諸經要集 14.94

14.94

又百緣經云。佛在世時。王舍城中有一長者。財寶無量不可稱計。其婦足滿十月。便欲產子。然不肯出。尋重有身。足滿十月。復產一子。先懷者住在右脇。如是次第懷妊九子。各滿十月而產。唯先一子故在胎中。不肯出外。其母極患。設諸湯藥以自療治。病無降損。囑及家中。我腹中子。故活不死。今若設終。必開我腹取子養育。其母於時不免所患即便命終。時諸眷屬載其屍骸詣於塚間。請大醫耆婆破腹看之。得一小兒形狀故小。頭鬚皓白俯膢而行。四向顧視。語諸親言。汝等當知。我由先身惡口罵辱眾僧故。處此熟藏中。經六十年。受是苦惱。難可叵當。諸親聞已號啼悲哭。不能答之。爾時世尊。遙知此兒善根已熟。將諸大眾。往到屍所。告小兒言。汝是長老比丘不。答言。實是。第二第三亦如是問。故言道是。時諸大眾。見此小兒與佛答對。各懷疑惑。前白佛言。今此老兒宿造何業。在腹髮白俯膢而行。復與如來共相答問。爾時世尊告諸大眾。此賢劫中有佛出世。號曰迦葉。有諸比丘夏坐安居。眾僧和合。差一比丘年在老耄為僧維那。共立制限於此夏坐。要得道者聽共自恣。若未得者不聽自恣。今此維那獨不得道。僧皆不聽布薩自恣。心懷懊惱而作是言。我獨為爾營理僧事。令汝等輩安隱行道。今復還返更不聽自恣布薩羯磨。即便瞋恚罵辱眾僧。僧尋即牽捉閉著室中。作是唱言。使汝等輩常處暗冥不見光明。如我今者處此暗室。作是語已自勠命終。墮地獄中。受大苦惱。今始得脫。故在胎中受是苦惱。眾僧聞已。各護三業厭離生死。得四沙門果者。有發辟支佛心者。有發無上菩提心者。時諸親屬。還將老兒詣家養育。年漸長大放令出家。得阿羅漢果。佛告比丘。緣於往昔供養眾僧及作維那營理僧事故。今得值我出家得道。比丘聞已。歡喜奉行。

Furthermore, the Baiyuan jing says: When the Buddha was in the world, in the city of Rājagṛha there was a householder whose wealth and treasures were boundless and beyond count. His wife completed the full ten months and was about to give birth to a child, yet it would not come out. Soon she became pregnant again; completing the full ten months, she gave birth to another child, while the one conceived first remained on her right side. In this manner, in succession she conceived nine children, each born after completing ten months; only that first child remained in the womb and refused to come out. His mother suffered terribly, taking various decoctions and medicines to treat herself, but the illness did not subside. She gave instructions to her household: 'The child in my belly is still alive and has not died. If I should die now, you must cut open my belly, take out the child, and raise it.' His mother at that time could not escape the affliction and immediately died. Her relatives then carried her corpse to the cemetery and asked the great physician Jīvaka to cut open the belly and look inside. He found a small child whose form was still tiny, but whose hair and beard were stark white, walking bent over and looking about in the four directions. He said to his relatives, 'You should know that because of an evil mouth reviling the Saṃgha in my previous life, I have dwelt in this womb for sixty years, undergoing such affliction, difficult to bear.' Hearing this, the relatives wailed and wept bitterly, unable to answer him. At that time, the Bhagavat knew from afar that this child's wholesome roots had matured, and he led the great assembly to the place of the corpse. He addressed the small child: 'Are you an elder bhikṣu?' He replied, 'I truly am.' A second and third time he also asked like this, and he still said, 'I am.' At that time, seeing this small child conversing in question and answer with the Buddha, the great assembly each harboured doubt. Coming forward, they addressed the Buddha: 'What karma did this old child commit in a past life, that in the womb his hair turned white, he walks bent over, and he converses in questions and answers with the Tathāgata?' At that time, the Bhagavat told the great assembly: 'In this Auspicious Kalpa, there was a Buddha who appeared in the world named Kāśyapa. Bhikṣus were observing the summer retreat, and the Saṃgha, in harmony, appointed an elderly bhikṣu as the karmadāna for the Saṃgha. Together they established a regulation for this summer retreat: only those who attained the Path would be permitted to participate in the pravāraṇā; if one had not attained it, he would not be permitted to participate in the pravāraṇā. Now, this karmadāna alone did not attain the Path, and the Saṃgha all did not permit him to participate in the poṣadha and pravāraṇā. Harouring resentment, he spoke these words: "I alone managed the affairs of the Saṃgha for you, allowing your sort to practice the Path in peace and security; yet now in turn you do not permit me to participate in the pravāraṇā and poṣadha karmans!" Forthwith, in anger, he reviled the Saṃgha. The Saṃgha immediately seized him and locked him in a room. He cried out: "May your sort constantly dwell in darkness and never see the light, just as I now dwell in this dark room!" Having spoken these words, he killed himself and ended his life. Falling into hell, he suffered great affliction; only now has he managed to escape, yet in the womb he still suffered this affliction.' Having heard this, the bhikṣus each guarded their three karmas and felt revulsion toward saṃsāra: some attained the four fruits of a śramaṇa, some resolved their minds on pratyekabuddhahood, and some resolved their minds on unexcelled bodhi. At that time, the relatives took the old child back to their home and raised him. When he gradually grew up, they permitted him to go forth; he attained the fruit of an arhat. The Buddha told the bhikṣus: 'Because of having made offerings to the Saṃgha in the past and serving as karmadāna to manage the Saṃgha's affairs, he has now encountered me, gone forth, and attained the Path.' Having heard this, the bhikṣus rejoiced and practiced accordingly.