釋迦譜 2.14

2.14

At the monastic park of the royal grove, the bhikṣuṇī Mahāprajāpatī, who was the Buddha's maternal aunt, was about to enter parinirvāṇa, and said: "I cannot bear to see a world without the Tathāgata, the Arhat, the Perfectly Enlightened One, and the arhats having entered parinirvāṇa. I shall first rest my spirit and return to original non-being." The Buddha's omniscient knowledge completely illumined her mind, and He said to Ānanda: "Mahāprajāpatī thinks, 'I cannot bear to see the World-Honoured One and the arhats entering nirvāṇa; I wish to pass away first.'" When Ānanda heard this instruction, he bowed his head and said: "Hearing the Honored One's words now, my four limbs go limp, my mind is blocked and my intellect depleted; I cannot tell the names of the four directions." The Buddha told Ānanda: "Do you think that when Mahāprajāpatī passes away, she will take away the seeds of morality, concentration, wisdom, liberation, and the knowledge and vision of liberation, the four stations of mindfulness, or even the eightfold path?" He replied: "No. But I only reflect that seven days after the Buddha was born, the queen mother died, and this compassionate mother bestowed immense kindness upon the Buddha." The World-Honoured One sighed and said: "As you have said, my compassionate mother indeed has great kindness toward me for nursing and feeding me. This kindness is difficult to repay, but I have already repaid it. I also have an incalculable kindness toward my mother. Because of my instruction, she took refuge in the Three Jewels; her vision regarding the path of the cessation of suffering and its origin became clear, completely exhausting all bonds of existence and attaining non-attachment. If one can awaken the delusion of an ignorant person and cause them to enter the true path of the cessation of suffering and its origin, that kindness surpasses Sumeru. Therefore, Ānanda, my great kindness to Mahāprajāpatī is boundless." At that time, Mahāprajāpatī and five hundred nuns (nuns are bhikṣuṇīs; Kang Senghui's commentary on the Fajing jing says: "Ordinary worldlings are greedily defiled by the six sense objects, like a starving man eating without knowing satiety. Sages cut off greed and dispel the famine of the six sense faculties; therefore leaving home is called dispelling famine") went together to the Buddha's place. All bowed their heads and faces to the Buddha's feet, stepped back, stood with folded hands, and said to the Buddha: "We cannot bear to see the Buddha and the arhats entering parinirvāṇa; we wish to enter nirvāṇa first." The Buddha silently consented. Mahāprajāpatī stroked the Buddha's feet with her hands, saying: "This is the last time I behold the Tathāgata, the Perfectly Enlightened One; from now on, I will behold Him no more." The five hundred nuns presented their petitions as above; the Buddha consented, and explained to them the afflictions of the body and the peace of parinirvāṇa. All the nuns rejoiced, circumambulated the Buddha three times, bowed their heads, and departed. Returning to the vihāra, they arranged five hundred seats and each sat down. Mahāprajāpatī displayed the power of supernormal abilities: she disappeared from her seat, came from the eastern direction, and performed eighteen transformations in the open air; and so it was in the eight directions, above and below. She emitted great radiance to illuminate all darkness and shine upward upon all the devas. The transformations of the five hundred nuns were likewise; they entered nirvāṇa at the same time.