佛說目連問戒律中五百輕重事 1.118

1.118

問：「比丘多度弟子、或作三師，都不教誡。犯何事？」答：「犯墮。昔迦葉佛時有一比丘，度弟子不教誡。弟子多作非法，命終生龍中。龍法七日一受對，時火燒其身，肉盡骨在，尋復還復，復則復燒。不能堪苦，便自思惟：『我宿何罪致苦如此耶？』便觀宿命，自見本作沙門，不持禁戒，師亦不教。便作毒念，恚其本師，念欲傷害。會後其師與五百人乘船渡海，龍便出水捉船。眾人即問：『汝為是誰？』答：『我是龍。』問：『汝何以捉船？』答：『汝若下此比丘，放汝使去。』問：『此比丘何豫汝事？都不索餘人，獨索此比丘者何？』龍曰：『此比丘本是我師，不教誡我，使我今日受如此苦痛，是以索之。』眾人事不得止，便欲捉此比丘下著水中。比丘曰：『我自入水，不須見捉。』即便投水喪滅身命，生諸苦處受罪無量。以此驗之，度人事大，不可不教誡。」

Question: "If a bhikṣu ordains many disciples or acts as one of the three masters, but does not instruct or admonish them at all, what offence does he commit?" Answer: "He commits an offence of pātayantika. Formerly, in the time of Kāśyapa Buddha, there was a bhikṣu who ordained disciples without instructing or admonishing them. His disciples did many things contrary to Dharma, and when their lives ended, they were born among nāgas. The law of nāgas is that once every seven days they receive retribution, at which time fire burns their bodies until their flesh is consumed and only bones remain; soon after, their bodies are restored, and once restored, they are burned again. Unable to bear the suffering, [one nāga] reflected: 'What past crime of mine has brought about such suffering?' He then observed his past lives and saw for himself that he had originally been a śramaṇa, who did not uphold the prohibitive precepts, nor did his master instruct him. He then gave rise to poisonous thoughts, resenting his original master and thinking of harming him. Later it happened that his master boarded a boat with five hundred people to cross the sea, and the nāga emerged from the water and seized the boat. The people immediately asked: 'Who are you?' He answered: 'I am a nāga.' They asked: 'Why do you seize the boat?' He answered: 'If you put this bhikṣu down [into the water], I will release you and let you go.' They asked: 'How is this bhikṣu any of your concern? Why do you not seek anyone else, but exclusively seek this bhikṣu?' The nāga said: 'This bhikṣu was originally my master, who did not instruct or admonish me, causing me to suffer such painful agony today. That is why I seek him.' The people had no choice and were about to seize this bhikṣu and cast him into the water. The bhikṣu said: 'I will enter the water myself; there is no need to seize me.' Thereupon he threw himself into the water, losing his physical life, and was born in various places of suffering, receiving immeasurable retribution for his offences. Proved by this, ordaining people is a great matter; one must not fail to instruct and admonish them."