經律異相 22.24

22.24

There was once a monk who had few desires and knew contentment. At that time, in the country of Andhra, there was an upāsaka who faithfully revered the Three Jewels and made offerings to them throughout his life, sending provisions every day. In that country there was an elder who had a son. Wanting him to leave household life, he sought an excellent teacher. He immediately went and addressed the monk, saying: “I wish to have this son of mine leave household life. I only pray that the Venerable One will compassionately accept him and deliver him.” At that time, the monk observed with his spiritual vision that if this person left household life, he would be able to uphold the pure precepts, so he ordained him as a novice. Meanwhile, the upāsaka had a close lay friend who was hosting a gathering for guests the next day. In the morning the friend thought: “Today I must go to the gathering; who will stay behind and guard the house?” His daughter then addressed her father: “I only pray that my parents will take all the servants and just go to attend the invitation; I can stay behind and guard.” The father said: “Very good.” The whole family went, and the daughter locked the door, staying alone inside the house. That day the upāsaka was in a rush and forgot to send the food. The Venerable One thought to himself: “It is getting late, and laypeople have many affairs.” He immediately sent the novice to fetch it, saying: “Comport yourself with proper deportment, just as the Buddha has taught.” The novice knocked on the door. The girl asked who it was, and he answered: “I am the novice, fetching food for my master.” She immediately opened the door for him. This girl was shapely and exquisite in appearance; she had just turned sixteen and was burning with the fire of lust. Before the novice, she performed all kinds of flirtatious wiles, intensely showing signs of desire. When the novice saw this, he thought: “Does this girl have epilepsy, or is she driven by the fetter of lust, wishing to ruin my pure conduct?” Resolutely maintaining his deportment, his countenance did not change. The girl then cast herself to the ground in full prostration and addressed the novice: “What I always wished for, I now wish to explain. The treasures and storehouses in this house of mine are like the treasure trove of Vaiśravaṇa's heavenly palace, yet they have no master. You could deign to become the master of this house. I will be your maidservant, attending to your commands, to fulfill my wish.” The novice thought: “I would rather forfeit my life than break the prohibitive precepts. In the past, when a monk reached the house of a courtesan, he would rather throw himself into a fiery pit than commit sexual misconduct. Furthermore, when monks were robbed by thieves and bound with grass, though blown by the wind, scorched by the sun, and bitten and gnawed by various insects, out of safeguarding the precepts they would not break the grass and leave. Just as with the bird that swallowed the gem, although the monk saw it, out of upholding the precepts he endured extreme suffering and did not speak. Just as when a sea-vessel was wrecked, a junior monk, out of guarding the precepts, handed his plank to a senior monk and drowned in the ocean to his death. Were these persons alone the disciples of the Buddha capable of upholding the prohibitive precepts, while I am not a disciple and cannot uphold them? Was the Tathāgata, the Bhagavat, their master alone, and not mine?” Using an expedient means, he said to her: “Firmly close the doors. I shall enter a room and do what should be done; only then shall we come together.” The girl immediately shut the doors. The novice entered a room and latched the door. Finding a razor, he took off his robes, placed them on a rack, joined his palms, and knelt facing Kuśinagara, where the Buddha entered nirvāṇa. He made a vow for himself: “I do not now abandon the Buddha, the Dharma, or the Saṅgha, nor do I abandon the precepts; it is precisely for the sake of upholding the precepts that I forfeit this physical life. May it be that wherever I am reborn, I shall leave household life, cultivate pure conduct, exhaust all taints, and realize the Way.” He then slit his throat and died. The girl, wondering at the delay, hurried to the door to look, and saw that he was already dead, having lost his original appearance. Her lustful mind instantly ceased; overcome by shame, distress, and lamentation, she screamed in grief and fell unconscious. When her father returned from the gathering and saw his daughter like this, he asked why. She replied completely with the truth. The father immediately entered the room and saw the novice, his body stained red with blood like sandalwood. He bowed and praised him, saying: “Safeguarding and upholding the Buddha’s precepts, he was able to forfeit his physical life!” According to the law of that country at the time, if a śramaṇa died in a layperson's house, a fine in gold coins was to be imposed. The upāsaka placed one thousand gold coins on a bronze tray and carried them to the royal palace. He addressed the king: “Great King, I have incurred a penalty that should be remitted to the king; I pray that you will accept it.” The king said: “In my kingdom you have faithfully revered the Three Jewels, with no discrepancy between your words and deeds. Why should you alone have committed an offense and must pay a fine?” The upāsaka then detailed the aforementioned circumstances, denouncing his daughter and praising the novice. Hearing this, the king was struck with awe and said to him: “The novice safeguarded the precepts and forfeit his own physical life; you bear no blame or fault. Just take the coins back home. I myself now wish to go in person to your house to make offerings to the novice.” The king went to see him, stepped forward, and bowed to him. Placing the deceased novice upon a high carriage adorned with various gems, they carried him to a level field, piled up diverse fragrant woods, and held a cremation (jhāpita) as an offering. They also adorned the girl with beauty surpassing all in the world, placing her in a high, conspicuous place so that everyone in the assembly could see her. The king said to the crowd: “This girl is of such extraordinary, radiant beauty; who that has not yet abandoned desire would be without an impassioned mind? Yet this novice, though he had not yet attained the Way, upheld the precepts and gave up his life with his mortal body—truly marvelous and exceedingly rare!” The king then sent someone to invite the novice's master, who expounded the subtle and wondrous Dharma extensively for the great assembly. Hearing and seeing this event, among all those in the assembly, some sought to leave household life, while others generated the unexcelled bodhicitta (from the Sutra of the Wise and the Foolish, fascicle 7).