分別功德論 2.21

2.21

云何念僧？僧者謂四雙八輩十二賢士，捨世貪諍、開福導首，天人路通莫不由之，則是眾生良祐福田也。何以明眾僧為良福田也？昔有薄福比丘名梵摩達，在千二百五十眾中，令眾僧不得食。莫知誰咎，佛便分為二部。在一部中，復令一部不得食。復分此一部為半，令從其半，復令此半不得食。如是展轉分半，乃至二人，亦不得食。遂至獨身，乃知無福。所在行食，次至在鉢，自然消化。佛愍其厄，自手授食在於鉢中，神力所制不復化去。佛欲令現身得福故，令二滅盡比丘在左右，以食施此二滅盡比丘。凡滅盡三昧，皆即時得福。次復令入慈三昧比丘在左右，次以二悲，次以二喜，次以二護，各各遍代令終四等。時波斯匿王聞此比丘薄福，佛愍與食。「我今亦當為其設福。」即遣使人𥹁米。時有一烏飛來銜一粒米去，使人呵曰：「王為梵摩達設福，汝何以持去耶？」烏即持還本處。所以爾者，此比丘以蒙眾僧福力，是以鳥獸所不能侵害也。用是證故，知眾僧為良福田也。既已自度，復能度人至三乘道，念眾之法其義如此。

What is mindfulness of the Saṃgha (saṃghānusmṛti)? The Saṃgha refers to the four pairs and eight persons, the twelve virtuous persons, who have abandoned worldly greed and dispute and opened the way as guides of merit. There is no passage between gods and humans that does not depend on them; thus they are a fine and beneficial field of merit for sentient beings. How is it demonstrated that the Saṃgha is an excellent field of merit? Formerly, there was a monk of little merit named Brahmadatta. Being among the assembly of one thousand two hundred and fifty, he caused the Saṃgha to receive no food. Not knowing whose fault it was, the Buddha divided [the Saṃgha] into two groups. When he was in one group, he caused that group to receive no food. [The Buddha] again divided this group in half, placing him in one half, and he again caused that half to receive no food. Dividing by half in this manner successively, down to two persons, they still could not obtain food. Finally, when it came down to him alone, they knew he had no merit. Wherever food was distributed, when it came his turn to have it placed in his bowl, it naturally melted away. The Buddha pitied his plight and with his own hand offered food into his bowl, and controlled by [the Buddha’s] spiritual power, it did not vanish again. The Buddha wished to cause him to gain merit in his present body, so he placed two monks who had attained nirodhasamāpatti to his left and right, and had him give food to these two monks in nirodha. As a rule, with the samādhi of nirodha, one obtains merit immediately. Next, he placed monks who had entered the samādhi of loving-kindness to his left and right; next with two in compassion, next with two in sympathetic joy, and next with two in equanimity, alternating each in turn so that he completed the four immeasurables. At that time King Prasenajit heard that this monk had little merit and that the Buddha had pitied him and given him food. [The king thought,] “I should also now establish merit for him,” and immediately sent a messenger to bestow rice. At that time a crow flew down, took a grain of rice in its beak, and flew away. The messenger scolded it, saying: “The king is establishing merit for Brahmadatta; why do you carry it off?” The crow immediately brought it back to its original place. Why was this so? Because this monk had received the meritorious power of the Saṃgha, he could not be harmed or infringed upon by birds and beasts. By this evidence, one knows that the Saṃgha is an excellent field of merit. Having already crossed over themselves, they are further able to cross others over to the path of the three vehicles. Such is the meaning of the method of mindfulness of the Saṃgha.