[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) › 56.42 # 法苑珠林 56.42 法苑珠林 56.42 - **Language:** Classical Chinese ### [56.42](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2122.56.42) 又賢愚經云。佛在舍衛國。與諸弟子千二百五十人俱。國中有五百乞兒。常依如來隨逐眾僧乞丐自活。厭心內發求索出家。共白佛言。如來出世甚為難遇。我等下賤蒙濟身命。今貧出家不審許不佛告諸乞兒。我法清淨無有貴賤。譬如清水洗諸不淨。若貴若賤。水之所洗無不淨者。又如大火所至之處。其被燒者無不焦然。又如虛空貧富貴賤有入中者隨意自恣。乞兒聞說並皆歡喜。信心倍隆歸誠出家。佛告善來。頭髮自墮法衣在身。沙門形相於是具足。佛為說法成阿羅漢。於時國中諸豪長者。聞度乞兒皆興慢心。云何如來聽此下賤之人在眾僧次。我等修福請佛眾食。今此下賤坐我床席捉我食器。爾時太子祇陀請佛及僧。遣使白佛。唯願世尊明受我請。及比丘僧。所度乞兒。我不請之。慎勿將來。明日食時。佛告乞兒。吾受彼請汝不及例。今可往至欝多越取自然成熟糠米還至其家。隨意坐次自食糠米。比丘如命。即以神足往彼世界。各各自取滿鉢還攝威儀。乘空而來。如雁飛至。祇陀家坐隨次各食。於時太子覩眾比丘威儀進止神足福德。敬心歡喜歎未曾有。而白佛言。不審此諸賢聖從何方來。佛告祇陀。若欲知者正是昨日所不請者。具向太子說其因緣。爾時祇陀聞說是語極懷慚愧。自我愚弊不別明闇。不審此徒種何善行。今值世尊特蒙殊潤。復造何咎乞丐自活。佛告祇陀。過去久遠時有大國名波羅柰。有一山名曰利師。古昔諸佛多住其中。若無佛時有二千辟支佛常止其中。有一長者名曰散陀寧。時世旱儉其。家巨富。即問藏監。今我藏中穀米多少。欲請大士。未知供不。藏監對曰。饒多足供。即請二千辟支飯食供養。差五百使人供設飯食。時諸使人厭心便生。我等諸人所以辛苦。皆由此諸乞兒。爾時長者常令一人知白時到。養一狗子日日逐往。爾時使人卒值一日忘不往白。狗子時到獨往常處。向諸大士高聲而吠。諸辟支佛聞其狗吠。即知時到。來詣便坐如法受食。因白長者。天今當雨宜可種殖。長者如言耕種。所種之物盡變為瓠。長者見怪隨時溉灌。後熟皆大。即劈看之。隨所種物成治淨好麥滿其中。長者歡喜。其家滿溢復分親族。合國一切咸蒙恩澤。是時五百作食之人念言。斯之獲果實是大士之恩。我等云何惡言向彼。即往其所請求改悔。復立誓言。願使我等。於將來世遭值賢聖蒙得解脫。由此之故五百世中常作乞兒。因其改悔復立誓故。今遭我世蒙得過度。太子當知。爾時大富散陀寧者我身是也。時藏臣者今須達是也。日日白時到者今優填王是也。五百作食人者今此五百阿羅漢是也。爾時祇陀及眾會者。覩其神變皆獲四果。 > The Sutra of the Wise and the Foolish also states: The Buddha was in the country of Śrāvastī together with twelve hundred and fifty disciples. In the country there were five hundred beggars who constantly relied on the Tathāgata and followed the Saṃgha, begging for alms to sustain their lives. Feeling aversion in their hearts \[to worldly existence\], they sought to go forth from the household life. Together they addressed the Buddha, saying, 'The Tathāgata's appearance in the world is extremely difficult to encounter. We are lowly and base, yet we have been saved in body and life. Now, poor as we are, we wish to go forth; we wonder whether it is permitted?' The Buddha told the beggars, 'My Dharma is pure, without high or low status. It is like clear water washing away all impurities: whether one is noble or base, there is none who is not cleansed when washed by water. It is also like a great fire: wherever it reaches, what is burnt is without exception scorched. It is also like empty space: whether rich or poor, noble or base, anyone who enters into it is free to move at will.' The beggars, hearing this discourse, all rejoiced. Their faith redoubled, and they took refuge with sincerity and went forth. The Buddha said, 'Come, bhikṣus!' Their hair fell off naturally and Dharma robes were upon their bodies; the appearances of śramaṇas were thus fully complete. The Buddha preached the Dharma for them, and they became arhats. At that time, the prominent elders of the country, hearing that the beggars had been delivered, all gave rise to arrogance: 'How can the Tathāgata allow such base persons to sit in the order of the Saṃgha? When we cultivate merit, inviting the Buddha and the assembly for a meal, now these base people will sit on our seats and handle our dining utensils!' At that time, Prince Jeta invited the Buddha and the Saṃgha. He sent a messenger to address the Buddha: 'May the World-Honoured One tomorrow accept my invitation, along with the bhikṣu-saṃgha. As for the beggars who were delivered, I do not invite them; be careful not to bring them.' The next day at mealtime, the Buddha told the beggars, 'I have accepted his invitation, but you are not included. Now you may go to Uttarakuru, take the naturally ripened unhusked rice, and return to his house. Take your seats as you please according to order and eat your unhusked rice.' The bhikṣus complied with the instruction. Using their supernatural powers, they went to that realm, each taking a full bowl, maintained their deportment, and rode through the sky, flying in like wild geese. They sat in Jeta's house according to order, each eating their meal. At that time, the prince, beholding the deportment, demeanor, supernatural