諸經要集 15.42

15.42

是時盲母養兒已大。年八九歲堪能行來。與杖一枚食器一具。而告子曰。汝自乞活不須住此。吾亦無目。復當乞求以濟餘命。此盲小兒家家乞求。遂後漸至栴檀香家。在門外立。唱盲兒乞。時守門人。瞋恚捉手擲著深坑。傷折左臂復打頭破。所乞得食盡棄在地。有人臨見甚憐愍傷。往語盲母。盲母聞已匍匐拄杖。到盲兒所抱著膝上。而語兒言。汝有何愆遭此苦厄。子報母曰。我向者至栴檀香家門外而乞。便遇惡人打擲如是。佛時知已。告阿難言。禍災禍災。難陀長者命終。與彼旃陀羅家盲婦作子。生無兩目。昔所居業豪富無量。象馬七珍不可稱計。而今復得親用不耶。然由慳貪受此盲報。從此命終入阿鼻獄。佛於過中與比丘眾國城人民圍遶。往到栴檀香門盲小兒所。時栴檀香聞佛在外。出門禮拜在一面立。佛知眾集。復見栴檀。廣為眾說慳貪嫉妬受罪無量。加說惠施受福無窮。欲使離有趣無為道。爾時世尊。欲與栴檀香拔地獄苦。告小兒曰。汝是難陀長者非耶。小兒報曰。實是難陀。如是至三。大眾聞此愕然而言。難陀長者乃受此形。時栴檀香。聞見此事。悲泣墮淚不能自止。禮佛求救。願拔罪根。即請佛僧明日舍食。佛明日食竟為說妙法。時栴檀香得須陀洹果。佛告阿難。若人積財。不自衣食復不布施。愚中之愚。是故智者。應當行施求離生死。莫生慳悋受無邊苦。

At that time, the blind mother raised the child until he was grown, eight or nine years of age, and capable of walking about. Giving him a staff and an eating vessel, she told her son: “Beg for your own living; you must not stay here. I too have no eyes and must also beg to sustain what remains of my life.” This blind little child went from house to house begging, and gradually he reached the house of Candana. Standing outside the gate, he called out, “A blind child begs!” At that time, the gatekeeper in anger seized his hand and threw him into a deep pit, breaking his left arm and fracturing his head; the food he had begged was all spilled upon the ground. Someone who saw it felt great pity and grief, and went to tell the blind mother. Hearing this, the blind mother crawled with her staff to where the blind child was, took him onto her lap, and said to her son: “What fault did you commit to suffer such hardship?” The son replied to his mother: “Earlier I went outside the gate of Candana’s house to beg, and I met an evil man who struck and threw me like this.” The Buddha, knowing this at the time, said to Ānanda: “How disastrous! How disastrous! The householder Nanda died and became the child of that blind caṇḍāla woman, born without two eyes. His former estate was boundlessly wealthy, with elephants, horses, and the seven jewels beyond count; yet can he personally use them now? It was because of stinginess and greed that he received this retribution of blindness, and after this life ends he will enter the Avīci Hell.” After midday, surrounded by the assembly of bhikṣus and the citizens of the capital, the Buddha went to the gate of Candana, to the place of the blind child. At that time, Candana, hearing that the Buddha was outside, came out of the gate, bowed, and stood to one side. The Buddha, knowing the assembly had gathered and seeing Candana, broadly explained to the assembly that stinginess, greed, and jealousy incur limitless punishment, and furthermore explained that giving receives inexhaustible blessings, wishing to cause them to leave the realms of rebirth and proceed toward the unconditioned path. At that time, the Bhagavat, wishing to pull Candana out of the suffering of hell, said to the child: “Are you not the householder Nanda?” The child replied: “I am indeed Nanda.” This occurred three times. Hearing this, the great assembly was astonished and said, “Can it be that the householder Nanda has taken such a form?” At that time, hearing and seeing this, Candana wept tears uncontrollably. He bowed to the Buddha and pleaded for rescue, wishing to eradicate the root of sin. He then invited the Buddha and the Saṃgha to have a meal at his home the next day. The next day, when the meal was finished, the Buddha spoke the wondrous Dharma for him, and Candana attained the fruit of srotāpanna. The Buddha told Ānanda: “If a person amasses wealth, neither clothing and feeding himself nor practicing dāna, he is the most foolish of the foolish. Therefore, the wise should practice giving to seek freedom from saṃsāra, and not give rise to stinginess to suffer boundless torment.”