經律異相 19.10

19.10

佛住王舍城曠野精舍。有五百比丘。皆乞作房。有估客見比丘來。即閉肆歸家避之。比丘餘道邀之相值。仍說果報。教令生信。乃至手撮其頭。強勸布施。所以然者。令汝得色力壽命。增益功德逮甘露果。估客聞之生信。少多布施。後見舍利弗。具以是事訴舍利。舍利聞已。說法令喜。還具白佛。佛告營事比丘。過去世時。有比丘。名跋𭹰。止住林中。時釋軍多鳥。亦棲此林。晨暮亂鳴惱於跋𭹰跋𭹰詣世尊所。頂禮佛足。於一面立。世尊慰問。少病少惱安樂住林中耶。比丘答曰。少病少惱樂住於中。但釋軍多鳥。鳴喚惱亂不得思惟。佛告比丘。汝欲令此鳥一切不來耶。答曰。願爾。佛言比丘。此鳥來時。汝從眾鳥各乞一毛。比丘依教乞毛。諸鳥各落一毛。朝朝去時如是復乞。時鳥即移異處一宿。不得安樂尋復來還。時比丘復從乞毛。復各與一。眾鳥相謂。沙門乞毛不已。恐我不久毛衣都盡。不能復飛。更共議言。此比丘常住林中。我等應去。更求餘棲。諸比丘具以白佛言。林中比丘怯劣。喜亂畏惡鳥聲。佛言。不但今日怯劣。過去世時有一龍象。住在林中。大風卒起。吹折樹木。象聞折聲。驚怖奔走。怖心小歇。又蔭餘樹。餘樹復折。遂復奔走。時天見象念言。此象橫自狂走。即說偈言。

When the Buddha was dwelling in the Araṇya Monastery at Rājagṛha, there were five hundred monks who all begged to build cells. When merchants saw the monks coming, they would shut their shops and return home to avoid them. The monks intercepted them along other roads, continuously preaching karmic retribution and instructing them to generate faith, even seizing them by their heads to force them to give, saying: 'This is so that you may obtain bodily form, strength, and longevity, increase merit, and attain the fruit of nectar.' Hearing this, the merchants generated faith and gave somewhat. Later, seeing Śāriputra, they complained to Śāriputra of this matter in detail. Having heard them, Śāriputra preached the Dharma to delight them, and returned to report fully to the Buddha. The Buddha told the monks who managed affairs: 'In a past age, there was a monk named Bāskala who dwelt in a forest. At that time, a flock of śakunta birds also roosted in this forest. Their disordered cries at dawn and dusk troubled Bāskala. Bāskala went to the Bhagavat's place, bowed his head to the Buddha's feet, and stood to one side. The Bhagavat inquired after his comfort: "Do you have little illness and little trouble, dwelling peacefully and happily in the forest?" The monk replied: "I have little illness and little trouble, and dwell happily therein, but the cries of the śakunta birds disturb and perturb me so that I cannot contemplate." The Buddha told the monk: "Do you wish to make none of these birds come at all?" He replied: "May it be so." The Buddha said: "Monk, when these birds come, you should beg a feather from each bird." Following the instruction, the monk begged for feathers; each bird dropped a feather. When they left every morning, he begged again like this. The birds then moved to a different place for the night, but not finding peace, soon returned. The monk again begged feathers from them, and each gave one again. The birds said to one another: "The śramaṇa's begging for feathers is endless; we fear that before long our plumage will be completely gone, and we will no longer be able to fly." They further consulted together, saying: "This monk constantly dwells in the forest; we should leave and seek another roost." The monks reported this fully to the Buddha, saying: "The monk in the forest was timid and weak, easily disturbed, and frightened by the sounds of the bad birds." The Buddha said: "Not only today was he timid and weak; in a past age there was an elephant king who lived in a forest. A fierce gale suddenly arose and snapped the trees. Hearing the sound of breaking, the elephant was terrified and fled. When his fear slightly subsided, he sheltered under another tree; the other tree snapped again, and so he fled again. At that time, a deva saw the elephant and thought: 'This elephant runs about wildly without cause.' He then spoke a verse: