10 characters in the middle of the tableau : “大孝释迦佛亲担父母棺 ”The Great Filial Shakyamuni Buddha Personally Shoulders his Father the King’s Coffin

8 characters carved in front of Ananda : “净饭大王舍利宝塔 ”The Relic Pagoda of the Great Suddhodhana

The Buddha said, “When my father the king’s life was at an end, I arrived at the funeral pyre together with Ananda and others. Mourning, I respectfully bowed my head in front of him, standing reverently.” Ananda and Rahula stood behind the funeral pyre. Ananda to the Buddha said, “My only desire is to be allowed to bear (your) father the king’s coffin.” Rahula also said, “My only desire is to be allowed to bear my grandfather the king’s coffin.”

The World-Honored One consolingly said, “People in the future will all be violent and brutal and will not repay the kindness of their fathers and mothers who have nurtured and raised them. For these unfilial beings who will perform funerary cremations of kings (in the future), the Tathagata himself desires to shoulder his father the king’s coffin.”

Forthwith the world (felt) six kinds of quakes, and all of the heavenly beings at one time came to attend the funeral. The four heavenly kings and their assembled retinues participated in the funeral, saying to the Buddha, “For children in the future who are not filial, the Buddha with his own body personally carries the coffin of his father the king. We are all disciples of the Buddha, from the Buddha we have heard the Law and obtained entrance into the stream of holy living. It is for this reason that we (feel it is) appropriate to honor him by carrying his father the king’s coffin. The (heavenly beings) then took human forms. Among the entire populace, there was no one who was not weeping aloud and sobbing as the World-Honored One with his own hands carried the incense burner at the front (of the procession), walking to the site of the king’s grave, leading 1000 lohans who held all manner of aromatic powders, which they burned in the funeral pyre. At that time, all the heavenly kings gathered the bones and put them into gold and diamond reliquaries, fitting them together to erect a pagoda, to which they then made offerings. The vast multitude of people performed ceremonies and maintained offerings there.

释迦牟尼佛为来世众生设化王 故担父王棺 大藏佛言：父王终已，至阇维时，佛故难陀等，丧头前肃恭而立。阿难、罗云在丧足后。阿难白佛言：惟愿听我担父王棺。罗云复言：惟愿听我担祖王棺。世尊慰言：当来世人，皆凶暴不报父母养育之恩，为是不孝众生设化王，故如来躬欲担父王棺，即时世界六种震动，一时诸天意神，皆来赴丧。四天王众皆共举丧，而白佛言：佛为担来不孝父母者故，以自身亲担父王棺。我等是佛弟子，从佛闻法，得须陀洹，是故我曹宜担父王棺，即变为人。一切人民，莫不啼泣，世尊躬自手执香炉在前，行于墓所，令千罗汉，取种种香末，以火焚之。尔等诸王收骨置金刚函，便共起塔，而为供养。大众人民，作礼奉持.