who have made offerings to the Three Jewels, fasting and keeping precepts, burning incense and worshiping the Buddha since Shakyamuni Buddha, or who are at home or as monks, and they are all people who are related to Shakyamuni and Maitreya Buddha.

When Maitreya heard this, he stood up from his seat, walked in front of Shakyamuni Buddha, threw himself on the ground, knelt down, and said to the Buddha, "I am willing to be the Maitreya Buddha of that lifetime." ”

Shakyamuni Buddha stretched out his hand and touched the top of his head and said, "Good, good, as you wish, you will be born in that world and become Maitreya Buddha, Maitreya Buddha." All the beings I just said need you to educate. ”

At this time, a monk named "Ashita" also came out of the crowd, knelt down and said to Shakyamuni Buddha, "I would like to be the holy king of that lifetime." ”

Shakyamuni Buddha sighed silently and said, "O Shita, you have been empty for a long night, and you always like to rotate in the realm of life and death, why don't you ask for renunciation?" ”

Ah Shiduo was stunned for a moment, and muttered, "I don't know why I didn't seek to become a Buddha, but instead made a vow to become a ......."

At that time, people wondered why the Buddha still called Maitreya when he told him that he would become a Buddha in the future.

What is the reason for this?

Ananda understood everyone's intentions, so he asked the Buddha on behalf of the public: "World-honored one, Maitreya will become a Buddha in the future, why is it still called Maitreya?" There must be a cause for this. ”

Shakyamuni Buddha nodded and said, "It's a long story, it was in a long time, or in our world, there was a great king named Tanmaryuzhi......"

King Tamarius was so wise that many of the world's smaller nations sought his refuge.

In total, he ruled over 84,000 small states, including a very rich medium-sized state, and the king was Posage.

At that time, it coincided with the birth of Fösaffer and the residence of Posage in the country of Posage.

King Possech and his ministers were so devoted to offering to the Buddha and the monks that they did not have time to make a pilgrimage to the Great King Tamarius, nor did they pay tribute or greetings.

The Great King did not understand what was going on, so he sent a messenger to inquire about the situation.

The messenger asked, "In recent years, you have neither paid tribute nor communicated with the letter, and as a vassal you are unconscionable, is it unconscionable?" ”

Posage hurriedly said: "In the past few years, in our country, Fushafo and I have flattered the ministers morning and evening, and we really have no time to go to the Hajj to the king. ”

After the envoy's report, the ministers of Tanmaruchi all said that Posage was using strong words to cover up his arrogance with lies, and suggested that the king send troops to fight against him. So, he gathered his army and personally led it to the battle.

When the army of the Tamarius branch was about to reach his small country, Posage was terrified.

He hurried to find Fushafo and ask for the Buddha's blessing.

Phoshafo said, "Don't worry, go and see King Tanmachi in person, tell him the truth, and he will understand you." ”

When Posage heard the Buddha say this, he put his heart back in his belly, and he came to the king's tent peacefully, not at all timid, as if he had eaten the gall of a bear's heart and a leopard.

The Great King Tanmaryuzhi was also surprised by his calm demeanor and asked, "How dare you violate the custom and not come to Hajj?" ”

Posage said: "I have heard the ancient sages say that it is very difficult for a person to hear the Dharma in his life, it is even more difficult to be born in the era when the Buddha was born, and it is even more difficult to see the Buddha!" Now that Fosha Buddha is spreading the Dharma and enlightening sentient beings in my small country, how can we not take the time to listen to the Buddha's teachings? So there is no time to travel thousands of miles to make a pilgrimage to You, the King. ”

He was very reasonable, and said, "Well, you have a point, but even if you don't have time, why is it that even the tribute has been cut off?" ”

Posage said, "There are many disciples of the Buddha of Fusha, and they are all pure bhikshus who have taken vows, and they are the blessed land of the world, and if you offer them, you can obtain supreme merit. Therefore, all the wealth of our country has been given to them, and there is really no surplus of money to pay tribute. ”

Tamarius was a man of good roots, and after listening to Posage's words, he already had a magical yearning for Phoshafo in his heart, and immediately led the Grand Duke's ministers to pay homage to Phoshafo.

When they came to the temple, Fusha Buddha was sitting in meditation with his disciples.