諸經要集 20.73

20.73

又百緣經云。佛在王舍城迦蘭陀竹林。時尊者舍利弗。大目揵連。設欲食時。先觀地獄畜生餓鬼。然後方食。目連見一餓鬼。身如燋柱。腹如太山。咽如細針。髮如錐刀纏刺其身。諸支節間皆悉火出。呻吟大喚四向馳走。求索屎尿以為飲食。疲苦終日而不能得。即問鬼言。汝造何業受如是苦。餓鬼答言。有日之處不煩燈燭。如來世尊今現在世。汝可自問。我今飢渴不能答汝。爾時目連尋往佛所。具問如來所造業行。受如是苦。具以上問。爾時世尊告目連曰。汝今善聽吾為汝說。此賢劫中。舍衛城中有一長者。財寶無量不可稱計。常令僕使壓甘蔗汁。以輸大家。有辟支佛甚患渴病。良醫處藥。教服甘蔗汁。病乃可差。時辟支佛往長者家。乞甘蔗汁。時彼長者見來歡喜。尋勅其婦富那奇。我有急緣定欲出去。汝今在後。取甘蔗汁施辟支佛。時婦答言。汝但出去我後自與。時夫出已。取辟支佛鉢。於其屏處小便鉢中。以甘蔗汁蓋覆鉢上。與辟支佛。辟支受已尋知非是。投棄於地空鉢還歸。其後命終墮餓鬼中。常為飢渴所見逼切。以是業緣受如是苦。佛告目連。欲知爾時彼長者婦。今富那奇餓鬼是。佛說是時。諸比丘等。捨慳貪緣厭惡生死。有得四沙門果者。有發辟支佛心者。有發無上菩提心者。爾時諸比丘。聞佛所說歡喜奉行。

Furthermore, the Avadānaśataka states: When the Buddha was in the Karaṇḍa Bamboo Grove at Rājagṛha, the Venerables Śāriputra and Mahāmaudgalyāyana, whenever they wished to eat, would first contemplate the hells, animals, and hungry ghosts, and only then would eat. Maudgalyāyana saw a hungry ghost whose body was like a scorched pillar, belly like Mount Tai, throat like a fine needle, and hair like awls and knives tangling and piercing its body. Fire burst forth from between all its limbs and joints. Groaning and crying aloud, it scurried in all four directions, seeking feces and urine for food and drink, exhausted and tormented all day without being able to get any. He then asked the ghost: 'What karma did you perform to suffer such torment?' The hungry ghost replied: 'Where the sun shines, one does not need lamps and candles. The Tathāgata, the Bhagavat, is now present in the world; you may ask him yourself. I am now starving and thirsty and cannot answer you.' At that time, Maudgalyāyana immediately went to the Buddha's place and fully asked the Tathāgata what deeds it had done to suffer such torment, asking everything as above. At that time, the Bhagavat told Maudgalyāyana: 'Listen closely now, and I will explain it for you. In this Fortunate Kalpa, in the city of Śrāvastī, there was a guildmaster of immeasurable, incalculable wealth. He constantly ordered his servants to press sugarcane juice to deliver to his family. A pratyekabuddha suffered severely from an illness of thirst. A good physician prescribed medicine, instructing him to take sugarcane juice so that the illness could be cured. Then the pratyekabuddha went to the guildmaster's house to beg for sugarcane juice. At that time, the guildmaster was delighted to see him come and immediately instructed his wife, Puṇyā: “I have an urgent matter and must go out. Stay behind, take sugarcane juice, and offer it to the pratyekabuddha.” The wife replied: “Just go out; I will give it to him myself afterward.” When the husband had left, she took the pratyekabuddha's bowl, urinated into the bowl in a secluded place, covered the top of the bowl with sugarcane juice, and gave it to the pratyekabuddha. Having received it, the pratyekabuddha immediately knew it was not right, cast it onto the ground, and returned with an empty bowl. Afterward, when she died, she fell among the hungry ghosts, constantly pressed by hunger and thirst. Due to this karmic cause, she suffers such torment.' The Buddha told Maudgalyāyana: 'If you wish to know who the guildmaster's wife was at that time, she is this hungry ghost Puṇyā.' When the Buddha spoke this, the monks abandoned causes of stinginess and greed and felt revulsion toward saṃsāra. Some attained the four fruits of śramaṇahood, some gave rise to the aspiration for pratyekabuddhahood, and some gave rise to the aspiration for unsurpassed bodhi. At that time, the monks heard what the Buddha had said, and rejoiced and practiced accordingly.