[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Indian literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in) › [Buddhist Literature](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha) › [Taishō Tripiṭaka (Chinese Buddhist canon)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho) › [諸經要集](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2123) › 6.61 # 諸經要集 6.61 諸經要集 6.61 - **Language:** Classical Chinese ### [6.61](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2123.6.61) 又賢愚經云。佛在舍衛國。與諸弟子千二百五十人俱。國中有五百乞兒。常依如來。隨逐眾僧。乞匂自活。厭心內發求索出家。共白佛言。如來出世甚為難遇。我等下賤蒙濟身命。今貪出家。不審許不。告諸乞兒。我法清淨無有貴賤。譬如清水洗諸不淨。若貴若賤。水之所洗無不淨者。又如大火所至之處。其被燒者。無不燋然。又如虛空。貧富貴賤。有入中者。隨意自恣。乞兒聞說。並皆歡喜。信心倍隆。歸誠出家。佛告善來。頭髮自墮法衣在身。沙門形相於是具足。佛為說法。成阿羅漢。於時國中諸豪長者。聞度乞兒皆興慢心。云何如來。聽此下賤之人在眾僧次。我等修福。請佛眾食。令此下賤坐我床席捉我食器。爾時太子祇陀。請佛及僧。遣使白佛。唯願世尊。明受我請及比丘僧。所度乞兒我不請之。慎勿將來。明日食時。佛告乞兒。吾受彼請。汝不及例。今可往至欝單越。取自然成熟粳米。還至其家。隨意坐次。自食粳米。比丘如命。即以神足往彼世界。各各自取滿鉢還。攝威儀乘空而來。如雁飛至祇陀家坐。隨次各食。於時太子。覩眾比丘威儀進止神足福德。敬心歡喜歎未曾有。而白佛言。不審。此諸賢聖從何。方來。佛告祇陀。若欲知者。正是昨日所不請者。具向太子說其因緣。爾時祇陀聞說是語。極懷慚愧。自我愚弊不別明闇。不審。此徒種何善行。今值世尊特蒙殊潤。復造何咎乞丐自活。佛告祇陀。過去久遠時。有大國名波羅柰。有一山名曰利師。古昔諸佛多住其中。若無佛時。有二千辟支佛。恒至其中。有一長者。名曰散陀寧。時世旱儉。其家巨富。即問藏監。今我藏中穀米多少。欲請大士。未知供不。藏監對曰。饒多足供。即請二千辟支。飯食供養。差五百使人。供設飯食。時諸使人厭心便生。我等諸人所以辛苦。皆由此諸乞兒。爾時長者。恒令一人知白時到。養一狗子日日逐往。爾時使人。卒值一日忘不往白。狗子時到獨往常處。向諸大士高聲而吠。諸辟支佛聞其狗吠。即知時到來詣便坐。如法受食。因白長者。天今當雨宜可種殖。長者如言耕種。所種之物盡變為瓠。長者見怪。隨時溉灌。後熟皆大。即劈看之。隨所種物。成治淨好。麥滿其中。長者歡喜。其家滿溢。復分親族。合國一切咸蒙恩澤。是時五百作食之人。念言。斯之獲果實。是大士之恩。我等云何惡言向彼。即往其所請求改悔。復立誓言。願使我等於將來世。遭值賢聖蒙得解脫。由此之故。五百世中常作乞兒。因其改悔復立誓故。今遭我世蒙得過度。太子當知。爾時大富散陀寧者。我身是也。時藏臣者今須達是也。日白時到者。今優填王是也。五百作食人者。今此五百阿羅漢是也。爾時祇陀及眾會者。覩其神變。皆得四果。 > Furthermore, the \*Xianyu jing\* says: The Buddha was in Śrāvastī with a gathering of one thousand two hundred and fifty disciples. In the state there were five hundred beggars who constantly relied on the Tathāgata and followed after the Saṅgha, begging to support themselves. The thought of revulsion \[for worldly life\] arose within them, and they sought to leave the household life. Together they addressed the Buddha, saying, 'The Tathāgata's appearance in the world is extremely difficult to encounter. We are of base and lowly status, yet have received your aid to sustain our lives. Now we desire to leave the household life; we do not know whether you will permit it or not.' \[The Buddha\] told the beggars, 'My Dharma is pure, without high or low status. It is like clean water that washes away all defilements: whether noble or base, nothing washed by the water fails to become clean. It is also like a great fire: wherever it reaches, whatever is burned by it is completely consumed. It is also like empty space: whether rich or poor, noble or base, anyone who enters into it may act freely as they please.' Hearing this spoken, the beggars all rejoiced. Their faith doubled, and they sincerely took refuge and left the household life. The Buddha addressed them: 'Welcome!' Their hair fell off naturally and Dharma robes appeared on their bodies; the appearances of śramaṇas were thus fully complete. The Buddha preached the Dharma for them, and they became arhats. At that time, the powerful elders of the state, hearing of the ordaining of the beggars, all gave rise to arrogance: 'How could the Tathāgata permit such lowly people into the ranks of the Saṅgha? When we cultivate merit and invite the Buddha and the Saṅgha to eat, it will cause these lowly persons to sit on our couches and hold our eating vessels!' Then Prince Jeta invited the Buddha and the Saṅgha. He sent a messenger to address the Buddha: 'My only wish is that the Bhagavat and the bhikṣu-saṅgha will accept my invitation tomorrow. As for the ordained beggars, I do not invite them; be careful not to bring them.' The next day at mealtime, the Buddha told the beggars, 'I have accepted his invitation, but you are not included. You may now go to Uttarakuru, take naturally ripened non-glutinous rice, return to his house, sit in order as you wish, and eat the non-glutinous rice yourselves.' Following his instruction, the bhikṣus immediately went to that world using psychic powers. Each took a full bowl and returned. Composing their deportment and travelling through the air, they arrived like geese flying to Jeta's house, sat down, and ate in their respective orders. At that time, the prince beheld the