經律異相 14.51

14.51

A person asked Maudgalyāyana: "From where does the water of this Daofu Pool come?" Maudgalyāyana answered: "This water comes from Lake Anavatapta." The monks said: "The water of Lake Anavatapta is sweet and possesses the eight virtues, whereas this water is boiling hot, salty, and bitter. How could this be? Maudgalyāyana, you falsely claimed superhuman states, and because you spoke falsely, you should be expelled and driven out." They questioned the Buddha about this matter. The Buddha told the monks: "Do not speak of Maudgalyāyana's offense. Why? The dwelling of the nāga Anavatapta is extremely distant from here. This water originally possessed the eight virtues and was sweet, but passing through five hundred small hells, it became salty and hot on account of this. If you had asked Maudgalyāyana why this water is salty and hot, Maudgalyāyana would have answered according to the characteristics." Again, at one time there was a great drought without rain. Maudgalyāyana entered samādhi and saw that after seven days the heavens would send down a great rain, filling all the ditches and pits. The cities, towns, and villages all heard these words and greatly rejoiced. The people throughout the country put aside all their affairs and covered, sheltered, and stored away their goods. When it came to the seventh day, the monks said to Maudgalyāyana: "You said that in seven days the heavens would send down a great rain filling all the ditches and pits. Now there is not even any wind, let alone rain! Because you falsely claimed superhuman states, you lied, and we wish to expel and drive you out." When the Buddha heard of this matter, he told the monks: "Maudgalyāyana sees what is before, but not what is behind. The Tathāgata sees what is before, and also sees what is behind. On the seventh day, a great rain indeed fell, but Rāhu, the asura king, caught it with his hand and placed it in the great ocean. Maudgalyāyana spoke in accordance with his thought, and therefore he is without fault" (taken from the fourth fascicle of the Shisong lü).