經律異相 16.40

16.40

The Buddha was residing in Śrāvastī. At that time, in the country of Xuye, there was a poor man whose wage for shaving children's heads was that when the wheat ripened he would regularly receive one hu. On the road, he met an old friend and wished to drink liquor together with him. He returned and sought his payment in wheat, but though he sought everywhere he could not get it. He then conceived a poisonous intention: 'I vow that when my life ends I shall become a great divine dragon and submerge this country.' When his life ended, he indeed became a great dragon. For years, the wind and rain in that country were unseasonal. The Buddha was mindful of the famine and dispatched the monk Śāha to go and transform that dragon. When the dragon saw the monk, he immediately aroused an evil intent, wishing to kill the people of the country as well as Śāha himself. Śāha transformed his alms bowl to cover the entire country. The dragon then sent down rain, thinking that the country was already submerged. By the Buddha's spiritual might, the monk caused the dragon to see that the people were peaceful and secure as before. The dragon again became furious and further sent down heavy snow. The monk caught it in his bowl and swept it with his hand, putting it in one place; he then entered the dragon's dwelling. The dragon immediately came out, and the monk came out as well. The dragon entered, and the monk entered as well. Continuing like this without stopping, only when the dragon was exhausted did he cease. Kneeling long, he asked, 'What kind of spirit are you, to torment me like this?' The monk said, 'I am a disciple of the Buddha.' The dragon said, 'I wish to take refuge.' He then followed along behind him. The monk Śāha then put this dragon inside a basket. When the people saw that the monk had captured the dragon in this way, they were all greatly delighted. They asked, 'What kind of spirit is the man of the Way to have subdued the country's scourge?' He told them, 'I am a disciple of the Buddha.' The people asked, 'Can the Buddha be seen?' He replied, 'He can be seen; wait until I return.' It was approaching midday, and passing along the road he went on his alms round. Some people gave him food, and some gave him liquor. The monk received it beneath a tree, and lay down drunk. The dragon, the bowl, and the kāṣāya were each in a different place. The Buddha then smiled, and five-colored light emerged. Ānanda asked about it, and the Buddha replied with the cause, further speaking of four matters: 'First, an arhat does not know without entering samādhi; second, he cannot immediately manifest spiritual powers at will; third, he forcefully encourages people to give alms; fourth, within his body there are still worms. It is in these four matters that an arhat is inferior to a Buddha.' At that time, there was a bodhisattva who was leaning toward the śrāvaka path; having seen this incident, his aspiration became steadfast. The Buddha dispatched Maudgalyāyana to go to the monk Śāha's place and commanded him to bring the dragon. He expounded on his past lives for him, and the dragon's mind was immediately awakened. He then received the five precepts, practiced the ten wholesome deeds, and attained srotāpanna. Ānanda asked the Buddha about the conditions of this matter. The Buddha told Ānanda, 'An arhat is no longer hungry or thirsty; he only manifested lying down drunk on account of three causes: first, the Buddha wished to inspire and transform the bodhisattva's intent; second, he did not wish to go against the intent of the donor; third, he feared that disciples who had not yet attained the Way would drink liquor and suffer many lapses, so he manifested this incident to restrain them by the precepts. Although the monk Śāha drank liquor, he was not truly intoxicated.' (Extracted from the Sūtra on the Merits of the Monk Śāha)