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「昔者菩薩為大國王，號薩波達，布施眾生恣其所索，愍濟厄難常有悲愴。天帝釋覩王慈惠德被十方，天神鬼龍僉然而曰：『天帝尊位初無常人，戒具行高慈惠福隆，命盡神遷則為天帝。』懼奪己位，欲往試之，以照真偽。帝命邊王曰：『今彼人王，慈潤霶霈福德巍巍，恐于志求奪吾帝位。爾化為鴿，疾之王所，佯恐怖，求哀彼王。彼王仁惠，必受爾歸；吾當尋後從王索爾。王終不還，必當市肉，以當其處。吾詭不止，王意清真，許終不違，會自割身肉以當其重也。若其秤肉隨而自重，肉盡身痛其必悔矣。意有悔者，所志不成。』
Once, the Bodhisattva was a great king named Sabhuda. He gave generously to all beings, letting them take whatever they asked for. He pitied and rescued those in hardship, and his heart was always full of compassion.
When Shakra, the Lord of the Gods, saw that the king's kindness and virtue spread across the ten directions, the gods, spirits, ghosts, and dragons all said together: "The honored position of Shakra has never belonged to just anyone. Whoever keeps the precepts fully, lives with lofty conduct, and is rich in kindness and merit—when their life ends and their spirit passes on, they become Shakra."
Fearing that the king would take his place, Shakra wanted to go test him, to see whether his virtue was real or false.
Shakra commanded one of his lesser kings: "Right now that human king's kindness pours out like rain, and his merit is towering. I fear that in his heart he seeks to take my throne. You must transform into a dove and hurry to that king's palace. Pretend to be terrified, and beg him for help. That king is kind and generous—he will surely take you in. I will then come after you and demand that the king give you back. The king will never hand you over; he will surely buy meat to weigh against your weight instead. I will keep pressing him dishonestly, but the king's resolve is pure—he will never go back on his word. He will end up cutting his own flesh to match your weight. If the scale tips back as the flesh is weighed, and his body is in agony as the flesh runs out, he will surely regret it. And if his heart has any regret, then what he seeks will not be achieved."
「釋即化為鷹，邊王化為鴿。鴿疾飛趣于王足下，恐怖而云：『大王哀我！吾命窮矣！』王曰：『莫恐莫恐！吾今活汝。』鷹尋後至，向王說曰：『吾鴿爾來，鴿是吾食，願王相還。』王曰：『鴿來以命相歸，已受其歸，吾言守信，終始無違。爾苟得肉，吾自足爾，令重百倍。』鷹曰：『吾唯欲鴿，不用餘肉，希王當相惠。而奪吾食乎？』王曰：『已受彼歸，信重天地，何心違之乎？當以何物令汝置鴿歡喜去矣？』鷹曰：『若王慈惠必濟眾生者，割王肌肉令與鴿等，吾欣而受之。』王曰：『大善！』即自割髀肉秤之令與鴿重等；鴿踰自重，自割如斯，身肉都盡未與重等，身瘡之痛其為無量。王以慈忍心願鴿活，又命近臣曰：『爾疾殺我，秤髓令與鴿重等。吾奉諸佛，受正真之重戒，濟眾生之危厄，雖有眾邪之惱，猶若微風，焉能動太山乎？』
Shakra then transformed himself into a hawk, and the Border King became a dove. The dove flew swiftly to the king's feet, terrified, and cried: "Great King, have pity on me! My life is at its end!"
The king said: "Do not be afraid, do not be afraid! I will keep you alive."
The hawk soon arrived and said to the king: "I have been hunting that dove. The dove is my food. Please, King, give it back to me."
The king said: "The dove has come to me for its life, and I have accepted its plea. I keep my word and will never break faith. If you need meat, I will satisfy you myself—giving you a hundred times as much."
The hawk said: "I want only the dove, not any other meat. I hope the King will show me kindness. Would you rob me of my food?"
The king said: "I have already accepted the dove's plea. My promise weighs as much as heaven and earth—how could I break it? What will it take for you to let the dove go in peace?"
The hawk said: "If the King is truly compassionate and wishes to save all beings, then cut your own flesh until it equals the weight of the dove. I will gladly accept that."
The king said: "Excellent!" He immediately cut flesh from his own thigh and weighed it against the dove. But the dove grew heavier, and though he kept cutting, his entire body's flesh was exhausted and still did not equal the dove's weight. The pain of his wounds was immeasurable.
With a heart of compassion and patience, the king vowed to keep the dove alive, and commanded his close minister: "Quickly kill me, and weigh my marrow to equal the dove's weight. I serve the Buddhas and uphold the true and weighty Precepts. To save beings from danger and distress, even if all manner of evil troubles me, it is like a gentle breeze—how could it shake Mount Tai?"
「鷹照王懷守道不移，慈惠難齊，各復本身。帝釋、邊王稽首于地曰：『大王！欲何志尚，惱苦若茲？』人王曰：『吾不志天帝釋及飛行皇帝之位，吾覩眾生沒于盲冥，不覩三尊、不聞佛教，恣心于凶禍之行，投身于無擇之獄。覩斯愚惑，為之惻愴。誓願求佛，拔濟眾生之困厄，令得泥洹。』天帝驚曰：『愚謂大王欲奪吾位，故相擾耳。將何勅誨？』王曰：『使吾身瘡愈復如舊，令吾志尚布施濟眾行高踰今。』天帝即使天醫神藥，傳身瘡愈、色力踰前，身瘡斯須豁然都愈。釋却稽首，遶王三匝歡喜而去。自是之後，布施踰前。菩薩慈惠度無極行布施如是。」
King Eagle-Feather remained devoted to the path and never wavered. His compassion and generosity knew no equal, and each being naturally returned to their own true nature. Indra, king of the gods, along with the lesser kings, bowed their heads to the ground and asked: "Great King, what is your aspiration, that you endure such torment and hardship?"
The human king replied: "I do not aspire to the throne of Indra or to the rank of a flying sovereign. I see living beings sunken in blindness and darkness. They do not behold the Three Jewels, they do not hear the teachings of the Buddha, they give free rein to their minds in acts of cruelty and disaster, and they cast themselves into the Unrelenting Hell. Seeing this delusion and confusion fills me with grief. I vow to seek Enlightenment, to rescue living beings from their distress, and to lead them to Nirvana."
Indra was startled and said: "I foolishly thought the Great King wanted to seize my throne, and so I troubled you. What instructions do you have for me?"
The king said: "Heal my body's wounds and restore me as before. Let my aspiration for generosity and saving living beings grow even greater than it is now."
Thereupon Indra summoned a heavenly physician with divine medicine. The king's wounds were healed, and his complexion and strength surpassed what they had been. In an instant, his wounds were completely healed. Indra bowed, circled the king three times, and departed joyfully. From that time on, the king's generosity exceeded what it had been before. Thus does the Bodhisattva practice boundless compassion and generosity.