經律異相 37.17

37.17

Formerly there was an upāsaka. When he first received the precepts, his diligence had few equals. Later, as his years declined into old age, he grew distant from the assembly of the worthy. Living alone on a craggy mountain, his resolve deteriorated further. Neglecting his fields and gardens, he forgot the Buddha and abandoned the Dharma, turning back into an ordinary mortal. In that mountain there was a brahmacārin, a man of the Dao, who was thirsty and sought a drink. The farming household was busy with work and no one gave him anything. The brahmacārin harboured resentment and thereupon departed in anger. The brahmacārin had the power to raise the dead and command ghosts and spirits. He immediately summoned a killer ghost and ordered it, saying, "That man insulted me; go and kill him!" An arhat in the mountain knew of this and went to the farmer's house. Seeing the śramaṇa, the farmer bowed his head in delight and provided a meal for him. The śramaṇa said, "Tonight you must light lamps early, diligently take the Three Refuges, and recite the verse on guarding the mouth and restraining the mind. If you compassionately keep sentient beings in mind, you can have lasting peace." After the śramaṇa departed, the master of the house acted in accordance with his instructions; throughout the night he was mindful of the Buddha and recited the precepts without cessation. The killer ghost arrived at dawn, watching for the slightest opportunity to kill him, but seeing his compassionate mind, it had no way to kill him. By the law of ghosts and spirits, when a human commands one to kill, one is dispatched wishing to kill; however, if the other person possesses the virtue of being unkillable, the rule is that it must return and kill the one who ordered it. The ghost was thereupon enraged and wished to harm the brahmacārin. The arhat shielded the brahmacārin with his spiritual powers so that the ghost could not see him. The farmer attained awakening, the brahmacārin was spared, and the ghost ultimately did not incur the sin of taking life. The whole farming household simultaneously received the Three Refuges and was mindful of the Buddha without remiss, thereby preserving the lives of the entire family. (Extracted from the Sūtra of the Fallen Upāsaka; also found in the fifth fascicle of the Ten-Fascicle Sūtra of Parables.)