阿彌陀經通贊疏 1.65

1.65

離婆多者，梵云頡麗代多，此云室星，北方星也，祀之得子因以為名。或云彗星，彗星妖星也，此星出時生故因以為名。離婆多訛也。或云假和合，《智度論》說：一人值雨止宿神祠，深夜見鬼携屍欲食。須臾大鬼來爭屍食，各云：「我自將來。」大鬼力強乃奪屍食，小者云：「梁上之人具見縱由。」異常驚怖，具實曰：「小鬼將來。」大鬼聞語發怒，乃擒彼人取一脚食之而去。小鬼感其明證，乃取死屍一足連綴。證人儼若舊質，即自思惟：「此身虛幻。」因詣於佛所，問世尊曰：「生死路別，彼此體殊，假合身軀一何如故？」世尊告曰：「四大假合，五蘊靈華，悟何曉矣？」彼人因悟，投佛出家，漸成聖果。此尊者心無苟絇、口不虛詞，神祠傷一足之因，佛會了百年之幻也，故云知幻也。

As for Revata, in Sanskrit it is Raivata, which means in Chinese "the star Revatī," a northern constellation; praying to it yielded a son, hence it was taken as his name. Or it is said to mean "comet," a comet being an omen star; because he was born when this star appeared, it was taken as his name. "Libuoduo" is an error. Or it means "temporary combination." The *Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa* says: A man encountered rain and lodged overnight in a shrine. In the depths of the night he saw a ghost carrying a corpse, wanting to eat it. Shortly after, a large ghost came to contest the corpse to eat it, each saying: "I brought it myself." The large ghost was stronger and seized the corpse to eat it. The smaller one said: "The man on the beam fully witnessed the sequence of events." In extreme fear, he stated the truth: "The small ghost brought it." Hearing this, the large ghost became enraged, seized that man, tore off one of his legs, ate it, and departed. The small ghost was grateful for his clear testimony, so he took a leg of the dead corpse and attached it. The witness appeared just as his former body, and he thought to himself: "This body is unreal and illusory." Therefore he went to the Buddha's dwelling and asked the World-Honoured One: "The paths of life and death differ, our forms are distinct; how is it with this temporarily combined body?" The World-Honoured One told him: "Temporarily combined from the four great elements, a wondrous blossom of the five aggregates—what is there to be bewildered about in awakening?" That man thereupon awakened, turned to the Buddha to leave the household, and gradually attained the noble fruit. This Venerable One's mind was without deceit, his mouth without empty words; the cause of injuring one foot at the spirit shrine led him to realize the century of illusion at the Buddha's assembly. Hence he is called "knowing illusion."