法苑珠林 35.18

35.18

如百緣經云。佛在世時。迦毘羅衛城中有一長者。名曰瞿沙。其婦生女端正殊妙。有白㲲衣裹身而生。因為立字。名曰白淨。年漸長大衣亦隨長。鮮白淨潔不煩浣染。眾人見之競共求索。白父母言。我今不貪世俗榮華。願樂出家。父母愛念不能違逆。尋將佛所求索入道。佛告善來。比丘尼頭髮自落。身上白衣化為袈裟。成比丘尼。精勤修習。得阿羅漢果。阿難見已。請問因緣。佛告阿難。此賢劫中有佛出世。號曰迦葉。將諸比丘游行聚落教化眾生。時有女人見佛及僧心懷歡喜。持一張㲲布施佛僧。發願而去。緣是功德天上人中。常有淨衣裹身而生。乃至今者遭值於我出家得道。比丘聞已歡喜奉行。

As the Avadānaśataka says: When the Buddha was in the world, there was an elder in the city of Kapilavastu named Ghoṣa. His wife gave birth to a daughter who was exceptionally beautiful, born wrapped in a white fine-cotton cloth. Therefore, they named her Śuklā. As she grew older, the cloth also grew with her, remaining fresh, white, and clean without need of washing or dyeing. When people saw her, they vied to ask for her hand. She said to her parents: 'I do not crave the worldly glory and splendor of the present; I wish and desire to leave home.' Her parents loved her and could not go against her wishes; they immediately took her to the Buddha's place to seek to enter the Way. The Buddha said: 'Welcome!' The bhikṣuṇī's hair fell out on its own, and the white cloth on her body transformed into a kāṣāya; she became a bhikṣuṇī, practiced diligently, and attained the fruit of arhatship. When Ānanda saw this, he asked about its cause. The Buddha told Ānanda: 'In this Bhadrakalpa, a Buddha appeared in the world named Kāśyapa, who led his bhikṣus in wandering through villages to teach and transform sentient beings. At that time, a woman saw the Buddha and the Saṃgha, felt joy in her heart, took a piece of fine-cotton cloth, offered it to the Buddha and Saṃgha, made a vow, and departed. By virtue of this merit, in the heavens and among humans, she was always born wrapped in clean cloth, down to the present day when she encountered me, left home, and attained the Way.' Hearing this, the bhikṣus rejoiced and respectfully put it into practice.