四分律行事鈔資持記 3.948

3.948

次科，《智論》二緣，初尼緣者。彼云：如優鉢羅華（即蓮華也）。《比丘尼本生經》說：佛在世時，此尼得羅漢果，化諸婦女出家；彼言：我等持戒為難，恐破戒墮獄；尼云：墮者從墮，久有出期；我念昔時，曾為戲女；因著袈裟，至迦葉佛時，乃得出家；由破戒故墮獄，今值釋迦，却得出家解脫。次引婆羅門緣。彼云：佛在祇園，彼因醉故，來至佛所求度，佛勅阿難度之；彼既醉醒，乃却歸家；比丘問佛，佛答如鈔。出家偈曰：孔雀雖有色嚴身，不如鴻鵠能遠飛，白衣雖有富貴力，不如出家功德勝。後引經律。以少時善根，障多生惡報。年劫多少，隨緣赴機，不必一定。

In the next section, the Mahāprajñāpāramitā-śāstra gives two conditions: first, the condition of the nun. That text says: “Like the utpala (which is the lotus flower).” The Bhikṣuṇī Jātaka Sūtra says: When the Buddha was in the world, this nun attained the fruit of arhatship and converted women to leave household life. They said: “For us, maintaining the precepts is difficult; we fear that breaking the precepts will cause us to fall into hell.” The nun said: “If you fall, you fall; after a long time there will be a time of emergence. I recall that in the past, I was once an actress; because I wore a kāṣāya, I was able to leave household life in the time of Kāśyapa Buddha. Due to breaking the precepts I fell into hell, but now encountering Śākyamuni, I have again been able to leave household life and attain liberation.” Next, it cites the condition of the brāhmaṇa. That text says: The Buddha was in Jetavana; that person, because of drunkenness, came to where the Buddha was seeking ordination, and the Buddha instructed Ānanda to ordain him. Once he sobered up, he returned home; the bhikṣus questioned the Buddha, and the Buddha replied as in the Transactions Manual. A verse on leaving household life says: “Although a peacock has colors adorning its body, / It cannot fly far like the wild goose. / Although a white-robed layperson has the power of wealth and nobility, / It cannot equal the superior merit of leaving household life.” Finally, it cites sūtras and Vinayas. By means of a brief period of wholesome roots, evil retributions over many lifetimes are obstructed. The number of years and kalpas accords with conditions and corresponds to individual capacities; it is not necessarily fixed.