法苑珠林 91.66

91.66

Furthermore, the Abhiniṣkramaṇa-sūtra says: At that time, when it was time for the World-Honoured One to beg for food, he put on his robes, took his bowl, and walked alone wishing to beg for food. Gradually he arrived at that general's village. Having entered the town, he went straight to the house of the general, who was a brāhmaṇa. Having reached his house, he entered within his gates, laid out a seat, and sat down. At that time, the great general brāhmaṇa had two daughters: the first was named Nandā, and the second was named Bālā. Then those two daughters came out toward the Buddha. Having arrived at the Buddha's place, they bowed their heads to the Buddha's feet and withdrew to stand to one side. The Buddha expounded the Dharma to them, and they attained the fruit of srotāpanna. Having requested and received the three refuges and the five precepts, they immediately took the Buddha's bowl, filled it with fine, delicious food, and offered it to the Buddha. At that time, having received their food, the World-Honoured One departed from the village. At that time, the great brāhmaṇa Deva heard from others that the great śramaṇa had arrived there. Having heard this, he reflected: 'Formerly, I invited that great śramaṇa and promised to provide him with food and drink. Now I am tormented by poverty; what plan can I make?' His wife replied to her husband Deva, saying: 'Please listen to what I may say, though I do not know whether it is right or not. I remember in past years when I was young, the great general brāhmaṇa once flirted with me, wanting to pursue worldly affairs. At that time I did not consent, but he briefly made improper contact. Now, my noble husband, send me to him to engage in worldly affairs, and demand from him whatever amount of money and goods [he can give]; with that, we can prepare food to give as alms to that great śramaṇa.' At that time Deva replied to his wife, saying: 'This is not right. We brāhmaṇas by right must not do such a thing.' Thereupon Deva went to the general's place and said: 'Excellent, excellent! I only wish that you would lend me five hundred coins. If I can repay them, that will be excellent. If by chance I cannot repay them, we two, husband and wife, will together enter your household, as you say, and do labor for you.' Then the general immediately gave Deva a full five hundred coins and said to him: 'Now take them and use them as you wish. When the matter is concluded, you may not borrow from others to repay me; according to your promise, you must exert your own personal effort to earn the money and give it to me.' At that time Deva, having received the five hundred coins according to custom from the general, returned to his own home and handed them to his wife to prepare the food and drink. He then went into the grove to the Buddha's place, wishing to invite the Tathāgata: 'Excellent, O Great Virtuous One, Śramaṇa Gautama! I only wish you would accept my meal tomorrow.' Then the World-Honoured One accepted the invitation in silence. Taking leave of the Buddha, he departed and arrived at his own house. In the city, cooked food was sold in all the streets and alleys. At that time Deva, during that night, carefully prepared many kinds of sweet and delicious foods. That night, all such flavors were prepared. When the night passed and dawn broke, having swept the inside of his house and arranged the couches and seats, he went to the Buddha's place, knelt down on both knees, and announced: 'The food and drink have been prepared; please deign to come to my home.' At that time, when the time for eating had arrived, the World-Honoured One put on his robes, took his bowl, walked gradually, and arrived at Deva's house, where he sat upon the arranged seat. The husband and wife held with their own hands many kinds of exquisite, pure, and varied foods, and stood before the Buddha to offer them to the World-Honoured One, [saying]: 'We only wish the Tathāgata will eat at his pleasure.' When Deva had finished serving food to the Buddha, he separately laid out a seat beside the Buddha and sat down. After he sat down, the World-Honoured One expounded the Dharma to Deva as appropriate. Having caused him to rejoice, he rose from his seat and departed at his pleasure. At that time Deva escorted the Buddha out. Deva's wife had borrowed clothes from another to wear; seeing that the Buddha had left, she immediately took off the clothes, placed them in one spot, and swept the floor. At that time a thief suddenly came, stole her clothes, and took them away. Because she had lost the clothes, the