power, and merit of the bhikṣus, felt reverent joy and marveled, saying it was unprecedented. He addressed the Buddha, 'I do not know from which region these worthy sages have come?' The Buddha told Jeta, 'If you wish to know, these are precisely the ones whom you did not invite yesterday.' He explained in full to the prince the karmic background. At that time, Jeta, hearing these words, felt extreme shame: 'Because of my foolishness and ignorance, I failed to discern light from dark. I wonder what good deeds these people planted so that now they have met the World-Honoured One and received such exceptional favor? And what fault did they commit that they had to beg for alms to survive?' The Buddha told Jeta, 'Long ago in the past, there was a great country named Vārāṇasī. There was a mountain named Ṛṣi where many ancient Buddhas had dwelt. When there were no Buddhas, two thousand pratyekabuddhas constantly resided there. There was an elder named Santānin. At that time there was a severe drought and famine, but his family was exceedingly wealthy. He asked his storehouse keeper, 'How much grain and rice is in my storehouse now? I wish to invite the great beings, but I do not know if there is enough to supply them.' The storehouse keeper replied, 'There is plenty, enough to supply them.' He then invited the two thousand pratyekabuddhas to offer them meals, dispatching five hundred servants to prepare and serve the food. At that time, the servants gave rise to resentment: 'The reason we are toiling so hard is entirely because of these beggars!' At that time, the elder always had one person announce when the time had arrived; this person kept a dog that followed him every day. On one day, the servant happened to forget to go and announce it. When the time arrived, the dog went alone to the usual place and barked loudly at the great beings. The pratyekabuddhas, hearing the dog bark, knew that the time had arrived. They went, sat down, and received food according to the Dharma. They then told the elder, 'Heaven will rain today; you ought to plant seeds.' The elder plowed and planted as instructed. Everything he planted turned into gourds. The elder was astonished, but watered them as the seasons required. Later, when they ripened, they were all huge. He split them open to look: according to what had been sown, clean, fine wheat filled the inside. The elder rejoiced; his house overflowed, and he distributed it to his relatives. The entire country received the blessing. At that time, the five hundred people who prepared the food thought: 'Obtaining such a result is truly the grace of these great beings. Why did we utter bad words toward them?' They went to them to seek forgiveness, and made a vow: 'May we, in future lives, encounter worthy sages and attain liberation!' Due to this, for five hundred lives they were always beggars. But because of their repentance and their vow, they have now encountered my time and attained deliverance. Prince, you should know that the wealthy Santānin of that time was myself; the storehouse keeper of that time is now Sudatta; the one who daily announced the time is now King Udayana; and the five hundred people who prepared the food are now these five hundred arhats.' At that time, Jeta and the assembly, beholding their supernatural transformations, all attained the four fruits of the path. > — English (machine translation) (machine translation) - [Previous: 56.41](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2122.56.41) - [Next: 56.43](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2122.56.43) - [Up: 56](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2122.56) ## Translations (1) - [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2122~en-mt.56.42) — English, machine translation --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2122.56.42](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2122.56.42) · Pramāṇa