法苑珠林 12.45

12.45

是揵椎音。作大迦葉語聲遍至大千世界。皆悉聞知。諸有弟子得神力者。皆來集會大迦葉所選得千人。除其阿難盡皆羅漢。內外經書。諸外道家十八種大經。盡亦讀知。皆能論議降伏異學。大迦葉言。若我昔常乞食者。常有外道。強來難問廢闕法事。今王舍城常設飯食供給千人。不得取多。告語闍王。給我等食。日日送來不得他行。是中夏安居三月。初十五日說戒時集。大迦葉等入定已。天眼觀今眾中。誰有煩惱未盡應逐出者。唯有一人阿難。煩惱未盡。餘九百九十九人。諸漏已盡清淨無垢。大迦葉從禪定起。眾中手牽阿難出言。今清淨眾中結集經藏。汝結未盡不應住此。是時阿難慚愧悲泣而自念言。我二十五年隨侍世尊供給左右。未曾得聞如是苦惱。佛實大德慈悲含忍。念已白大迦葉言我能有力久可得道。但諸佛法。阿羅漢者。不得供給左右使令。以是留殘結使不盡斷耳。大迦葉言。汝更有罪。佛意不欲聽女人出家。汝殷勤勸請。佛聽為道。以是佛之正法五百歲而衰微。汝應作突吉羅懺。阿難言。我憐愍瞿曇彌。又三世諸佛法皆有四部眾。我釋迦文佛云何獨無。

The sound of this ghaṇṭā, making Mahākāśyapa's voice, reached throughout the great thousand-world system, and all heard it. All disciples who possessed supernatural power came and assembled at Mahākāśyapa's place, and one thousand persons were selected. Except for Ānanda, all were arhats. They had also thoroughly read and knew the internal and external scriptures and the eighteen kinds of great scriptures of the non-Buddhists, and all were able to debate and subdue those of other teachings. Mahākāśyapa said: 'In the past when I constantly went on alms rounds, non-Buddhists would constantly come by force to pose difficult questions, neglecting the Dharma affairs. Now Rājagṛha regularly provides meals to supply a thousand persons; we must not take more. Inform King Ajātaśatru to provide us with food, delivering it daily, and no one may go elsewhere.' During the three months of the summer retreat, on the first fifteenth day, at the time of reciting the precepts, they assembled. When Kāśyapa and the others had entered samādhi, they observed with the divine eye: 'Among this congregation now, who has defilements not yet exhausted and should be expelled?' There was only one person, Ānanda, whose defilements were not yet exhausted; the remaining nine hundred and ninety-nine persons had all their outflows exhausted, pure and undefiled. Mahākāśyapa arose from meditation, took Ānanda by the hand in the midst of the assembly, and led him out, saying: 'Now in this pure congregation we are compiling the scripture piṭaka. Your fetters are not yet exhausted; you should not remain here.' At that time Ānanda was ashamed, wept in grief, and thought to himself: 'For twenty-five years I attended upon the World-Honoured One, serving at his side, and never did I hear such distress. The Buddha truly had great virtue, compassion, and forbearance.' Having thought thus, he said to Mahākāśyapa: 'I have the ability and could long ago have attained the Way. But according to the Dharma of the Buddhas, an arhat may not attend at the side and be sent on errands. It is for this reason that I retained residual fetters and did not completely sever them.' Mahākāśyapa said: 'You have another offense: the Buddha did not wish to permit women to renounce household life, but you persistently urged and entreated him until the Buddha permitted them to practice the Way. Because of this, the Buddha's True Dharma declined five hundred years earlier. You must perform repentance for a duṣkṛta.' Ānanda said: 'I had pity on Gautamī; furthermore, the Dharma of the Buddhas of the three periods of time all has the fourfold assembly—why should our Śākyamuni Buddha alone lack it?'