[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) › 17.20 # 經律異相 17.20 經律異相 17.20 - **Language:** Classical Chinese ### [17.20](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121.17.20) 佛在舍衛國。有一比丘字槃特。新作出家稟性闇塞。佛令五百羅漢日日教之。三年之中不得一偈。國中四輩知其愚冥。佛愍傷之。即呼著前。授與一偈。守口攝意身莫犯。如是行者得度世。槃特感佛慈恩。歡喜心開誦偈上口。佛告之曰。汝今年老方得一偈。人皆知之。不足為奇。今當為汝解說其義。一心身三口四意三所由。觀其所起察其所滅。三界五道輪轉不息。由之昇天。由之墮淵由之得道。泥洹自然。分別為說無量妙法。㸌然心開得羅漢道。時有五百比丘尼。別有精舍。佛曰遣一比丘為說經法。明日槃特次應當行。諸尼聞之。皆豫含笑。明日來者我等當逆說其偈。令之慚愧無所一言。明日槃特往。諸尼大小皆出作禮相視而笑。坐畢下食。食已澡漱。請令說法。槃特即上高座。自慚鄙曰。薄德下才。未為沙門。頑鈍有素。所學不多。唯知一偈。粗識其義。當為敷說。願各靜聽。諸年少比丘尼欲逆說偈。口不能開。驚怖自責稽首悔過。槃特即如佛所說。一一分別。身意所由。罪福內外昇天得道。凝神斷想入定之法。即時諸尼聞其說。甚怪其異一心歡喜。皆得羅漢道。後日國王波斯匿。請佛及僧於正殿會。佛欲現槃特威神。與鉢令持隨後而行。門士識之留不聽入。卿為沙門一偈不了。受請何為。吾是俗人。猶尚知偈。豈況沙門。無有智慧。施卿無益。不須入門。槃特即住門外。佛坐殿上。行水已畢。槃特擎鉢申臂遙以授佛。王及群臣夫人太子。眾會四輩。見臂來入不見其形怪而問佛。是何人臂。佛言。是賢者槃特比丘臂也。王曰得道。向吾使持鉢。門士不聽來入。是以申臂授吾鉢耳。即便請入威神倍常。王白佛言。聞尊者槃特本性愚鈍。方知一偈。何緣得道。佛告王曰。學不必多行之為上。賢者槃特解一偈義。精理入神。身口意寂淨如天金。人雖多學不行徒喪識想。有何益哉。於是世尊。即說偈言。 > When the Buddha was in the country of Śrāvastī, there was a monk named Panthaka. Having recently gone forth, he was by nature dull and obstructed. The Buddha ordered five hundred arhats to instruct him daily, but over the course of three years he could not master a single verse. The four assemblies in the kingdom all knew of his foolishness and darkness. The Buddha took pity on him, called him before himself, and imparted to him a single verse: > Guard the mouth, restrain the mind, and do not violate with the body; > Practitioners who act like this will achieve deliverance from the world. > Moved by the Buddha's compassionate grace, Panthaka rejoiced, his mind opened, and he was able to chant the verse fluently. The Buddha said to him, "You are now old, and only now have you mastered a single verse. Everyone knows this; it is nothing extraordinary. I shall now explain its meaning to you: with single-mindedness, \[contemplate\] the sources of the three bodily, four verbal, and three mental \[actions\]; observe what arises and inspect what ceases. The five destinies within the three realms revolve without cease; through this one ascends to heaven, through this one falls into the abyss, and through this one attains the Way, realizing nirvāṇa naturally." Analyzing it, he expounded boundless wonderful teachings for him; all at once Panthaka's mind opened, and he attained the arhat path. At that time, there were five hundred nuns who had a separate vihāra. The Buddha would dispatch a monk to expound the scriptural teachings for them each day. The next day, it was Panthaka's turn to go. When the nuns heard this, they all smirked in advance: "When he comes tomorrow, we shall recite his verse backward and embarrass him so that he cannot say a single word." The next day Panthaka arrived. All the nuns, young and old, came out to pay homage, exchanging smiles. When they had finished sitting, food was served. After eating, they rinsed their mouths and hands, and requested that he expound the Dharma. Panthaka then mounted the high seat, and speaking humbly of himself, said, "I have little virtue and inferior capacity, and am not yet a \[true\] śramaṇa. I have long been dull and slow, and what I have learned is not much. I know only a single verse and roughly understand its meaning. I shall expound it for you; please listen quietly." When the young nuns wished to recite the verse backward, they could not open their mouths. Terrified and reproaching themselves, they bowed their heads and repented. Panthaka then followed what the Buddha had taught, analyzing each point in detail: the origins of bodily and mental actions, sins and blessings, inner and outer, ascending to heaven and attaining the Way, the methods of settling the spirit, severing thoughts, and entering meditative concentration. Hearing his exposition, the nuns were greatly astonished at its extraordinary nature and rejoiced whole-heartedly; they all attained the arhat path. Later, King Prasenajit invited the Buddha and the saṅgha to assemble in the main hall. Wishing to manifest Panthaka's awe-inspiring supernatural power, the Buddha gave him his alms bowl, had him carry it, and walked ahead of him. The gatekeeper recognized Panthaka and stopped him, refusing to let him enter: "You are a śramaṇa who does not understand a single verse; why should you receive an invitation? Even I, a layman, know verses, not to mention a śramaṇa. You have no wisdom; giving to you yields no benefit, so there is no need for you to enter the gate." Panthaka remained outside the gate. The Buddha sat upon the hall. When the water offering was concluded, Panthaka held up the bowl, stretched out his arm from afar, and presented it to the Buddha. The king, his ministers, the queen, the crown prince, and the four assemblies saw the arm enter without seeing the body, and in amazement asked the Buddha, "Whose arm is this?" The Buddha said, "This is the arm of the worthy Panthaka Bhikṣu. He has attained the Way. Earlier I had him carry my bowl, but the gatekeeper would not allow him to enter, so he stretched out his arm to give me the bowl." He was immediately invited in, his awe-inspiring power manifoldly greater than usual. The king said to the Buddha, "I have heard that the Venerable Panthaka was foolish and dull by nature, and only now understands a single verse. By what cause did he attain the Way?" The Buddha said to the king, "Learning need not be abundant; practice is supreme. The worthy Panthaka understands the meaning of a single verse, penetrating the subtle truth into the marvelous; body, mouth, and mind are quiescent and pure like celestial gold. Though a person studies much, if he does not practice, he merely dissipates consciousness and thoughts in vain; what benefit is there?" Thereupon the Bhagavat uttered this verse: > — English (machine translation) (machine translation) - [Previous: 17.19](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121.17.19) - [Next: 17.21](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121.17.21) - [Up: 17](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121.17) ## Translations (1) - [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121~en-mt.17.20) — English, machine translation --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121.17.20](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121.17.20) · Pramāṇa