經律異相 36.17

36.17

有長者名曰音悅。財富無數年老無子。以為愁慼。雖然宿福所追。其報有四。一者夫人產男。二者五百白馬同時生駒。三者國王遣使者拜授金印。四者五百寶船同時俱至。佛告阿難。長者音悅先世之時。遣五百人乘船入海。既獲眾寶安隱還家。是故如來說此四福同時普集。長者念言。天降福祚集我之庭。當作甘饌室族相慶。時四天王釋梵諸天龍神鬼王阿須倫等。各與眷屬側塞虛空。如來神達知此長者歡喜踊躍。因其歡悅而往稱歎。若其開解可殖福哉。應時歌誦吉祥八音。長者歡喜啟瞿曇言。實為神妙。知我室族吉祥無量。抂屈尊神來相讚歎。以好白㲲直千萬兩金。奉上如來佛即受之。佛告長者。財有五厄。汝今能為必獲影報。所生之處福自歸身。長者白佛。何等五厄。佛言。一者火燒。二者水漂。三者縣官。四者惡子用度無限。五者盜賊五事。一至不可抑制。長者聞說益增踊躍。於是如來忽然還到耆闍崛山。爾時國內有尼揵異道。名曰不蘭迦葉。聽聞如來詣長者家歌頌一偈。獲得長者千萬兩金。沙門尚能得金。況我往乞當不得乎。又自念言。我當往求瞿曇沙門所可說偈。然後往乞必得珍寶。嗟歎之宜當勝瞿曇。不蘭迦葉。懷此愚癡妬嫉之意。而往問佛。傳聞瞿曇。詣長者家歌頌一偈大得珍寶。寧可哀矜賜所說偈。令吾諷誦冀望得寶。如來三達知此長者却後一時財寶當散。不蘭迦葉不知時宜。遭厄之家而說吉祥。必得長者無量杖痛。如來告言。不惜此偈汝不知時。卿說此偈必得楚痛。是故違卿。若更欲得應時之說絕妙之句。吾當與汝。既使長者得聞真言。又免捶毒之痛。不蘭迦葉心自念言。瞿曇沙門不欲令我往乞珍寶。是故悋惜不肯與我。即便重啟。其於與我焉知餘事。如來慈愍諫之滿三終不信解。佛亦豫知不蘭迦葉前世因緣應受此痛。如來又云。罪不可諫。佛即為說吉祥之偈。尼揵諷誦一歲乃諳。然後長者失火燒舍珍奇了盡。五百馬駒同時燒死。所生妙子一旦終亡。王遣使者錄奪金印。後復乘船入海採寶安隱來還。泊岸五百寶船一旦漂沒。室族大小無不愁毒。不蘭迦葉往到其門。歌頌如來吉祥之偈如上所說。長者聞之舉門忿恚。天下凶殃無過於我。云何此人裸形無恥。在此妖蠱。說我吉祥益我憂煩。即出捶打。從頭至足匍匐還家。六師宗等逆問其意。答言。此變正由瞿曇。內不自剋反怨世尊。佛告眾會。不蘭迦葉前從如來求索一偈。欲詣長者歌頌求寶。如來諫之。其於不信。今已在彼遭痛毒患。阿難白佛。不蘭迦葉與此長者有何因緣而被此患。佛告阿難。乃昔久遠阿僧祇劫時。有國王亦名音悅。復有一鳥。名曰鸚鵡。在王宮上鳴聲和好。王時晝寢聞鳥鳴聲驚覺。問其左右。此為何鳥鳴聲妙好。侍者白言。有一奇鳥。五色焜煌適在宮上鳴已便去。王遣步騎逐而求之。推尋殊久捕得與王。即以七寶瓔珞其身常著左右。晝夜看視不去。須臾復有一鳥。名曰鵚梟。來在宮上。看見鸚鵡獨得優寵。即問鸚鵡。何緣致此。鸚鵡答言。我來宮上悲鳴殊好。國王愛敬於我取我常著左右。鵚梟聞之。乃懷妬嫉。心即念言。我亦當鳴令殊於卿。國王亦當愛寵我身。王時臥睡鵚梟即鳴。王即驚覺。㱇然毛竪如畏怖狀。王問左右。此為何聲驚動怖我。侍者白言。有惡聲鳥名曰鵚梟。王遣大眾分布推索。即得與王。王令左右生拔毛羽。舉身大痛步行而去。眾鳥問言。何緣致此。鵚梟瞋恚答眾鳥言。正坐鸚鵡故得此患。佛言。善聲招福惡聲致禍。罪報由己反怒鸚鵡。昔國王者音悅是。鸚鵡者我身是。鵚梟者不蘭迦葉是（出長者音悅經）。

There was an elder named Yinyue. His wealth was immeasurable, but he was old and without sons, on account of which he was sorrowful. Nevertheless, overtaken by merits from past lives, he received four retributions: first, his wife gave birth to a boy; second, five hundred white mares gave birth to foals at the same time; third, the king of the country sent an envoy to confer a gold seal upon him; fourth, five hundred treasure-ships arrived together at the same time. The Buddha said to Ānanda: “In a past life, the elder Yinyue sent five hundred men by ship into the sea, who obtained many treasures and returned safely home. Therefore, the Tathāgata says that these four blessings converged all together.” The elder thought: “Heaven has sent down blessings and good fortune, gathering them in my courtyard. I must prepare sweet delicacies to celebrate with my household and clan.” At that time, the Four Heavenly Kings, Śakra, Brahmā, the various devas, nāgas, spirits, ghost kings, asuras, and others, each with their retinues, crowded and filled empty space. The Tathāgata, by his divine penetration, knew that this elder was leaping with joy; taking advantage of his delight, he went thither to praise him, [thinking that] if he attained understanding, blessings might be cultivated. Thereupon he sang auspicious eightfold sounds. Leaping with joy, the elder addressed Gautama, saying: “Truly it is wondrously divine! Knowing that my household has boundless good fortune, you have condescended your venerable divinity to come and praise me.” With fine white cotton cloth worth ten million liang of gold, he offered it to the Tathāgata, and the Buddha accepted it. The Buddha said to the elder: “Wealth has five perils. If you are able to act [generously] now, you will certainly obtain a reward like a shadow [following the form]; wherever you are born, the blessings will naturally return to your