經律異相 19.56

19.56

In the kingdom of Kāla, there was at that time a preti (female hungry ghost) standing against the city gate. The monk Pūrṇa asked the preti: "What are you seeking here now?" The ghost said: "Do you see me now?" The monk replied: "I see you." The ghost said: "My husband went into the city and has not yet returned; therefore I stand here waiting for him to come out." The monk asked: "What did your husband go into the city to seek?" The ghost replied: "Today, in this city, a great elder has long suffered from an ulcer. Today it is supposed to burst, with pus and blood flowing forth. My husband went to fetch it so the two of us could eat together to sustain our lives." The monk asked again: "How long ago did your husband enter the city?" The city walls were close to a river. Pointing her finger at the city, she said to the monk: "From the times this city has arisen and fallen between that bank and this bank, this is now the seventh. My husband entered the city during such a span of time." The bodily lifespan of hungry ghosts cannot be measured, nor has it any limit. (Extracted from the Sūtra of the Herd of One Thousand Cattle).