妙法蓮華經文句 1.114

1.114

「摩訶迦葉」，此翻大龜氏，其先代學道，靈龜負仙圖而應，從德命族故言龜氏。真諦三藏翻光波，古仙人身光炎踊，能映餘光使不現，故言光波。亦云飲光，迦葉身光亦能映物。名畢鉢羅，或畢鉢波羅延，或梯毘犁。畢鉢羅樹也，父母禱樹神求得此子，以樹名之。跋耆子生此聚落，人以為號，其家大富。《增一阿含》云：「羅閱祇大富長者，名迦毘羅，婦名檀那，子名畢鉢羅，子婦名婆陀，其家千倍勝瓶沙王，十六大國無以為隣。」《付法藏》言：「毘婆尸佛滅後，塔像金色缺壞，時有貧女匃得金珠，倩匠為薄。金師歡喜治瑩佛畢，立誓為夫婦。九十一劫人中天上身恒金色、心恒受樂，最後託摩竭提國尼拘律陀婆羅門家生，畏勝王得罪，減一耕犁，但用九百九十九雙牛金犁。」又經云：「其家有㲲，最下品者，直百千兩金，以釘釘入地七尺，㲲不穿破如本不異。六十庫金粟，一庫容三百四十斛。」庫，倉類也。又經云：「以麥飯供養支佛，怛越忉利各千反受樂，身有三十相。」直論金色，剡浮那陀金，在濁水底光徹水上，在闇闇滅，迦葉身光勝於此金，身光照一由旬。闕二相，應是無白毫、肉髻也。故諸天請結集時讚言：「耆年欲恚慢已除，其形譬如紫金柱，上下端嚴妙無比，目明清淨如蓮花。」捨此家業，又納金色婦迭臥無欲，捨而出家，身披無價寶衣，截為僧伽梨，四疊奉佛為座，如是三捨世無倫匹，是為捨大。於跋耆聚落，值佛奉寶衣，佛授糞掃大衣，此衣是大聖大衣，又不麁重，故迦葉云：「我受佛衣，師想、塔想，未曾頭枕，況以覆臥？如此大衣，大進我行。」故言受大。

'Mahākāśyapa' is translated here as 'Great Tortoise Clan.' His ancestors studied the Way, and a numinous tortoise appeared bearing an immortal's diagram; because they took their clan name from this virtue, they were called the Tortoise Clan. The Tripiṭaka Master Paramārtha translated it as 'Light Wave.' The bodily light of ancient ṛṣis flared up and could outshine other lights so that they did not appear; hence it is called 'Light Wave.' It is also called 'Swallowing Light,' as Kāśyapa's bodily light could also outshine external objects. His name was Pippala, or Pippalāyana, or Tibili. Pippala is a tree; his parents prayed to the tree deity to obtain this son, and named him after the tree. A Vajjiputta born in this village, people used it as his designation. His family was extremely wealthy. The Ekottarika-āgama says: 'In Rājagṛha there was a very wealthy elder named Kapila; his wife was named Dānā, his son was named Pippala, and his son's wife was named Bhadrā. His family was a thousand times richer than King Bimbisāra, and none in the sixteen great states could be their equal.' The Fu fazang [zhuan] says: 'After the nirvāṇa of Vipaśyin Buddha, the golden color of his stūpa image was damaged and broken. At that time, a poor woman begged and obtained gold beads, and hired a craftsman to make gold foil. The goldsmith happily polished and restored the Buddha [image], and they made a vow to become husband and wife. For ninety-one kalpas among humans and devas, their bodies were always golden in color and their minds always enjoyed bliss. Finally, he was born into the Nyagrodha brāhmaṇa family in the kingdom of Magadha. Fearing that surpassing the king would incur blame, he reduced one plow, using only nine hundred ninety-nine pairs of oxen with golden plows.' Another sūtra says: 'His family had fine cotton cloth, the lowest grade of which was worth a hundred thousand ounces of gold. When nailed into the ground seven feet with a nail, the cloth was not pierced or torn, remaining unchanged as before. There were sixty storehouses of golden grain, each storehouse holding three hundred and forty bushels.' Storehouses are like granaries. Another sūtra says: 'By offering barley meal to a pratyekabuddha, he enjoyed bliss a thousand times each as a dānapati and in Trāyastriṃśa, and his body possessed thirty marks.' Simply in terms of golden color, jambūnada gold at the bottom of murky water shines through above the water, and in darkness the darkness is extinguished; Kāśyapa's bodily light surpassed this gold, his bodily light illuminating one yojana. He lacked two marks, which must be the white curl and the uṣṇīṣa. Therefore, when the devas requested the compilation, they praised him, saying: 'The elder has already removed desire, anger, and pride; / His form is like a pillar of purple gold, / Upright and dignified from top to bottom, wondrous without match, / His eyes clear and pure like lotus flowers.' Relinquishing this family estate, he also married a golden woman, and sleeping alternately they had no desire; he renounced this and left household life. Wearing a priceless precious robe, he cut it into a saṅghāṭī and folded it in four to offer to the Buddha as a seat. Such three renunciations were peerless in the world; this is greatness in renunciation. In the Vajji village, he met the Buddha and offered the precious robe, and the Buddha bestowed upon him his coarse rag robe. This robe was the great robe of the Great Sage, and it was not heavy or crude. Therefore Kāśyapa said: 'When I received the Buddha's robe, thinking of it as my master and as a stūpa, I never used it as a headrest, much less slept covered by it. Such a great robe has greatly advanced my practice.' Therefore it is called greatness in receiving.