法苑珠林 51.47

51.47

Furthermore, the *Fo benxing jing* says: At that time, the World-Honoured One entered the city of Kapilavastu together with Nanda. Having entered, they gradually came to a fish shop. At that time, the World-Honoured One saw a hundred foul, rotting, dead fish placed upon a mat of couch grass inside the shop. Seeing this, he addressed the Venerable Nanda, saying, “Nanda, go and take a handful of couch grass from this fish mat.” Nanda addressed the Buddha, saying, “As the World-Honoured One instructs.” Having spoken thus, he pulled out a handful of foul and loathsome couch grass from beneath the fish mat in that shop. When he had taken hold of it, the Buddha addressed him again, saying, “Venerable Nanda, hold it for a short while, and then put it back on the ground.” Nanda said, “As the World-Honoured One instructs,” and held the grass. When Nanda had held that grass for the space of an hour, he put it on the ground. At that time the Buddha addressed Nanda again, saying, “Smell your hand yourself.” Nanda then smelled his hand. At that time the Buddha addressed Nanda again, saying, “What scent does your hand have?” The Venerable Nanda replied, saying, “World-Honoured One, there is only an impure, fishy stench.” At that time the Buddha told the Venerable Nanda: “So it is, so it is. If a person associates with evil companions, befriends them, socialises with them, and dwells with them, even if they comply with one another for only a short time, later, because of being infected by habituation to evil deeds, their evil reputation will spread far and wide.” At that time the World-Honoured One, because of this matter, spoke a verse: