法苑珠林 41.40

41.40

如賢愚經云。時佛姨母摩訶波闍波提。佛已出家。手自紡織預作一端金色之㲲（織成大衣）奉上如來。佛令持此往奉眾僧。姨母思念。規心俟佛。唯願垂愍為我受之。佛知母專心欲用施我。然恩愛之心福不弘廣。若施眾僧獲報彌多。我知此事是以相勸。若有檀越於十六種具足別請。雖獲福報亦未為多。何謂十六。比丘比丘尼各有八輩。不如漫請四人所得功德。福多於彼。十六分中未及其一。將來末世法垂盡時。正使比丘畜妻挾子。四人已上名字眾僧。應當敬視如舍利弗目揵連等。時波闍波提心乃開解。即以其衣奉施眾僧。僧中次行無欲取者。到彌勒前尋為受之。爾時彌勒問眾僧言。若有檀越請一持戒清淨沙門就舍供養。所得盈利何如有人得千萬錢。時憍陳如尋即說言。假使有人得百車珍寶。計其福利。不如請一淨戒沙門就舍供養得利弘多。舍利弗言。假令有人得一閻浮提滿中珍寶。猶不如請一淨戒者就舍供養獲利彌多。目揵連言。正使有人得二天下滿中七寶。猶不如請一清淨沙門就舍供養得利彌多。其餘比丘如是各各引於方喻。比格其利。皆悉多彼。時阿那律復自說言。正令得滿四天下寶。其利猶復不如請一清淨沙門詣舍供養得利殊倍。所以然者。我是其證。自念過去世。毘婆尸佛般涅槃後。法滅盡時。有一長者名阿淚吒。家貧焦煎。復值歲儉人飢食穀不繼。日往取薪賣糴稗子。共家婦兒以自供活。見一辟支佛乞食不得。請到其家分稗子糜。躬自持施。辟支語言。汝亦飢渴當共分噉。阿淚吒言。我曹俗人食無時節。尊日一食。但願為受。即受食訖。感其至心令發大願。時辟支佛還歸所止。時阿淚吒即還入澤取薪。時見一兔意欲捕取。以鎌遙擲。即時墮地。適欲前取化為死人。上其背上急抱其頭。盡力推却不能令却。心懷恐悑慞惶苦惱。意欲入城共婦解却。復恐人見令不聽入。留待日暮以衣用覆。擔負往舍。已到舍內。自然墮地。變成一聚閻浮檀金。光明晃昱并照比舍。展轉談之。響徹於王。王自來看。見是死人形漸欲臭。即問淚吒。汝見是何。答言。看實是金。即取少許用奉於王。王見金色。敬之未有。問其所由何緣得此。由施辟支。王聞歎善。即更賜與。拜為大臣。如是諸尊。彼阿淚吒者即我身是。我於彼世以少稗糜施辟支佛。緣是以來九十一劫。生天人中無所乏少。

As the Sūtra of the Wise and the Foolish says: At that time, after the Buddha had gone forth from household life, the Buddha's maternal aunt Mahāprajāpatī personally spun and wove in advance a bolt of golden-colored fine cloth (woven into a great robe) to offer to the Tathāgata. The Buddha told her to take it and offer it to the assembly of monks. The maternal aunt thought: 'My heart’s intention was set on the Buddha. I only pray you deign to take pity and accept it for my sake.' The Buddha knew her maternal mind was dedicated to giving it to him; however, from a mind of affectionate attachment the merit is not broad. 'If you give it to the assembly of monks, the retribution obtained will be far greater. Knowing this matter, I therefore encourage you. If a dānapati individually invites [monks] among sixteen kinds of categories, though they obtain karmic reward it is still not great. What are the sixteen? Bhikṣus and bhikṣuṇīs each have eight classes. This is not as good as indiscriminately inviting four people; the merit and benefit gained will be far greater than that, not even one part in sixteen. In the future end-period when the Dharma is on the verge of extinction, even if bhikṣus keep wives and harbor children, if four or more bear the name of the saṃgha, you should revere them as Śāriputra, Maudgalyāyana, and the like.' At that time, Prajāpatī's mind opened to understanding, and she immediately offered the robe to the assembly of monks. Going down the rows in the saṃgha, none wished to take it. When it reached Maitreya, he immediately accepted it for her sake. At that time, Maitreya asked the assembly of monks: 'If a dānapati invites one pure, precept-observing śramaṇa to their home for an offering, how does the profit obtained compare to someone gaining ten million coins?' Thereupon Kauṇḍinya immediately said: 'Suppose someone obtained a hundred carts of precious jewels: reckoning their merit and benefit, it would not be as great as inviting one pure-precept śramaṇa to their home for an offering, which yields far greater profit.' Śāriputra said: 'Suppose someone obtained a whole Jambudvīpa filled with precious jewels: it would still not be as great as inviting one pure-precept practitioner to their home for an offering, which secures far greater profit.' Maudgalyāyana said: 'Even if someone obtained two continents filled with the seven treasures: it would still not be as great as inviting one pure śramaṇa to their home for an offering, which secures far greater profit.' The remaining bhikṣus similarly each adduced analogies to compare the benefits, all showing that [inviting a monk] was greater. At that time, Aniruddha further said himself: 'Even if one obtained the four continents filled with treasures, the benefit would still not equal that of inviting one pure śramaṇa to one's home for an offering, which yields many times more benefit. Why is this? I am witness to it. I recall in a past life, after Vipaśyin Buddha's parinirvāṇa, when the Dharma was completely extinct, there was an elder named Aruṭa. His family was impoverished and distressed. Furthermore, he encountered a year of scarcity when people were starving and grain supplies failed. Daily he went out to gather firewood, selling it to buy barnyard millet, sustaining himself along with his wife and child. He saw a pratyekabuddha begging for food and receiving none. He invited him to his house, divided his barnyard millet gruel, and personally offered it to him. The pratyekabuddha said to him: "You too are hungry and thirsty; we should share and eat it together." Aruṭa said: "We secular folk have no fixed times for eating; the Venerable One eats once a day. I only wish you will accept it." Having received and eaten the food, [the pratyekabuddha] was moved by his utmost sincerity and caused him to make a great vow. Then the pratyekabuddha returned to his dwelling. At that time, Aruṭa returned to the marsh to gather firewood. Then he saw a hare and wished to catch it; throwing his sickle from afar, it instantly fell to the ground. Just as he went forward to take it, it transformed into a dead man, mounted his back, and tightly hugged his head. Straining with all his might to push it away, he could not dislodge it. Filled with terror, agitation, and suffering, he intended to enter the city so that he and his wife could remove it; but fearing people would see it and not allow him to enter, he waited until nightfall, covered it with clothes, and carried it home on his back. Having arrived inside his home, it naturally fell to the ground and turned into a heap of Jāmbūnada gold, its radiant light shining brightly onto the neighboring houses. As people talked about it among themselves, the report reached the king. The king came in person to see it, and saw that it was a corpse gradually beginning to rot. He then asked Aruṭa: "What do you see this to be?" He replied: "Looking at it, it is truly gold." He then took a little bit to present to the king. Seeing the color of the gold, the king revered him as never before, and asked how he came to obtain this. "It was due to giving to a pratyekabuddha." Hearing this, the king praised it as excellent, gave him further gifts, and appointed him a minister. In this way, O Venerable Ones, that Aruṭa was none other than myself. In that life, because I gave a little barnyard millet gruel to a pratyekabuddha, down through ninety-one kalpas since then, I have been reborn among devas and humans without lacking anything.'