經律異相 20.4

20.4

A human has seven receptacles: first, the wind receptacle; second, the receptacle of undigested food; third, the receptacle of digested food; fourth, the cold receptacle; fifth, the hot receptacle; sixth, the sight receptacle; seventh, the desire receptacle. Among these receptacles, the desire receptacle is the most obstinate. It relies upon nasal mucus, saliva, phlegm, pus, blood, sinews, bones, skin, flesh, the heart, liver, the five internal organs, intestines, stomach, feces, and urine. At that time in the assembly there was a householder named Xuanze (Varaṇa). His wife was named Miaose (Vararūpā); her face was dignified, and her posture and appearance were exceptionally outstanding. The householder was attached to her with affection, his afflictions blazing. Hearing the Buddha explain this, he immediately addressed the Buddha, saying, 'Bhagavat, do not speak thus! How could the mind of desire arise from feces and urine? My wife is dignified and free from all foul impurities.' The Buddha then manifested a woman, dignified, lovely, and clean, in appearance just like Miaose, with an upright countenance, who walked slowly into the assembly. The householder asked, 'Why have you come?' She answered, 'I wish to hear the exposition of the Dharma.' The householder then pulled her to sit upon his robe. By his supernatural power, the Buddha caused this woman's excrement to soil his robe, causing the householder to be unable to bear the foulness. Covering his nose with his hand, he looked around at those to his left and right: 'Who did this?' Upananda, unable to bear it, said to the householder, 'Why do you cover your nose and look back at me?' He answered, 'It is exceedingly foul and impure!' By the Buddha's supernatural power, Upananda and the whole assembly saw this woman soil the householder's robe. Then Upananda said to the householder, 'Just look at the foul impurity committed by your wife!' The householder answered, 'My wife is pure and clean, her body is free from any impurity. If anyone has doubts, they should look for themselves.' He said to Upananda, 'I thought it was you who made this impurity.' Upananda was greatly enraged, arose from his seat, and said, 'You should now be named Dung Householder! When your wife sat down, feces came out upon your robe; you are smeared with dung, yet feel no shame, and instead wish to slander others!' He shouted again, 'This Dung Householder should be sent out of the assembly!' and pulled him by the hand to make him leave the assembly. The householder said to his wife, 'Out of respect for you, I let you sit on my robe. As an adult, is this how you should conduct yourself?' The wife answered, 'When you draw near a bag of dung, this is naturally how it should be.' The householder then gave rise to revulsion. Intending to remove the dung from the robe, he soiled his body even more. He said to Upananda, 'By what expedient can I be freed from this impurity?' Upananda said, 'Not only does this dung soil your body, but there are further misfortunes that are your lot. If you wish to be free of them, you should keep far away from this [woman]. It is because of your wife's dung that this great assembly's heads ache and their minds are bewildered.' The householder replied, 'The sons of the Śākya are all full of great compassion. Why is your speech so harsh, to such an extent?' Upananda said, 'As you are now, how could you be pitied? Look at yourself now, whether you are pure and clean or not, yet you wish to slander me!' Then the householder said to his wife, 'You may return home.' Having sent her away, he said to Upananda, 'I now clearly see that women are deceitful, filled with many faults, and full of impurity. My mind has given rise to revulsion and detachment. I wish to leave home in the Buddha's Dharma and practice the Way.' Upananda said, 'Your body is now so foul and impure; if you smear it with perfume for years on end, then perhaps you may be fit to leave home.' The householder replied, 'If I smear perfume for years on end, either my body may be impermanent [and die], or the Buddha will enter parinirvāṇa, ruining my causes and conditions for leaving home to seek the Way. If I am now permitted to leave home, I will no longer dwell in cities, villages, monasteries, or vihāras, but become an āraṇyaka, begging for food, wearing rag-robes, in empty and quiet places. Who will smell my stench?' The Buddha, hearing this, called to him, saying, 'Welcome (ehi)! Become a śramaṇa and practice brahma-conduct.' The householder's hair and beard fell off on their own, a kāṣāya was draped on his body, and he held an alms bowl, like a monk. The Buddha preached the Dharma for him: suffering, its origin, its cessation, and the path. Distant from dust and free from defilement, he attained the purity of the Dharma-eye and became a srotāpanna. The Buddha preached the Dharma for him again, up to his attaining anāgāmin. When that night had passed, holding his robe and bowl, he went into the city of Rājagṛha, begging for food in turn, until he reached his original house and stood outside the gate. Then his wife, Miaose, seeing her husband had shaved his head, put on the Dharma robe, and left home to practice the Way, said to him, 'Is it proper that you should abandon me to become a śramaṇa?' Xuanze answered, 'Was it proper yesterday that you should discharge impurity upon my robe and soil my body?' Miaose replied, 'As a monk, should you slander others? From my father's house until coming to your home, I have never even seen the outer gate, let alone gone to the Bamboo Grove!' At that time, an evil Māra said to the householder, 'The one you saw yesterday was not Miaose at all; she was merely an apparition created to deceive your mind. You should now return to amuse yourself with the five desires. The śramaṇa Gautama has deceived you! You are now false and not a real monk. The śramaṇa Gautama constantly uses arts to delude many people into leaving home, just as he deceived you now.' Because the monk Xuanze had realized the true Dharma, he immediately recognized that this was Māra, and said to him, 'Evil one, you are also an apparition, and this sister Miaose and I are also apparitions; all are apparitions. The Dharma spoken by the Buddha is entirely empty, like an apparition.' At that time, Miaose, having heard this Dharma, became distant from dust and free from defilement, attained the purity of the Dharma-eye, eliminated doubt and regret, did not follow the words of others, and attained fearlessness in the Buddha's Dharma. She said to Xuanze, 'What you have done is exceedingly good—to be able to take joy in practicing brahma-conduct in the Buddha's Dharma. I too will leave home in the Dharma to practice the Way.' (Extracted from the eighth fascicle of the *Kuśalamūlasaṃparigraha Sūtra*).