經律異相 5.38

5.38

佛告阿難。我昔夏安居時。波羅㮈國。有一婬女。名曰妙意。於佛有緣。佛與難陀。將往婬女舍。日日乞食。此女於我不曾恭敬。但於難陀偏生愛著。已經七日。女心念言。沙門瞿曇。若能遣難陀阿難。從我所願。我當種種供養。佛告阿難難陀。汝從今日莫往彼村。世尊獨至女樓。一日至三日。放金色光。化諸天人。此女不悟。後日世尊。復將阿難難陀。在樹下行。婬女愛敬二比丘故。遙以眾華散佛及二比丘。阿難告言。汝可禮佛。女愛阿難。應時作禮。佛化作三童子。年皆十五。面貌端正。女見歡喜。為化年少。投地敬禮。白年少言。丈夫我今此舍如功德天。富力自在。眾寶莊嚴。我今以身及以奴婢。奉上丈夫。可備灑掃。若能顧納。隨我所願。一切供給無所愛惜。化人坐床。未及食頃。女前親近言。願遂我意。化人不違。一日一夜心不疲厭。至二日時愛心漸息。至三日時。白言。丈夫可起飲食。化人即起。纏綿不已。女生厭悔。白言。丈夫異人乃爾。化人告言。我先世法。凡與女通。經十二日爾乃休息。女聞此語。如人食噎。既不得吐。又不得咽。身體苦痛。如被杵擣。至四日時。如被車轢。至五日時。如鐵丸入體。至六日時。支節悉痛。如箭入心。女念言。我聞淨飯王子。救濟苦人恒在。今日何故不來救我。作是念已。懊惱自責。我從今日乃至壽終。不貪色欲。寧與虎狼師子惡狩。同處一室。不受此苦。作是語已。復起飲食。行坐共俱無奈之何。化人亦瞋唾云。弊惡女。廢我事業。我今共汝。合體一處。不如早死。父母宗親。若來覓我。於何自藏。我寧自縊死。不堪受恥。女言。弊物我不用爾。欲死隨意。化人取刀刺頸。血污女身。萎陀在地。女不能勝。亦不得免死。經二日青瘀臭黑。三日膖脹。四日爛潰。大小便利。及諸惡蟲。迸血諸膿。塗漫女身。女極惡厭而不得離。至五日時。皮肉漸爛。至六日時。肉落都盡。至七日時。唯有臭骨。如膠如漆。粘著女身。女發誓願。若諸天神。及與仙人。淨飯王子。能免我苦。我持此舍。一切珍寶。以用給施。作是念時。佛將阿難難陀帝釋在前。擎寶香爐。燒無價香。梵王在後。擎大寶蓋。無量諸天伎樂。佛放常光照耀天地。一切大眾皆見如來。詣此女樓。時女見佛。心懷慚愧。藏骨無處。取諸白疊無量眾香。裹其臭骨。臭勢如故。不可覆藏。女見世尊。即為作禮。以慚愧故。身映骨上。臭骨忽然在女背上。女流淚而言。如來功德慈悲無量。若能令我離此苦者。願為弟子心終不退。佛神力故。臭骨不現。女大歡喜。為佛作禮。白佛言。世尊。我今所珍一切施佛。佛為呪願梵音流暢。女聞歡喜。應時即得須陀洹道（出觀佛三昧經第七卷）。

The Buddha said to Ānanda: “Formerly, during my summer retreat, in the kingdom of Vārāṇasī there was a courtesan named Miaoyi who had karmic affinity with the Buddha. The Buddha and Nanda went to the courtesan’s house day after day to beg for alms. This woman had never shown respect to me, but harboured a partial love and attachment toward Nanda. Seven days passed, and the woman thought to herself: ‘If the śramaṇa Gautama can send Nanda and Ānanda to satisfy my desire, I will make all kinds of offerings.’ The Buddha told Ānanda and Nanda: ‘From this day on, do not go to that village.’ The Bhagavat went alone to the woman’s upper chamber. From the first day to the third day, he emitted a golden light and manifested various devas and humans. This woman did not awaken. On a later day, the Bhagavat again led Ānanda and Nanda to walk beneath a tree. Because the courtesan loved and respected the two monks, she scattered many flowers from afar over the Buddha and the two monks. Ānanda told her, ‘You may pay homage to the Buddha.’ Because the woman was fond of Ānanda, she immediately bowed in homage. The Buddha magically manifested three youths, all fifteen years of age and handsome in appearance. Seeing them, the woman rejoiced, threw herself on the ground, and paid reverent homage to the manifested young man. She said to the youth, ‘O gentleman, this residence of mine is like that of Śrīmahādevī, richly endowed, sovereign, and adorned with myriad jewels. I now offer my own body together with my male and female slaves to you, gentleman, to attend to sweeping and sprinkling. If you can deign to accept, granting my desire, I will supply everything without sparing any of it.’ The manifested man sat on the couch, and before the time of a meal had passed, the woman came close to him and said, ‘May my desire be fulfilled.’ The manifested man did not refuse, and for one day and one night his mind felt no weariness or aversion. By the second day, her lustful desire gradually subsided. By the third day, she said, ‘Gentleman, you may rise to eat and drink.’ The manifested man immediately arose, but clung to her incessantly. The woman gave rise to revulsion and regret, saying, ‘Gentleman, what a strange man you are to be like this!’ The manifested man told her, ‘According to my custom from past lives, whenever I engage with a woman, it is only after twelve days that I rest.’ Hearing these words, the woman was like someone choking on food: she could neither vomit it out nor swallow it down. Her body suffered excruciating pain, as if being pounded by a pestle. By the fourth day, it was as if she were being crushed by a cart. By the fifth day, it was as if iron pellets had entered her body. By the sixth day, all her joints and limbs ached, as if an arrow had pierced her heart. The woman thought: ‘I have heard that the son of King Śuddhodana is ever present rescuing people who suffer; why does he not come to save me today?’ Having thought this, she reproached herself in sorrow: ‘From this day until the end of my life, I will not lust after sensual pleasure. I would rather abide in the same room with tigers, wolves, lions, and ferocious beasts than endure this suffering.’ Having spoken these words, he arose again to eat and drink; whether walking or sitting, they were joined together, and she could do nothing about it. The manifested man also spat in anger and said: ‘Vile woman, you have ruined my business! Now that I have become joined in one body with you, it would be better to die early. If my parents and kinsmen come searching for me, where can I hide myself? I would rather hang myself and die; I cannot endure this shame.’ The woman said, ‘Vile creature, I have no use for you; if you want to die, do as you please.’ The manifested man took a knife, stabbed his throat, and smeared blood over the woman’s body, slumping dead to the ground. The woman could not bear his weight, nor could she free herself from the corpse. After two days, it became blue-bruised, foul-smelling, and black; on the third day, bloated and swollen; on the fourth day, rotten and decaying, with urine, excrement, and various foul worms, along with spurting blood and pus, smearing all over the woman’s body. The woman was utterly disgusted and revolted, yet she could not break free. By the fifth day, the skin and flesh gradually putrefied; by the sixth day, the flesh had fallen away completely; by the seventh day, there were only foul bones, which adhered to the woman’s body like glue and lacquer. The woman made a vow: ‘If the heavenly gods, ṛṣis, and the son of King Śuddhodana can deliver me from this suffering, I will take all the precious treasures in this house and give them as alms.’ At the time of this thought, the Buddha led Ānanda and Nanda; Śakra was in front holding a precious incense burner and burning priceless incense; the Brahmā King was behind holding a great precious parasol, with immeasurable devas playing music. The Buddha emitted his regular radiance, illuminating heaven and earth. The entire great assembly saw the Tathāgata arrive at this woman’s upper chamber. Then the woman saw the Buddha, and feeling ashamed in her heart, had nowhere to hide the bones. She took white cotton fabrics and immeasurable amounts of incense to wrap the foul bones, but the stench remained as before, impossible to cover up. Seeing the Bhagavat, the woman immediately bowed in homage. Out of shame, she used her body to conceal the bones, but suddenly the foul bones were upon the woman’s back. Shedding tears, the woman said: ‘The Tathāgata’s merit, loving-kindness, and compassion are boundless. If you can cause me to leave this suffering, I vow to become your disciple and never retrogress in my resolve.’ By the Buddha’s spiritual power, the foul bones disappeared. The woman rejoiced greatly, bowed to the Buddha, and said to him: ‘Bhagavat, I now give everything I treasure to the Buddha.’ The Buddha uttered blessings in a flowing Brahmā voice; hearing it, the woman rejoiced, and immediately attained the path of a srotāpanna (derived from the seventh fascicle of the Sūtra on the Samādhi of the Contemplation of the Buddha).”