Summary
s.1In Śrāvastī, at Prince Jeta’s Grove, several elder monks in the Buddha’s assembly cannot agree on which human quality is most valuable and beneficial: beauty, diligence, artistry, or insight. They ask the Buddha, who replies that merit , which gives rise to all the qualities they have noted, is of most benefit to beings. To illustrate this point, he tells the story of a past life in which he was born as Puṇyabala, with four older brothers who were each named after their most prized quality: Rūpabala, Vīryavanta, Śilpavanta, and Prajñāvanta. In an ensuing contest to determine which quality produces the best outcomes in real life, Puṇyabala wins, and through his merit is granted dominion over much of the world. The Buddha then goes on to tell the story of his even earlier lifetime as Dyūtajaya, during which he developed the intention to attain buddhahood through the accumulation of merit .
s.1在舍衛城祇樹給孤獨園，佛陀的弟子眾中有幾位長老比丘意見不一，他們爭論人類最寶貴、最有益的品質是什麼：是美貌、精進、工巧還是智慧。他們請教佛陀，佛陀回答說，福德最能利益眾生，因為福德能夠產生他們提到的所有品質。為了說明這一點，佛陀講述了自己過去世的故事。在那一世，他生為福力太子，有四位哥哥，他們各自以自己最珍視的品質命名：色力太子、精進力、工巧力和智慧力。在隨後的一場競賽中，福力太子贏得了勝利，人們想要確定哪種品質在現實生活中能產生最好的成果。通過自己的福德，福力太子被賜予了統治世界大部分地區的權力。之後，佛陀進一步講述了自己更早前的一世故事，那時他名叫賭勝，在那一世他發起了通過累積福德而證得佛果的誓願。