釋迦譜 2.4

2.4

佛還迦維羅衛國。大愛道瞿曇彌。稽首作禮白佛言。我聞女人精進。可得沙門四道。願得受佛法律。我以居家有信。欲出家為道。佛言且止。無樂以女人入我法律。服法衣者。當不盡壽清淨究暢梵行。瞿曇彌則復求哀。如是至三。佛不聽作禮而退。佛於後時。更遊迦維羅衛。瞿曇彌如前求出家。佛亦不許。佛又與諸比丘留止是國。避雨三月竟出國而去。大愛道與諸老母等。俱行追佛頓止河上。大愛道便前作禮。復求出家。佛言止止。如前不許。便前作禮繞佛而退。住於門外被弊敗衣。徒跣而立。顏面垢穢衣服污塵。噓唏而啼。阿難見之即問。何以如是。答言。今我用女人故不得出家。自悲傷耳。阿難言。止止且自寬意。待我白佛。阿難即入稽首白言。我從佛聞女人精進可得四道。今大愛道以至心欲受法律。願佛聽之。佛言止止。無樂使女人入我法律為沙門也。所以者何。譬如人家生子多女少男。當知是家以為衰弱。若聽出家。令佛清淨梵行不得久住。譬如稻田莠雜禾稼。則令善穀傷敗。若使女人入我法律。必令清淨大道不久興盛。阿難復言。大愛道多有善意。佛初生時。乃自育養至于長大。佛言。如是。大愛道信多善意。於我有恩。今我成佛。於大愛道亦多有恩。大愛道但由我故。得歸依三寶。不疑四諦立信五根。受持五戒。如是阿難。正使有人。終身相給衣被飲食臥具。病困醫藥。不及我此恩德也。佛告阿難。假使女人欲作沙門者。八敬之法不得踰越。當盡壽學行之。譬如防水。善治堤塘勿令漏失。其能如是可入律法。阿難諦受作禮而出。報大愛道言。瞿曇彌可勿復愁。即為一一說佛之言。若能如是可得出家。大愛道即歡喜而言唯諾。阿難聽我一言譬如四姓家女。沐浴塗香好衣莊嚴。而人復以好花香珍寶。為步瑤持與其女。豈不愛樂頭首受之。今佛所教勅八敬法者。我亦歡心願以首頂受之。爾時大愛道便出家。受大戒為比丘尼。奉行法律遂得應真。後異時。大愛道與諸長老尼。俱詣阿難白言。諸長老尼皆久修梵行。且已見諦。云何當使禮幼少比丘。阿難言且停。我今當問佛。阿難即往白佛。佛言止止。當慎此言勿得說也。且汝所知不如我知。若使女人不出家者。外道異學一切賢者。當以四事種種供養。解髮布地請令蹈之。如事日月如事天神。我之正法當千歲興盛。以度女故。至五百歲而漸衰微。所以者何。女有五處不能得作。何謂五。一不得作如來。二不得作轉輪聖王。三不得作第二忉利天王。四不得作第六天魔王。五不得作第七梵天王。大愛道等。聞已歡喜奉行。

The Buddha returned to the kingdom of Kapilavastu. Mahāprajāpatī Gautamī bowed her head in homage and addressed the Buddha, saying, "I have heard that if a woman makes energetic progress, she can attain the four stages of the śramaṇa's path. I wish to be allowed to receive the Buddha's Dharma and Vinaya. Having faith while dwelling in household life, I desire to leave home to cultivate the Way." The Buddha said, "Stop! Do not delight in having women enter my Dharma and Vinaya and wear the robes of the Dharma; for their entire lives they will not be completely pure and thoroughly consummate the brahma-practice." Gautamī then pleaded again, doing so up to three times. The Buddha did not grant permission, so she paid homage and withdrew.

At a later time, the Buddha was again traveling in Kapilavastu. Gautamī sought to leave home as before, and the Buddha again did not permit it. The Buddha, having stayed in this kingdom with the bhikṣus to retreat from the rains for three months, finished [the retreat] and departed the kingdom. Mahāprajāpatī, together with elderly women and others, set out together in pursuit of the Buddha, stopping at the riverside. Mahāprajāpatī then stepped forward, paid homage, and again sought to leave home. The Buddha said, "Stop, stop!" As before, he did not permit it. She then stepped forward, paid homage, circumambulated the Buddha, and withdrew. She stood outside the gate wearing worn and ragged clothes, barefoot, her face covered in grime, her clothes soiled with dust, sighing and weeping.

