經律異相 20.9

20.9

There was a monk who had attained the concentration of cessation (nirodhasamāpatti). At the time of begging for food, he put on his robes and went to the dining hall. On that day, the monastery struck the ghaṇṭī late. That monk, diligent in his practice, had this thought: “Why should I pass this time in vain instead of contemplating the future? When will the ghaṇṭī be struck?” He then made a vow, entering the concentration of cessation, intending to arise only when the ghaṇṭī was struck. At that time, a disturbance arose in that saṅghārāma, and the monks abandoned the saṅghārāma and departed. Only after three months was the disturbance resolved. The monks then gathered again and struck the ghaṇṭī. That monk arose from meditation and immediately died. Later, there was a mendicant monk who had attained the concentration of cessation. In the early morning, he wished to go begging for food. At that time, heavy rain fell from the sky, and he thought: “If I enter the village, it will ruin the color of my robes. If I do not go, why pass this time in vain instead of contemplating the future?” He then made a vow to enter meditation, intending to arise when it ceased raining. Some say the rain lasted for half a month; others say the rain lasted for a month. Once the rain stopped, that monk arose from meditation and immediately died (extracted from the forty-fourth fascicle of the Vibhāṣā).