經律異相 19.88

19.88

The Buddha was dwelling in Śrāvastī. There was a householder named Nandi. Having left home and renounced worldly life, whether walking, standing, sitting, or lying down, his mind was constantly mindful of concentration, so he was named Dhyāna-Nandi. At that time, Nandi built a grass hut in the Andhavana. There, during the early, middle, and late night, he practiced his own pursuits and attained mundane absorption (samāpatti). After seven years had passed, he fell away from his meditative concentration. Relying on the foot of a tree, he again sought his original concentration. At that time, the retinues of Māra constantly devised expedients to watch for an opportune moment to exploit. [One] transformed into a woman of peerless elegance, adorned with flowers, incense, and necklace garlands, and stood before Nandi, saying, 'Monk, let us sport together and engage in sexual intercourse!' Nandi said, 'Evil and wicked one, swiftly perish! Evil and wicked one, swiftly perish!' Though his mouth spoke these words, his eyes did not look. The heavenly maiden spoke as before a second and a third time; Nandi also responded in the same way a second and a third time. As she spoke, the heavenly maiden then took off her garlanded robes and exposed her body, standing before Nandi and saying to him, 'Come, let us engage in sexual intercourse!' When Nandi saw her form, lustful desire arose in him, and he answered, 'Very well.' At that time, the heavenly maiden gradually walked backward. Nandi called out, saying, 'Stay a little, let us sport together!' Nandi approached her, but the heavenly maiden quickly went away. Nandi pursued her until they reached the ditch of the Jetavana, where there was a dead horse of the royal house. The heavenly maiden went to the place of the horse, concealed her form, and became invisible. Nandi's lust was blazing, so he committed sexual intercourse with the dead horse. When his lust had subsided, he thought: 'I am exceedingly unwholesome, this is not the Dharma of a śramaṇa. Having left home out of faith, I have committed a pārājika offense! What right have I to wear the Dharma robe and eat the alms of the faithful?' He immediately took off his Dharma robes, held them in his right hand, covered his nakedness with his left hand, and went to the Jetavana. He said to the monks, 'Venerables, I have committed a pārājika!' At that time, the monks were walking back and forth between the gates of the Jetavana. They said among themselves, 'This is Dhyāna-Nandi, a practitioner of brahma-conduct. He should not commit a pārājika!' Nandi said again, 'Venerables, it is not so. I truly committed a pārājika.' The monks asked him about the causes and conditions, and Nandi related them in full. The monks reported this matter in full to the Bhagavat. The Buddha told the monks, 'This good son Nandi has himself confessed the grave offense he committed; he should be expelled.' At that time, the monks expelled him according to the instructions. The monks addressed the Buddha, saying, 'Bhagavat, why is it that Venerable Nandi, who had long practiced brahma-conduct, was deluded and deceived by this heavenly maiden?' The Buddha told the monks, 'Not only today was Nandi deluded by a heavenly maiden and fell away from brahma-conduct; in past lives, he was also deluded by her and lost brahma-conduct. In a past life, in the kingdom of Avanti in the south, there was a non-Buddhist renunciant of the Kāśyapa clan who was clever, broadly learned, and comprehensive in the classic texts, penetrating and comprehending them all. That non-Buddhist assisted the king in governing the state. At that time, the king seized treacherous bandits and punished their crimes in various ways, cutting off their ears and noses, punishing them with extreme suffering. That non-Buddhist then reflected deeply to himself: "I have already left home; why should I participate in these matters with the king?" He then said to the king, "Grant me permission to leave home." The king replied, "Master, you have already left home; why do you now say 'I wish to leave home'?" He replied, "Great King, now participating in these various punishments, tormenting sentient beings—how can this be called leaving home?" The king then asked, "Where do you now wish to leave home?" He replied, "Great King, I wish to leave home to train as an immortal (ṛṣi)." The king said, "Very well, leave home as you wish." Not far from the city was the Hundred Crags Mountain, where there were flowing springs, jade pools, and lush flowers and fruits. He then went to that mountain and erected a hermitage in a quiet place. In that mountain, he practiced the non-Buddhist way, attained mundane concentration, and gave rise to the five supernatural knowledges. On a day in late spring, having eaten various fruits and melons, his four great elements were out of harmony, and through his urination, impure fluid flowed forth. At that time, a thirsty hind searching for water drank this urine; the impurity touched her tongue, and she licked her birth canal. The karmic retribution of sentient beings' deeds is inconceivable: because of this, she conceived. She constantly stayed beside the hermitage, grazing and drinking water. When the months were full, she gave birth to a young child. At that time, the immortal was out gathering herbs. Because the deer suffered from difficult labor, she let out a loud and sorrowful cry. Hearing the urgent cry of the deer, the immortal thought she was being harmed by a vicious beast; intending to go and save her, he saw that she had given birth to a young child. Seeing this, the immortal wondered and thought: "How could an animal give birth to a human?" Immediately entering meditative concentration to examine the original causes and conditions, [he saw]: "This is my son!" Toward that young child, affection then arose in his heart. Wrapping him in animal skins, he carried him back and reared him. The immortal held him up, and the mother deer suckled him. Because he was born from the mother, his body had spots resembling a deer's. Therefore, a name was given to him: he was named Deer Spots (Mṛgaśṛṅga / Hariṇagupta). Gradually growing older, by the age of seven, he was benevolent, affectionate, filial, and kind, gathering fruits and fetching water to make offerings to the immortal. At that time, the immortal thought: "In the world, nothing is more fearsome than woman." He then instructed and admonished his son, saying: "Nothing is more terrifying than woman. The ruin of uprightness and destruction of virtue never fail to stem from them." Thereupon, he taught him meditative concentration, transformed him with the five supernatural knowledges, and spoke a gāthā for him: