經律異相 19.50

19.50

The Buddha told Śāriputra: "Long ago there was a Buddha named Jin胜 (Jitavijaya/Sarvābhibhū?). There were two monks: one was named Wusheng (Anabhibhūta) and the other was named Changhuan (Nityapramudita). The monk Wusheng had the six spiritual penetrations and psychic powers; the monk Changhuan had not yet eliminated his fetters. There was an elder named Mahāpriya (Dà'ài), whose wife was named Śubhamāyā (Shànhuàn), exceedingly handsome and unequalled. These two monks were their recipients of alms. The woman Śubhamāyā made offerings to Wusheng, lacking nothing in any matter of care, while to Changhuan she gave very meagerly. Changhuan gave rise to jealousy and slandered him, saying: 'The monk Wusheng has illicit relations with Śubhamāyā; it is through affection and love that he receives offerings.' The Buddha said to Śāriputra: 'Do you know who Changhuan was? He was myself. The woman Śubhamāyā was the brāhmaṇa maiden Ciñcā. Because I slandered the arhat Wusheng at that time, I was in hell for countless thousands of years. Now, although I have attained Buddhahood, because of the residual retribution, this talkative young woman, dancing with a bowl tied to swell her belly, came before me and said: "Śramaṇa, why do you not speak of domestic matters instead of speaking of other things? You are joyful alone now and do not know my suffering. Formerly you had illicit relations with me and got me pregnant; now that the month of childbirth has arrived, I need ghee and oil to raise the infant. You must supply me with all of it!" At that time, the entire assembly lowered their heads and remained silent. Śakra Devānām Indra, who was standing behind fanning the Buddha, transformed into a mouse, entered under her clothing, and bit through the bowl so that it fell to the ground. Then the fourfold assembly of disciples, the six heterodox masters, and the others shouted with joy and laughed boundlessly, all cursing together: "You capital offender! Slandering the Unsurpassed and Truly Enlightened One! Only this earth, being insensate, could bear to support such an evil creature!" Immediately the earth split open and flaming fires leaped forth, and the woman fell into the great hell (naraka). Seeing this, King Ajātaśatru was horrified, with hair standing on end. He immediately arose and said: "Where is this woman now?" The Buddha answered: "Great King, the place into which this woman fell is called the Avīci hell." The king asked the Buddha again: "This woman did not kill or steal, but merely spoke false speech; does she fall into Avīci for that?" The Buddha told the great king: "In the Dharma I teach, there are superior, middling, and inferior actions of body, speech, and mind." The king asked the Buddha again: "Which is the heaviest, which is middling, and which is lowest?" The Buddha told King Ajātaśatru: "Mental action is the heaviest, verbal action is middling, and bodily action is lowest." (Drawn from the Xingqixing jing, lower fascicle.)