分別功德論 4.11

4.11

As for the monk Aśvajit, he had only trained under the Buddha for seven days when he became fully possessed of deportment. As he was about to enter Vaiśālī to beg for alms, he met Upatiṣya outside the city gate. Seeing from afar that Aśvajit's deportment was dignified and serene and his Dharma robes were neat and orderly, Upatiṣya's heart was filled with joy, and he asked: 'What kind of person are you, sir?' He replied: 'I am a śramaṇa.' He asked: 'Did you come to know this on your own, sir, or do you have a master and lineage?' He replied: 'I have a master.' 'What is your master's name? How does he expound the Dharma?' He answered: 'My master's name is Śākyamuni, God among gods, the most supreme in the three realms. His teaching takes emptiness and non-existence as primary, bringing the mind to rest and penetrating to the origin; hence the name śramaṇa.' Upatiṣya, upon hearing these wondrous words, immediately attained the path's trace. Tiṣya and his fellow student originally had an agreement: whoever first obtained the nectar should inform the other. He then took leave of Aśvajit and went to Kolita's place. Kolita, seeing him come with an extraordinary expression, suspected that he had obtained the nectar, and immediately asked: 'Did you obtain the nectar?' He said: 'I obtained it.' 'What is the nectar?' 'The nectar is penetrating the emptiness and non-existence of all dharmas.' Kolita reflected upon this and also attained the path's trace. The reason why Aśvajit was foremost in deportment is that during five hundred past lives he had been a monkey, and having now obtained human birth, his nature was still restless and agitated; yet after seven days of renunciation, he altered his old track. Though his learning was initially shallow, he was skilful at proclaiming the noble teaching, causing those who first beheld him to feel joyful and penetrate the teaching. Moving and awakening others through deportment, he is declared foremost.