法苑珠林 77.14

77.14

At that time, the blind mother raised the child until he was grown, eight or nine years of age, and capable of walking about. She gave him a staff and a food vessel, and told the child: 'Beg to sustain your own life; you need not stay here. I too have no eyes, and must also beg to preserve the remainder of my life.' This blind little boy begged from house to house, and eventually arrived at the home of Candanagandha. Standing outside the gate, he cried out that a blind boy was begging. At that time, the gatekeeper angrily grabbed his hand and threw him into a deep ditch, breaking his left arm and also smashing his head open. All the food he had begged for was completely scattered on the ground. Someone who saw it felt great pity and grief, and went to tell the blind mother. Having heard, the blind mother crawled, leaning on her staff, to where the blind boy was, gathered him onto her lap, and said to the child: 'What fault did you commit to encounter such bitter affliction?' The child replied to his mother, saying: 'Just now, I went outside the gate of Candanagandha's house to beg, and then encountered an evil man who struck and threw me down like this.' The Buddha, knowing this at that time, told Ānanda, 'Disaster, disaster! The elder Nanda, having died, became the child of that blind woman in a caṇḍāla household, born without both eyes. In his former life his estate and possessions were boundless in extreme wealth, with elephants, horses, and the seven treasures beyond count. But can he now personally use them? It is because of stinginess and greed that he received this retribution of blindness. Dying from this life, he will enter the Avīci Hell.' Around midday, the Buddha, together with the assembly of bhikṣus, entered the city, surrounded by the people, and went to the blind boy at Candanagandha's gate. At that time, Candanagandha heard that the Buddha was outside, came out of the gate, prostrated himself, and stood to one side. The Buddha, knowing that the crowd had gathered and also seeing Candanagandha, broadly explained to the assembly that stinginess, greed, and jealousy bring about boundless punishment, just as practicing generous giving brings about inexhaustible blessings, wishing to cause them to leave the realms of existence and advance toward the unconditioned path. At that time, the World-Honoured One, wishing to pluck out the suffering of hell for Candanagandha, addressed the little boy, saying, 'Are you the elder Nanda or not?' The boy replied, 'I am truly Nanda.' This happened up to three times. Hearing this, the great assembly was astonished and said, 'Did the elder Nanda indeed receive such a form?' At that time, Candanagandha, hearing and seeing this matter, wept and shed tears, unable to stop himself. He bowed to the Buddha, begging for deliverance, wishing to pluck out the roots of sin. He then invited the Buddha and the Saṃgha to eat at his residence the next day. The next day, after the meal was over, the Buddha explained the wondrous Dharma for him. At that time, Candanagandha attained the fruit of a srotāpanna. The Buddha told Ānanda, 'If a person amasses wealth and neither clothes nor feeds himself, nor practices dāna, he is the most foolish of the foolish. Therefore, the wise should practice giving, seeking to escape birth and death, and not give rise to stinginess and suffer boundless torment.'