[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) › 18.55 # 經律異相 18.55 經律異相 18.55 - **Language:** Classical Chinese ### [18.55](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121.18.55) 舍衛國。有一貧窮老公。踰二百歲。眉生秀毛耳出於頭。齒如齊貝。手過於膝。貌而視之似如有相。而貧窮辛苦。衣不蓋形五體裸露。腹恒飢空行步。纔動示有氣息。欲往見佛。釋梵侍門勅不通之。老公大聲。言曰。吾雖貧窮。民之斯下。千載有幸。今得值佛。欲問罪福。求離眾苦。我聞世尊仁慈普逮。莫不受恩。而獨斷我亦誣聖意。佛呼使前。匍匐寸進。為佛作禮。悲喜交流。稱其窮苦。願一奉覲十年始果。氣力既惡。進退無路。但恐命絕穢污聖門。重增其罪。天尊哀矜不奪本願。如此而死無復恨矣。唯願速終願垂恩施。佛言。人之受生多以緣致。我為汝說。汝前世時。生豪強大國明慧王家。時為太子。憍貴非凡。上為父母所珍。下為臣民所奉。用此恣意輕凌於人。高目大視矜抗邈然。財寶億萬皆是民物。百姓貧弊皆以調斂。唯知聚積初不布施。時有寒素沙門。名曰靜志。從遠國來。故往詣卿所求不多。唯法衣耳。而卿了不當接。遇之甚惡。衣既不乞。又不與食。空坐著前去復不聽。晝夜七日。水漿乖絕。示有氣息。方大歡喜。聚眾看之。以為至樂。侍臣諫曰。沙門慈恭。道德內全。凍之不寒。餓之不飢。所以來乞欲為福耳。既不施與。安可窮逼。幸發遣之。勿招其罪。太子乃曰。此是何人詐稱道德。試小困之。纔令不死。正爾放去。無所憂也。即便遣去。驅逐出國。出界十餘里。逢遭餓賊。欲殺噉之。沙門言曰。我窮凍沙門。羸瘦骨立肉痟腥臊不中食也。空當見殺而無所任。餓賊答曰。我餓困累日但食土耳。卿雖小瘦故是肉也。終不相放但當就死。如此前却良久。太子得知便馳往曰。我以不能乞其衣食。寧當令賊殺之耶。賊見太子皆各叩頭謝罪。放沙門去。時沙門者彌勒是也。故卿今日受此貧窮之罪。坐慳貪也。所以長壽救沙門之命也罪福各應如有影響。老公曰。去事以爾。願畢於今。乞得如垂沒之命。得作沙門。後生世世常侍佛邊。佛言善哉。應時老公。鬚髮墮地。法衣在身。體氣更健。耳目聰明。立得上決。入三昧門。以偈讚佛。作禮而退。 > In the kingdom of Śrāvastī, there was a destitute old man over two hundred years old. His eyebrows grew long elegant hairs, his ears reached above his head, his teeth were regular like cowrie shells, and his hands hung below his knees. To look upon his appearance, he seemed to possess physical marks \[of fortune\], yet he was impoverished and suffered bitterly. His clothes could not cover his form, leaving his five limbs exposed; his belly was constantly empty with hunger, and when he walked, he could barely move, displaying only the faintest breath of life. He wished to go and see the Buddha, but Śakra and Brahmā, who guarded the gate, ordered that he not be admitted. The old man cried out in a loud voice, saying: "Though I am destitute and of the lowest among the people, it is the good fortune of a thousand years that I now encounter the Buddha! I wish to ask about demerit and merit, seeking release from manifold sufferings. I have heard that the Bhagavat's benevolence and compassion extend everywhere, and none fail to receive his grace. Yet turning me away alone falsely slanders the Sage's intention!" The Buddha called for him to be brought forward. He crawled inch by inch, made obeisance to the Buddha, and wept with mingled sorrow and joy. Describing his destitution and suffering, \[he said,\] "I wished to behold you once, and after ten years it has only now been fulfilled. My breath and strength are already spent; I have no way to advance or retreat. I feared only that my life would end here, defiling the sacred gate and further compounding my sin. The Heavenly Honoured One has had pity and not stripped away my original vow. If I die like this, I have no further regrets. I pray only for a swift end, and wish that you bestow your grace!" The Buddha said: "A person's taking of birth is mostly brought about by conditions. I shall explain it for you. In your past life, you were born into the family of a wise king of a mighty, great kingdom. At that time you were the crown prince, exceedingly arrogant and noble. Above, you were cherished by your parents; below, you were served by the ministers and common people. Taking advantage of this, you gave free rein to your desires and looked down upon others, holding your head high and gazing proudly, arrogant, unyielding, and aloof. Your hundreds of millions of treasures were all the property of the people, and the impoverishment and exhaustion of the commoners were entirely due to your levies and extortions. You knew only how to hoard and never gave alms. At that time, there was a poor, simple śramaṇa named Jìngzhì who had come from a distant land. He came specially to your residence seeking very little—only a Dharma robe. Yet you completely refused to receive him and treated him with great cruelty. You neither gave him robes nor provided him with food, making him sit empty-handed before you, nor would you permit him to leave. For seven days and nights, all water and gruel were cut off from him. Only when he showed but the faintest breath of life did you rejoice greatly, gathering the multitude to watch him and taking it as the greatest pleasure. A minister admonished you, saying: 'The śramaṇa is compassionate and reverent, inwardly complete in virtue and the Way. Though frozen, he is not cold; though starved, he is not hungry. The reason he came to beg was merely to create merit \[for you\]. Since you will not give to him, how can you press him to extremity? I beg you to send him away and not incur sin.' The crown prince then said: 'What sort of man is this who falsely claims virtue and the Way? Let us distress him a little, just so that he does not die; then we will release him, and there will be nothing to worry about.' Thereupon he sent him away, driving him out of the country. Ten or more leagues outside the border, \[the śramaṇa\] encountered starving bandits who wished to kill and eat him. The śramaṇa said: 'I am an impoverished, frozen śramaṇa, emaciated with bones standing out, my flesh withered, foul-smelling, and unfit to eat. You would kill me in vain and gain nothing from it.' The starving bandits replied: 'We have been starved and exhausted for days, eating only dirt. Though you are a little thin, you are still meat. We will never let you go; you must simply submit to death!' While they were back and forth like this for a long time, the crown prince learned of it and immediately rode out in haste, saying: 'Though I could not give him food and clothing, how could I let bandits kill him?' Seeing the prince, the bandits all kowtowed, begged pardon for their crime, and released the śramaṇa. That śramaṇa was Maitreya. Therefore, today you suffer this retribution of poverty due to stinginess and greed. The reason for your long life is that you saved the life of the śramaṇa. Sin and merit each correspond like a shadow or an echo." The old man said: "Past deeds are already done; may they come to an end today. I beg that with this life on the brink of death, I may become a śramaṇa, and in life after life to come, always attend at the Buddha's side." The Buddha said, "Excellent!" At that moment, the old man's beard and hair fell to the ground, a Dharma robe appeared upon his body, his physical vitality became even healthier, his ears and eyes became sharp and clear, he immediately attained supreme determination, entered the gate of samādhi, praised the Buddha with a verse, bowed, and stepped back. > — English (machine translation) (machine translation) - [Previous: 18.54](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121.18.54) - [Next: 18.56](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121.18.56) - [Up: 18](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121.18) ## Translations (1) - [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121~en-mt.18.55) — English, machine translation --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121.18.55](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2121.18.55) · Pramāṇa