諸經要集 9.82

9.82

如大集經濟龍品云。爾時眾中有一盲龍。名曰頗羅機梨奢。舉聲大哭作如是言。大聖世尊。願救濟我願救濟我。我今身中受大苦惱。日夜常為種種諸蟲之所唼食。居熱水中無時暫樂。佛言梨奢。汝過去世。於佛法中曾為比丘。毀破禁戒。內懷欺詐外現善相。廣貪眷屬弟子眾多。名聲四遠莫不聞知。我和尚得阿羅漢果。以是因緣。多得供養獨受用之。見持戒人反惡加說。彼人懊惱。如是念言。世世生中。願我所在食汝身肉。如是惡業死生龍中。是汝前身。眾生願故食噉汝身。惡業因緣得此盲報。又過去無量劫中。在融赤銅地獄之中。常為諸蟲之所食噉。龍聞此語憂愁啼哭。作如是言。我等今者。皆悉至心咸共懺悔。願令此苦速得解脫。彼龍眾中二十六億諸餓龍等。念過去身皆悉雨淚。念過去身。於佛法中雖得出家備造惡業。經無量身在三惡道。以餘報故。猶在龍中受極大苦。如青色龍我亦如是。爾時世尊語諸龍言。汝可持水洗如來足。令汝殃罪漸得除滅。時一切龍以手掬水。水皆成火。變作大石。滿於手中生大猛焰。棄已復生。如是至七。一切龍眾見如是已。驚怖懊惱啼泣雨淚。佛教立大誓願已。焰火皆滅。乃至八過。以手捧水洗如來足。至心懺悔。佛記諸龍。彌勒佛時。當得人身值佛出家。精進持戒得羅漢果。時諸龍等得宿命心。自念過業。於佛法中。或為俗人親屬因緣。或復聽法來去雜緣。所有信心。捨施種種華果飲食。共諸比丘依次而食。或有說云。我常喫噉四方眾僧華果飲食。或有說言。我往寺舍布施眾僧。或復禮拜。如是喫噉。或復說言。我從毘婆尸如來法中。曾作俗人。乃至有說。我釋迦牟尼佛法之中。曾作俗人。或以親舊問訊因緣。或復來去聽法因緣。往還寺舍。有信心人供養僧故。捨施華果種種飲食。比丘得已迴施於我。我得便食。彼業因緣。於地獄中經無量劫。大猛火中或燒或煮。或飲洋銅或吞鐵丸。從地獄出墮畜生中。捨畜生身生餓鬼中。如是種種備受辛苦。惡業未盡生此龍中。常受苦惱。佛告諸龍。此之惡業。與盜佛物等無差別。此五逆業其罪如半。汝等今當盡受三歸一心修善。以此緣故。於賢劫中。值最後佛名曰樓至。於彼佛世罪得除滅。時諸龍等聞是語已。皆悉至心。盡其形壽各受三歸時彼眾中有盲龍女。口中胮爛滿諸雜蟲。狀如屎尿。乃至穢惡。猶若婦人根中不淨臊臭難看。種種噉食。膿血流出。一切身分。常為蚊虻諸惡毒蠅之所唼食。身體臭處不可見聞。爾時世尊以大悲心。見彼龍婦眼盲困苦如是。問言妹何緣故。得此惡身。於過去世曾為何業。龍婦答言。世尊。我今此身眾苦逼迫無暫時得停。設復欲言而不能說。我念過去。三十六億於百千年。生惡龍中受如是苦。乃至日夜剎那不停。為我往昔九十一劫。於毘婆尸佛。佛法之中作比丘尼。思念欲事過於醉人。雖復出家不能如法。於伽藍內犯於法律。恒受三惡道受諸燒煮說此語已。願救濟我身。爾時世尊說實語已。即以少水瀉龍口中。火及蟲膿悉皆滅盡。龍口清涼。作如是言。大聖如來。我憶過去。迦葉佛時。曾作俗人在田犁地。有一比丘。來從我乞求五十錢。我時報言。聽待穀熟當與汝食。比丘復言。若當五十不可得者。願乞十文。我於爾時。瞋彼比丘而語之言。乃至十文亦不相與。時彼比丘心生懊惱。又於餘時。往寺舍中入樹林中。輒便盜取現在僧物十菴羅果。而私食之。彼業因緣地獄受苦。惡業未盡。生野澤中作餓龍身。常為種種諸蟲食噉。膿血流溢飢渴苦惱。又彼比丘。以瞋忿心惡業緣故。死便即作小毒龍身。生我腋下𠲿於我血。熱氣觸身不可堪忍。是故我身熱膿血滿。龍白佛言。大悲世尊。唯願慈哀救濟於我。令我脫彼怨家毒龍。爾時世尊以手抄水。發誠實語作如是言。我曾往昔於飢饉世。爾時願作大身眾生。長廣無量。以神通力。於虛空中唱如是言。彼野澤中有大身蟲。名曰不瞋。汝等可往取其身肉以為飲食。可得不飢。時彼世中人非人等。聞此聲已。一切悉往競取食之。說是真實諦信語時。彼龍腋下小龍即出。時此二龍俱白佛言。世尊。我等久近離此龍身解脫殃罪。佛告龍言。此業大重次五無間。何以故。若有四方常住僧物。或現前僧物。篤信檀越重心施物。或華果樹園。飲食資生。床褥敷具。疾病湯藥。一切所須。私自費用。或持出外。乞與知識親里白衣。此罪重於阿鼻地獄所受果報。是故汝等可受三歸。歸三寶已。乃可得往於冷水中。如是三稱三受。身即安隱得入水中。爾時世尊即為諸龍而說偈言。

As it is said in the "Chapter on Saving Nāgas" of the Mahāsaṃnipāta-sūtra: At that time, among the assembly there was a blind nāga named Phalakileśa. Raising its voice, it wept aloud and said: "Great Holy World-Honoured One! Please rescue me, please rescue me! I am now undergoing great suffering and affliction in my body. Day and night I am constantly gnawed and eaten by various kinds of worms. Dwelling in boiling water, there is not a moment of ease." The Buddha said, "Kileśa! In your past lives, you were once a bhikṣu within the Buddha's teaching. You broke and violated the prohibitive precepts; within you harboured deceit and fraud, while externally presenting a virtuous appearance. You were widely covetous of retainers and had many disciples; your fame spread far in the four directions, known to everyone. [You said,] 'My preceptor has attained the fruit of an arhat.' Because of this, you obtained abundant offerings and consumed them alone. When seeing those who upheld the precepts, you falsely slandered and abused them. That person was anguished and thought: 'In life after life, birth after birth, may I wherever I am eat the flesh of your body!' Due to such evil karma, after dying you were born among nāgas. It is because of the vow of that person from your former life that they devour your body. Due to the conditions of your evil karma, you received this retribution of blindness. Furthermore, throughout immeasurable kalpas in the past, in the molten red-copper hell, you were constantly eaten and devoured by worms." Hearing these words, the nāga wept with grief and said: "All of us now, with sincere hearts, together repent! May we be swiftly liberated from this suffering!" Within that host of nāgas, twenty-six hundred million hungry nāgas shed tears like rain as they remembered their former lives. Remembering their former bodies, [they thought:] "Although we were able to renounce the household life in the Buddha's teaching, we committed all manner of evil deeds; we passed through immeasurable lifetimes in the three evil destinies, and because of the residual retribution, we still suffer extreme torment among nāgas. Just as with the blue-coloured nāga, we are also like this." At that time, the World-Honoured One said to the nāgas: "You may take water and wash the Tathāgata's feet; this will cause your calamitous offenses to be gradually extinguished." Then all the nāgas cupped water with their hands, but the water all turned into fire and transformed into large stones, filling their hands and generating great, fierce blazes. When discarded, they arose again, up to seven times. When all the nāga assembly saw this, they were terrified, anguished, wept, and shed tears like rain. The Buddha taught them to make great vows; thereupon the blazing fires were all extinguished. Then, for an eighth time, they held water with their hands and washed the Tathāgata's feet, repenting with sincere hearts. The Buddha prophesied to the nāgas: "At the time of Maitreya Buddha, you shall obtain human bodies, meet the Buddha, renounce the household life, vigorously uphold the precepts, and attain the fruit of an arhat." At that time, the nāgas attained knowledge of past lives and remembered their past karma: within the Buddha's teaching, either because of kinship with laypeople, or through various occasions of coming and going to hear the Dharma, whatever faithful devotees had given as offerings of various flowers, fruits, food, and drink, they had eaten sequentially together with the bhikṣus. Some said: "I constantly ate the flowers, fruits, food, and drink of the saṅgha of the four directions." Some said: "I went to monasteries to give alms to the saṅgha, or to pay homage, and thus ate in this way." Some further said: "From the Dharma of Vipaśyin Tathāgata, I was once a layperson..." up to some saying: "Within the Dharma of Śākyamuni Buddha, I was once a layperson. Either on visits to relatives and old acquaintances, or through coming and going to hear the Dharma, I frequented monasteries. Because faithful people made offerings to the saṅgha, giving flowers, fruits, and various kinds of food and drink, after the bhikṣus received them, they redirected and gave them to me; I received them and straightaway ate them. Due to the conditions of that karma, I spent immeasurable kalpas in hell, burned or boiled in great, fierce fires, drinking molten copper or swallowing iron balls. Emerging from hell, I fell among the animals; shedding the animal body, I was born among hungry ghosts. In such various ways, I underwent all manner of toil and bitter torment. Since my evil karma was not yet exhausted, I was born among these nāgas, constantly suffering affliction." The Buddha told the nāgas: "This evil karma is no different from stealing the Buddha's property. The offense of this karma is half that of the five heinous deeds. You must now all fully accept the three refuges and cultivate the good with single-mindedness. Due to this cause, during the Bhadrakalpa you will encounter the final Buddha, named Ruci; in that Buddha's era, your offenses will be extinguished." When the nāgas heard these words, they all with sincere hearts took the three refuges for as long as their lives would last. At that time, among the assembly there was a blind nāga woman. Her mouth was rotting and swollen, filled with various kinds of vermin resembling feces and urine, repulsive and foul, like the impurities in a woman's genital organ, putrid, stinking, and dreadful to behold. They devoured her in various ways, with pus and blood flowing forth. All parts of her body were constantly gnawed and eaten by mosquitoes, gadflies, and various venomous flies. The stench of her body was such that none could bear to see or smell it. At that time, the World-Honoured One, with a mind of great compassion, saw that the nāga woman was blind and distressed in this way, and asked: "Sister, due to what conditions did you obtain this wretched body? What karma did you commit in past lives?" The nāga woman replied: "World-Honoured One, my present body is oppressed by numerous sufferings without a moment's respite. Even if I wish to speak, I am unable to tell it. I recall that for thirty-six hundred million, for hundreds of thousands of years in