諸經要集 17.19

17.19

Furthermore, the Upāsakapañcaśīla-sūtra states: The Buddha was in the country of Ceti, in the town of Bhadravatī. In that place there was a wicked nāga named Ambaratītha, who was fierce and cruel and harmed people. No person could reach that place, nor could elephants or horses approach it; even the birds could not fly above it. When the autumn grains ripened, they were all destroyed. At that time, there was an elder arhat bhikṣu named Svāgata wandering through the country of Ceti, who gradually reached the town of Bhadravatī. After that night had passed, in the early morning he put on his robes, took his bowl, and entered the village to beg for food. At that time, he heard that this town had a wicked nāga that was fierce and cruel, harmed people, birds, and beasts, and destroyed the autumn grains. Having heard this, he begged for food and went to the dwelling place of the nāga Ambaratītha. Beneath the trees of numerous birds, he spread his sitting mat and sat down cross-legged. When the nāga smelled the scent of his robes, it immediately gave rise to wrath and emitted smoke from its body. The elder Svāgata then entered samādhi, and through his supernatural power his body also emitted smoke. The nāga became doubly enraged and emitted fire from its body. Svāgata again entered the fire-light samādhi, and his body also emitted fire. The nāga then rained down hailstones; Svāgata immediately transformed the hailstones into śaṣkulī cakes, marrow cakes, and the like. The nāga then unleashed claps of thunder; Svāgata transformed them into various modaka sweets. The nāga then rained down bows, arrows, knives, and spears; Svāgata immediately transformed them into utpala flowers, padma flowers, and the like. The nāga then rained down venomous snakes, centipedes, vipers, and house centipedes; Svāgata immediately transformed them into garlands of utpala flowers, garlands of campaka flowers, and the like. In this manner, all the powers possessed by the nāga were completely manifested toward Svāgata, yet none could prevail, and it immediately lost its majesty, power, and radiance. Svāgata, knowing that the nāga's strength was exhausted and it could no longer stir, then transformed himself into a minute body. He entered through both of the nāga's ears and emerged from both of its eyes; having emerged from both eyes, he entered through its nose and emerged from its mouth. Atop the nāga's head he paced back and forth in walking meditation without harming the nāga's body. At that time, when the nāga saw such things, its mind was greatly terrified and its hairs stood on end. It joined its palms toward Svāgata and said: “I take refuge in you.” Svāgata answered: “Do not take refuge in me; you should take refuge in my teacher, the Buddha.” The nāga replied: “From now on I take refuge in the Triratna; know that for the rest of my life I will be a lay disciple of the Buddha.” After this nāga received the three refuges and became a disciple of the Buddha, it never again committed such fierce and evil acts as before. People, birds, and beasts could all reach the place, and the autumn grains were unharmed. His reputation spread far and wide; all countries came to know that the elder Svāgata was able to subdue the wicked nāga and bend it to goodness. Because Svāgata's reputation spread far and wide, people all prepared food and vied with one another to invite him. Among them was a poor woman who, with faithful reverence, succeeded in inviting Svāgata. This woman prepared ghee milk-gruel for him to eat. The woman thought: “The śramaṇa has eaten this ghee milk-gruel; perhaps a cold ailment will arise.” She then took some liquor that looked like water in colour and offered it to Svāgata. Svāgata took it without looking. After drinking it, he preached the Dharma for her and then left. While proceeding toward the monastery, the intoxicating effect of the liquor flared up. Near the monastery gate, he collapsed to the ground without realizing it. His saṅghāṭī robe, water strainer, bowl, staff, and so forth were each in a different place, and his body was in another place, drunk and insensible. The Buddha, walking to that place with Ānanda, saw this bhikṣu. Knowing full well, he deliberately asked Ānanda: “Who is this person?” He answered: “Bhagavat, this is the elder Svāgata.” The Buddha then said to Ānanda: “Spread a seat for me here, prepare water, and assemble the saṅgha.” Ānanda received the instruction, spread the seat, prepared water, and assembled the saṅgha. Having done so, he said to the Buddha: “The saṅgha is already assembled; the Buddha himself knows the proper time.” The Buddha then washed his feet and asked the bhikṣus: “Have you ever seen or heard that there was a nāga named Ambaratītha who was fierce, wicked, and harmful, whose dwelling place no person could previously reach, nor could even birds or beasts reach above it, and when the autumn grains ripened, it destroyed all the crops; yet Svāgata was able to subdue it and bend it to goodness, so that birds and beasts could reach above and below the spring?” Among them were those who had seen or heard it, and they said: “We have heard.” The Buddha said to the bhikṣus: “What do you think? Can this good man Svāgata now subdue even a frog?” They answered: “He cannot.” The Buddha said: “If even a noble one suffers such a loss from drinking liquor, how much more so an ordinary person! Such transgressions all arise from drinking liquor. From now on, anyone who says, ‘I am a disciple of the Buddha,’ must not drink liquor, even a single drop on the tip of a blade of grass; they must not drink it.” After the Buddha had rebuked the faults of drinking liquor in various ways, in accordance with the Vinaya, he laid down the precept against drinking liquor on account of this bhikṣu. Question: It is not yet known whether there is the taste of liquor in the heavens. Answer: There is no real liquor made from yeast and grain; there is only liquor produced by the transformation of karma. Thus the Saddharmasmṛtyupasthāna-sūtra says: Those male devas of the Yāma heaven, together with the assembly of female devas, enter the ponds to sport and together drink heavenly liquor. Free from the fault of drunkenness, they manifest pleasurable virtues; the tastes, tangibles, colours, and fragrances are all fully complete therein. Some devas drink liquor using jewelled vessels, enjoying food of amṛta, fully endowed with colour, tangibles, fragrance, and taste. When they think, “May this water become liquor so that I may drink it,” at the very moment of thought it is all heavenly liquor, free from the fault of drunkenness. When the devas drink it, their superior joy increases; by the power of wholesome karma, joy arises in their minds. However, those devas experience pleasure in this way because of their own karmic power. There is a bird named Ever-Joyful. Seeing those devas drinking liquor in the River of Joy, it spoke a verse for them: