分別功德論 4.21

4.21

君頭波歎所以稱行籌第一者，凡籌者記錄人數知為誠實以不？答誠實，受籌則得其福，虛妄受者罪積彌大。漢言曰籌，天竺為舍羅。舍羅者亦名壞盡，福則罪盡、罪則福盡也。何以知其然耶？昔阿難邠坻女外適尼揵國，問佛：「可爾不？」佛言：「宜知是時。往必有益。」女既到，遙請世尊。佛知其意，即默然受請。勅阿難曰：「明當受釋摩男請。鳴揵集眾行神通。」舍羅時上座君頭未得神通，聞行籌請，自鄙未得神通，顧惟形影在眾座首，由老野狐在紫金山。進退惟慮，正欲受籌，不在通例；正欲不受，居為上座，八歲沙彌尚得神通，積年之功而無所獲。計惟如此，何用存為？感結受籌，還授之間霍然漏盡。若以虛妄受籌者，人身有九十萬毛孔，以此為數不得受如此之數人身也。若以精誠受者，即可得漏盡之證，以此上座可為明證。所以復為上座者，以善能說法適可眾人，眾所推舉故為上座。以是因緣故，稱上座受籌第一。

The reason why the bhikṣu Kuṇḍadhāna is called foremost in receiving the tally (śalākā) is that tallies are generally used to record the number of persons to ascertain whether they are sincere or not. If one answers with sincerity, taking the tally brings merit; if one takes it falsely, the accrued guilt becomes ever greater. In the language of the Han it is called 'chou' (tally); in India it is 'śalākā'. 'Śalākā' also means 'exhaustion': through merit guilt is exhausted, and through guilt merit is exhausted. How is this known to be so? Formerly, the daughter of Anāthapiṇḍada married into a Nirgrantha country and asked the Buddha, 'May I do so?' The Buddha said, 'You should know that now is the time. Going will surely be of benefit.' Once the daughter arrived, she invited the World-Honoured One from afar. The Buddha, knowing her intention, silently accepted the invitation. He instructed Ānanda, 'Tomorrow we shall accept the invitation of Śakramāna. Strike the gaṇḍī, assemble the community, and display supernatural powers.' At the time of the śalākā, the elder Kuṇḍa had not yet attained supernatural powers. Hearing that the tally was being circulated for the invitation, he felt ashamed of not having attained supernatural powers, and looking upon his own form and shadow at the head of the assembly, he felt like an old wild fox on Purple Gold Mountain. Weighing his choices in deep worry: if he took the tally, he did not conform to the general rule [of having supernatural powers]; if he did not take it, he was dwelling as the elder. Even an eight-year-old śrāmaṇera had attained supernatural powers, yet despite his many years of effort, he had achieved nothing. Reflecting thus: 'What use is there in remaining alive?' With deep emotion and inner knot, as he received the tally and was about to hand it back, he instantly became free of āsravas (attained āsravakṣaya). If one receives the tally falsely: the human body has nine hundred thousand pores, and with this as the count, one will not receive a human body for that many lifetimes. If one receives it with refined sincerity, one can immediately attain the realization of the exhaustion of āsravas; this elder serves as clear proof of this. The reason he was further made an elder was that he was skilled in explaining the Dharma in a way suitable to the multitude, and having been chosen by the assembly, he became the elder. For this reason, the elder is called foremost in receiving the tally.