諸經要集 14.94

14.94

Furthermore, the Baiyuan jing says: When the Buddha was in the world, in the city of Rājagṛha there was a householder whose wealth and treasures were boundless and beyond count. His wife completed the full ten months and was about to give birth to a child, yet it would not come out. Soon she became pregnant again; completing the full ten months, she gave birth to another child, while the one conceived first remained on her right side. In this manner, in succession she conceived nine children, each born after completing ten months; only that first child remained in the womb and refused to come out. His mother suffered terribly, taking various decoctions and medicines to treat herself, but the illness did not subside. She gave instructions to her household: 'The child in my belly is still alive and has not died. If I should die now, you must cut open my belly, take out the child, and raise it.' His mother at that time could not escape the affliction and immediately died. Her relatives then carried her corpse to the cemetery and asked the great physician Jīvaka to cut open the belly and look inside. He found a small child whose form was still tiny, but whose hair and beard were stark white, walking bent over and looking about in the four directions. He said to his relatives, 'You should know that because of an evil mouth reviling the Saṃgha in my previous life, I have dwelt in this womb for sixty years, undergoing such affliction, difficult to bear.' Hearing this, the relatives wailed and wept bitterly, unable to answer him. At that time, the Bhagavat knew from afar that this child's wholesome roots had matured, and he led the great assembly to the place of the corpse. He addressed the small child: 'Are you an elder bhikṣu?' He replied, 'I truly am.' A second and third time he also asked like this, and he still said, 'I am.' At that time, seeing this small child conversing in question and answer with the Buddha, the great assembly each harboured doubt. Coming forward, they addressed the Buddha: 'What karma did this old child commit in a past life, that in the womb his hair turned white, he walks bent over, and he converses in questions and answers with the Tathāgata?' At that time, the Bhagavat told the great assembly: 'In this Auspicious Kalpa, there was a Buddha who appeared in the world named Kāśyapa. Bhikṣus were observing the summer retreat, and the Saṃgha, in harmony, appointed an elderly bhikṣu as the karmadāna for the Saṃgha. Together they established a regulation for this summer retreat: only those who attained the Path would be permitted to participate in the pravāraṇā; if one had not attained it, he would not be permitted to participate in the pravāraṇā. Now, this karmadāna alone did not attain the Path, and the Saṃgha all did not permit him to participate in the poṣadha and pravāraṇā. Harouring resentment, he spoke these words: "I alone managed the affairs of the Saṃgha for you, allowing your sort to practice the Path in peace and security; yet now in turn you do not permit me to participate in the pravāraṇā and poṣadha karmans!" Forthwith, in anger, he reviled the Saṃgha. The Saṃgha immediately seized him and locked him in a room. He cried out: "May your sort constantly dwell in darkness and never see the light, just as I now dwell in this dark room!" Having spoken these words, he killed himself and ended his life. Falling into hell, he suffered great affliction; only now has he managed to escape, yet in the womb he still suffered this affliction.' Having heard this, the bhikṣus each guarded their three karmas and felt revulsion toward saṃsāra: some attained the four fruits of a śramaṇa, some resolved their minds on pratyekabuddhahood, and some resolved their minds on unexcelled bodhi. At that time, the relatives took the old child back to their home and raised him. When he gradually grew up, they permitted him to go forth; he attained the fruit of an arhat. The Buddha told the bhikṣus: 'Because of having made offerings to the Saṃgha in the past and serving as karmadāna to manage the Saṃgha's affairs, he has now encountered me, gone forth, and attained the Path.' Having heard this, the bhikṣus rejoiced and practiced accordingly.