經律異相 16.22

16.22

The Buddha was on Kukkuṭapāda Mountain. At that time, a brāhmaṇa had a son born to him and had a physiognomist examine him. The master said, "This child has no auspicious marks; he should be named Abao." When his parents heard this, although they raised him without auspicious marks, they never showed him affection or pity. When he reached the age of twelve and was able to support himself, his parents finally drove him away, telling him never to return. The boy dared not stay, so he went begging for food and eventually reached the Jetavana. The Buddha, with great compassion, took pity on his toil and suffering, and immediately had Ānanda call him and ask whether he could go forth. The boy rejoiced and wished to become a śramaṇa. The Buddha stroked his head with his hand, whereupon his hair fell out and kāṣāya robes appeared on his body. The Buddha gave him the name Luoxunyu. At that time, whenever the five groups of monks went out on almsround, the group in which Luoxunyu was present would return with empty bowls. The Buddha instructed the monks to divide [their food] and give it to him, and this happened not just once. Maudgalyāyana thought, "This monk does not obtain food himself; why do the other people also return completely empty-handed? If I go with him, surely something will be obtained." The Buddha, knowing his thought, went together with Śāriputra, while making Maudgalyāyana go together with Luoxunyu, each dividing into a group. The Buddha told Maudgalyāyana, "You must not go where I am." Maudgalyāyana then went together with Luoxunyu. Wherever they were about to go, they immediately saw the Buddha and Śāriputra already at the gate. In this manner, having passed through a hundred billion lands, they still obtained no food. Maudgalyāyana thought, "Today I am certainly not going to obtain food." At that time, Luoxunyu was extremely famished and halted by the bank of the Ganges. Maudgalyāyana then returned to the Buddha's location. At that time, there was still leftover food in the Buddha's bowl, which he gave to Maudgalyāyana. [Maudgalyāyana] thought, "I am now extremely hungry; even if I swallowed Sumeru I would still not feel full. How could this small amount of rice be enough to eat?" The Buddha told Maudgalyāyana, "Just eat this rice and do not worry about it being insufficient." Maudgalyāyana then ate; when he was full, the bowl was still not empty. Then Śāriputra thought, "Luoxunyu has still not received food today and must be suffering greatly from hunger." He said to the Buddha, "I pray to beg for the remaining rice to give to Luoxunyu." The Buddha then told him, "I do not begrudge the rice, but it is due to Luoxunyu's past karma and retribution that he should not obtain it. If you think otherwise, you may give it to him." Śāriputra then took the rice to give to him. As soon as Luoxunyu reached out to receive the rice, the bowl sank into the ground a hundred fathoms deep. By the power of the Way, Śāriputra traced the bowl with his hand, retrieved it, and gave it back to Luoxunyu. Just as he was about to eat it, the bowl accidentally flipped upside down, and the food was all scattered into the water. Luoxunyu returned, sat, settled his mind, and thought to himself, "Whenever I go with the monks, I invariably obtain nothing and return with an empty bowl. Now Śāriputra gave me the Buddha's leftover rice, and it immediately overturned again. This is all the retribution of my sins that I ought to receive." He then contemplated within himself; his fetters were untied, defilements were eliminated, and he attained the way of an arhat. He then ate soil and entered parinirvāṇa. If you wish to know who Luoxunyu was: in the time of Vipaśyin Buddha, he was a common person who was constantly stingy and unwilling to practice giving. At that time, when he was about to eat, he would take off his clothes and spread them on the ground for fear that grains of rice might fall. A śramaṇa passed by begging for alms from him. Luoxunyu saw him and said to him, "What should I give you?" He then scooped up soil with his hands and gave it to the śramaṇa. The śramaṇa made a vow and said, "This is merely due to your ignorance. May you quickly attain deliverance." From that distant time onwards, transmigrating through birth and death down to the present, wherever he went he invariably received no food. Now having attained the Way, he ate soil and entered nirvāṇa. The śramaṇa to whom Luoxunyu gave soil at that time was Śāriputra. The retribution of sin and merit is such that, although he attained the Way now, he still suffered past calamity. Worldly people are foolish and say that committing evil brings no sin; Luoxunyu is proof of this (from the Sūtra of Luoxunyu).