Ānanda saw her and immediately asked, "Why are you like this?" She replied, "Now, because I am a woman, I cannot leave home; I am merely grieving for myself." Ānanda said, "Stop, stop, and ease your mind for now. Wait for me to address the Buddha." Ānanda immediately entered, bowed his head, and addressed the Buddha, saying, "I have heard from the Buddha that if a woman makes energetic progress, she can attain the four paths. Now Mahāprajāpatī with an utmost mind desires to receive the Dharma and Vinaya. I pray that the Buddha grant permission." The Buddha said, "Stop, stop! Do not delight in letting women enter my Dharma and Vinaya to become śramaṇas. Why is this? Just as when a family bears children with many daughters and few sons, you should know that this family will thereby decline, so too, if women are permitted to leave home, it will cause the Buddha's pure brahma-practice not to endure for long. Just as when weeds are mixed among the crops in a paddy field, they will damage and ruin the fine grain, so too, if women are made to enter my Dharma and Vinaya, it will surely cause the pure Great Way not to flourish for long."

Ānanda said again, "Mahāprajāpatī had much good intent toward you. When the Buddha was first born, she personally nurtured and raised you until you grew up." The Buddha said, "It is so. Mahāprajāpatī truly had much good intent and was kind to me. Now that I have attained buddhahood, I am also of great kindness to Mahāprajāpatī. It is solely due to me that Mahāprajāpatī has been able to take refuge in the Three Jewels, have no doubts regarding the Four Noble Truths, establish faith in the five faculties, and receive and uphold the five precepts. Thus, Ānanda, even if someone were to provide clothes, food and drink, bedding, and medicines for illness for their entire life, it would not equal this kindness and virtue of mine." The Buddha told Ānanda, "If a woman wishes to become a śramaṇa, the eight dharmas of respect must not be transgressed; she must study and practice them for her entire life. Just as with water defense, one skillfully repairs the dikes and dams so as not to let it leak and be lost—one who is able to be like this may enter the Dharma and Vinaya."

Ānanda received this attentively, paid homage, and went out. He informed Mahāprajāpatī, saying, "Gautamī, you need no longer grieve." He then explained the Buddha's words to her one by one: "If you can be like this, you may leave home." Mahāprajāpatī was immediately delighted and said, "Indeed! Ānanda, hear my words: just as a daughter of the four castes, having bathed, applied perfumed ointment, and adorned herself in fine clothes, when someone further takes fine flowers, fragrances, and precious gems to make a buyao hairpin and offers it to that girl, would she not gladly receive it upon her head? Now, concerning the eight dharmas of respect instructed by the Buddha, I too with a joyful mind wish to receive them upon my head." At that time, Mahāprajāpatī then left home, received the full precepts, became a bhikṣuṇī, and upholding the Dharma and Vinaya, subsequently attained arhatship.

Later, at another time, Mahāprajāpatī, together with the senior nuns, went together to Ānanda and said, "The senior nuns have all long cultivated the brahma-practice and have already seen the truths. How could they be made to pay homage to young and junior bhikṣus?" Ānanda said, "Wait a moment. I will ask the Buddha now." Ānanda immediately went and addressed the Buddha. The Buddha said, "Stop, stop! You should be cautious with such words and must not speak them. Moreover, what you know does not equal what I know. If women were not to leave home, non-Buddhists of heterodox study and all worthy ones would make various offerings of the four necessities, spreading their hair upon the ground and requesting [the monks] to step upon it, serving them as they serve the sun and moon, as they serve the heavenly spirits. My True Dharma would flourish for a thousand years. Because women have been delivered, it will gradually decline at five hundred years. Why is this? There are five states that a woman cannot attain. What are the five? First, she cannot become a Tathāgata; second, she cannot become a wheel-turning sage king; third, she cannot become the heavenly king of the second [heaven], Trāyastriṃśa; fourth, she cannot become the māra-king of the sixth heaven; fifth, she cannot become the Brahmā heavenly king of the seventh [heaven]." Having heard this, Mahāprajāpatī and the others rejoiced and practiced accordingly.