deportment, movements, psychic powers, and meritorious virtues of the bhikṣus. With respectful heart he rejoiced, praising it as unprecedented, and addressed the Buddha, saying, 'I do not know: from which direction have these worthy and noble ones come?' The Buddha told Jeta, 'If you wish to know, these are precisely the ones you did not invite yesterday.' He explained their causes and conditions in detail to the prince. At that time, hearing these words, Jeta felt extreme shame and remorse: 'Because of my own foolishness and blindness, I did not distinguish light from darkness. I wonder: what good deeds did this group plant in the past that now they encounter the Bhagavat and especially receive such exceptional grace? And what fault did they commit that they had to beg for food to sustain themselves?' The Buddha told Jeta, 'In the remote past, there was a great kingdom named Vārāṇasī. There was a mountain named Ṛṣi where many ancient Buddhas had dwelt. When there were no Buddhas, two thousand pratyekabuddhas constantly came to it. There was an elder named Santāne. At that time there was a drought and famine, but his household was immensely wealthy. He asked his storehouse keeper, "How much grain and rice is in my storehouse now? I wish to invite the Great Beings, but I do not know if there is enough to provide for them." The storehouse keeper replied, "There is an abundance, plenty to provide for them." He then invited the two thousand pratyekabuddhas to make food offerings, and dispatched five hundred servants to prepare and serve the food. At that time, revulsion arose in the minds of the servants: "The reason we suffer such hardship is entirely because of these beggars!" At that time, the elder always ordered one person to inform \[them\] when the time had arrived, and he kept a dog that followed him there every day. Then, one day, the servant unexpectedly forgot to go and announce \[the time\]. When the time arrived, the dog went alone to the usual place and barked loudly at the Great Beings. Hearing the dog bark, the pratyekabuddhas knew the time had arrived, came to the house, sat down, and received the food in accordance with the Dharma. They then addressed the elder, "It will rain today; it is suitable to sow seeds." Following their words, the elder plowed and sowed. Everything he sowed turned completely into gourds. The elder found it strange, yet irrigated them in due season. Later, when they ripened, they were all huge. He split them open to look: depending on what had been sown, pure, good, processed barley filled them completely. The elder rejoiced; his household overflowed \[with grain\], and he further distributed it to his relatives. Everyone throughout the whole state received his favor. At that time, the five hundred people who prepared the food thought: "This harvesting of fruit is truly the favor of the Great Beings. Why did we speak harsh words toward them?" They immediately went to their dwelling to seek repentance, and furthermore made a vow: "May we, in future lives, encounter worthy and noble ones and receive liberation!" Because of this \[fault\], for five hundred lifetimes they were always beggars; because of their repentance and their vow, now they have met my era and attained deliverance. Prince, you should know: the wealthy Santāne of that time was myself. The storehouse official of that time was the present Sudatta. The one who daily announced that the time had arrived was the present King Udayana. The five hundred food-preparers were these five hundred arhats.' At that time, Jeta and the assembly, beholding their miraculous transformations, all attained the four fruits. > — English (machine translation) (machine translation) - [Previous: 6.60](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2123.6.60) - [Next: 6.62](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2123.6.62) - [Up: 6](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2123.6) ## Translations (1) - [English (machine translation)](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2123~en-mt.6.61) — English, machine translation --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2123.6.61](https://indike.org/pramana/in.bauddha.taisho.2123.6.61) · Pramāṇa