法苑珠林 26.9

26.9

又新婆沙論云。如王舍城內有一屠兒。名曰伽吒。是未生怨王少小知友。曾白太子。汝登王位與我何願。太子語言。當恣汝請。後未生怨害父自立。伽吒於是從王乞願王便告曰。隨汝意求。伽吒白言。願王許我王舍城中。獨行屠殺。王遂告曰。汝今云何求此惡願。豈不怖畏當來苦耶。屠兒白王。諸善惡業皆無有果。何所怖畏。王遂告曰。汝云何知。伽吒白王。我憶過去六生。於此王舍城中常行屠殺。最後生在三十三天中。多受快樂。從彼天歿來生此間。少小與王得為知友。故知善惡其果定無。王聞生疑。便往白佛。佛告王曰。此事不虛。然彼屠兒曾以一食施與獨覺。發邪願言。使我常於王舍城內獨行屠殺後得生天。由勝業因果遂其願。彼先勝業與果今盡。却後七日定當命終生號叫地獄。次第受先屠業苦果。是故此智極知七生。復有說者。此極能憶五百生事。謂有苾芻自憶過去五百生中墮餓鬼趣。念彼所受飢渴苦時。遍身流汗深心悑惱。息諸事業精進熾然。後經多時得預流果。復有苾芻自憶過去。五百生中墮地獄趣。念彼所受地獄苦時。諸毛孔中遍皆血流。身及衣服非常臭穢。每日詣水澡浴澣衣。眾人謂之計水為淨。

Furthermore, the new *Vibhāṣā-śāstra* says: Within Rājagṛha there was a butcher named Ghaṭa, who was a childhood friend of King Ajātaśatru. He once said to the crown prince: 'When you ascend the throne, what wish will you grant me?' The prince told him: 'I will grant whatever you ask.' Later, Ajātaśatru killed his father and set himself up. Ghaṭa then begged a boon from the king, and the king said to him: 'Ask as you please.' Ghaṭa said: 'May the king allow me alone to practice butchery throughout Rājagṛha.' The king then told him: 'Why do you now make such an evil request? Are you not afraid of future suffering?' The butcher told the king: 'All good and evil actions have no fruit whatsoever; what is there to fear?' The king then said to him: 'How do you know this?' Ghaṭa told the king: 'I remember six past lives, constantly practicing butchery within this city of Rājagṛha. In the final life, I was born among the Trāyastriṃśa devas, experiencing much joy. Departing from that heaven, I came to be born here, and was able to be a friend of the king from childhood. Therefore, I know that good and evil certainly have no fruit.' When the king heard this, he became doubtful and went to report it to the Buddha. The Buddha told the king: 'This matter is not false. However, that butcher once offered a single meal to a pratyekabuddha and made a wrong vow, saying: "May I always practice butchery alone within Rājagṛha, and afterward be born in heaven!" Due to that superior karmic cause, the fruit fulfilled his vow. That previous superior karma and its fruit are exhausted today; after seven days his life will certainly end and he will be born in the Raurava Hell, experiencing sequentially the bitter fruits of his previous butchery karma. Therefore, this cognition knows at most seven lives.' Still others say that this can at most recollect the events of five hundred lives. That is to say, there was a monk who recalled on his own that during five hundred past lives he had fallen into the preta destiny; when remembering the suffering of hunger and thirst experienced there, sweat flowed over his whole body and his mind was deeply terrified; he ceased all business, his vigor blazing, and after a long time attained the fruit of stream-entry (srotāpanna). Furthermore, there was a monk who recalled on his own that during five hundred past lives he had fallen into the hell destiny; when remembering the suffering of hell experienced there, blood flowed throughout all his pores, and his body and garments were extraordinarily foul; every day he went to the water to bathe and wash his clothes, so that the multitude thought he regarded water as purification.