觀無量壽佛經疏 2.29

2.29

「言未生怨者。此因提婆達多起惡妬之心故，對彼太子顯發昔日惡緣。云何妬心而起惡緣？提婆惡性為人匈猛，雖復出家，恒常妬佛名聞利養。然父王是佛檀越，於一時中多將供養奉上如來，謂金銀七寶，名衣上服，百味果食等。一一色色，皆五百車。香華伎樂，百千萬眾，讚歎圍遶，送向佛會，施佛及僧。時調達見已妬心更盛，即向舍利弗所求學身通。尊者語言：『仁者且學四念處，不須學身通也。』既請不遂心，更向餘尊者邊求，乃至五百弟子等悉無人教，皆遣學四念處。請不得已，遂向阿難邊學。語阿難言：『汝是我弟，我欲學通，一一次第教我。』然阿難雖得初果未證他心，不知阿兄私密學通欲於佛所起於惡計。阿難遂即喚向靜處，次第教之。跏趺正坐先教將心舉身似動想，去地一分一寸想，一尺一丈想，至舍作空無礙想，直過上空中想，還攝心下至本坐處想。次將身舉心，初時去地一分一寸等亦如前法，以身舉心，以心舉身，亦隨既至上空已，還攝取身下至本坐處。次想身心合舉，還同前法一分一寸等周而復始。次想身心入一切質礙色境中，作不質礙想。次想一切山河大地等色入自身中，如空無礙不見色相。次想自身或大遍滿虛空，坐臥自在，或坐或臥，以手捉動日月，或作小身入微塵中，一切皆作無礙想。阿難如是次第教已。時調達既受得法已，即別向靜處，七日七夜一心專注即得身通，一切自在皆得成就。既得通已，即向太子殿前，在於空中現大神變。身上出火身下出水，或左邊出水右邊出火，或現大身或現小身，或坐臥空中，隨意自在。太子見已問左右曰：『此是何人？』左右答太子言：『此是尊者提婆。』太子聞已心大歡喜，遂即舉手喚言：『尊者何不下來。』提婆既見喚已，即化作嬰兒直向太子膝上。太子即抱嗚口弄之，又唾口中，嬰兒遂咽之。須臾還復本身。太子既見提婆種種神變，轉加敬重。既見太子心敬重已，即說父王供養因緣。色別五百，乘車載向佛所奉佛及僧。太子聞已即語尊者：『弟子亦能備具色各五百車，供養尊者及施眾僧，可不如彼也。』提婆言：『太子此意大善。』自此已後大得供養，心轉高慢。譬如以杖打惡狗鼻轉增狗惡，此亦如是。太子今將利養之杖打提婆貪心狗鼻，轉加惡盛。因此破僧，改佛法戒教戒不同。待佛普為凡聖大眾說法之時，即來會中，從佛索於徒眾，并諸法藏盡付屬我。世尊年將老邁，宜可就靜內自將養。一切大眾聞提婆此語，愕爾迭互相看，甚生驚怪。爾時世尊即對大眾語提婆言：『舍利、目連等即大法將，我尚不將佛法付屬。況汝癡人食唾者乎。』時提婆聞佛對眾毀辱，由如毒箭入心，更發癡狂之意。藉此因緣即向太子所，共論惡計。太子既見尊者，敬心承問言：『尊者今日顏色憔悴不同往昔。』提婆答曰：『我今憔悴，正為太子也。』太子敬問：『尊者為我有何意也？』提婆即答云：『太子知不？世尊年老無所堪任，當可除之，我自作佛。父王年老，亦可除之，太子自坐正位。新王新佛治化，豈不樂乎？』太子聞之極大瞋怒，勿作是說。又言：『太子莫瞋。父王於太子全無恩德。初欲生太子時，父王即遣夫人在百尺樓上當天井中生，即望墮地令死，正以太子福力故命根不斷，但損小指。若不信者自看小指，足以為驗。』太子既聞此語，更重審言：『實爾已不？』提婆答言：『此若不實，我可故來作漫語也。』因此語已，遂即信用提婆惡見之計，故噵隨順調達惡友之教也。」