person.” The elder said to the Buddha: “What are the five perils?” The Buddha said: “First, burning by fire; second, washing away by water; third, [confiscation by] government officials; fourth, an evil son whose spending is boundless; fifth, bandits and thieves. When any one of these five arrives, it cannot be held back.” Hearing this expounded, the elder leaped with even greater joy. Thereupon the Tathāgata suddenly returned to Gṛdhrakūṭa Mountain. At that time, in the kingdom there was a non-Buddhist Nirgrantha named Pūraṇa Kāśyapa. Hearing that the Tathāgata had gone to the elder's house, chanted a verse, and obtained ten million liang of gold from the elder, [he thought:] “If even a śramaṇa can obtain gold, how could I not obtain any if I went to beg?” He also thought to himself: “I should go and seek the verse spoken by the śramaṇa Gautama; after that, when I go to beg, I will surely obtain rare treasures. My fitting praise will certainly surpass Gautama's.” Harbouring this foolish and jealous intention, Pūraṇa Kāśyapa went to ask the Buddha: “Word has it that you, Gautama, went to the elder's house, chanted a verse, and obtained great treasures. Could you take pity and bestow the verse you spoke, so that I may recite it in hope of obtaining treasures?” The Tathāgata, with his threefold knowledge, knew that after a while the elder's wealth and treasures would scatter; and that Pūraṇa Kāśyapa did not know the proper time, and if he spoke of good fortune in a house suffering calamity, he would certainly receive countless painful beatings with staves from the elder. The Tathāgata said to him: “I do not begrudge this verse, but you do not know the time. If you speak this verse, you will certainly suffer bitter pain. Therefore I go against your wish. If you wish to obtain an exposition suited to the time and of matchless, wondrous phrases, I shall give it to you. That will allow the elder to hear true words and also spare you the pain of poisonous beatings.” Pūraṇa Kāśyapa thought to himself: “The śramaṇa Gautama does not want me to go and beg for rare treasures; therefore, out of stinginess, he refuses to give it to me.” He then made his request again: “Just give it to me; why concern yourself with anything else?” Out of compassion, the Tathāgata admonished him up to three times, but in the end he did not believe or understand. The Buddha also knew beforehand that by conditions from a past life, Pūraṇa Kāśyapa was destined to suffer this pain. The Tathāgata also thought: “Sin cannot be dissuaded.” The Buddha then spoke the auspicious verse for him. The Nirgrantha recited it for a whole year before mastering it. Later, the elder suffered a fire that burned down his house, and all his rare valuables were utterly destroyed; the five hundred foals were burned to death at the same time; the wondrous son born to him suddenly died one day; the king sent an envoy to seize back the gold seal; and later, after sending ships to the sea to gather jewels, they returned safely, but while anchored at the shore, the five hundred treasure-ships were suddenly submerged and lost in a single day. Young and old in the household were all bitterly grieving. Pūraṇa Kāśyapa went to his gate and chanted the Tathāgata's auspicious verse as told above. When the elder heard it, his whole household was enraged: “No calamity in the world surpasses ours! Why does this shameless naked man perform witchery here, proclaiming good fortune to us to increase our distress?” He immediately came out and beat him, from head to foot, so that he crawled back home. The leaders of the six teachers and others came to inquire about his condition, and he answered: “This misfortune was caused entirely by Gautama!” Unable to discipline himself within, he instead resented the World-Honoured One. The Buddha told the assembly: “Earlier, Pūraṇa Kāśyapa sought a verse from the Tathāgata, wishing to go to the elder to chant it and seek treasures. The Tathāgata admonished him, but he did not believe it. Now he has already suffered poisonous affliction and pain there.” Ānanda said to the Buddha: “What past causes and conditions did Pūraṇa Kāśyapa have with this elder that led him to suffer this affliction?” The Buddha said to Ānanda: “Long ago in the past, an asaṃkhyeya of kalpas ago, there was a king who was also named Yinyue. There was also a bird named a parrot, which sang with a harmonious and fine voice above the royal palace. At that time the king was napping during the day; hearing the bird's song, he awoke with a start and asked those around him: ‘What bird is this with such a wondrous voice?’ An attendant said: ‘There was an extraordinary bird, brilliant with five colours, which was just above the palace; having sung, it departed.’ The king sent infantry and cavalry to pursue and seek it. After searching for a very long time, they captured it and presented it to the king, who immediately adorned its body with the seven treasures and always kept it by his side, watching it day and night without leaving it. After a short while, there was another bird named an owl, which came above the palace. Seeing that the parrot alone received exceptional favour, it asked the parrot: ‘By what circumstance did you bring this about?’ The parrot answered: ‘I came above the palace and uttered a very fine cry; the king loved and respected me, took me, and always keeps me by his side.’ Hearing this, the owl harboured jealousy, thinking to itself: ‘I too should cry out to surpass you, and the king will also love and favour me.’ While the king was sleeping, the owl cried out. The king awoke with a start, his hair standing on end in terror. The king asked those around him: ‘What sound is this that startles and terrifies me?’ An attendant said: ‘It is a bird of evil voice named an owl.’ The king sent out a large host to disperse and search for it; they captured it and presented it to the king. The king ordered his attendants to pluck out its feathers alive. With severe pain throughout its body, it walked away on foot. The other birds asked: ‘By what circumstance did you bring this about?’ The owl, enraged, answered the birds: ‘It was precisely on account of the parrot that I suffered this affliction!’” The Buddha said: “A good voice invites blessing; an evil voice brings disaster. The sinful retribution came from himself, yet he was angry at the parrot instead. The king of that past time was Yinyue; the parrot was my own person; and the owl was Pūraṇa Kāśyapa.” (Extracted from the Sūtra on the Elder Yinyue.)