[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Indian literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in) › [Buddhist Literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha) › [Taishō Tripiṭaka (Chinese Buddhist canon)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho) › [法苑珠林](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2122) › 38.19 # 法苑珠林 38.19 法苑珠林 38.19 - **Language:** Classical Chinese ### [38.19](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2122.38.19) 又分別功德論云。昔舍衛城中有夫婦二人。而無子息。夫婦精進信敬三寶時婦蚤亡。由信敬故生忉利天。以為天女。面首端正天中少比。天女自念。我極端正。今此世間誰任我夫。便以天眼觀見本夫。今已出家年老暗短專信而已。常勤掃除塔廟善業。見其掃塔必應生天。天女尋下。光明照曜住其夫前。比丘見已問其因緣。天女答曰。我是君婦。今為天女。我觀天上無任我夫。見君精進常勤掃塔。必應生天。若得生天願同一處還為我夫。是以故來陳其情狀。白意已訖還歸天上。時夫比丘見此事已。從是以後倍加精進。修補塔廟積功轉勝。應生第四兜率天上。天女憶夫復來語言。君福轉勝應生兜率天。我今不復得君為夫。語訖還去。比丘聞已倍加精進。遂獲得阿羅漢果。三明六通具八解脫。 > Furthermore, the Guṇavyūha-śāstra says: Long ago, in the city of Śrāvastī, there was a husband and wife who had no children. The husband and wife were energetic and had faith and reverence for the Three Jewels. Then the wife died young. Because of her faith and reverence, she was reborn in the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven as a heavenly maiden. Her countenance was upright and peerless in heaven. The heavenly maiden thought to herself, "I am extremely beautiful. In this world today, who is worthy to be my husband?" She then used her divine eye to look and see her former husband: he had now gone forth into homelessness, was old and frail, and had single-minded faith alone, constantly and diligently engaged in the good deed of sweeping the stūpas and shrines. Seeing that he swept the stūpas, he was certain to be reborn in heaven. The heavenly maiden immediately descended, her light shining brilliantly, and stood before her husband. The bhikṣu, upon seeing her, asked the reason. The heavenly maiden replied, "I was your wife, and now I am a heavenly maiden. I looked throughout heaven and found none worthy to be my husband. Seeing that you are energetic and constantly and diligently sweep the stūpas, you are certain to be reborn in heaven. If you obtain rebirth in heaven, I wish that we be in the same place and that you become my husband again. It is for this reason that I have come to make known this situation." Having spoken her intention, she returned to heaven. When the bhikṣu husband saw this incident, from then on he redoubled his diligence. He repaired stūpas and shrines and accumulated ever greater merit, so that he was destined to be reborn in the fourth heaven, Tuṣita. The heavenly maiden, remembering her husband, came again and said to him, "Your merit has become greater, and you are destined to be reborn in the Tuṣita Heaven. I can no longer have you as my husband." Having spoken, she departed. When the bhikṣu heard this, he redoubled his diligence even further and ultimately attained the fruit of arhat, endowed with the three knowledges, the six supernatural powers, and the eight liberations. > — English (machine translation) (machine translation) - [Previous: 38.18](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2122.38.18) - [Next: 38.20](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2122.38.20) - [Up: 38](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2122.38) ## Translations (1) - [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2122~en-mt.38.19) — English, machine translation --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2122.38.19](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2122.38.19) · Pramāṇa