昔四比丘修習法華
Once, four monks were practicing the Lotus Sutra.
往昔有四比丘。於法華經極生殷重。卷舒祕教甘露未霑。由是結契山林共期佛慧。幽居日積。衣糧單盡。一飡萬里。雲霄之志可得言哉。其一人云。吾等四窮尚不存身。法當安寄。汝三人宜以命奉道。我一人者當給所須。自爾振錫門閭以求供給。雖寒暑代謝甘喜無慍。以故三人功圓事辦。一世之益當無量生。其一人者數涉人間。屢逢聲色。坯器未火難可護持。偶見王者出入。車駕喧闐。生心動念愛彼光榮。功德熏修隨念受報。人間天上常得為王。福雖不貲亦有限也。三人既得道果。會而議曰。我免樊籠。功由此人。彼躭果報。增長有為。從此死已當沉火坑。幸其未墜正宜設化。一人云。此王著欲而復邪見。若非愛鉤無由可拔。一人可作端正婦。二作聰明兒。兒婦之言必當從順。如宜設化果獲改邪。時國王者即玅莊嚴王。今華德菩薩是。其婦即淨德夫人。今光照莊嚴相菩薩是。而昔二子即淨藏．淨眼。今藥王．藥上二菩薩是。說四聖之前因。以故此品標名本事。委示如法華文句。南屏頌曰。昔年聚首寂寥溪。三步青雲一墮泥。小技略施甘折角。大家撫掌躡天梯。
In the past, there were four monks who held the Lotus Sutra in the highest reverence. They unrolled and studied its secret teachings, yet its sweet dew of truth had not yet touched them. So they made a pact to retreat into the mountains, united in their quest for the Buddha's wisdom.
As they lived in seclusion day after day, their food and clothing ran out. A single meal cost a thousand-mile journey, yet their aspiration soared to the clouds. Then one of them said, "We four are utterly destitute, unable even to sustain our own bodies. How can we support the Dharma? You three should dedicate your lives to the path, and I alone will provide for your needs."
From then on, that monk went from door to door, ringing his staff to beg for alms. Though summer turned to winter, he did so gladly, without resentment. Thus the other three completed their practice. The benefit of a single lifetime becomes immeasurable eons.
But the one who served them often mingled among people and repeatedly encountered sights and sounds. An unfired clay vessel is hard to preserve. One day, he saw a king out riding, his splendid carriage and procession clamoring through the streets. He was stirred by the thought and longed for that glory. The virtue of his merit-conditioning immediately responded: he was reborn as a king here in the human world and in heavenly realms too. Though his blessings were not small, they were still finite.
When the other three had attained the fruit of the path, they met and discussed this: "We escaped the cage of existence thanks to this man. Now he is attached to karmic rewards, which only increase conditioned existence. After death, he will sink into a pit of fire. Before he falls, we must teach him."
One said, "This king is attached to desires and also holds wrong views. Only a hook of affection can pull him free. Let one of us be his beautiful wife, and two be his clever sons. The words of wife and children will surely be obeyed."
So they taught him accordingly, and indeed, he abandoned his deluded ways.
That king of the time was King Wonderful Adornment, who is now the Bodhisattva Flower Virtue. His wife was Pure Virtue, now the Bodhisattva Adorned Radiance. The two sons were Pure Store and Pure Eye, now the Bodhisattvas Medicine King and Medicine Superior.
Thus this chapter reveals the past causes of these four sages, which is why it is called "Former Affairs." The full account appears in the Commentary on the Lotus Sutra.
Nanping's verse says:
"In years gone by, they gathered in a lonely stream. Three steps above the clouds, one slipped into the mud. With a small trick, she gladly broke her horns. And all rejoiced, clapping hands, as they climbed the ladder to the sky."