“As for ‘Unborn Enmity’: this was because Devadatta aroused a malicious and jealous mind, and so revealed these past evil conditions before the prince. How did a jealous mind give rise to these evil conditions? Devadatta had an evil nature and was a fierce man; although he had gone forth from home, he was constantly jealous of the Buddha’s fame and material offerings. Now, the father king was the Buddha’s dānapati, and on one occasion he brought many offerings to present to the Tathāgata—namely gold, silver, the seven treasures, famous garments of superior cloth, and foods and fruits of a hundred flavors. Each and every kind filled five hundred carts. With fragrant flowers, instrumental music, and hundreds of thousands of people praising and circumambulating, they were sent to the Buddha’s assembly and given to the Buddha and the Saṃgha. When Devadatta saw this, his jealousy grew even fiercer, and he went to Śāriputra to request to learn physical supernormal powers. The Venerable said to him: ‘Worthy one, just practice the four foundations of mindfulness; there is no need to learn physical supernormal powers.’ Since his request was not granted, he went to other Venerables to seek it, up to the five hundred disciples, but none of them would teach him; all instructed him to practice the four foundations of mindfulness. His requests having failed, he finally went to Ānanda to learn. He said to Ānanda: ‘You are my younger brother; I wish to learn supernormal powers. Teach me step by step in sequence.’ Now, although Ānanda had attained the first fruit, he had not yet realized knowledge of others’ minds, and did not know that his elder brother was secretly learning supernormal powers in order to hatch an evil plot against the Buddha. Ānanda then called him to a quiet place and taught him in sequence: sitting cross-legged and upright, he first taught him to use the mind to lift the body with the visualization that it seemed to move, visualizing it leaving the ground by one fen, one inch, then one foot, one zhang, until reaching the house, making the visualization that it was empty and unobstructed, visualizing passing straight up into the sky, and then recollecting the mind to bring it down to the original seat. Next, he used the body to lift the mind: at first leaving the ground by one fen, one inch, and so forth, just as in the previous method; lifting the mind with the body, lifting the body with the mind, also in accordance [with the method], and having reached the upper sky, recollecting the body to bring it down to the original seat. Next, he visualized lifting body and mind together, again identical to the previous method, one fen, one inch, and so forth, cycling through and beginning again. Next, he visualized body and mind entering into all material, obstructive realms, making the visualization that they were unobstructed. Next, he visualized all forms such as mountains, rivers, and the great earth entering his own body, like empty space without obstruction, seeing no material characteristics. Next, he visualized his own body either becoming huge, filling empty space, sitting and lying at will, or sitting or lying down, moving the sun and moon with his hand, or making a small body entering into a speck of dust—all visualized as unobstructed. Ānanda taught him in sequence in this way. When Devadatta had received the method, he went separately to a quiet place, focused his mind single-pointedly for seven days and seven nights, and attained physical supernormal powers, completely achieving total mastery. Having attained supernormal powers, he went before the prince’s palace and displayed great miraculous transformations in mid-air: emitting fire from the upper body and water from the lower body, or emitting water from the left side and fire from the right, appearing as a huge body or a small body, sitting or lying in mid-air at will and with mastery. When the prince saw this, he asked his attendants: ‘Who is this person?’ The attendants answered the prince: ‘This is the Venerable Devadatta.’ Hearing this, the prince was overjoyed; he raised his hand and called out: ‘Why does the Venerable not come down?’ Having seen him call, Devadatta transformed into an infant and came straight onto the prince’s lap. The prince held him, kissed his mouth, and fondled him, and spat into his mouth, which the infant then swallowed. In a moment, he returned to his original form. Seeing Devadatta’s various miraculous transformations, the prince revered him all the more. Seeing that the prince’s mind was reverent, [Devadatta] then spoke of the father king’s circumstances of making offerings: five hundred of each kind, loaded onto carts and carried to the Buddha’s dwelling to present to the Buddha and the Saṃgha. The prince heard this and immediately said to the Venerable: ‘This disciple can also prepare five hundred carts of each kind to offer to the Venerable and bestow upon the Saṃgha; could it be inferior to that?’ Devadatta said: ‘This intention of the prince is excellent.’ From this time on, [Devadatta] obtained vast offerings, and his mind grew increasingly arrogant. It is like striking a vicious dog’s nose with a stick, which only increases the dog’s viciousness; this was just the same. The prince now struck the nose of Devadatta’s greedy dog-mind with the stick of material gain, causing his evil to flare up all the more. Because of this, he broke the Saṃgha and changed the Buddha’s Dharma and vinaya so that his precepts and instructions differed. Waiting for a time when the Buddha was preaching the Dharma broadly to the assembly of ordinary people and sages, he came into the assembly and demanded from the Buddha: ‘Entrust all the disciples and all the treasuries of Dharma to me. The World-Honoured One is advanced in years; you should retire to a quiet retreat and care for yourself.’ When the entire great assembly heard these words from Devadatta, they were stunned and looked at one another, profoundly astonished. At that time, the World-Honoured One spoke to Devadatta before the great assembly: ‘Even to Śāriputra, Maudgalyāyana, and others, who are great generals of the Dharma, I have not entrusted the Buddhadharma; how much less to you, a foolish man who swallows spit!’ When Devadatta heard the Buddha humiliate him before the assembly, it was like a poisoned arrow entering his heart, and he gave rise to an even more crazed malice. Using this circumstance, he went to the prince’s dwelling to hatch an evil plot together with him. When the prince saw the Venerable, he respectfully inquired: ‘The Venerable’s complexion today is haggard, unlike in the past.’ Devadatta replied: ‘My haggardness today is entirely on account of the prince.’ The prince respectfully asked: ‘What concern does the Venerable have on my account?’ Devadatta then replied: ‘Does the prince know? The World-Honoured One is old and can no longer bear his duties; he should be eliminated, and I will become the Buddha myself. The father king is old and should also be eliminated, so that the prince may take the throne himself. A new king and a new Buddha governing and transforming—would that not be delightful?’ Hearing this, the prince was extremely enraged: ‘Do not speak like this!’ [Devadatta] spoke again: ‘Prince, do not be angry. The father king has no grace or kindness toward you at all. When you were about to be born, the father king ordered the queen consort to give birth atop a hundred-foot tower directly over the courtyard, hoping that you would fall to the ground and be killed; it was solely due to the power of the prince’s merit that the life-faculty was not severed, only injuring the little finger. If you do not believe it, look at your little finger yourself—that is proof enough.’ When the prince heard these words, he questioned him again closely: ‘Is that really so?’ Devadatta answered: ‘If this were not true, would I have come purposely to utter idle talk?’ Because of these words, he placed faith in and adopted Devadatta’s plan of evil views; hence it is said: ‘following the instruction of Devadatta, the evil friend.’”