經律異相 20.6

20.6

Formerly, there was a lustful man whose mind was exclusively devoted to female form, so enamoured that he could not part from it; wishing to converse with women, his longing even entered his dreams. At that time, his wife fell ill, her flesh wasting away until she was reduced to bone. A monk who was a spiritual friend of the family frequently visited. The wife said to the monk, “My current illness makes me grow weaker day and night. Because of [my husband's] desires, I wish to unburden my feelings; is it permissible to do so?” The monk replied, “Just speak; there is no harm. Even if there are secrets, I shall keep them concealed and not let them be revealed.” The woman said, “My husband is full of desire. Day and night he bothers and torments me, allowing no time to eat or rest. Because of this I have fallen ill, and I fear I cannot survive.” The monk said, “If your husband approaches you, tell him these words: ‘Is this in accordance with the decorum of the dharma of a srotaāpanna?’” The wife immediately spoke to her husband. The husband felt great shame, and reflected within himself: “Am I not a srotaāpanna? Why do I not immediately put an end to such thoughts, and in a secluded place contemplate the fruit of the anāgāmin?” Knowing that he had already attained the path, he no longer engaged in sexual intercourse with his wife. The wife asked her husband, “Why have you now permanently put an end to lustful desires?” The husband replied, “I have clearly seen through you; on what grounds should we still associate?” The wife said to her husband, “You say you have ‘clearly seen through me’; what fault do I have? I have always been chaste and never violated the decorum of womanhood. Why do you revile me to this extent?” The woman then gathered her five degrees of relatives and kinsmen, and told them: “Now my husband treats me with indifference, has permanently ended our affection, and furthermore reviles me, claiming that he has ‘seen through me.’ Let him explain this now before the assembly.” The husband said, “Wait, let me bring evidence to clarify it myself.” The husband returned home, took a finely painted, attractive jar, filled it with excrement and filth, tightly covered its mouth, and perfumed it with fragrant flowers. Returning to the assembly, he told his wife, “Do you truly love me? If you love me, you may embrace and fondle this jar just as you love my body.” Following his words, the wife embraced and fondled the jar, unwilling to let it go. The husband, seeing that his wife was attached to this jar, immediately struck the jar and broke it; the foul filth overflowed, and maggots emerged. He then asked his wife, “Can you still embrace this broken jar now?” She answered, “I would rather choose death than approach this. I would rather enter a pit of fire, throw myself into deep waters, or leap from a high mountain so that my head and feet are severed, than ever come near it.” The husband said, “Seeing your true nature, I view your body as far worse than this jar. From head to foot, I analyze and contemplate it: among the thirty-six bodily parts, what is there to be coveted?” He then spoke a verse: