經律異相 24.31

24.31

有三十萬比丘。阿羅漢十萬。學人二十萬。凡夫無數。於上坐一處。無有人坐。王問耶舍言。第一座處何故無人。答言。佛說。弟子中有能師子吼者。名賓頭盧。是第一上座。王聞毛竪。如柯曇婆華又言。有見佛來入涅槃。今在者不。答言。即賓頭盧是也。又問。我於今者得見其人不。答言。其今應來。時王聞已生大歡喜。即說偈讚。合掌仰看空中。目不暫捨。時賓頭盧。與無數阿羅漢隨從圍遶。從空中下坐第一座。闔眾皆起。見賓頭盧。頭鬢皓白額皮眉毛。悉合覆面如緣覺身。五體投地禮賓頭盧。舌舐其足啼泣說偈。讚歎賓頭盧。以兩手舉眉毛歎阿育曰。我數見如來因歎佛德。阿育復問。何處見佛。答曰。佛與五百阿羅漢。俱詣於王舍城安居。我時在眾中。又於舍衛國。為勝外道故現種種神力。又於三十三天上安居。為母說法竟下。復往於阿僧柯奢國。又於修摩陀伽孤獨女。請佛及五百阿羅漢。佛以神力至分陀跋陀國。我以神力舉山。從虛空中亦至彼國。時如來戒勅云。汝不得涅槃。主我法住。阿育復問。賓頭盧大德。幾人隨從。偈答曰。

There were three hundred thousand monks: one hundred thousand arhats, two hundred thousand trainees (śaikṣas), and countless ordinary people. At the place of the senior seat, no one sat. The king asked Yaśas: 'Why is no one sitting at the foremost seat?' Yaśas answered: 'The Buddha said that among his disciples, the one who can roar the lion's roar is named Piṇḍola; he is the foremost senior.' When the king heard this, his hair stood on end like kadamba flowers. He further asked: 'Is there anyone now living who saw the Buddha enter nirvāṇa?' Yaśas replied: 'Piṇḍola is the one.' The king asked again: 'May I see that person now?' Yaśas replied: 'He should be arriving now.' When the king heard this, great joy arose within him; he immediately spoke verses of praise, joined his palms, and looked up into the sky without averting his eyes for a moment. At that time, Piṇḍola, surrounded and escorted by countless arhats, descended from the sky and sat in the foremost seat. The entire assembly stood up. Seeing Piṇḍola, his hair and temples were snow-white, and the skin of his forehead and his eyebrows covered his face, looking like a pratyekabuddha. The king prostrated with his five limbs touching the ground to pay homage to Piṇḍola, licked his feet with his tongue, and weeping, spoke verses praising Piṇḍola. Raising his eyebrows with both hands, Piṇḍola praised Aśoka: 'I have seen the Tathāgata many times,' and thereupon praised the Buddha's virtues. Aśoka asked again: 'Where did you see the Buddha?' Piṇḍola replied: 'When the Buddha and five hundred arhats went together to Rājagṛha for the rains retreat, I was in the assembly. Again, in the country of Śrāvastī, in order to vanquish the non-Buddhists, he displayed various spiritual powers. Again, he held the rains retreat in the Trāyastriṃśa heaven to teach the Dharma to his mother, and after descending, he went to the country of Sāṃkāśya. Again, when Sumāgadhā, an orphan girl, invited the Buddha and five hundred arhats, the Buddha traveled by spiritual power to the country of Puṇḍravardhana, and I, lifting a mountain by spiritual power, also traveled through the sky to that country. At that time, the Tathāgata admonished me, saying: "You shall not attain nirvāṇa; stay to uphold my Dharma."' Aśoka asked again: 'Venerable Piṇḍola, how many people accompany you?' He answered with a verse: