經律異相 35.7

35.7

瞻婆城有大長者子。字守籠那。其父母唯有此子。心甚念之。生來習樂未曾躡地足下生毛。時摩竭國王聞瞻婆城中大長者子遲欲見之。即勅城主。使諸長者各將兒來。時瞻婆城主奉勅。詣摩竭王。在一面住。王聽以衣敷地。詣王所。王見足毛。心甚歡喜。即語言。可往見佛禮拜問訊。當與汝後世利益。時瞻婆城主及諸長者。共詣耆闍崛山。時有長老婆竭陀。為佛給使在磐石上坐。時瞻婆城主。詣長老婆竭陀所言。我等欲見如來。時婆竭陀即沒石上涌出佛前。白言。瞻婆長者欲見世尊。佛言。汝往屋蔭中敷座。我當往坐。時婆竭陀即敷座已還到佛所。白世尊言。敷座已竟。世尊坐已。告婆竭陀言。語長者來。時婆竭陀沒於佛前踊出石上。時諸長者歎未曾有世尊弟子神足猶爾。況復如來。婆竭陀言。長者宜知。是時瞻婆城主來詣佛所。世尊爾時。即為諸長者子及瞻婆城主說法勸化。即於坐上得法眼淨。白世尊言。大德。從今已去歸依三寶。為優婆塞。時守籠那後遂出家。往溫水河邊尸陀林中。懃行精進。經行之處血流污地。猶如血塗。時守籠那在靜處思惟。佛弟子中懃行精進無勝我者。我今何故不得無漏。我當捨戒還家自恣五欲布施作福。佛知其心。到守籠那所。我今問汝。隨意答我。汝在家時彈琴。琴絃若緩若急音聲好不。若不緩不急乃得好聲。佛言。比丘亦如是。不緩不急心乃會道。依教修行逮成羅漢焉（出四分律三分第二卷）。

In the city of Campā there was the son of a great elder named Śroṇa. His parents had only this one son and were extremely fond of him. From his birth he was accustomed to pleasure and had never trodden the bare ground, so that hair grew beneath his feet. At that time the king of Magadha, having heard of the great elder's son in the city of Campā, wished to see him. He therefore ordered the lord of the city to have all the elders bring their sons. The lord of Campā city complied with the decree and went before the king of Magadha, standing to one side. The king allowed [him] to spread clothes on the ground, and [Śroṇa] came before the king. When the king saw the hair on his feet, he was exceedingly pleased. He then said to him: 'You may go to see the Buddha, pay homage, and inquire after him; this will bring you benefit in future lives.' Then the lord of Campā city and all the elders went together to Mount Gṛdhrakūṭa. At that time the elder Vāgīśa was serving as the Buddha's attendant and was seated upon a boulder. The lord of Campā city went before the elder Vāgīśa and said: 'We wish to see the Tathāgata.' Vāgīśa then submerged into the rock and surged out before the Buddha, saying: 'The elders of Campā wish to see the Bhagavat.' The Buddha said: 'Go into the shade of the shelter and lay out a seat; I will go and sit there.' Vāgīśa, having laid out the seat, returned to the Buddha and said to the Bhagavat: 'The seat has been arranged.' When the Bhagavat sat down, he told Vāgīśa: 'Tell the elders to come.' Vāgīśa then submerged before the Buddha and leaped out upon the boulder. The elders marveled at this unprecedented feat: 'If the Bhagavat's disciple has supernatural power such as this, how much more so the Tathāgata!' Vāgīśa said: 'Elders, you may now know [that you may enter].' At this, the lord of Campā city came before the Buddha. The Bhagavat then expounded the Dharma to encourage and transform the sons of the elders and the lord of Campā city, and right upon their seats they attained purity of the Dharma-eye. They said to the Bhagavat: 'Venerable One, from this day forth we take refuge in the Three Jewels and become upāsakas.' Later, Śroṇa went forth from household life. He went to a śītavana cemetery by the warm-water river and practiced with diligent vigor. The place where he walked in meditation was soaked with blood staining the earth, as if smeared with blood. Then Śroṇa reflected in a quiet place: 'Among the Buddha's disciples who practice with diligent vigor, none surpasses me. Why then do I still not attain the cessation of defilements (āsravakṣaya)? I should give up the precepts, return home, indulge in the five desires, and make offerings to generate merit.' The Buddha, knowing his thought, came to Śroṇa's dwelling [and said]: 'I shall now ask you; answer me as you wish. When you were at home playing the lute, if the strings were loose or tight, was the sound good or not?' [Śroṇa replied:] 'Only if they were neither loose nor tight was a good sound produced.' The Buddha said: 'A monk is also like this: only when neither loose nor tight will the mind accord with the Path.' Following this teaching, he practiced and attained the status of an arhat. (Extracted from the Sifen lü, Part Three, Fascicle 2).