諸經要集 3.60

3.60

又分別功德論云。昔舍衛城中有夫婦。二人而無子息。夫婦精進信敬三寶。時婦早亡。由信敬故生忉利天。以為天女。面首端正天中少比。天女自念。我極端正。今此間誰任我夫。便以天眼觀見本夫。今以出家年老暗短。專信而已。常勤掃除塔廟為業。見其掃塔必應生天。天女尋下。光明照曜住其夫前。比丘見已問其因緣。天女答曰。我是君婦今為天女。我觀天上無任我夫。見君精進常勤掃塔。必應生天。若得生天。願同一處還為我夫。是以故來陳其情狀。白意已訖還歸天上。時夫比丘見此事已。從是以後增加精進。修補塔廟積功轉勝。應生第四兜率天上。天女憶夫復來語言。君福轉勝應生兜率天。我今不復得君為夫。語訖還去。比丘聞已倍更精進。遂獲得阿羅漢果。三明六通具八解脫。

Furthermore, the Fenbie gongde lun states: 'Formerly, in the city of Śrāvastī, there was a married couple who had no children. The husband and wife were vigorous and revered the Triratna with faith. Then the wife died early; due to her faith and reverence, she was born in the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven as a devī, with a lovely countenance and few equals in the heaven. The devī reflected: "I am exceedingly beautiful; who here is suitable to be my husband?" She then used the divine eye to see her former husband: he had now left home, was advanced in age and of dull intellect, possessing only single-minded faith, and constantly and diligently swept stūpas and temples as his practice. Seeing that through his sweeping of stūpas he would certainly be born in heaven, the devī promptly descended, her light shining brilliantly, and stood before her husband. The bhikṣu saw her and asked the reason. The devī replied: "I was your wife, and am now a devī. I saw that in heaven none is suitable to be my husband. Seeing that you are vigorous and constantly and diligently sweep stūpas, you will certainly be born in heaven. If you obtain birth in heaven, I wish to share the same place and be your husband again. Therefore I came to express my feelings." Having declared her intention, she returned to heaven. The bhikṣu husband, having witnessed this matter, from then on increased his vigor, repaired stūpas and temples, and accumulated merits that grew superior, such that he should be born in the fourth, Tuṣita Heaven. Longing for her husband, the devī came again and said to him: "Your merit has become superior, and you should be born in the Tuṣita Heaven. I can no longer have you as my husband." Having spoken, she departed. Hearing this, the bhikṣu became doubly vigorous, and ultimately attained the fruit of arhat, possessing the three knowledges, the six supernatural powers, and the eight liberations.'