諸經要集 13.26

13.26

Furthermore, the *Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa* says: Although Śāriputra was intelligent, he was not omniscient; within the Buddha's wisdom, he was like an infant. As related in the *Avadāna Sūtra*, the Buddha was dwelling in the Jetavana. In the late afternoon, he was pacing back and forth, and Śāriputra followed the Buddha in pacing. At that time, a hawk was pursuing a pigeon. The pigeon flew over and alighted beside the Buddha. When the Buddha passed it while pacing, his shadow covered the pigeon; the pigeon's body found peace and security, its fear was instantly dispelled, and it made no further sound. Later, when Śāriputra's shadow fell upon it, the pigeon immediately cried out and trembled in fear as before. Śāriputra said to the Buddha: 'Both the Buddha and I are free from the three poisons. For what reason did the pigeon make no sound and no longer fear when the Buddha's shadow covered it, yet when my shadow fell upon it, the pigeon cried out and trembled as before?' The Buddha said: 'Your residual habit-energies of the three poisons are not yet exhausted; for this reason, when your shadow fell upon it, its fear was not dispelled.' The Buddha said to Śāriputra: 'Examine this pigeon's past-life causes and conditions: for how many lifetimes has it been a pigeon?' Śāriputra immediately entered the samādhi of the wisdom of past lives, and examining it, he saw this pigeon coming from pigeon [rebirths] for as many as eighty thousand great eons, constantly having the body of a pigeon; beyond that, he could see no further. Emerging from samādhi, Śāriputra said to the Buddha: 'This pigeon has constantly been a pigeon through eighty thousand great eons; prior to that, I cannot know.' The Buddha said: 'If you cannot fully know its past lives, try examining its future lives: when will this pigeon be freed?' Śāriputra immediately entered samādhi, and examining it up to eighty thousand great eons, it had still not escaped the body of a pigeon; beyond that, he could know no further, and did not understand when this pigeon would be freed. The Buddha told Śāriputra: 'Beyond the limit of what can be known by śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas, for further great eons equal in number to the sands of the Ganges, it will constantly have the body of a pigeon. When its transgression is exhausted, it will be able to emerge, transmigrating through the five paths. Later, it will obtain human rebirth, and after passing through five hundred lifetimes, it will then attain keen faculties. At that time there will be a Buddha who will cross over immeasurable asaṃkhyeya sentient beings and then enter parinirvāṇa with no residue. While his bequeathed Dharma remains in the world, this person will become an upāsaka keeping the five precepts, hear a monk praising the Buddha's virtues, and thereupon first give rise to an aspiration, vowing to meet a Buddha. Thereafter, through three asaṃkhyeya eons, practicing the six pāramitās and fulfilling the ten stages, when he is able to become a Buddha, he will cross over immeasurable sentient beings and then enter nirvāṇa.' At that time, Śāriputra repented before the Buddha, saying: 'Regarding a single bird, I am still unable to know its beginning and end, how much less manifold conditions! If I know the Buddha's wisdom to be like this, for the sake of the Buddha's wisdom, I would rather enter Avīci Hell and suffer torment for immeasurable eons without regarding it as difficult.'