分別功德論 5.8

5.8

As for why the monk Sīvali is said to be foremost in merit: when Sīvali was first born, he emerged holding a priceless maṇi jewel in his hands. Falling to the ground, he immediately spoke: "Is there any gold, silver, or seven treasures in the world that can be used for giving? I now wish to make a great offering." After he had spoken these words, his parents and the entire household were all greatly frightened; they abandoned him and ran away. Some called him a rākṣasa demon, while others thought him a heavenly spirit, saying: "When a child is born, it must complete the months and days before it can speak. Now he speaks the moment he drops to the ground; this is extraordinarily uncanny." His mother, feeling otherwise in her heart, returned to look at him. He said to his mother: "Do not be afraid. I am no demon. I am simply your son, Mother." His father, Candrakānta, said: "We should now carry the child to the Nirgrantha to inquire about his good or ill fortune." Thereupon he and his wife carried the child to the Nirgrantha and reported the situation to the master. The master said: "This child has no merit and will later bring about calamity." The elder asked: "The child has a maṇi jewel in his hand; why do you say he has no merit?" The Nirgrantha replied: "When he reaches the age of eight, all your household wealth and treasures will be utterly exhausted and consumed in this child's hands; because of this, you will all starve to death." The elder, terrified and profoundly doubtful, heard that there was a great śramaṇa in the world, [and thought:] "Perhaps he knows good and ill fortune; I should go to him and ask whether this is true or not." He immediately set out for the World-Honoured One's place. Midway he thought again: "The great śramaṇa belongs to the royal caste, born and raised in the deep palace, and has not studied scholarship. The brāhmaṇas and others, who have been widely learned from youth, are still unable to know good and ill fortune; how could a śramaṇa know?" He was about to return home, when a deity spoke to the elder from mid-air: "You must only advance. Why turn back? The Tathāgata, the Great Sage, penetrates all things; if you go, he will certainly resolve your doubts. Go quickly without hesitation!" He then went forward to the Buddha's place, made obeisance, and after greeting him, reported: "As just stated, I do not know whether this bodes good or ill?" The Buddha told the elder: "It is auspicious, with nothing disadvantageous, to have borne a son of such merit. When this child reaches the age of twenty, he will leave home to practice the Path, always accompanied by five hundred boys. He will attain arhatship and return to deliver his parents." Hearing what the Buddha said, the elder leaped with joy and could not contain himself, returning home at once. He prepared savory delicacies and invited the Buddha to his house: "May the World-Honoured One grant a name to the young child." The Buddha told the elder: "If I were to name him 'Heaven', people would not understand. If I were to name him 'Sage', ordinary people would not understand. In the time of Kāśyapa Buddha, spirits were called sīvali; now he should properly be named Sīvali. 'Sīvali' means one who understands and communicates the speech and voices of ghosts and spirits. Therefore he is named Sīvali." When Ānanda was approaching parinirvāṇa, he delivered two disciples: the first was named Majjhantika, and the second was named Mahinda. Mahinda was an earthly king; had he not become a śramaṇa, he would have ruled this Jambudvīpa and the other three continents, hence he was named Mahinda. Ānanda instructed this disciple: "Go to the country of the Lion Island (Siṃhala) to propagate and illuminate the Buddha's Dharma." The people of that country had intercourse with rākṣasas and required written scripts before they could communicate and trade. Among the sixty kinds of scripts, there was a ghost script called Abhu and a human phonetic script called Ara. Mahinda, receiving the instruction, went there and propagated the Buddha's Dharma, and the traces of his teaching exist down to this day. Sīvali's communication with ghosts and spirits was also like this; hence he was named Sīvali. As for why Sīvali's merit is praised: when he was born, he emerged naturally holding a maṇi jewel in both hands. Formerly, in the time of Vipaśyin Tathāgata, this monk was a merchant who went out to sea to gather jewels. Passing through five perils, he reached the place of gems, obtained a precious pearl, returned, and offered it to the Buddha, making a vow that wherever he was born he would spontaneously receive recompense. By this cause and condition, his birth was extraordinary: [another child born with him had a pearl] valued at twenty koṭis, which was spontaneously born attached to his ear at the time of birth; the father assembled merchants to inquire into its value, and the merchants evaluated it, saying: "It is worth twenty koṭis." But Sīvali's hand-held jewel was limitless; hence it was called priceless. The nourishment provided by his jewel extended to seven generations, and through seven generations they suffered no want or lack; therefore he is called foremost in merit. At the age of twenty, he left home to study the Path. When he came to the World-Honoured One, the Buddha said, "Come, monk!" and he immediately became a śramaṇa. Contemplating the four noble truths, he attained arhatship. At that time, five hundred boys also left home to practice the Path and constantly attended upon Sīvali. Sīvali supplied these five hundred people with robes and food; wherever they went, offerings were never lacking, and wherever they wandered, they were always provided for. South of the city of Rājagṛha, there was a great, deep mountain, in which were many poisonous insects, tigers, wolves, and rākṣasas. He thought to himself: "I wish to dwell in seclusion in this mountain for a season." Śakra Devānām Indra, knowing his thought, immediately created five hundred rooms and a saṅghārāma in the mountain, providing various offerings for another season. When the summer retreat was completed, he thought: "I have been away for a long time; I should return to pay homage." The weather was extremely hot, and he thought of having coolness; Śakra, knowing this, immediately brought down clouds and rain. When he felt a slight desire for drinks, nectar fell at once. Whatever he wished for arrived in response to his thought; therefore he is said to be foremost in merit. Sīvali had a paternal uncle who served heterodox brahmacārins, who was by nature stingy and disliked giving. At that time, friends and relatives advised him to accumulate provisions for future lives, whereupon he invited several thousand brahmacārins and gave them a hundred thousand ounces of gold. Sīvali thought: "My uncle is stingy and greedy, creating no merit in this life. Even if he practices giving, he does not meet a fertile field. If I do not deliver him, he will be abandoned forever." He then went to his house holding his bowl to beg for food. The uncle said: "Why have you come so late? Yesterday I made a great giving. Had you come yesterday, you could have received a saṃkakṣikā." [Sīvali] said: "I have my own saṃkakṣikā and do not need one." "Why have you come, then?" He said: "I wish to beg for food." At that time, his uncle would not give, whereupon [Sīvali] manifested his body in mid-air and displayed eighteen transformations, his body emitting water and fire. The elder thought: "He must be angry. What if he burns down my house?" He immediately called him down and offered him a seat. Sitting down, [Sīvali] said: "I wish to have food." [The uncle] then gave him foul and wretched food. He received it at once, recited an auspicious prayer, and ate it. As the food entered the bowl, moved by his merit, it transformed into nectar. A deity above praised him, saying: "Excellent, elder! You have indeed made a great giving, a giving of merit that none can surpass." The elder thought: "Previously I gave a hundred thousand ounces of gold to the brahmacārins, and no one praised me. Now, for giving this little bit of wretched food, I am praised as having done well. Could this be a lie?" The deity spoke to him again: "Although what was given was small, the field of merit is excellent; therefore it is called a great giving." The elder thought again: "The deity must be speaking the truth, since he has told me a second time." He immediately gave a hundred thousand ounces of gold to Sīvali. Sīvali said: "According to the monastic rules, I ought not to accept gold." He promptly went to the Buddha to ask about the matter. The Buddha answered: "You may take it, and redistribute it as a gift as you wish." He then accepted the gold and gave it to his fellow students. He expounded the Dharma to his uncle, who thereupon attained the stage of entering the stream. Being able to transform foul and wretched food into nectar, he is called foremost in merit. From his birth until nirvāṇa, he was never in want; and when he entered parinirvāṇa, various sweet dishes, food, and drink rained down upon his body. Why was it like this? Because having sufficient for himself, he further wished to bestow moisture upon sentient beings. For this reason too, he is called foremost.