大方便佛報恩經 5.53

5.53

「佛告阿難：『如汝所說。如來非不知母人於如來所有是重恩，但不樂使女人入佛法中。如來若聽女人入佛法中者，正法當漸微漸滅於五百歲，是故如來不樂喜聽女人入佛法中。』爾時阿難頭面禮佛足，長跪叉手，重白佛言：『世尊！阿難自念過去諸佛具四部眾，而我釋迦如來獨不具耶？』佛告阿難：『若憍曇彌愛樂佛法，發大精進，清淨修習八敬之法者，聽入佛法。』阿難即時頭面禮佛，右遶三匝，即便出外，白母人言：『阿難已勸請如來，得使母人奉持佛法。』憍曇彌聞是語已，心大歡喜，白阿難言：『善哉阿難！乃能慇懃勸請如來，得使母人稱遂本願。』

"The Buddha told Ānanda: 'It is as you have said. It is not that the Tathāgata does not know the great kindness this lady has toward the Tathāgata; he simply does not delight in having women enter into the Buddha-Dharma. If the Tathāgata permits women to enter into the Buddha-Dharma, the saddharma will gradually decline and diminish by five hundred years. For this reason, the Tathāgata does not delight or rejoice in permitting women to enter into the Buddha-Dharma.' At that time, Ānanda prostrated himself touching the Buddha's feet with his head and face, knelt upright with palms joined, and said to the Buddha again: 'Bhagavat! Ānanda reflects that the Buddhas of the past were fully endowed with the fourfold assembly; could our Śākya Tathāgata alone not be fully endowed?' The Buddha told Ānanda: 'If Gautamī loves and delights in the Buddha-Dharma, arouses great vigor, and purely cultivates and practices the eight dharmas of respect, she is permitted to enter the Buddha-Dharma.' Ānanda immediately prostrated himself with head and face at the Buddha's feet, circumambulated him three times to the right, and then went outside, saying to the lady: 'Ānanda has already entreatingly requested the Tathāgata and succeeded in having you, Mother, uphold the Buddha-Dharma.' Having heard these words, Gautamī was filled with great joy and said to Ānanda: 'Excellent, Ānanda! That you were able to earnestly entreat and request the Tathāgata, and succeed in having me, this woman, fulfill my original vow!'