SA-2 287（二八七）

Thus have I heard:

Once, the Buddha was staying at the Vipula Cave on the side of the Vepulla Mountain in Rajagriha. At that time, the Buddha was pricked by a thorn in his foot, and the pain was excruciating. The Tathāgata silently endured it, although in pain, he did not ask for anything.

At that time, eight celestial beings of handsome appearance came to where the Buddha was. One of them said, "The Shakyamuni Gautama is indeed a man, a lion among men. Although he is in pain, he does not abandon mindfulness and awareness, and his mind is not disturbed. If there are people who slander the great lion Gautama, know that they are very foolish.

The second celestial being also said, "The Shakyamuni Gautama is a man, a dragon and elephant. Although he is in pain, he does not abandon mindfulness and awareness, and his mind is not disturbed. If there are people who slander the dragon elephant Gautama, know that they are very foolish.

The third celestial being also said, "The Shakyamuni Gautama is like a well-trained ox." The fourth celestial being also said, "The Shakyamuni Gautama is like a well-trained horse." The fifth celestial being also said, "The Shakyamuni Gautama is like the king of oxen." The sixth celestial being also said, "The Shakyamuni Gautama is the unsurpassed man." The seventh celestial being also said, "The Shakyamuni Gautama is a lotus among men.

The eighth celestial being also said, "The Shakyamuni Gautama is like a lotus. Observing his meditation and tranquility, he is extremely well-concentrated, never arrogant or humble. Because of stillness, there is liberation; because of liberation, there is stillness." At that time, the eighth celestial being spoke a verse:

Their pure minds, even if they fill a hundred thousand, have penetrated
the five kinds of giving, but are bound by the grasping of
precepts, sinking in the ocean of desire, unable to reach the other shore.

At that time, after the eight celestial beings had spoken this verse, they bowed their heads at the Buddha's feet and returned to their abodes.

Hanging down and stopping, fame and skill, playing
the zither and abandoning, classification, good man, stingy
and not giving, the eight heavens are the tenth.