諸經要集 6.63

6.63

如賢愚經云。昔佛在世時。尊者迦旃延。在阿槃提國。時彼國中。有一長者大富饒財。家有一婢小有愆過長者鞭打晝夜走使。衣不蓋形食不充口。年老辛苦思死不得。適持𤬪詣河取水。舉聲大哭。爾時尊者。聞其哭聲往到其所。問知因緣。即語之言。汝若貧者。何不賣之。老母答言。誰買貧者。迦旃延言。貧實可賣。老母向言。貧可賣者。賣之云何。迦旃延言。汝若賣者。一隨我語。告令先洗。洗已教施。母白尊者。我今貧窮身上衣無。手許完納。唯有此𤬪是大家許。當以何施。即持鉢與。教取水施。受為呪願。次與授戒。復教念佛。竟問之言。汝止何處。婢即答言。無定止處。隨舂炊磨即宿其處。或在糞堆。尊者語言。汝好勤心恭謹走使。伺其大家一切臥訖。竊開戶入。於其戶內敷草而坐。思惟觀佛。母受教已。至夜坐處戶內命終。生忉利天。大家曉見瞋恚而言。此婢常不聽入舍。何忽此死。即便遣人。以草繫脚置寒林中。此婢生天與五百天子以為眷屬。即以天眼。觀見故身生天因緣。尋即將彼五百天子。齎持香華到寒林中。燒香散花供養死屍。放天光明照於村林。大家見怪。普告遠近。詣林觀看見已語言。此婢已死何故供養。天子報言。此吾故身。即為具說生天因緣。後皆迴詣迦旃延所。禮拜供養因緣說法。五百天子。悉皆獲。得須陀洹果。既得果已還歸天上。以是因緣。智者應當如是學之。

As the *Xianyu jing* says: In the past, when the Buddha was in the world, the Venerable Kātyāyana was in the kingdom of Avanti. At that time in that kingdom, there was an elder of great wealth. In his household there was a maidservant who, upon the slightest fault, was whipped by the elder and driven to labor day and night. Her clothes did not cover her body and her food did not fill her mouth. Old and suffering hardship, she longed to die but could not. Just as she was carrying a jar to the river to draw water, she began weeping aloud. At that time the Venerable One heard her crying, went to her, and asked about the causes. He then said to her, 'If you are poor, why do not sell [your poverty]?' The old woman replied, 'Who buys poverty?' Kātyāyana said, 'Poverty can truly be sold.' The old woman said to him, 'If poverty can be sold, how does one sell it?' Kātyāyana said, 'If you wish to sell it, fully follow my instructions.' He told her to first wash herself; when she had washed, he taught her to give alms. The woman addressed the Venerable One, 'I am destitute now. On my body there is not a whole patch of clothing; I have only this jar, which belongs to my master. With what should I make an offering?' He then held out his bowl and gave it to her, instructing her to draw water and offer it. He received it, uttered an auspicious blessing, next conferred the precepts upon her, and taught her buddhānusmṛti. When finished, he asked her, 'Where do you stay?' The maidservant replied, 'I have no fixed place to stay. Wherever I hull, cook, or grind, I spend the night there, or else on the dung heap.' The Venerable One told her, 'Direct your mind to diligence and respectfully run your errands. Wait until everyone in your master's house has gone to sleep, then secretly open the door, enter, spread grass inside the doorway, sit, and contemplate the Buddha.' Having received the teaching, when night came the woman went to her sitting place inside the doorway and passed away. She was reborn in the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven. At dawn, when the master saw her, he said in anger, 'This maidservant was never allowed to enter the house; why did she suddenly die here?' He immediately sent people to tie her feet with grass and place her in the cold forest (śītavana). Having been reborn in heaven, this maidservant had five hundred devaputras as her retinue. Using the divine eye, she observed her past body and the causes and conditions of her heavenly rebirth. Immediately leading those five hundred devaputras, bearing incense and flowers, she went to the cold forest, burned incense, scattered flowers, made offerings to the corpse, and emitted heavenly radiance that illuminated the village and the forest. The master found it strange, and made it widely known near and far. When people went to the forest to look, having seen it, they asked, 'This maidservant is already dead; why do you make offerings to her?' The devaputra replied, 'This was my past body,' and detailed the causes and conditions of her heavenly rebirth. Afterwards, they all returned together to Kātyāyana's place, made obeisance, presented offerings, and heard the Dharma expounded according to the causes and conditions. The five hundred devaputras all attained the fruit of srotāpanna. Having attained the fruit, they returned to heaven. Through these causes and conditions, the wise should learn in this manner.