諸經要集 15.38

15.38

The Da zhuangyan lun also says: I once heard that in the country of Śrāvastī, when the Buddha and Ānanda were walking through the wilderness, by the border of a field they saw a hidden treasure. The Buddha told Ānanda, “That is a great poisonous snake.” Ānanda said to the Buddha, “It is an evil poisonous snake.” At that time, a plowman in the field heard the Buddha and Ānanda say there was a poisonous snake, and he thought to himself: “I will go and look at it. What does the śramaṇa consider an evil poisonous snake?” He immediately went to the place and saw a pile of pure gold, and he said: “What the śramaṇas called a poisonous snake is actually fine gold!” He at once took this gold and brought it home. This man was previously poor, lacking food and clothing; but having obtained the gold, he became increasingly wealthy, indulging freely in food and clothing. The king’s officials in charge of discipline were suspicious of his sudden wealth; they investigated him, arrested him, and bound him in prison. Though the gold he had earlier obtained had already been completely spent, he still could not be acquitted and was about to be executed. The man cried out, “Poisonous snake, Ānanda! Evil poisonous snake, Bhagavat!” Bystanders heard this and reported the situation to the king. The king summoned the man and questioned him, saying: “Why did you cry out, ‘Poisonous snake, Ānanda! Evil poisonous snake, Bhagavat’?” The man said to the king: “In past days, when I was plowing in the field, I heard the Buddha and Ānanda say ‘poisonous snake’ and ‘evil poisonous snake.’ Only now have I come to understand it.” Hearing this explanation, the king thereupon released him.