the past, I have been born among evil nāgas and undergone such suffering, day and night without ceasing for a single kṣaṇa. Because ninety-one kalpas ago, in the Dharma of Vipaśyin Buddha, I was a bhikṣuṇī. My thoughts of sensual desire were worse than those of a drunken person. Although I had renounced the household life, I could not live according to the Dharma; within the saṅghārāma I violated the vinaya rules. I have constantly undergone the three evil destinies, undergoing burning and boiling." Having said this, [she pleaded,] "May you rescue my body!" Then the World-Honoured One, having spoken words of truth, immediately poured a little water into the nāga's mouth. The fire, vermin, and pus were all completely extinguished, and the nāga's mouth became cool and refreshed. She said: "Great Holy Tathāgata! I recall that in the past, at the time of Kāśyapa Buddha, I was once a layperson plowing the fields. A bhikṣu came to beg fifty coins from me. At that time I replied, 'Wait until the grain is ripe, and then I will give you food.' The bhikṣu said again, 'If fifty cannot be obtained, I beg for ten coins.' At that time, I became angry at the bhikṣu and said to him, 'I will not give you even ten coins!' Then that bhikṣu felt deep anguish in his heart. Furthermore, at another time, I went to a monastery, entered a grove of trees, and straightaway stole ten āmra fruits that were present property of the saṅgha and ate them in secret. Due to the conditions of that karma, I suffered torment in hell. When that evil karma was not yet exhausted, I was born in a wild swamp with the body of a hungry nāga, constantly eaten and devoured by various vermin, overflowing with pus and blood, afflicted by hunger and thirst. Moreover, that bhikṣu, due to the evil karma of his hateful and resentful mind, immediately became a small venomous nāga upon dying, born under my armpit to drink my blood. The heat scorching my body is unbearable; for this reason, my body is full of burning heat, pus, and blood." The nāga said to the Buddha: "Great Compassionate World-Honoured One! I only pray that in your mercy and pity you will rescue me, enabling me to be freed from this enemy, the venomous nāga!" At that time, the World-Honoured One scooped up water with his hand and, uttering true and sincere words, spoke thus: "Once in the past, during an age of famine, I made a vow to become a being with a vast body of immeasurable length and breadth. By supernormal power, I proclaimed in the open air: 'In that wild swamp there is a great-bodied creature named Inconsolable to Anger. You may go and take its flesh for food and drink, so that you will not starve!' Then the humans and non-humans in that world, upon hearing this voice, all went competing to take and eat it." When he spoke these true and trustworthy words, the small nāga under the nāga's armpit immediately emerged. At that time, both nāgas together addressed the Buddha: "World-Honoured One! How long until we leave these nāga bodies and are liberated from our calamitous offenses?" The Buddha told the nāgas: "This karma is extremely heavy, second only to the five uninterrupted deeds. Why? If there are permanent possessions of the saṅgha of the four directions, or possessions of the present saṅgha, items offered with deep respect by devoted dānapatis, or flower and fruit orchards, food, drink, and necessities of life, mattresses and bedding, medicines for illness—everything that is needed—and one uses them privately for personal expense, or takes them outside to give to acquaintances, relatives, and white-clad laypeople: the retribution for this offense is heavier than that suffered in the Avīci hell. Therefore, you should receive the three refuges. Only after taking refuge in the Triratna will you be able to enter cool water." Reciting it three times and receiving them three times, their bodies became at peace and they were able to enter the water. At that time, the World-Honoured One spoke verses for the nāgas: