經律異相 34.4

34.4

波羅奈國王夫人生一女。身黃金色。頭髮紺青。時年十六。父母見女長大。欲為求婿。女言。我不用婿。若欲為我求婿者。當令身黃金色頭髮紺青。如是者乃可爾耳。父母便為求索。了不能得。佛時在舍衛國。舍衛國有人。價作到波羅奈國。國王即請價人與相見問訊。以女示之言。我為是女求婿。天下寧有好人。價人答言。我國中有人。復勝是女者。王聞歡喜。令價人迎取佛。價人便作書與佛。書上說是女端正甚好無比。欲為佛取之。佛在祇洹中。為諸比丘數千人說經。持書人直前至佛所。佛預知書上所說。得便裂壞之。作書報與金色女言。之人苦皆從恩愛生。生當復老。老當復病。從病致死。從死致憂哭。天下苦者皆從恩愛生。女得書自思惟。即得五通達。一者眼能徹視。二者耳能徹聽。三者知他人心念。四者知所從生。五者能飛行。便與父母辭訣飛到佛前。佛即微笑。五色光明從口中出。阿難前問。佛言。阿難。汝見此女健乃如是。欲知之者。迦葉。佛時。是金色女為貧家作婦。其婿手足拘攣不能行步。時國王字基立。有一女。端正。身著金銀瓔珞。徑到迦葉佛所受經戒。時是貧人婦。身但被一㲲布。亦復隨往到佛所。外人不聽前。貧人婦自念言。我何故獨不得前。王女獨前。佛即知之。令人呼前。婦即作禮白言。是王女何故獨豪貴如此。我獨貧窮。佛語婦人。是王女。前世好喜讀經以衣施與沙門故。今世得豪貴尊嚴端正。汝前世不樂經法。慳貪不肯布施。見沙門不相承事。令汝今世貧窮如是。貧婦言。願佛哀我愚癡教我經法。迦葉佛便教之。於樹下讀經。坐自思惟。便取樹葉縫連作衣。以覆其身。欲持身上所著㲲布衣上佛。天王釋見有至心。便持天衣金錢飲食與之。婦得衣便以布施設供。壽終生天上。壽盡來生世間。為國王女。喜讀經布施故。身黃金色頭髮紺青（出金色女經）。

The queen of the king of the kingdom of Vārāṇasī gave birth to a daughter whose body was yellow-gold in color and whose hair was deep blue-black. At the time she was sixteen years old. Seeing the girl had grown up, her parents wished to seek a husband for her. The girl said, "I have no need for a husband. If you wish to seek a husband for me, he must have a body of yellow-gold color and deep blue-black hair. Only one like this will do." Her parents then sought for one, but could not find any at all. At that time, the Buddha was in the kingdom of Śrāvastī. There was a merchant from Śrāvastī who traveled for trade to Vārāṇasī. The king of the kingdom invited the merchant to meet with him, exchanged greetings, showed him the daughter, and said, "I am seeking a husband for this girl. Is there such a fine person anywhere under heaven?" The merchant replied, "In my country there is someone who surpasses even this girl." Hearing this, the king was delighted and ordered the merchant to welcome the Buddha. The merchant then wrote a letter to the Buddha. In the letter he stated that this girl was upright, wonderfully beautiful, and peerless, and that he wished to take her for the Buddha. The Buddha was in the Jetavana, preaching the sūtras to several thousand monks. The bearer of the letter went straight before the Buddha. The Buddha, knowing in advance what was written in the letter, took it and tore it to pieces. He wrote a letter in reply to the Golden Woman, saying: "The suffering of humans is all born of affection. Birth must be followed by aging; aging must be followed by sickness; from sickness one arrives at death; and from death one arrives at grief and weeping. All sufferings under heaven are born of affection." Upon receiving the letter, the girl reflected upon it and immediately attained the five supernormal knowledges: first, her eyes could see without obstruction; second, her ears could hear without obstruction; third, she knew the mental thoughts of others; fourth, she knew where she had been born from; fifth, she could fly. She then bade farewell to her parents and flew before the Buddha. The Buddha immediately smiled, and five-colored rays of light came out from his mouth. Ānanda stepped forward and asked about it. The Buddha said, "Ānanda, do you see that this girl is capable like this? If you wish to know: In the time of Kāśyapa Buddha, this Golden Woman was the wife of a poor family. Her husband's hands and feet were contracted, and he could not walk. At that time, the king of the country was named Kiki, and he had a daughter who was upright and beautiful, wearing gold and silver necklaces upon her body, who went straight to Kāśyapa Buddha's place to receive the scriptures and precepts. At that time, this poor man's wife was draped in only a single cotton cloth, yet she also followed along to the Buddha's place. The outsiders would not allow her forward. The poor man's wife thought to herself, 'Why am I alone not allowed forward, while the king's daughter alone goes forward?' The Buddha immediately knew this and ordered someone to call her forward. The wife bowed and said, 'Why is this king's daughter alone noble like this, while I alone am poor?' The Buddha told the woman, 'In a past life, this king's daughter loved to recite the scriptures and gave robes to śramaṇas, and therefore in her present life she obtained nobility, dignity, and beauty. In your past life you did not take delight in the Dharma of the scriptures, were stingy and unwilling to practice giving, and seeing śramaṇas did not serve them, which has caused you to be poor like this in your present life.' The poor woman said, 'I pray the Buddha pity my foolishness and teach me the Dharma of the scriptures.' Kāśyapa Buddha then taught her. Beneath a tree she recited the scriptures, sat, and reflected on them. She then took tree leaves, stitched them together to make a garment to cover her body, and wished to offer the cotton garment she was wearing on her body to the Buddha. Śakra, King of the Gods, seeing her utmost sincerity, brought heavenly robes, gold coins, and food and drink to give to her. Having obtained the robes, the woman gave them in charity and made offerings. When her life ended, she was born in heaven. When her lifespan there was exhausted, she came to be born in the human world as a king's daughter. Because she loved to recite the scriptures and practice giving, her body was yellow-gold in color and her hair deep blue-black." (Extracted from the *Golden Woman Sūtra*)