法苑珠林 63.78

63.78

如僧祇律云。佛在世時。有闡陀比丘。須木造房。有薩羅林樹。便往伐之。持用成房。爾時林中有鬼神依止此林。語闡陀言。莫斫是樹。今我小弱男女。暴露風雨無所依止。闡陀答言。死鬼促去。莫住此中。誰喜見汝。即便伐之。時此鬼神即大啼哭。將諸兒子詣世尊所。佛知而故問。汝何以啼哭。答言。世尊。尊者闡陀伐我林樹持用作房。我男女大小風雨曝露。當何所依。爾時世尊。為此鬼神。隨順說法。憂苦即除。去佛不遠便有林樹。世尊指授令得住止。佛呵闡陀已。如來一宿住止是處。左右有樹木與人等者。便為塔廟。是故神祇樂來依止。云何惡口罵之。又四分律。佛亦不許斫神樹斫者得突吉羅罪。

As the Mahāsaṃghika-vinaya states: When the Buddha was in the world, there was the bhikṣu Chanda, who needed timber to build a chamber. There was a grove of śāla trees, so he went and felled them, using them to complete his room. At that time, in the grove there were spirits and deities who relied upon this grove. They said to Chanda, "Do not chop down this tree. Now my weak young sons and daughters will be exposed to wind and rain with nowhere to take refuge." Chanda replied, "Dead ghost, make haste and leave! Do not stay here. Who enjoys looking at you?" Thereupon he felled it. The spirit then wept bitterly and took its children to the World-Honoured One. The Buddha, though knowing, intentionally asked, "Why are you weeping?" It answered, "World-Honoured One, the venerable Chanda felled my grove tree to use for building a chamber. My children, large and small, are exposed to wind and rain. What shall we rely on?" Thereupon the World-Honoured One expounded the Dharma to this spirit according with its capacity, and its sorrow and suffering were immediately eliminated. Not far from the Buddha was a grove of trees, and the World-Honoured One pointed them out so that it could abide there. After the Buddha reproved Chanda, the Tathāgata stayed at that place for one night. To the left and right were trees as tall as a man, which became a caitya; therefore divine spirits took pleasure in coming and dwelling there. How could one revile them with harsh speech? Furthermore, the Dharmaguptaka-vinaya also provides that the Buddha did not allow chopping down spirit trees; one who chops them down incurs a duṣkṛta offense.