分別功德論 4.44

4.44

The reason why Upāli is proclaimed foremost in upholding the Vinaya is that long ago, when the Buddha returned to his native land at the invitation of his father, the king, the monks who followed him, though pure in mind, did not have distinguished appearances. At that time, the king wished to encourage the sons of the noble Śākya clan to go forth as monks to attend upon the World-Honoured One, so he issued an order to the Śākyas: 'Wherever there are two brothers, one must go forth to practice the Path. Anyone who does not follow this order will be severely punished.' At that time, there was a Śākya prince named King of the Face, the eldest among the Śākyas, who was the next in line to have his hair shaved. The Buddha instructed Upāli to shave his head, admonishing him: 'These Śākya nobles are proud and pampered, and their bodies are tender. Shave him very gently and with a light touch.' Upāli applied a light touch, but it was too light and did not cut. Upāli then reversed the blade and used the back of the razor. The Buddha said: 'That will not do.' He then used the flat of the razor, and the Buddha again said: 'That will not do.' He then shaved directly from the crown with the blade, cleanly removing it all. The five hundred Śākyas were all shaved in this way. The Buddha called to Upāli, saying: 'Come, monk!' and he immediately became a śramaṇa. The Buddha then conferred the precepts upon him, and he attained arhatship. Next, the precepts were conferred upon the five hundred Śākyas, with Upāli as the senior monk. Placing his hand upon the heads of the five hundred men, he conferred the precepts upon the disciples. When this was complete, it was their turn to bow to Upāli. The Śākyas, being proud and noble by nature, could not bring themselves to humble themselves, especially since he had been their servant. They all said: 'This is a servant of our household; for what reason should we bow to him?' The Buddha said: 'It is not so. In the Dharma, there is no high or low noble status; he who attains first is the elder brother, and he who attains later is the younger brother.' After much hesitation, they controlled their minds and bowed. At that moment, heaven and earth shook violently, and the gods above praised, saying: 'Excellent, excellent! Today the Śākyas have subdued their arrogance. Because this state of mind is difficult to conquer, the earth shook.' When the five hundred Śākyas took up the Path, 99,000 other people also went forth to practice the Path. From the time Upāli received the precepts from the Buddha, he never violated them even by a hair's breadth; for this reason he is proclaimed foremost. Was it only for this, or were there other matters? North of the Jetavana monastery, there was a monk who had been sick for six years without recovering. Upāli went to ask the monk: 'What is your affliction? If you need anything, just say so.' He replied: 'What I need cannot be spoken.' Upāli asked again: 'What do you need? If it is not here, I will seek it from the four directions. If it is not in the world, I will seek it in the heavens.' He said: 'What I need is available in Śrāvastī, but because it violates the Buddha’s teaching, it cannot be spoken.' Upāli said: 'Just tell me; there is no harm.' He said: 'I only crave alcohol. If I obtain five pints of alcohol, my illness will be cured.' Upāli said: 'Wait a moment. I will ask the Buddha for you.' He returned and asked the Buddha: 'A monk is ill and needs alcohol as medicine. May he drink it or not?' The World-Honoured One said: 'Among the rules I have laid down, an exception is made for the sick.' Upāli returned, sought the alcohol, and gave it to him, and his illness was immediately cured. Upāli preached the Dharma to him again, and he attained the path of an arhat. The Buddha praised Upāli: 'You indeed questioned the Tathāgata on this matter, enabling the sick monk to find relief and cure, and also enabling him to attain the Path. If this monk had not been liberated, he would later have fallen into the three bad destinies as a consciousness with no time of release. You have explained the prohibitive precepts for future monks, letting them know what is minor and what is grave, so that they may be rescued from peril. You are truly able to uphold the Vinaya; I entrust the Vinayapiṭaka to you, do not let it be lost or diminished. This basket is the most esoteric among all the baskets; it must not be shown to novices or laypeople.' For this reason, he is also proclaimed foremost.