[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) › [經律異相](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121) › 15.6 # 經律異相 15.6 經律異相 15.6 - **Language:** Classical Chinese ### [15.6](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121.15.6) 阿槃提國有一長者。多財饒富慳貪暴惡無慈心。時有一婢。晨夜走使不得寧處。小有違失便受鞭捶。衣不蔽形食不充𨈬年老困悴思死不得。時適持瓶詣河取水。思惟是苦舉聲大哭。時迦旃延來至其所。問言。老母何以。答言。尊者。我既年老恒執苦役。加復貧困衣食不充思死不得。迦旃延言。汝若貧者何不賣貧。女人言曰。貧那可賣誰當買貧。迦旃延言。貧實可賣如是至三。女言賣。迦旃延言。審欲賣者一隨我語。答言。唯諾。告言。汝先洗浴。洗浴已畢。告言。汝當布施。白言。尊者。我極貧困如今我身無毛許完納。唯有此瓶是大家許當以何施。即授鉢與。汝持此鉢取少淨水。如教取來奉迦旃延。迦旃延受尋為呪願。次教受齋。後教念佛種種功德。即問。汝有住止處不。答言無也。若其磨時即臥磨下。舂炊作使便臥是中。或時無作止宿糞堆。迦旃延言。汝好持心恭謹走使。莫生嫌恨。因伺大家一切臥竟。密開其戶。於戶曲內敷淨草坐。思惟觀佛莫生惡念。爾時老母奉而歸依如勅施行。於後夜中即便命終生忉利天。大家使人草索繫脚拽置寒林。有一天子與五百天人以為眷屬。福盡命終。此老母人即代其處。生天之法。其利根者自知來緣。其鈍根生者但知受樂。爾時此女既生天中。與五百天女。娛樂受樂不知生緣。時舍利弗在忉利天。知此天子生天因緣。問言。天子。汝因何福生天中耶。答言不知。時舍利弗借其道眼觀見故身。由迦旃延得生天上。即將五百天子來至寒林。散華燒香供養死屍光明照曜。大家見之怪其所由。告令遠近詣林觀看。見諸天子供養此屍。即問天曰。此婢醜穢。生存之時人猶惡見。何故諸天而加供養。彼時天子具說本末（出賢愚經第七卷）。 > In the country of Avanti there was a guild-elder who was exceedingly wealthy and affluent, but stingy, greedy, cruel, evil, and devoid of compassion. At that time, he had a female slave who was driven to labor from morning till night without rest. For the slightest mistake, she was whipped and beaten. Her clothes did not cover her body, her food did not sustain her, and being aged, weary, and exhausted, she longed for death but could not die. Once, just as she was holding a water jar and going to the river to draw water, she reflected on this suffering and wailed aloud with grief. At that time Kātyāyana came to where she was and asked her, "Old mother, why \[are you crying\]?" She replied, "Venerable one, I am already old and constantly perform bitter labor; in addition, I am destitute, lacking sufficient clothing and food, and though I long for death, I cannot die." Kātyāyana said, "If you are poor, why do you not sell your poverty?" The woman said, "How can poverty be sold? Who would buy poverty?" Kātyāyana said, "Poverty can indeed be sold." This was repeated up to three times. The woman said, "I will sell it." Kātyāyana said, "If you truly wish to sell it, comply completely with my words." She replied, "Yes, indeed." He instructed her, "First bathe yourself." When her bath was finished, he told her, "You must practice generosity." She said, "Venerable one, I am utterly destitute; as my body is now, I do not have a single scrap of intact clothing. There is only this jar, which belongs to my master—with what shall I give?" He immediately handed her his bowl, \[saying,\] "Take this bowl and fetch a little clean water." Following his instruction, she fetched it and offered it to Kātyāyana. Kātyāyana received it and forthwith pronounced a prayer of benediction. Next he taught her to observe the purification fast, and afterward he taught her to bring to mind the various merits of the Buddha. He then asked, "Do you have a dwelling place?" She answered, "No. When grinding, I sleep under the millstone; when pounding or cooking, I sleep amidst those places; sometimes when there is no work, I stay and lodge on the dung heap." Kātyāyana said, "Restrain your mind well, be reverent and diligent in your labor, and do not harbor resentment. Wait until all in the master's household have gone to sleep, secretly open the door, spread clean grass in the alcove of the door, sit down, and contemplate the Buddha, without giving rise to evil thoughts." Thereupon the old mother received \[his words\], took refuge, and practiced according to his instruction. Later in the night, she passed away and was reborn in Trāyastriṃśa heaven. The master sent men to bind her feet with grass ropes and drag her to the Śītavana charnel ground. There had been a devaputra who had five hundred deities as his retinue; his merit exhausted, his life had ended. This old woman instantly took his place. According to the law of heavenly rebirth, those of sharp faculties know on their own the circumstances of their arrival, whereas those born with dull faculties only know how to enjoy pleasure. At that time, this woman, having been born into heaven, was enjoying pleasure and being entertained with the five hundred heavenly maidens, unaware of the conditions of her rebirth. At that time, Śāriputra was in Trāyastriṃśa heaven and knew the causes and conditions of this devaputra's rebirth in heaven. He asked, "Devaputra, by what merit were you born into heaven?" He replied, "I do not know." Then Śāriputra lent him his spiritual vision to observe his former body, \[showing that\] it was due to Kātyāyana that he had attained rebirth in heaven. He immediately led the five hundred devaputras to the Śītavana, scattered flowers, and burned incense to make offerings to the corpse, with radiant light shining brightly. The master, seeing this, wondered at the reason for it and summoned people from far and near to go to the forest to observe. Seeing the devas making offerings to this corpse, he asked the devas, "This maidservant was ugly and vile; during her lifetime, people loathed even to look upon her. For what reason do the devas make offerings to her?" The devaputra then related the entire affair from beginning to end. (Drawn from the Sūtra of the Wise and the Foolish, fascicle 7.) > — English (machine translation) (machine translation) - [Previous: 15.5](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121.15.5) - [Next: 15.7](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121.15.7) - [Up: 15](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121.15) ## Translations (1) - [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121~en-mt.15.6) — English, machine translation --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121.15.6](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121.15.6) · Pramāṇa