[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Indian literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in) › [Buddhist Literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha) › [Taishō Tripiṭaka (Chinese Buddhist canon)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho) › [眾經撰雜譬喻](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.208) › 2.34 # 眾經撰雜譬喻 2.34 眾經撰雜譬喻 2.34 - **Language:** Classical Chinese ### [2.34](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.208.2.34) 昔舍衛國一旦雨血，縱廣四十里。王與群臣甚大驚怪，即召諸道術及知占候，使推之知為吉凶。占者對曰：「舊記有云：『雨血之災，應生人蟒毒害之物。』宜推國內彰別災禍。」王曰：「何以別之？」知占師曰：「是為人毒難可別知，試勅國中新生小兒皆送來，以一空甖使兒唾中。」中有一兒唾甖即成火燄，知此兒是人蟒。議曰：「此不可著人間，即徙置空隱無人之處。國中有應死者可送與之。」蟒吐毒殺之，如是前後被毒所殺七萬二千人。有師子來出震吼之聲，四十里內人物懾伏，所流暴害莫能制御。於是王即募國中能却師子者與千金、封一縣。無有應者。眾臣白王：「唯當有人蟒能却之。」即勅吏往呼人蟒。遙見師子徑往住前，毒氣吹師子即死，𧕩爛消索國致清寧。後時人蟒年老得病命將欲終，佛愍其罪重一墮惡道無有出期，便告舍利弗：「汝往勸之使脫重殃。」舍利弗便往其家，神足來入忽然住前。人蟒隆怒念曰：「吾尚未沒，為人所易，無所關白，徑來住人前！」便放毒氣謂能為害。舍利弗以慈慧攘之，光顏益好一毛不動。三放毒氣而無能害，即知其尊，意解善念生，便以慈心上下七反觀舍利弗。舍利弗便還精舍，吸氣人蟒命終，當于其日即天地大動——極善能動天地，極惡亦能動。時摩竭王即詣佛所，稽首于地問世尊曰：「人蟒命終當趣何道？」佛言：「今生第一天上。」王聞佛語怪而更問佛言：「大罪之人何得生天？」佛言：「以見舍利弗慈心七反上下視之，因是功德生第一天，福盡當生第二天上，至七反以後當得辟支佛而般涅槃。」王白佛言：「七萬二千人罪不復償耶？」佛言：「末後作辟支佛時，身當如紫磨金，時當在道邊樹下坐，入定意時有大軍眾七萬餘人，過見辟支佛謂是金人，即取斫破各分之，定墮手中，視之是肉，皆還聚置而去，辟支佛因是般涅槃。今世之罪，乃爾時薄償便畢。」佛告王：「遇善知識者，山積之罪可得消滅，亦可得道。」佛說是時，王及大眾，皆大歡喜佛禮而去。 > Once, in the kingdom of Śrāvastī, it rained blood one morning over an area forty li square. The king and his ministers were exceedingly alarmed and astonished. He immediately summoned various masters of esoteric arts and diviners, ordering them to investigate whether it boded good or ill. A diviner replied: "The ancient records state: 'The calamity of raining blood portends the birth of a human python, a venomous and harmful creature.' We ought to search throughout the country to distinguish this calamity." The king asked: "How may we distinguish it?" The diviner said: "Human poison of this kind is difficult to recognise. As a test, decree that all newly born infants in the kingdom be brought here, and have each child spit into an empty jar." Among them was one child whose spittle immediately burst into flames upon entering the jar; they knew that this child was the human python. They deliberated, saying: "This \[child\] cannot remain among humankind; let him be moved at once to a deserted, hidden place where there are no people. Those in the kingdom who are condemned to die may be sent to him." The python spat poison and killed them; in this manner, seventy-two thousand people in all were killed by his poison. Later, a lion appeared and let out an earth-shaking roar; within forty li, people and animals cowered in terror, and no one could subdue the violent devastation that spread abroad. Thereupon the king offered a reward throughout the kingdom: whoever could drive off the lion would be given a thousand pieces of gold and enfeoffed with a district. No one responded. The ministers addressed the king: "Only the human python can drive it away." The king immediately ordered officers to go and summon the human python. Seeing the lion from afar, he went straight up before it and blew his poisonous breath upon the lion, which died instantly; its flesh decayed and dissolved away, and the country attained peace and tranquility. Sometime later, the human python grew old and fell ill, approaching the end of his life. The Buddha, pitying him for his grave sins, since once he fell into an evil path there would be no time of escape, said to Śāriputra: "Go and exhort him, so that he may escape this heavy retribution." Śāriputra then went to his home; by his supernatural power, he entered and suddenly stood before him. The human python flew into a great rage and thought: "I have not yet died, yet I am treated so lightly by others! Without even announcing himself, he comes straight in and stands before me!" He then spewed his poisonous breath, thinking it would harm him. Śāriputra repelled it with benevolence and wisdom; his radiant countenance grew even more splendid, and not a single hair was stirred. Three times he released his poisonous breath, yet none could harm him. He then recognised his venerable stature; his mind opened, wholesome thoughts arose, and with a benevolent heart he gazed up and down at Śāriputra seven times. Śāriputra then returned to the vihāra. Drawing in his breath, the human python died. On that very day, heaven and earth shook violently—the utmost good can shake heaven and earth, and the utmost evil can also shake them. At that time, the King of Magadha went to the Buddha's abode, bowed his head to the ground, and asked the World-Honoured One: "To what rebirth will the human python go upon the end of his life?" The Buddha said: "He is now born in the first heaven." Hearing the Buddha's words, the king wondered and asked the Buddha again: "How can a man of such great sins be born in heaven?" The Buddha said: "Because he looked upon Śāriputra with a benevolent heart, gazing up and down seven times, through this merit he was born in the first heaven. When that merit is exhausted, he will be born in the second heaven, and so on for seven cycles, after which he will become a pratyekabuddha and enter parinirvāṇa." The king addressed the Buddha: "Will he not have to repay the sin of killing seventy-two thousand people?" The Buddha said: "At the very end, when he becomes a pratyekabuddha, his body will be like purple-gold. At that time, while seated beneath a tree by the roadside and entering meditative concentration, a great army of more than seventy thousand people will pass by. Seeing the pratyekabuddha, they will think he is a golden man, and so they will hack him to pieces and divide him among themselves. Upon falling into their hands, they will look and see that it is flesh; they will all gather the pieces back, set them down, and depart. Thereupon the pratyekabuddha will enter parinirvāṇa. The sins of his present life will only then be lightly repaid and completely settled." The Buddha told the king: "For one who encounters a good friend, sins piled high as mountains can be extinguished, and one may also attain the Path." When the Buddha spoke this, the king and the great assembly were all filled with immense joy; bowing to the Buddha, they departed. > — English (machine translation) (machine translation) - [Previous: 2.33](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.208.2.33) - [Next: 2.35](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.208.2.35) - [Up: 2](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.208.2) ## Translations (1) - [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.208~en-mt.2.34) — English, machine translation --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.208.2.34](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.208.2.34) · Pramāṇa