wife was greatly sorrowful and distressed in mind. When Deva returned home after escorting the Buddha, he saw his wife in confusion and agitation, and immediately asked: 'Why are you so distressed?' The wife replied to her husband, saying: 'You should know that the borrowed clothes—I do not know who stole them—are suddenly lost.' When Deva heard these words, his mind became faint and bewildered, not knowing what to do. He spoke thus: 'I already borrowed five hundred coins from another to use as offerings. Now you borrowed clothes from another to wear, and suddenly they are lost again. Our household is poor and destitute; with what can we repay? What plan can be made?' Then Deva sought to kill himself. He immediately went to the śītavana cemetery, climbed up a large tree, and wished to throw himself to the ground, but he could not fall; thereupon he was in great sorrow again. However, that thief, holding the clothes, came to the śītavana cemetery, and suddenly came back right under the tree that Deva had climbed. He dug the ground, buried them, covered them with dirt, defecated on top, and departed when finished. At that time, Deva was up in the tree and saw this matter from afar. After the thief had left, he climbed down from the tree, dug up the clothes, and took them back toward his house. Meanwhile, Deva's wife was sweeping inside the house, clearing things section by section. One corner of the house suddenly caved in on its own. Lowering her head to look, she saw an earthen bronze jar in the ground containing gold. And so forth, down to, in brief, she saw a second jar, a third, and a fourth; all were such jars. Looking further beneath them, she saw another large bronze urn, also filled with gold. Having seen the gold, she cried out in great astonishment, pointing to show her husband, saying: 'Noble husband, noble husband! Come quickly, come quickly! I have found it!' At that time Deva heard his wife's voice and thought: 'Pitiable is this woman! Why has she lost her mind and made such wild talk, saying, "I have found goods"? Earlier, the clothes borrowed from elsewhere were lost. I have now found the clothes; the clothes are right here. Why does she cry out, "I have found it"?' Then Deva brought the clothes into the house and asked his wife: 'You who stay in the house, what have you found?' The wife thereupon pointed out the gold to him, saying to her noble husband: 'I found this here.' Then Deva also said to his wife: 'The clothes you lost, I have also found.' The woman took the clothes to the place where they had been borrowed and returned them to their owner. Then Deva thought: 'I cannot consume and exhaust so much gold alone.' He immediately took five hundred coins and went straight back to the general to repay his debt. Having arrived, he said to the great general: 'I borrowed five hundred coins from you, the humane one; here is the money to return to you.' Then the general said to Deva: 'I told you before that you may not borrow money from others to repay me, but must only use your own physical labor to repay me.' Deva said again: 'I did not borrow this from another.' The general asked again: 'Where did you get it?' Deva replied: 'I found this treasure of gold from the earth.' The general did not believe him. At that time Deva brought the general to his own house to show him the treasure of gold. At that time the general saw a heap of charcoal, and said to Deva: 'Why do you deceive me? Telling me that this charcoal is gold!' Then Deva spoke once more to that general: 'This is truly real gold, not charcoal.' He repeated this two and three times. After the third time, he touched the treasure of gold with his hand and called out: 'This is gold, not charcoal!' He also made a vow: 'If by the power of the causes and conditions of my wholesome karma I obtained this gold, I pray that the general may see it.' Having spoken thus, the charcoal immediately became gold. Having seen this gold hidden in the ground, the general asked again: 'Whom did you make offerings to today? Was it a deva, an immortal, or a good man, that he granted you such retribution in fulfillment of your wish?' Deva replied: 'Today, my household made offerings solely to that great śramaṇa, presenting a gift of food. Through sympathetic resonance relying on the merit thereof, the fruit of retribution was destined to be accomplished.' The general replied: 'This treasure of gold has all arisen on account of the causes and conditions of your wholesome karma. No one can seize this retribution, and no one can cut it off. Do not doubt; eat and enjoy it in peace.'