諸經要集 16.56

16.56

As the Sarvāstivāda Treatise says: Regarding the prātimokṣa precepts across the five realms of rebirth, only those in the human realm can receive the precepts; the other four cannot. As for the heavenly realm, because their attachment to pleasure is deep and heavy, they cannot receive the precepts. For example, once in the past, Mahāmaudgalyāyana, whose disciple was ill, ascended to the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven to ask Jīvaka. It happened that the devas were entering the Nandana Grove. At that time, Maudgalyāyana stood waiting by the roadside. Among all the devas, none looked back at him. Only Jīvaka arrived later; seeing Maudgalyāyana, he merely raised one hand toward him and rode his chariot straight past. Maudgalyāyana thought to himself, “He was originally in the human world as my disciple. Now enjoying heavenly blessings, because he is attached to heavenly pleasures, he has completely lost his original mind.” He then used his supernormal powers to stop the chariot. Jīvaka descended from the chariot and bowed at Maudgalyāyana's feet. Maudgalyāyana rebuked him on various grounds. Jīvaka answered Maudgalyāyana, saying, “Because I was the Venerable's disciple in the human world, I raised my hand to greet you. Have you seen any among the devas who would do even that?” At that time, Maudgalyāyana admonished and advised Śakra Devānām Indra, “A Buddha's era is difficult to encounter; why do you not frequently approach him to inquire about and receive the true Dharma?” Śakra, wishing to satisfy Maudgalyāyana's mind, dispatched a messenger to command a devaputra to come. After calling him back and forth three times, he still did not come. Only after being unable to refuse did he finally arrive. Śakra said to Maudgalyāyana, “This devaputra has only one goddess and one musical performer with whom to entertain himself. Because his defiled desire is so deep, even though the order was serious, he could not tear himself away, and thus was unwilling to come. How much more so for a heavenly king with all kinds of palaces, countless goddesses, spontaneously appearing foods of a hundred flavors, and hundreds of thousands of musical performers with which to entertain himself! Looking eastward, he forgets the west. Although he knows that a Buddha's era is hard to encounter and the true Dharma is hard to hear, because he is entangled in defiled pleasures, he cannot attain self-mastery. What else could be done? In the suffering and distress of the three evil paths, there is no opportunity to receive the precepts. In the human realm, only three of the continents can receive the precepts; in Uttarakuru, there is no Buddha-dharma, so they cannot receive the precepts: because they are hindered by karmic rewards and due to foolishness, they do not receive the noble Dharma.”