付法藏因緣傳 4.12

4.12

Day after day he gave them food and spoke this verse for them. These two tiger cubs soon afterward died, and were reborn in Mathurā in the house of a brāhmaṇa. Upagupta went to his residence, alone without a companion. The brāhmaṇa said: 'Why do you walk alone?' He replied: 'Danapati, I am one who has left home and lack attendants.' The brāhmaṇa said: 'My wife is pregnant; if she gives birth to a boy, I shall present him to you.' Later she gave birth to two sons, upright and handsome in countenance. Upagupta went and asked for them. The brāhmaṇa said: 'The children are still young; when they grow older, I will surely give them to you.' When they reached the age of eight, he went again and asked for them. The brāhmaṇa then gave the elder son to the Venerable One. The younger one then said: 'You can let me go!' They contended with each other, each wishing to leave home. Upagupta said: 'Both of these two boys ought to attain the Way.' Thereupon the brāhmaṇa entrusted both sons to the Venerable One, who ordained them to leave home, and both attained arhatship. He then sent them to gather campaka flowers. They answered: 'Great master, this tree is tall and steep; I cannot reach it.' The Venerable One told them: 'You are devas; do you not possess the supernormal power of flight?' Then the two śrāmaṇeras ascended into empty space, gathered the flowers, and offered them. The Venerable One stood together with all his disciples, who, seeing their supernormal virtue, sighed at what was unprecedented. Upagupta told them: 'These two śrāmaṇeras were formerly hungry tiger cubs. You originally resented me for giving food to these tigers; today you may properly observe their supernormal transformations.' Hearing this, the disciples gave rise to wonder. In South India there was a man who engaged in adulterous lust with another person's wife. His mother thereupon bitterly and sternly reprimanded him: 'You should know now: the way of lust has many faults and perils, and because of this there is no evil one will not commit; in the future you will surely be born in places of severe pain and hardship.' The son then became enraged and killed his mother. He went to the other person's house to seek that woman, but in the end failed to obtain her. Deeply regretting and disgusted, he left home in the Buddha's Dharma to practice the Way. Before long he recited and mastered the Tripiṭaka fluently, was skilled in eloquence, and had many followers. Together with his assembly of disciples, he went to the Venerable One's place. Upagupta, observing that this man had personally committed a heinous offense and had no share in the fruits of the Way, remained silent and would not speak with him. The Tripiṭaka monk knew his sin was profound, and seeing that he received no answer, returned to his dwelling. There was a monk who, sitting in meditation and contemplation, attained mundane concentration (samādhi) and thereupon considered himself to have realized the four attainments of the Way. Afterward, while sitting under a tree for a short while, Upagupta transformed into a monk and went to his place. They greeted each other and sat to one side. The transformed person asked: 'Under whom did you leave home?' He replied: 'My master's name is Upagupta.' He praised him, saying: 'Bhadanta, how excellent! Your master is a Buddha without the marks.' He spoke again: 'Monk, what sūtras do you recite?' He replied: 'I recite the scriptures of the Tripiṭaka.' The transformed person asked again: 'What path have you realized?' He replied: 'I have attained the fruit of arhatship.' 'By means of what did you realize the fruit?' He replied: 'Mundane concentration.' The transformed monk said: 'If you realized the Way by mundane concentration, that is false.' Hearing this, the monk gave rise to deep remorse; single-mindedly diligent, he attained arhatship. In the country of Kaśmīra, there was a monk named Sudarśana who had attained mundane concentration and possessed the five supernormal knowledges. When there was no rain, he could make it pour down. Giving rise to excessive pride, he claimed to have realized the holy Way. Upagupta then conjured a drought of twelve years. The people, alarmed and terrified, implored the Venerable One for mercy. The Venerable One told them: 'I cannot do it. In the country of Kaśmīra there is the monk Sudarśana, whose supernormal powers are supreme and who is fully capable of praying for rain.' The people all went and petitioned him. Then this monk, using his supernormal power, flew through the air and arrived, praying for sweet rain which poured down in due season. The people rejoiced and set out great offerings. Having received the offerings, he gave rise to arrogance; but then he reflected: 'An arhat has no prideful mind.' He then went to the Venerable One to implore repentance. [Upagupta] expounded the essentials of the Dharma for him, and he attained the path of an arhat. In South India there was a monk of few desires who was easily satisfied, fond of coarse, worn-out clothing; his body was emaciated and weak, and he could not attain the Way. Upagupta observed that this person ought to attain the Way in his present life, but was hindered by his physical debility; he provided clothing for him and anointed his feet with fragrant oil. He immediately attained the path of an arhat. In this way he transformed and liberated immeasurable sentient beings, all of whom obtained the fruit of arhatship. For each person who attained the Way, there was one counting-tally; each tally was four inches long, and they filled a stone chamber. The chamber was sixty feet high, and its length and width were the same. Thereupon his fame filled Jambudvīpa, and the world all hailed him as a 'Buddha without the marks'. His conditions for converting beings being finished, he thought to himself: 'I have now completed my offering of the Dharma to the Buddha, bringing benefit, peace, and joy to my fellow practitioners of brahma-conduct, causing the four groups [of disciples] to obtain great welfare, and continuing the prosperity of the correct Dharma so that it is not cut off. The time for nirvāṇa has arrived; I should enter extinction.' He told the great assembly: 'Seven days from now, I shall enter nirvāṇa.' At that time, arhats of the ten directions and various learners, pure keepers of precepts beyond number, and immeasurable hundreds of thousands of upāsakas gathered. The Venerable One thereupon flew into empty space and manifested the eighteen miraculous transformations, causing the four assemblies to give rise to great faith. In the nirvāṇa without remainder, he attained extinction. Using the tallies in the chamber, they cremated him. The arhats of the ten directions also entered nirvāṇa. Humans and devas wept, wailed, and grieved; they all collected the relics (śarīra) and erected stūpas to make offerings to them.