法苑珠林 87.17

87.17

又賢愚經云。時有乞食比丘持戒清潔。有一沙彌弟子。護持禁戒沒命不犯。有優婆塞。長請其師。日別送食。就處供養。時優婆塞合家良賤竝外作客。唯留一女守舍。忘不送食。爾時尊者日時恐晚。即告沙彌。汝往取食。沙彌善攝威儀到家打門。女問是誰。答言。沙彌為師迎食。女心歡喜我願遂矣。即與開門。是女端正容貌殊妙。年始十六。婬慾火燒。於沙彌前作諸妖媚。搖眉顧影現染欲相。沙彌見已念言。此女為有風病顛狂病耶。是女將無欲結所使欲嬈毀我淨行耶。堅攝威儀顏色不變。時女即便五體投地。白沙彌言。我常願者今已時至。我常於汝欲有所陳。未得靜便。想汝於我亦常有心。當與我願。我此舍中多有珍寶。如毘沙門天宮寶藏。而無有主。汝可屈意為此舍主。我為汝婢供給使令。必莫違我。滿我所願。沙彌心念。我有何罪遇此惡緣。我今寧捨身命不可毀破禁戒。又復思惟。我若逃突女欲心盛捨於慚愧。走外牽捉及誹謗我。街陌人見不離污辱。我今當於此處捨命。方便語言牢閉門戶。我入一房作所應事。女即閉門。沙彌入房。關橝門戶。得一剃刀。心甚歡喜。脫身衣服置於架上合掌跪向佛涅槃處。自立誓願。我今不捨佛法僧不捨和尚阿闍梨。亦不捨戒行。正為持戒捨此身命。願所往生出家學道。淨修梵行盡漏成道。即刎頸死。血流污身。時女怪遲趨戶看之。見戶不開。喚無應聲。方便開戶。見其已死失本容色。欲心尋息慚結懊惱。自拔頭髮分裂面目。婉轉灰土之中。悲呼泣淚。迷悶斷絕。其父會還打門喚女。女默不應。父怪其靜。使人蹋門。開視之見女如是。即問女言。汝何爾耶。女默不答。心自思惟。我若實對甚可慚愧。若言沙彌毀辱我者。則謗良善當墮地獄。受罪無極。不應欺誑。即以實答。具述前緣。父聞女言。心無驚懼。即告女言。一切諸法皆悉無常。汝莫憂懼。即入房內見沙彌身。血皆污赤如旃檀。即前作禮讚言。善哉護持佛戒能捨身命。載死沙彌至平坦地。積眾香木闍毘供養。王即請師廣為大眾說微妙法一切見聞皆發道心。

Furthermore, the Xianyu jing states: At that time, there was an alms-begging bhikṣu who kept the precepts purely. He had a novice (śrāmaṇera) disciple who guarded and upheld the prohibitive precepts, not violating them even at the cost of his life. An upāsaka had long extended an invitation to the master, sending him food each day to provide offerings at his dwelling. At that time, all the free and unfree members of the upāsaka's household went outside to work as hired hands, leaving only a single daughter to guard the house; and she forgot to send the food. Then, the Venerable, fearing the hour would grow late, told the novice: "Go and collect the food." Well composed in his deportment, the novice arrived at the house and knocked on the door. The girl asked, "Who is it?" He replied, "A novice, collecting food for my master." The girl rejoiced in her heart: "My wish will now be fulfilled!" She opened the door at once. This girl was shapely, with exquisite features, and was just sixteen years of age. Consumed by the fire of sexual desire, she displayed all kinds of seductive charms before the novice, batting her eyelashes and admiring her own reflection, showing marks of sensual longing. Seeing this, the novice thought to himself: "Does this girl have a wind ailment or a madness ailment? Could this girl be driven by the bonds of desire, wishing to harass me and ruin my pure practice?" He firmly held to his deportment, his countenance unchanging. The girl then threw herself to the ground in five-point prostration and said to the novice: "What I have always wished for has now arrived! I have always wanted to declare something to you, but never had quiet and convenience. I imagine you have also always had feelings for me; grant me my wish! In my house are many rare treasures, like the jewel storehouse in the heavenly palace of Vaiśravaṇa, yet they have no master. You could deign to become the master of this house, and I shall be your maidservant to wait upon you and run your errands. By no means refuse me; fulfill my desire!" The novice thought to himself: "What sin have I committed to encounter this evil condition? Now I would rather give up my physical life than break and violate the prohibitive precepts." He further contemplated: "If I make a run for it, the girl's desire is vehement and she has cast away shame; she will run outside to seize me and slander me. If people on the thoroughfare see this, I cannot escape pollution and disgrace. I must give up my life right here." Using an expedient, he spoke: "Fasten the doors securely; I shall enter a room to do what must be done." The girl immediately shut the doors. The novice entered the room, barred the door, and found a razor, rejoicing greatly in his heart. Taking off his robes, he placed them on a rack, joined his palms, and knelt toward the site of the Buddha's parinirvāṇa, making a vow of his own: "Now I do not abandon the Buddha, Dharma, and Saṃgha; I do not abandon my preceptor and ācārya; nor do I abandon my precept-conduct. It is precisely for the sake of upholding the precepts that I give up this physical life. I pray that wherever I am reborn, I may leave household life to study the Path, purely cultivate the brahma-conduct, exhaust defilements, and attain the Path." He then slit his throat and died, his blood staining his body. At that time, the girl wondered why he took so long and hurried to the door to look. Seeing that the door was not opened, and calling with no response, she managed to open the door, only to see that he was already dead, having lost his original countenance. Her lustful mind immediately subsided, and with remorse and anguish, she pulled out her hair and scratched her face, rolling about in the ashes and dirt, weeping and crying out in grief until she swooned and lost consciousness. Her father happened to return, knocked on the door, and called for the girl. The girl was silent and did not respond. The father, surprised at the silence, sent someone to kick open the door. Opening it, they saw the girl like this. He at once asked the girl: "Why are you like this?" The girl remained silent and did not answer, thinking to herself: "If I tell the truth, it is deeply shameful. But if I say the novice violated me, that would be slandering a good man, and I would fall into hell to suffer boundless torment. I must not deceive." She then answered truthfully, detailing the previous circumstances. Hearing the girl's words, the father felt no terror in his heart; he said to the girl: "All phenomena are impermanent; do not grieve or fear." He then entered the room and saw the novice's body, stained red with blood like sandalwood. He stepped forward, paid homage, and praised him, saying: "Well done! You guarded the Buddha's precepts and could abandon your physical life." He conveyed the deceased novice to a flat ground, piled up various fragrant woods, and cremated (jhāpita) him as an offering. The king then invited the master to preach the subtle Dharma extensively for the great assembly, and all who saw and heard this produced the resolve for the Path.