經律異相 14.14

14.14

In the intense heat of summer, Śāriputra was wandering in an āmra grove. A hired laborer was drawing well water to irrigate the trees. He had no great faith in the Buddha, but seeing Śāriputra, he gave rise to a small degree of faith. He called out to Śāriputra, saying, 'Venerable, come! Remove your robes and sit beneath the tree. I will pour water over you, without losing any irrigation [for the trees], while bringing benefit to you as well.' Śāriputra removed his robes and received the washing; his body became cool and comfortable, and he moved on as he pleased. That night, this hired laborer died and was immediately born in the Trāyastriṃśa heaven, possessing great supernatural authority, second only to Śakra Devānām Indra. He then thought to himself, 'By what cause was I born here?' Observing his past life, [he saw that] his faith had been slight and shallow, and that in the course of his hired labor of irrigating, he had drawn water to wash Śāriputra's body. 'If my faith had been pure and deep, knowing that there would surely be a reward, and I had therefore prepared bathing utensils to make an offering [how much greater it would be]!' He reflected that although his merit was small, because he had encountered a fertile field [of merit], he had obtained a vast reward. He immediately went to Śāriputra's place and scattered flowers in offering. Relying on his pure, faithful mind, Śāriputra preached the essentials of the Dharma for him, and he attained the path of a srotaāpanna (from the Zazang jing).