經律異相 22.24

22.24

有一比丘。少欲知足。時安陀國有優婆塞。敬信三寶終身供養。日日遣送。其國有一長者。生一男兒。欲令出家當求善師。即往白比丘言。我此一子令使出家。唯願大德哀納濟度。爾時比丘以道眼觀。此人出家能持淨戒。度為沙彌時優婆塞有一親善居士。明日客會。朝念言。今當就會誰後守舍。女即白父。唯願父母從諸僮使。但行應請我堪後守。父曰甚善。合家悉往。女便閉門獨住家內。時優婆塞是日怱怱忘不送食。爾時尊者心自念言。日時向晚。俗人多事。即遣沙彌往取。善攝威儀如佛所說。沙彌打門。女問是誰。答言。沙彌為師迎食。即與開門。是女端正容貌姝妙。年始十六婬欲火燒。於沙彌前。作諸妖媚深現欲相。沙彌見已念言。此女為有風癎病耶。將無欲結所使欲毀我淨行耶。堅攝威儀顏色不變。女便五體投地白沙彌言。我常願者欲有所陳。我此舍中珍寶倉庫。如毘沙門天宮寶藏。而無有主。汝可屈意為此舍主。我為汝婢供給使令滿我所願。沙彌念。我寧捨命不毀禁戒。昔日比丘至婬女家。寧投火坑不犯於欲。又諸比丘賊所劫奪以草繫縛。風吹日曝諸蟲唼食。以護戒故不絕草而去。如鳥吞珠。比丘雖見。以持戒故極苦不說。如海船壞。下坐比丘。以守戒故授板上坐沒海而死。如是諸人獨佛弟子能持禁戒。我非弟子不能持也。如來世尊獨為彼師非我師也。方便語言。牢閉門戶我入一房作所應作。爾乃一相就。女即閉門。沙彌入房關撢門戶。得一剃刀。脫身衣服置於架上。合掌跪向拘尸那城佛涅槃處。自立誓願。我今不捨佛法眾僧。亦不捨戒正為持戒。捨此身命願所往生。出家淨行盡漏成道。即刎頸死。時女怪遲趣戶看視。見其已死失於本容。欲心尋息慚結懊惱悲呼悶絕。其父會還見女如是問何以故。具答以實。父即入房見沙彌。身血污赤如栴檀。作禮讚言。護持佛戒能捨身命。時彼國法。若有沙門白衣舍死。當罰金錢。時優婆塞以一千金錢置銅案上載至王宮。白言。大王。我有罰讁。應入於王。願當受之。王言。汝於我國敬信三寶言行無違。唯汝一人當有何過。而輸罰耶。時優婆塞具陳上緣。自毀其女讚嘆沙彌。王聞悚然而告之言。沙彌護戒自捨身命。汝無辜咎。但持還舍。吾今躬欲自至汝家供養沙彌。王往見之。前為作禮。以種種寶莊嚴高車載死沙彌至平坦地。積眾香木闍毘供養。嚴飾是女極世之殊。置高顯處普使時會一切皆見。語眾人言。是女殊妙容暉乃爾。未離欲者誰無染心。而此沙彌既未得道。以生死身奉戒捨命甚奇希有。王即遣人令請其師。廣為大眾說微妙法。時會一切見聞此事。有求出家。有發無上菩提心者（出賢愚經第七卷）。

There was once a monk who had few desires and knew contentment. At that time, in the country of Andhra, there was an upāsaka who faithfully revered the Three Jewels and made offerings to them throughout his life, sending provisions every day. In that country there was an elder who had a son. Wanting him to leave household life, he sought an excellent teacher. He immediately went and addressed the monk, saying: “I wish to have this son of mine leave household life. I only pray that the Venerable One will compassionately accept him and deliver him.” At that time, the monk observed with his spiritual vision that if this person left household life, he would be able to uphold the pure precepts, so he ordained him as a novice. Meanwhile, the upāsaka had a close lay friend who was hosting a gathering for guests the next day. In the morning the friend thought: “Today I must go to the gathering; who will stay behind and guard the house?” His daughter then addressed her father: “I only pray that my parents will take all the servants and just go to attend the invitation; I can stay behind and guard.” The father said: “Very good.” The whole family went, and the daughter locked the door, staying alone inside the house. That day the upāsaka was in a rush and forgot to send the food. The Venerable One thought to himself: “It is getting late, and laypeople have many affairs.” He immediately sent the novice to fetch it, saying: “Comport yourself with proper deportment, just as the Buddha has taught.” The novice knocked on the door. The girl asked who it was, and he answered: “I am the novice, fetching food for my master.” She immediately opened the door for him. This girl was shapely and exquisite in appearance; she had just turned sixteen and was burning with the fire of lust. Before the novice, she performed all kinds of flirtatious wiles, intensely showing signs of desire. When the novice saw this, he thought: “Does this girl have epilepsy, or is she driven by the fetter of lust, wishing to ruin my pure conduct?” Resolutely maintaining his deportment, his countenance did not change. The girl then cast herself to the ground in full prostration and addressed the novice: “What I always wished for, I now wish to explain. The treasures and storehouses in this house of mine are like the treasure trove of Vaiśravaṇa's heavenly palace, yet they have no master. You could deign to become the master of this house. I will be your maidservant, attending to your commands, to fulfill my wish.” The novice thought: “I would rather forfeit my life than break the prohibitive precepts. In the past, when a monk reached the house of a courtesan, he would rather throw himself into a fiery pit than commit sexual misconduct. Furthermore, when monks were robbed by thieves and bound with grass, though blown by the wind, scorched by the sun, and bitten and gnawed by various insects, out of safeguarding the precepts they would not break the grass and leave. Just as with the bird that swallowed the gem, although the monk saw it, out of upholding the precepts he endured extreme suffering and did not speak. Just as when a sea-vessel was wrecked, a junior monk, out of guarding the precepts, handed his plank to a senior monk and drowned in the ocean to his death. Were these persons alone the disciples of the Buddha capable of upholding the prohibitive precepts, while I am not a disciple and cannot uphold them? Was the Tathāgata, the Bhagavat, their master alone, and not mine?” Using an expedient means, he said to her: “Firmly close the doors. I shall enter a room and do what should be done; only then shall we come together.” The girl immediately shut the doors. The novice entered a room and latched the door. Finding a razor, he took off his robes, placed them on a rack, joined his palms, and knelt facing Kuśinagara, where the Buddha entered nirvāṇa. He made a vow for himself: “I do not now abandon the Buddha, the Dharma, or the Saṅgha, nor do I abandon the precepts; it is precisely for the sake of upholding the precepts that I forfeit this physical life. May it be that wherever I am reborn, I shall leave household life, cultivate pure conduct, exhaust all taints, and realize the Way.” He then slit his throat and died. The girl, wondering at the delay, hurried to the door to look, and saw that he was already dead, having lost his original appearance. Her lustful mind instantly ceased; overcome by shame, distress, and lamentation, she screamed in grief and fell unconscious. When her father returned from the gathering and saw his daughter like this, he asked why. She replied completely with the truth. The father immediately entered the room and saw the novice, his body stained red with blood like sandalwood. He bowed and praised him, saying: “Safeguarding and upholding the Buddha’s precepts, he was able to forfeit his physical life!” According to the law of that country at the time, if a śramaṇa died in a layperson's house, a fine in gold coins was to be imposed. The upāsaka placed one thousand gold coins on a bronze tray and carried them to the royal palace. He addressed the king: “Great King, I have incurred a penalty that should be remitted to the king; I pray that you will accept it.” The king said: “In my kingdom you have faithfully revered the Three Jewels, with no discrepancy between your words and deeds. Why should you alone have committed an offense and must pay a fine?” The upāsaka then detailed the aforementioned circumstances, denouncing his daughter and praising the novice. Hearing this, the king was struck with awe and said to him: “The novice safeguarded the precepts and forfeit his own physical life; you bear no blame or fault. Just take the coins back home. I myself now wish to go in person to your house to make offerings to the novice.” The king went to see him, stepped forward, and bowed to him. Placing the deceased novice upon a high carriage adorned with various gems, they carried him to a level field, piled up diverse fragrant woods, and held a cremation (jhāpita) as an offering. They also adorned the girl with beauty surpassing all in the world, placing her in a high, conspicuous place so that everyone in the assembly could see her. The king said to the crowd: “This girl is of such extraordinary, radiant beauty; who that has not yet abandoned desire would be without an impassioned mind? Yet this novice, though he had not yet attained the Way, upheld the precepts and gave up his life with his mortal body—truly marvelous and exceedingly rare!” The king then sent someone to invite the novice's master, who expounded the subtle and wondrous Dharma extensively for the great assembly. Hearing and seeing this event, among all those in the assembly, some sought to leave household life, while others generated the unexcelled bodhicitta (from the Sutra of the Wise and the Foolish, fascicle 7).