法苑珠林 53.13

53.13

Śāriputra was of great wisdom and learnedness. When he was just eight years of age, he could recite the eighteen scriptures and thoroughly understood all their meanings. At that time, in the kingdom of Magadha, there were two nāgarāja brothers, one named Giri and the other named Agara. They sent down rain in season so that the kingdom had no years of dearth. Moved with gratitude toward them, the people always held a great assembly at the nāgas' dwelling in the mid-spring month, making music and debating doctrines throughout the day. From antiquity to the present, this gathering had never lapsed. By the customary rule for this day, four high seats were set out: the first for the king, the second for the crown prince, the third for the chief ministers, and the fourth for the debaters. At that time, Śāriputra, though only eight years old, asked the multitude, "For whom are these four high seats laid out?" The multitude replied, "For the king, the crown prince, the chief ministers, and the debaters." At that time, Śāriputra observed the people of his day and saw none superior to himself; he then mounted the debate-couch and sat cross-legged upon it. The people were astonished and suspicious. Some said he was foolish and ignorant, while others said his wisdom surpassed that of ordinary men. Though they admired his miraculous wonder, each still harboured self-pride, and ashamed of his youth, they would not address him themselves; they all sent young boys to convey their questions. His replies, their points of purpose and reasoned arguments, were transcendent and supreme. All the debate masters of the time sighed at what had never been seen before, and foolish and wise, old and young, all were subdued. The king was filled with great joy and immediately commanded the officials to grant him a fief of a village to provide for him continually. The king rode his elephant-carriage and rang the bell to issue a proclamation, announcing it to all sixteen great kingdoms, and none failed to celebrate with delight. (As the Sifen lü says: "Śāriputra was endowed with the four analytical knowledges: first, the analytical knowledge of Dharmas; second, the analytical knowledge of meanings; third, the analytical knowledge of language; fourth, the analytical knowledge of perspicuity. If one possesses these analytical knowledges and the non-Buddhists are not subdued, there is no such possibility." Furthermore, the Shengsiyi lun says: "Bodhisattvas possess seven kinds of virtues, all relying on the eloquence of delight in speech. What are the seven? First, varied eloquence of delight in speech; second, unobstructed eloquence of delight in speech; third, steadfast eloquence of delight in speech; fourth, perspicuous eloquence of delight in speech; fifth, undaunted eloquence of delight in speech; sixth, harmonious eloquence of delight in speech; seventh, unhindered eloquence of delight in speech. These are attained by bodhisattvas on the eighth ground.") At that time, in the city of Kolita, there was a man named Kolita of the clan of Mahāmaudgalyāyana; he was a friend of Śāriputra. The talent, wisdom, and virtuous conduct of the two were matched; when traveling, they went together, and when residing, they stayed together. From youth to adulthood, their bond was forged, pledging faithfulness to each other from beginning to end. Later, both grew weary of the world, went forth from home, and studied the Way as disciples of a brahma-cārin. With fervent hearts they sought the gate of the Way, but for a long time there was no proof of attainment. They questioned their teacher, whose name was Sañjaya. He replied to them, saying, "Ever since I have sought the Way, years and years have passed, yet I do not know the fruit of the Way. Am I not the right person?" On another day, the teacher fell ill. Śāriputra stood at the head of the bed, and Mahāmaudgalyāyana stood at the foot of the bed. Both were anxious and fearful. As their teacher was about to die, he smiled with pity. With one mind, the two asked together the meaning of his smile. The teacher answered them, saying, "Worldly people are blind, violated by affection and love. I saw that the king of the land of Suvarṇadvīpa died, and his chief queen threw herself into a fire-pit, seeking to be in the same place as him; yet the actions and retributions of these two were different, and their places of rebirth are completely severed." At that time, the two took down the teacher's words in writing, wishing to test their truth or falsehood. Later, a merchant of Suvarṇadvīpa came from afar to Magadha, and when they checked his account against the writing, it indeed proved as the teacher had said. They sighed deeply and lamented, "Was I once not the right person? Or was the teacher concealing it from us?" The two swore an oath, "Whichever of us first attains the ambrosia [of the Dharma] must surely inform the other." (Therefore the Fo benxing jing says: At that time, Śāriputra saw the monk Aśvajit entering the city to beg for food. All the people inside the city discussed him together and recited a verse, saying: / "He skillfully restrains his sense faculties, / His deportment is always serene and settled; / Smiling, he speaks fine words— / This must surely be a disciple of the Śākyan." / At that time Śāriputra immediately questioned him, "Does your Great Master's virtue and spiritual power also surpass yours?" At that time, Aśvajit—rendered in the Sui language as "horse-dwelling"—then replied in verse, saying: / "Like a mustard seed against Mount Sumeru, / A cow's footprint compared to the great ocean, / A mosquito set beside a garuḍa, / So am I compared to him. / Even if śrāvakas cross to the other shore, / Though accomplished in the various grounds, they are still disciples; / Before that Master they do not count in the reckoning; / They are far distinct from the majestic virtue of that World-Honoured One." / Thereupon Śāriputra again heard him recite the verse: / "All phenomena arise from causes and conditions, / And likewise cease through causes and conditions; / My Master, the Great Śramaṇa, / Constantly teaches such a Dharma." / Having heard this, Śāriputra immediately attained the vision of the truth and obtained purity of the Dharma eye. Śāriputra, having attained the fruit of a srotāpanna, then also spoke this verse to Maudgalyāyana. Maudgalyāyana, hearing Śāriputra speak it, likewise attained the fruit of a srotāpanna. Thereupon Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana, bringing their five hundred followers, went together to where the Buddha was, and all attained the fruit of an arhat. According to the Sifen lü and other sūtras, all say there were one thousand two hundred and fifty people who arrived at the Buddha's place and attained the fruit of an arhat.) Relying on the treatise, the question is asked: Why is he named Śāriputra? The answer says: This is a name given by his mother. In the land of Magadha there is a great city named Rājagṛha. The king was named Bimbisāra. There was a brahmin debate master named Māṭhara. Because he was skilled in debate, the king rewarded him with a fief of a village not far from the city. This Māṭhara then established a household, and his wife bore a daughter whose eyes resembled the eyes of a śāri bird; thus they named this girl Śāri. Next, she bore a son whose knee bones were coarse and large, named Koṣṭhila (rendered in the language of Qin as "Big Knees"). Having a household and raising a son and daughter, the scriptures he had studied all grew stale and old, and he no longer applied himself to new learning. At that time, in South India, there was a great brahmin debate master named Tiṣya, thoroughly versed and skilled in the eighteen great scriptures. This man entered the city of Rājagṛha with fire upon his head and his belly wrapped in sheets of copper. When people asked him why, he said, "The scriptures I have learned are so numerous that I fear my belly will burst; therefore I wrap it." They also asked, "Why do you wear fire upon your head?" He answered, "Because of the great darkness." The multitude said, "The sun has risen and shines brightly; why do you speak of darkness?" He answered, "Darkness is of two kinds: first, that where the sunlight does not shine; second, the darkness of ignorance. Now, though there is the brightness of the sun, ignorance remains black." The multitude said, "You simply have not yet seen the brahmin debate master Māṭhara. If you saw him, your belly would shrink and your light would turn to darkness." This brahmin went straight to the drum and beat the debate-drum. The king heard it and asked who this man was. The ministers answered, "In South India there is a brahmin named Tiṣya; he is a great debate master who seeks a place for debate, and therefore he beats the debate-drum." The king was greatly pleased, immediately assembled the multitude, and announced to them, "Whoever is able to refute him may debate with him." When Māṭhara heard of this, he doubted himself: "My learning has grown stale and I have not studied newly; I do not know whether I can debate with him now." Hesitant and bowed, he set out; on the road he saw two bulls locking horns. In his heart he formed a thought: "This bull is me, that bull is him; by this omen I will know who wins." This bull was defeated, so he became deeply sorrowful and thought to himself, "With such an omen, I will surely be defeated." As he was about to enter the assembly, he saw a woman holding a jar of water directly before him; she stumbled to the ground and broke the jar. He again thought, "This too is inauspicious," and became extremely unhappy. When he entered the assembly and saw that debate master, whose facial expression and bearing were fully endowed with superior marks, he knew himself to be inferior. Having no choice, he engaged in debate with him; once the debate began, he fell into defeat. The king was greatly pleased: "A man of great wisdom and clarity has come from afar to my kingdom!" and wished to grant him a fief of a village. The ministers deliberated, saying, "When one clever man comes, he is immediately granted a village; meritorious ministers are not rewarded, while only skill in debate is favoured—we fear this is not the way to secure the state and preserve families. Now that Māṭhara is inferior in debate, his fief should be stripped and given to the victor; if there is another who is superior, it should be given to him in turn." The king took their advice and immediately stripped it from him to give to the newcomer. At that time, Māṭhara said to Tiṣya, "You are a clever man; I will give you my daughter as a wife. I entrust my young son to you. Now I wish to go far away to another country to pursue my original aspiration." Tiṣya took the daughter as his wife. When the wife was pregnant, she dreamed of a man clad in armor, holding a vajra in his hand, who smashed various mountains and stood beside a great mountain. Upon waking, she told her husband, "I had such a dream." Tiṣya said, "You will give birth to a son who will subdue all debate masters, defeated by only one person, whose disciple he will always be." When Śāri was pregnant, on account of the child, the mother also became clever and was extraordinarily skilled in debate. When her younger brother Koṣṭhila debated with his elder sister, he was defeated each time. He knew that the child she carried must possess great wisdom: "If he is like this before he is born, how much more so after he is born!" He immediately left home to study the Way, went to South India, and without trimming his fingernails read the eighteen kinds of scriptures, making himself thoroughly versed in all of them. Therefore, the people of the time called him the Long-Nailed Brahma-cārin (Dīrghanakha). After the sister's child was born, seven days later, they wrapped him in white cotton cloth to show his father. His father reflected: "My name is Tiṣya; following my name, let his name be Upatisya" (upa in the language of Qin means "following"; Tiṣya is the name of a constellation). This was the name given by the father and mother. Because he was born of Śāri, the multitude together called him Śāriputra (putra means "son"). Furthermore, regarding Śāriputra: by his original vow in lifetime after lifetime, he was to become the foremost disciple in wisdom under the Buddha Śākyamuni, named Śāriputra. It was due to the conditions of this original vow that he was named Śāriputra.