經律異相 13.4

13.4

Kāśyapa's father was named Nyagrodha, a man of Magadha. He came from the brāhmaṇa caste. Owing to merit from previous lives, he was born into the world exceedingly wealthy; in rare and precious treasures he was the foremost in the kingdom, his wealth falling short of the king's by only one part in a thousand. The husband and wife were alone, lacking any children. Nearby, beside their house, was a great tree-god. Wishing to have a child, the couple made animal sacrifices [to it] for successive years without success. The man became greatly enraged and set a seven-day deadline with it: 'If there is still no sign of efficacy, I shall cut down and punish you, cast you into the main highway, and burn you with fire!' The god was terrified upon hearing this and went up to report it to the king of the devas who calms the mind. The deva-king then took the god to report it to Śakra, King of the Gods. Śakra immediately examined the kāmadhātu with his divine eye, but there was no one capable of becoming that man's son. He then reported it to King Brahmā. Brahmā surveyed all and saw that a certain Brahmakāyika deva was approaching the end of his life. He then told him, 'You may be born in Jambudvīpa to become the son of Nyagrodha.' The Brahmakāyika deva replied, 'Brāhmaṇas hold many wrong views. If I am born down there, I cannot become his son.' King Brahmā answered, 'That brāhmaṇa possesses great virtue from previous lives; among the sentient beings of the kāmadhātu, none is fit to be his son. If you go to be born there, I shall command Śakra, King of the Gods, to protect you, so that you are not made to fall into wrong views along the way.' The Brahmakāyika deva said, 'So be it.' Śakra then informed the tree-god, and the tree-god returned to report to the elder: 'Do not harbor anger or resentment; after seven days you shall certainly be granted a son.' When the seven days were completed, his wife became pregnant, and after ten months she gave birth. His body was golden in color and possessed radiance. A physiognomist divined: 'This boy possesses great majestic virtue from past merit. His resolve and strength are pure and detached, free from greed for worldly affairs. If he later leaves home, he will surely attain the holy path.' When the parents heard this, they became extremely sorrowful and worried, fearing that the boy would leave home. When he reached the age of fifteen, they wished to take a wife for him. When Kāśyapa heard this, he repeatedly addressed his parents, 'My resolve takes pleasure in purity; I have no need for a wife.' His parents would not listen. Kāśyapa then said, 'If so, I will not have an ordinary woman; only if I obtain a woman of purple-golden color, incomparable in beauty, will I take her'—wishing thereby to make the matter impossible to manage. His parents ordered a search for her throughout the kingdom. The brāhmaṇas then devised a plan: they cast gold to make a divine maiden whose facial appearance was upright and beautiful, its radiant color subtle and wondrous like the statues of the heavenly hosts. Going from kingdom to kingdom, they called out loudly: 'Any woman who sees this golden goddess, bows down, and makes offerings to her, will later, when married, obtain a fine husband whose body is golden, whose facial appearance is splendid and wondrous, and whose wisdom is beyond compare!' When women of the villages, towns, and cities heard this proclamation, none failed to be captivated; all came out to welcome, bow down, and make offerings. Only one woman, whose body was golden in color and who was upright and extraordinarily fair, remained alone in a secluded chamber and refused to come out to welcome it. The women admonished her, saying, 'Those who see the golden goddess have their wishes fulfilled. Why do you alone not come out to welcome it?' She answered, 'My resolve is set on quietude; I have no fondness for other wishes.' The women said again, 'Though you have no wish, what harm is there in taking a look together for a moment?' Taking each other by the hand, the women went out to look, and the golden woman's radiance outshone the golden goddess. The brāhmaṇas returned and reported the full details to the elder. He immediately dispatched a matchmaker to the maiden's home to declare the elder's intention. The girl's parents had also previously heard of Kāśyapa's name, respectfully accepted the proposal, and readily consented. When the maiden heard this, she was exceedingly sorrowful and distressed; pressed by her parents, having no other choice, she married Kāśyapa. The two faced each other, each frozen in their own resolve; though husband and wife, they had no worldly affection at all. Thereupon they made a vow together: 'You and I shall each occupy a different bed and agree never to touch one another.' At that time, the husband and wife each stayed in a separate bed. When his parents heard that although Kāśyapa shared the same room, they slept in different beds, his father soon sent someone to carry the bed away. Thereupon, the husband and wife shared only a single bed. The wife made a further vow with her husband: 'When I am sleeping, you should practice walking meditation.' Once, when the wife was asleep, one of her arms hung down to the ground, and a large venomous snake approached to bite it. Kāśyapa saw this and gave rise to a mind of compassion; wrapping his hand in a cloth, he lifted it onto the bed. She immediately awoke with a start and, becoming very angry, said to Kāśyapa, 'We had an agreement beforehand; how could you violate it?' Kāśyapa replied, 'Your arm fell to the ground and a venomous snake was about to bite it. It was for this reason that I rescued you, not that I touched you intentionally.' He pointed to the snake to show her, and his wife only then understood. Thereupon the husband and wife consulted together: 'Why should we not leave home to practice the path?' They then took leave of their parents and both left home together, entering the mountains to practice the path. At that time there was a brāhmaṇa leading five hundred disciples who also resided in these mountains. Seeing Kāśyapa and his wife accompanying each other, Kāśyapa thereupon abandoned his wife, exchanged five hundred ounces of gold for patched robes, and stayed in a separate forest. His wife then relied upon the brāhmaṇa, seeking to become his disciple. When the brāhmaṇa's five hundred disciples saw that this woman's form and color were upright and beautiful, they engaged in sexual misconduct with her daily. The woman had no freedom and could not endure it; she then told their master. The master then admonished and restrained his disciples for her sake, making them moderate their desires. Later, Kāśyapa encountered the Buddha's appearance in the world, heard the Dharma, received conversion, and immediately attained arhatship. Hearing that his former wife was with the brahmacārin, he led her to the Buddha. The Buddha expounded the Dharma for her, and she attained arhatship. Her hair fell off naturally, the Dharma robes appeared on her body, and she became a nun (bhikṣuṇī). Traveling about to teach and transform, she happened upon a great assembly of King Prasenajit. The bhikṣuṇīs were able to enter the royal palace to teach and transform the royal consorts, causing them all to observe the one-day fast. When the king returned to the palace in the evening and summoned the consorts, they all said they were observing the fast and none was willing to come. The king was greatly enraged and asked his attendant, 'Who taught the consorts to fast?' The attendant replied, 'A certain bhikṣuṇī.' The king then summoned her and ordered her to submit to sexual desire in place of the consorts for ninety days. All this was produced by past causes, conditions, and vows; therefore, even though she attained arhatship, she could not escape it. (Extracted from the fourth fascicle of the Zapiyu jing).