經律異相 46.33

46.33

跋祇國界有鬼。名為毘沙（承事勝已經云阿羅婆）極為兇暴。殺民無量。日恒數十人。皆共集而作是說。可避此國遠至他界。鬼知人心便語彼人曰。汝等莫離此處至他邦土。終不免吾手。卿日日持一人祠吾便不擾汝。時跋祇人日取一人祠。彼惡鬼。是鬼噉人骨滿溪谷。時有長者子名曰善覺。在彼住止饒財多寶。兒名那優羅。唯有一子。有此限制。兒那優羅應祠是鬼。父母沐浴此小兒竟。與著好衣至彼鬼所。啼哭喚呼不可稱計。並作是說。諸鬼地神皆共證明。我此一子願擁此兒使得免濟。釋提桓因及梵天王。諸如來弟子漏盡阿羅漢及辟支佛。乃至如來最尊最上良祐福田。無有出如來上者。當鑒察之。願如來當照此至心。以兒付鬼便退而去。爾時世尊以天眼耳徹聽聞見。以神足力至雪山北。入鬼住處結跏趺坐。是時小兒至鬼住處。遙見如來光色炳然。三十二相八十種好莊嚴其身。發歡喜心向於如來。謂是惡鬼隨意食之。是時世尊告曰。那優羅如汝所言。我今是如來至真等正覺。故來救汝及降此鬼。那優羅歡喜頭面禮足。時世尊與說妙義。即於座上諸塵垢盡得法眼淨。彼已見法歸佛法聖眾而受五戒。惡鬼還本處遙見世尊端坐不動。便興恚怒。雨雷電霹靂或雨刀劍。未墮地頃。如來化作優鉢蓮華。復雨種種神力如來隨而降之。沙門衣毛不動我今當往問其深義。設不能報我者當持汝兩脚擲著海南。佛言。若人非人無能持我兩脚擲海南者。欲問便問。時鬼問曰。何等是故行新行及行滅。世尊告曰。當知眼是故行。曩時所造緣病成行。耳鼻口身意此是故行。今身所造身三口四意三此是新行當知故行滅盡。更不興起復不造行。能取此行永已不生永盡無餘。是謂行滅。鬼白佛言。我今極飢歸我小兒。世尊告曰。昔我為菩薩時。有鴿投我我尚不惜身命救彼鴿厄。況今已成如來。能捨此兒令汝食噉。汝迦葉佛時曾作沙門。修持梵行後復犯戒。生此惡鬼。爾時惡鬼承佛威神。便憶曩昔所造諸行。即至世尊所。頭面禮足。我今愚惑不別真偽。乃生此心向於如來。唯願世尊受我懺悔。如是三四。世尊告曰。聽汝悔過。為說妙法。時彼惡鬼手擎數千兩金奉上世尊。我今以此山谷。施招提僧。唯願世尊與我受之。世尊即受。便說此偈。

Within the borders of the Vṛji country, there was a ghost named Viśa (the *Chengshisheng yi jing* says Āḷavaka) who was extremely violent and ferocious, killing countless people, usually dozens every day. The people gathered together and said, "We may flee this country and go far away to other realms." The ghost, knowing the minds of the people, said to them: "Do not leave this place for other lands. You will never escape my hands. If you bring one person each day to sacrifice to me, I will not disturb you." At that time, the Vṛji people brought one person each day to sacrifice to that evil ghost. The bones of the humans this ghost devoured filled the mountain valleys. At that time, there was the son of an elder named Subhūti, who resided there, possessing abundant wealth and many treasures. His son was named Nakula; he had only this one son. Because of this restriction, the boy Nakula was due to be sacrificed to the ghost. The parents bathed the little boy, dressed him in fine garments, and took him to the ghost's dwelling, crying and wailing beyond measure, while saying: "May all the ghosts and earth gods together bear witness! This is our only son; we pray that you protect this boy so that he may be saved and spared! Śakra Devānām Indra and the Brahmā king, all the disciples of the Tathāgata, the arhats whose outflows are ended, and the pratyekabuddhas, up to the Tathāgata, the most honoured, supreme, auspicious protector and field of merit—there is none surpassing the Tathāgata—may they examine this! May the Tathāgata illuminate our sincere mind!" Having handed the boy over to the ghost, they withdrew and departed. At that time, the Bhagavat, seeing and hearing with his divine eye and divine ear, went north of the snowy mountains by the power of his supernatural feet, entered the ghost's dwelling place, and sat cross-legged. At that time, the little boy arrived at the ghost's dwelling place and saw from afar the Tathāgata's brilliant light and colour, his body adorned with the thirty-two marks and eighty secondary signs. He gave rise to a joyful mind toward the Tathāgata, thinking he was the evil ghost, [ready to be] eaten at will. At that time, the Bhagavat said to him: "Nakula, it is as you say. I am now the Tathāgata, Samyaksaṃbuddha; I have come specifically to save you and subdue this ghost." Nakula joyfully bowed his head at the Buddha's feet. The Bhagavat then explained the wondrous doctrine to him, and right upon his seat, all dust and defilements were exhausted, and he obtained the purity of the Dharma eye. Having seen the Dharma, he took refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Holy Saṅgha, and received the five precepts. When the evil ghost returned to his original place and saw from afar the Bhagavat sitting upright and motionless, he was aroused to fury. He rained thunderbolts, lightning, and claps of thunder, or rained swords and knives. Before they could fall to the ground, the Tathāgata transformed them into blue utpala lotuses. The ghost further sent down various supernatural forces, but the Tathāgata subdued them as they came. [The ghost thought,] "Not a hair of the śramaṇa's robe has moved; I shall now go and question him on deep doctrines. If he cannot answer me, I will seize his two feet and throw him into the southern sea." The Buddha said, "Whether human or non-human, none can seize my two feet and throw me into the southern sea. If you wish to ask, then ask." At that time the ghost asked, "What are past actions, new actions, and the cessation of actions?" The Bhagavat told him: "You should know that the eye is past action: actions formed in the past due to conditions and afflictions. The ear, nose, mouth, body, and mind are also past actions. What is performed in the present life—three of the body, four of speech, and three of the mind—these are new actions. You should know that when past actions are brought to an end, no longer arise, and no further actions are formed, one can take these actions to never arise again, exhausted forever without remainder; this is called the cessation of actions." The ghost said to the Buddha, "I am now extremely hungry; return the little boy to me." The Bhagavat told him: "In the past, when I was a bodhisattva, a dove threw itself upon me, and I did not even spare my own life to save that dove from peril. How much less now that I have become a Tathāgata could I abandon this boy to be eaten by you? In the time of Kāśyapa Buddha, you were once a śramaṇa who cultivated the brahma-conduct, but later you broke the precepts and were born as this evil ghost." At that time, relying on the Buddha's spiritual power, the evil ghost remembered all the deeds he had performed in the past. He immediately went before the Bhagavat, bowed his head at his feet, [and said:] "I am now ignorant and deluded, unable to distinguish the true from the false, and thus gave rise to such a mind toward the Tathāgata. I only pray that the Bhagavat accept my repentance!" He repeated this three or four times. The Bhagavat told him, "I permit your repentance," and explained the wondrous Dharma for him. Then that evil ghost raised several thousand ounces of gold in his hands and offered them to the Bhagavat, [saying:] "I now offer this mountain valley to the saṅgha of the four quarters. I only pray that the Bhagavat accept it on my behalf." The Bhagavat then accepted it and spoke this verse: