分別功德論 1.13

1.13

阿難推先迦葉云：「耆年堪任為眾演法。所以然者，尊長舊學多識世尊所委，為將來眾生故，欲使正法久存於世，是以如來半坐相命。仁尊既是眾僧上座，又復智慧包博，唯垂慈愍時宣法寶。」外國師云：迦葉所以不說法者，於四辯中無有辭辯。又云：本是辟支佛，但以神足現化，初不演法。迦葉答讓，自云朽邁、情闇多忘。答曰：四諦真法豈可衰亡耶？喻如金剛不可虧損，生死四大乃有增減耳。薩婆多家又云：九種羅漢有退轉者，以幾事退？有四事：年在衰邁、疾病苦逼、好遠行遊、服藥不順。以此四事乃有誤忘耳。真諦妙慧豈可忘乎？迦葉勸阿難曰：「汝今年在盛時，加復有聞智等智，總持強記。佛每說經常囑累汝。以是故汝當宣布經法。」何以知阿難有等智？昔舍衛城東有尼拘類大樹，蔭五百乘車。城中有梵志，明於算術，於九十五種中最為第一。在此樹下與阿難相遇，謂阿難曰：「人云：『瞿曇弟子智慧第一。頗有此不？』」答曰：「所知少耳。」曰：「少欲問一事。此樹莖節枝葉凡有幾枚？」阿難舉頭視樹，便答之曰：「此樹莖節枝葉各有若干。」即便捨去。梵志在後思惟：「此沙門必不知數，其於見答乃爾。今當試之。」即處處取葉六十枚，藏之土中。阿難乞食還，復問曰：「我向忘數，更與我說。」阿難舉頭視之再遍，答曰：「此樹葉何以少耶？」又曰：「少幾枚？」答曰：「少六十枚。」梵志即叉手謝曰：「未曾有也。」又問曰：「君是羅漢耶？」答曰：「非也。」「是阿那含、斯陀含耶？」曰：「非也。」「是須陀洹耶？」曰：「何以問耶？」又曰：「有師耶？」答曰：「有。真淨王子出家得佛，即是我師。」心念曰：「此假師智，非己所知。」即隨至佛所，求為沙門，即得羅漢。以是知阿難有等智。

Ānanda deferred to Kāśyapa, saying: "The venerable elder is competent to expound the Dharma for the assembly. Why is this so? The revered elder has practiced of old, knows much, and is someone entrusted by the World-Honoured One; for the sake of future sentient beings, and wishing to cause the true Dharma to abide long in the world, the Tathāgata shared half his seat to summon you. Since the noble elder is the senior monk among the saṅgha and his wisdom is all-encompassing, we pray that you graciously bestow your compassion and expound the jewel of the Dharma in due season." A foreign master said: The reason Kāśyapa did not preach the Dharma is that among the four kinds of eloquence, he lacked eloquence of phrasing. It is also said that he was originally a pratyekabuddha who merely manifested transformations through ṛddhi and never preached the Dharma from the start. Kāśyapa declined with humility, saying that he was decayed with age, his mind was dim, and he forgot much. [Ānanda] replied: "How could the true Dharma of the four truths decay or perish? It is like vajra, which cannot be damaged; only the four great elements of birth and death have increase and decrease." The Sarvāstivāda school also says: Among the nine kinds of arhats, there are those who fall back. Due to how many causes do they fall back? There are four causes: advancing in age and decay, affliction by the suffering of illness, fondness for traveling to distant places, and taking medicine improperly. Only due to these four causes are there mistakes and forgetfulness. How could the wonderful wisdom of the ultimate truth ever be forgotten? Kāśyapa exhorted Ānanda, saying: "You are now in your prime; moreover, you possess the wisdom of hearing and conventional wisdom, and have dhāraṇī and a powerful memory. Whenever the Buddha preached sūtras, he always entrusted them to you. For this reason, you should proclaim the sūtras and Dharma." How is it known that Ānanda possessed conventional wisdom? In the past, east of the city of Śrāvastī, there was a large nyagrodha tree whose shade covered five hundred carriages. In the city was a brahmacārin skilled in arithmetic, foremost among the ninety-five kinds [of heterodox teachers]. Encountering Ānanda beneath this tree, he said to Ānanda: "People say: 'The disciples of Gautama are foremost in wisdom.' Is there any truth to this?" [Ānanda] replied: "What I know is modest." [The brahmacārin] said: "I wish to ask one small question. How many stems, nodes, branches, and leaves are there in total on this tree?" Ānanda lifted his head, looked at the tree, and immediately answered him: "This tree has such-and-such number of stems, nodes, branches, and leaves respectively." He then departed. Behind him, the brahmacārin thought: "This śramaṇa definitely did not know the number, yet answered me so readily. Now I shall test him." He then picked sixty leaves from various places and hid them in the ground. When Ānanda returned from begging for food, [the brahmacārin] asked again: "Just now I forgot the count; tell me once more." Ānanda lifted his head, looked at it twice, and replied: "Why are the leaves of this tree fewer?" [The brahmacārin] asked: "Fewer by how many?" [Ānanda] replied: "Fewer by sixty leaves." The brahmacārin immediately pressed his palms together, thanked him, and said: "Unprecedented!" He also asked: "Are you an arhat?" [Ānanda] replied: "No." "Are you an anāgāmin or a sakṛdāgāmin?" [Ānanda] said: "No." "Are you a srotāpanna?" [Ānanda] said: "Why do you ask?" [The brahmacārin] also asked: "Do you have a master?" [Ānanda] replied: "I do. The prince of King Śuddhodana went forth from the household life and became a Buddha; he is my master." [The brahmacārin] thought: "This is borrowing his master's wisdom; it is not his own knowledge." He immediately followed him to where the Buddha was, sought to become a śramaṇa, and attained arhatship. From this it is known that Ānanda possessed conventional wisdom.