法苑珠林 56.44

56.44

如賢愚經云昔佛在世時。尊者迦旃延在阿槃提國。時彼國中有一長者。大富饒財。家有一婢。小有愆過。長者鞭打。晝夜走使。衣不蓋形。食不充口。年老辛苦思死不得。適持缻詣河取水。舉聲大哭。爾時尊者聞其哭聲。往到其所問知因緣。即語之言。汝若貧者何不賣之。老母答言。誰買貧者。迦旃延言。貧實可賣。老母白言。貧可賣者。賣之云何。迦旃延言。汝若賣者一隨我語告令先洗。洗已教施母白尊者。我今貧窮身上衣無毛許完納。唯有此缻。是大家許。當以何施。即持鉢與教取水施。受為祝願。次與授戒。後教念佛竟問之言。汝止何處。婢即答言。無定止處。隨舂炊磨即宿其處。或在糞壤上。尊者語言。汝好勤心恭謹走使。伺其大家一切臥訖。竊開戶入。於其戶內敷草而坐。思惟觀佛。母受教已至夜坐處。戶內命終生忉利天。大家曉見瞋恚而言。此婢常不聽入舍。何忽此死。即便遣人以草繫脚。置寒林中。此婢生天。與五百天子以為眷屬。即以天眼觀見故身生天因緣。尋即將彼五百天子。齎持香華到寒林中。燒香散花供養死屍。放天光明照於村林。大家見怪。普告遠近。詣林觀看。見已語言。此婢已死何故供養。天子報言。此吾故身。即為具說生天因緣。後皆迴詣迦旃延所禮拜供養。因緣說法。五百天子悉皆獲得須陀洹果。既得果已還歸天上。以是因緣。智者應當皆如是學。

As the Sutra of the Wise and the Foolish states: Formerly, when the Buddha was in the world, the Venerable Mahākātyāyana was in the country of Avanti. At that time, there was an elder in that country who was exceedingly wealthy. His household had a female slave. For the slightest fault, the elder would whip and beat her, driving her day and night. Her clothes did not cover her body, and her food did not fill her mouth. Old and toil-worn, she longed for death but could not attain it. As she carried a pitcher to the river to draw water, she wept aloud. At that time, the Venerable heard her crying, went to her, and asked to learn the circumstances. He then said to her, 'If you are poor, why do you not sell your poverty?' The old woman answered, 'Who buys poverty?' Kātyāyana said, 'Poverty can indeed be sold.' The old woman said, 'If poverty can be sold, how is it sold?' Kātyāyana said, 'If you wish to sell it, comply entirely with my words.' He instructed her to wash first. After she had washed, he taught her to give alms. The woman said to the Venerable, 'I am poor and destitute; on my body there is not a single thread of intact clothing. There is only this pitcher, which belongs to my master. What should I give as alms?' He then held out his bowl, gave it to her, and instructed her to draw water and offer it. He received it, offered blessings on her behalf, then transmitted the precepts to her, and finally taught her mindfulness of the Buddha. Having finished, he asked her, 'Where do you stay?' The slave woman replied, 'I have no fixed place; wherever I finish pounding, cooking, or grinding, I sleep right there, or on top of dung heaps.' The Venerable said to her, 'You should serve with an attentive and reverent mind. Wait until your master and everyone else have gone to sleep, then secretly open the door and enter. Spread straw inside the room, sit down, and contemplate the Buddha.' The woman, having received the instruction, went to that spot at night, sat down, and died inside the room, being reborn in Trāyastriṃśa Heaven. At dawn, the master saw her, became angry, and said, 'This slave was never allowed into the house; why did she suddenly die here?' He immediately sent people to bind her feet with straw and cast her into the Śītavana charnel ground. Having been reborn in heaven, this slave girl had a retinue of five hundred devaputras. Using the divine eye, she observed her past body and the causes for her rebirth in heaven. She then led those five hundred devaputras, carrying incense and flowers, to the Śītavana. They burned incense and scattered flowers to make offerings to the corpse, emitting heavenly radiance that illuminated the village and forest. The master, astonished, informed everyone far and wide, and they went to the forest to see. Having seen it, they said, 'This slave woman is already dead; why are you making offerings to her?' The devaputra replied, 'This is my former body.' She then explained in full the circumstances of her rebirth in heaven. Afterwards, they all went to Kātyāyana's place to pay homage and make offerings. Because of this, he preached the Dharma, and the five hundred devaputras all attained the fruit of srotāpanna. Having attained the fruit, they returned to heaven. For this reason, the wise should all emulate this.