傳法正宗記 3.28

3.28

淨德聞其說。心遽廓然。益勤歎伏。且曰。我媿衰老。雖欲出家。豈堪事師。今此次子素樂入道。願捨以備給侍。幸尊者容之。大士謂曰。昔如來記此子云。後五百年中有大菩薩。號羅睺羅多。因木之耳出家成道。遂問其子曰。汝何名耶。曰我名羅睺羅多。大士曰。此誠合佛所記。汝今出家必成大果。尋與剃度。會聖眾與受具戒。遂專隨遊化。一日大士復至巴連弗城。俄聞外道相計欲掩抑佛法。乃自持長幡。往立其會所。外道遽問曰。汝何不前。答曰。汝何不後。又曰。汝似賤人。答曰。汝似良人。又曰。汝解何法。答曰。汝百不解。又曰。我欲得佛。答曰。我灼然得。又曰。汝不合得。答曰。元道我得。汝實不得。又曰。汝既不得。云何言得。答曰。汝有我故所以不得。我無我故。我當自得。於是外道嗣屈。自相謂曰。此必大聖。宜皆歸之。遂問曰。汝名為誰。大士曰。我名迦那提婆。外道輩以夙聞其名。於是服膺悔過。其未即化者。後發百千難問。而大士恣其無礙之辯。一皆折之。由是廣造論議。若百論之類是也。然其勝事既集。終命羅睺羅多付之法眼。其說偈曰。

When Jingde heard this exposition, his mind was instantly opened wide. With ever greater diligence, he sighed in admiration and submission, and said: 'I am ashamed of my frailty and old age. Although I wish to leave home, how could I bear serving a master? Now this second son has always delighted in entering the Way; I wish to give him up so that he may serve and attend upon you. May the Venerable One graciously accept him.' The Mahāsattva told him: 'Formerly, the Tathāgata prophesied concerning this son, saying: "In the subsequent five hundred years, there will be a great bodhisattva named Rāhulata, who, on account of a tree-ear, will leave home and realize the Way."' He then asked his son, 'What is your name?' He replied, 'My name is Rāhulata.' The Mahāsattva said: 'This truly matches what the Buddha prophesied. Your leaving home now will certainly achieve the great fruition.' Soon afterward he shaved his head, assembled the holy saṃgha to confer the full precepts upon him, and [Rāhulata] then exclusively followed him on his travels of conversion. One day, the Mahāsattva again arrived at Pāṭaliputra. Suddenly hearing that non-Buddhists were plotting together to suppress the Buddhadharma, he personally carried a long banner and went to stand at their meeting place. A non-Buddhist promptly asked, 'Why do you not advance?' He answered, 'Why do you not step back?' The other said again, 'You seem like a base person.' He answered, 'You seem like a good person.' The other said again, 'What Dharma do you understand?' He answered, 'You do not understand anything at all.' The other said again, 'I desire to attain Buddhahood.' He answered, 'I clearly attain it.' The other said again, 'You ought not to attain it.' He answered, 'It has always been the case that I attain it; you truly do not attain it.' The other said again, 'Since you do not attain it, why do you say you attain it?' He answered, 'Because you have a self, you therefore do not attain it; because I have no self, I naturally attain it.' Thereupon the non-Buddhist fell silent in defeat, and said to his companions, 'This must be a great sage; we ought all to take refuge in him.' He then asked, 'What is your name?' The Mahāsattva said, 'My name is Kāṇadeva.' Because the non-Buddhists had long heard his name, they submitted in heart and repented their faults. As for those who were not transformed immediately, they later raised hundreds of thousands of difficult questions, but the Mahāsattva gave free rein to his unobstructed eloquence and refuted every one of them. Because of this, he broadly composed treatises, such as the Śata-śāstra and its kind. When these glorious accomplishments had reached fulfillment, he ultimately instructed Rāhulata and entrusted the Dharma-eye to him, speaking a gāthā which said: