著者

侯 巧紅 Qiao Hong Hou

雑誌

国際文化論集 = INTERCULTURAL STUDIES (ISSN:09170219)

巻号頁・発行日

no.33, pp.1-22, 2005-12-20

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King Sibi is crazy about `giving things to others' (布施), and Indra, the emperor of gods in Heaven, wants to know his intention. So he takes the shape of a hawk and his vassal takes the shape of a dove. Pursued by the hawk, the dove flies into the armpit of King Sibi to seek his protection. The hawk demands return of his prey, but King Sibi refuses, saying that it is his duty to protect all living beings. The hawk retorts that he is also a living being and needs flesh to live.Thereupon King Sibi proposes to offer his own flesh. The hawk accepts the proposal on condition that the flesh which he gets from King Sibi should be equal in weight to that of the dove. A scale is brought in and the dove is put on one side of it. King Sibi takes a portion of flesh from his own thigh and puts it on the other side of the scale. But the scale does not balance. Although he repeatedly adds his flesh, the scale is always inclined towards the side of thedove. Finally King Sibi puts his whole bloodstained body on the scale. Seeing that his `act of giving' has reached the ultimate level, the hawk is at last convinced that King Sibi earnestly wishes to become a buddha. The hawk and the dove resume their proper forms and return to Heaven. This is the story of Sibi as found in the Da-zhi-du-lun (大智度論) of Kumaraji va(鳩摩羅什344_413).In China this story has been handed down in many variants, among which one is worthy of special ttention. It is the story as told in the Liu-du-ji-jing (六度集經). Indra who appears there is very unique in his motive for testing a king called "Sarvadatta." This Indra is anxious about his own future and apprehensive that the king may aim at becoming Indra. If the king becomes another Indra, the present one has to lose his position. As the king has fortunately proved his wish to become a buddha, Indra feels relieved and returns to Heaven together with his vassal.

著者

侯 巧紅

出版者

桃山学院大学

雑誌

桃山学院大学人間科学 (ISSN:09170227)

巻号頁・発行日

no.35, pp.251-305, 2008-07-07

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In the Dazhidulun (大智度論), Indra tests King Sibi in order to discover a future Buddha. He is so persistent as to demand that he perform an observance called "declaration of the truth" (satya-vacana), which is handed down in Indian literary tradition. The Indians believe that a supernatural power subsists in the truth (satya) to work a miracle in an urgent crisis. It is when the truth is verbally expressed that a miracle takes effect. Insisting that he really intends to become a Buddha, King Sibi declares, "If your words should be true, may my broken body be restored." As soon as he speaks, his body is restored. Thus his words prove to be true. Indra is at last convinced that King Sibi earnestly wishes to becomea Buddha.On the other hand, in the Liudujijing (六度集經), Indra is only anxious about his own future and he is contented unless the king aims at the position of Indra. He is soon restored the injured body of the king after applying celestial medicine to him. The two versions of the story of King Sibi are thus incompatible with each other.The story of King Sibi was introduced into Japan from China. We find it told in three narrative collections in different ages, first in the Sanboe(三寶繪) of 984, next in the Kingenruijusho(金言類聚抄), the date of which seems to be sometime bwetween the late 11th century and the early 13th century, and last in the Sangokudenki (三國傳記) of the first half of the15th century.Minamoto-no-Tamenori (源爲憲), the compiler of the Sanboe, uses both the Dazhidulun and the Liudujijing, the two Chinese texts incompatible with each other, when he tells the story of´Sibi. He mostly follows the text of the Dazhidulun. Oddly enough, however, he does not notice the declaration of the truth as performed by the king. He is ignorant of this observance, well-known in Buddhist tradition. Without declaring the truth, the king in this version gets by on Indra's test when celestial medicine is applied to his damaged body. We do not know whether this Indra is eager to find a future Buddha or merely anxious about his own future. As a mixture of the two sources incompatible with each other, the story of King Sibi in the Sanboe is in confusion.Tanro(潭朗), the compiler of the Kingenruijusho(金言類聚抄), also tries to follow the text of the Dazhidulun when he tells the story of King Sibi. However, he does not read this Chinese text correctly. Like the compiler of the Sanboe, he does not know the motive of Indra for testing the king, nor does he know that Indra intends to evoke a declaration of the truth. Unlike Minamoto-no-Tamenori, he does not refer to celestial medicine when the king recovers, because he sticks to the Dazhidulun text. This story is also in confusion.Different from the two preceding Japanese versions, the story of Sibi as told by Gento(玄棟), the compiler of the Sangokudenki (三國傳記), does not follow any Chinese text. Except for the core of the story, King Sibi's gradual abandonment of his body, there is nothing that reminds us of a Chinese source. Words describing the characters who appear on the stage are all familiar to the Japanese. The whole text is in a perfect Japanese style. We find here no ambiguous points. King Sibi here is no longer a candidate for Buddhahood. He is merely an unusual person involved in an abnormal event. Freed from Chinese tradition, this version of King Sibi is truly Japanese.

著者

侯 巧紅 Qiao Hong Hou

出版者

桃山学院大学総合研究所

雑誌

国際文化論集 (ISSN:09170219)

巻号頁・発行日

no.33, pp.1-22, 2005-12

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King Sibi is crazy about `giving things to others' (布施), and Indra, the emperor of gods in Heaven, wants to know his intention. So he takes the shape of a hawk and his vassal takes the shape of a dove. Pursued by the hawk, the dove flies into the armpit of King Sibi to seek his protection. The hawk demands return of his prey, but King Sibi refuses, saying that it is his duty to protect all living beings. The hawk retorts that he is also a living being and needs flesh to live.Thereupon King Sibi proposes to offer his own flesh. The hawk accepts the proposal on condition that the flesh which he gets from King Sibi should be equal in weight to that of the dove. A scale is brought in and the dove is put on one side of it. King Sibi takes a portion of flesh from his own thigh and puts it on the other side of the scale. But the scale does not balance. Although he repeatedly adds his flesh, the scale is always inclined towards the side of thedove. Finally King Sibi puts his whole bloodstained body on the scale. Seeing that his `act of giving' has reached the ultimate level, the hawk is at last convinced that King Sibi earnestly wishes to become a buddha. The hawk and the dove resume their proper forms and return to Heaven. This is the story of Sibi as found in the Da-zhi-du-lun (大智度論) of Kumaraji va(鳩摩羅什344_413).In China this story has been handed down in many variants, among which one is worthy of special ttention. It is the story as told in the Liu-du-ji-jing (六度集經). Indra who appears there is very unique in his motive for testing a king called "Sarvadatta." This Indra is anxious about his own future and apprehensive that the king may aim at becoming Indra. If the king becomes another Indra, the present one has to lose his position. As the king has fortunately proved his wish to become a buddha, Indra feels relieved and returns to Heaven together with his vassal.