四分律行事鈔資持記 3.738

3.738

四中。彼經第六云：昔舍衛城有長者，猶次請僧；時舍利弗及摩訶羅，至彼家已；當時估客，獲寶歸家；又彼國王，分賜聚落，封與長者；又其妻生男，故云諸慶大集。願詞五句，初二句稱其慶集；寶字音誤，彼正作報；次二句歎其行施，十力，即佛德，以念佛故而營供養，後句呪願。摩訶羅苦求者，彼云：舍利弗呪願已，長者心喜，即以白㲲二張施之；摩訶羅惆悵，因從求學；後時僧次，得作上座；彼家入海失寶，婦遭官事，兒復喪亡；而摩訶羅依上呪願，長者聞已，心懷忿恚，即被驅打。（一）尋入王田胡麻地中，踏踐胡麻，守者復加鞭打。（二）乃涉路前進，值他刈麥𧂐時；彼俗法，遶𧂐右旋，則設飲食；左旋則為不吉，時乃左旋，麥主忿之，復加棒打言：何不右遶，呪言多入。（三）又復前行，逢有葬者，遶他塚壙，呪言多入；喪主忿之，復捉撾打。語云：汝見死者，當愍之云：自今已後，莫復如是。（四）又復前行，見他嫁娶呪言：自今已後，莫復如是；彼又忿怒，復加笞打；乃曰：何不走避。（五）遂復狂走，值人捕雁；觸他羅網，獵師嗔恚復打；乃曰：何不安徐，匍匐而行。（六）遂依彼語，遇浣衣者，見其肘行；謂欲偷衣，復加棒打。（七）歸寺白佛，佛因誡眾，如文所云。後學臨文，慎勿戲笑。當恥已無能，急須進學。脫或汝為上座，當如之何。往往播醜於人，則後世摩訶羅矣。

In the fourth [heading], the sixth fascicle of that sūtra states: 'In the past, an elder in the city of Śrāvastī invited the saṃgha in sequential order. At that time, when Śāriputra and Mahalla arrived at his home, merchants had just returned home with treasures; the king of that country also granted an estate to the elder; and his wife gave birth to a boy; hence it says "various auspicious celebrations converged in great numbers".' In the five lines of the vow words, the first two lines praise the convergence of celebrations. The character *bao* (寶, treasure) is an error in sound; the original correctly has *bao* (報, retribution). The next two lines praise the practice of giving; the 'ten powers' are the Buddha's virtues, and because of mindfulness of the Buddha, they prepare offerings. The last line makes incantations and vows. Regarding Mahalla's bitter petition, that text states: After Śāriputra made the incantations and vows, the elder was joyful in his mind and immediately gave him two pieces of white woolen cloth. Mahalla felt crestfallen and subsequently sought to learn from him. Later, in the sequential order of the saṃgha, he came to be the sthavira. That elder's family lost treasures at sea, his wife met with legal trouble, and their son died. Yet Mahalla made the incantations and vows based on the previous occasion. When the elder heard this, his mind harbored rage and anger, and [Mahalla] was driven out and beaten. (1) Soon he entered a sesame field of the king's land, trampling the sesame, and the watchman beat him further with a whip. (2) He then proceeded along the road and encountered people reaping stacks of wheat. According to their secular custom, circumambulating the stack to the right brings food and drink, while circumambulating to the left is inauspicious. At that time he circumambulated to the left; the owner of the wheat was enraged and struck him with a club, saying, 'Why did you not circle right and incant words wishing for much yield?' (3) Proceeding forward again, he met people holding a funeral. Circumambulating their tomb, he incanted words wishing for much yield. The mourner was enraged, seized him, and beat him, saying, 'Seeing the dead, you should pity them and say: "From now on, may it never be like this again!"' (4) Proceeding forward again, he saw people marrying and incanted: 'From now on, may it never be like this again!' They too were furious and beat him with a whip, saying, 'Why did you not run away?' (5) He then ran frantically and met people catching wild geese. Touching their net, the hunter became angry and beat him again, saying, 'Why did you not walk gently and crawl on your hands and knees?' (6) He then followed those words and encountered washerfolk. Seeing him crawling on his elbows, they thought he wanted to steal clothes and beat him again with a club. (7) Returning to the monastery, he reported this to the Buddha. The Buddha consequently admonished the assembly, as stated in the text. Later students, when facing this text, must take care not to treat it as a laughing matter! You should be ashamed of your own lack of ability and urgently advance your studies. If perchance you become a sthavira, what would you do? Sowing scandal among people time and again, you would be a modern-day Mahalla!