佛說目連問戒律中五百輕重事經 1.14

1.14

問：「欠負佛物，物云何償？」答：「直償本物。以佛不出入，故不加償。雖爾，故入地獄。昔佛泥洹後，一比丘精進聰明。有一婆羅門見比丘精進聰明，持女施比丘，作比丘尼。比丘即受。其女姝好，比丘後生染意作不淨行，共生活用佛法僧物，各一千萬錢用衣食。而此比丘極聰明，能說法使人得四道果。自惟罪深重，便欲償之。即詣沙佉國乞，大得錢物，還欲償之。道路山中為七步蛇所螫，比丘知七步當死，六步裏便向弟子言：『何處償物？』遣還本國言：『汝償物已還，我住此待汝。』弟子償物訖還報之，即起七步便死，墮阿鼻地獄中。初入溫煖未至大熱，謂是溫室，便舉大聲經唄呪願。獄中諸罪人鬼，聞經唄者數千人得度。獄卒大瞋，便舉鐵扠打之。即命終，生三十三天。以此驗之，佛法僧物不可不償。雖復受罪，故得時出矣。」

Question: "If one owes a debt of the Buddha's property, how must the property be repaid?" Answer: "One simply repays the original property. Because the Buddha does not engage in lending and borrowing, no extra repayment is added. Even so, one will still enter the hells. In ancient times, after the Buddha entered nirvāṇa, there was a bhikṣu who was diligent and intelligent. A brāhmaṇa, seeing that the bhikṣu was diligent and intelligent, offered his daughter to the bhikṣu to become a bhikṣuṇī. The bhikṣu accepted her immediately. The girl was exceedingly beautiful. Later, defiled lust arose in the bhikṣu, and they committed abrahmacarya, living together and using the property of the Buddha, Dharma, and saṃgha—ten million coins each—for food and clothing. Yet this bhikṣu was extremely intelligent and could preach the Dharma, causing people to attain the four fruits of the path. Considering within himself that his sins were profound and heavy, he wished to repay them. He immediately went to Sāketa to beg, obtained a great amount of money and goods, and was returning with the intent to repay them. On the mountain road, he was bitten by a seven-pace viper. Knowing that at seven paces he must die, while within six paces he said to his disciple: 'Where should the goods be repaid?' He sent him back to his native country, saying: 'After you have repaid the goods, come back; I will stay here and await you.' The disciple finished repaying the goods, returned, and reported back to him. Thereupon, taking the seventh step, he died and fell into the Avīci hell. When he first entered, it was warm and had not yet reached extreme heat; thinking it was a heated bathing-room, he raised his voice loudly in recitation of sūtras, hymns, and prayers. Several thousand sinners and ghosts in the hell who heard the recitation of sūtras and hymns attained liberation. The hell wardens were enraged and struck him with iron forks. He immediately died and was born into the Trāyastriṃśa heaven. As proven by this, the property of the Buddha, Dharma, and saṃgha cannot be left unpaid. Even though one undergoes punishment, one still obtains early release."