諸經要集 20.73

20.73

Furthermore, the Avadānaśataka states: When the Buddha was in the Karaṇḍa Bamboo Grove at Rājagṛha, the Venerables Śāriputra and Mahāmaudgalyāyana, whenever they wished to eat, would first contemplate the hells, animals, and hungry ghosts, and only then would eat. Maudgalyāyana saw a hungry ghost whose body was like a scorched pillar, belly like Mount Tai, throat like a fine needle, and hair like awls and knives tangling and piercing its body. Fire burst forth from between all its limbs and joints. Groaning and crying aloud, it scurried in all four directions, seeking feces and urine for food and drink, exhausted and tormented all day without being able to get any. He then asked the ghost: 'What karma did you perform to suffer such torment?' The hungry ghost replied: 'Where the sun shines, one does not need lamps and candles. The Tathāgata, the Bhagavat, is now present in the world; you may ask him yourself. I am now starving and thirsty and cannot answer you.' At that time, Maudgalyāyana immediately went to the Buddha's place and fully asked the Tathāgata what deeds it had done to suffer such torment, asking everything as above. At that time, the Bhagavat told Maudgalyāyana: 'Listen closely now, and I will explain it for you. In this Fortunate Kalpa, in the city of Śrāvastī, there was a guildmaster of immeasurable, incalculable wealth. He constantly ordered his servants to press sugarcane juice to deliver to his family. A pratyekabuddha suffered severely from an illness of thirst. A good physician prescribed medicine, instructing him to take sugarcane juice so that the illness could be cured. Then the pratyekabuddha went to the guildmaster's house to beg for sugarcane juice. At that time, the guildmaster was delighted to see him come and immediately instructed his wife, Puṇyā: “I have an urgent matter and must go out. Stay behind, take sugarcane juice, and offer it to the pratyekabuddha.” The wife replied: “Just go out; I will give it to him myself afterward.” When the husband had left, she took the pratyekabuddha's bowl, urinated into the bowl in a secluded place, covered the top of the bowl with sugarcane juice, and gave it to the pratyekabuddha. Having received it, the pratyekabuddha immediately knew it was not right, cast it onto the ground, and returned with an empty bowl. Afterward, when she died, she fell among the hungry ghosts, constantly pressed by hunger and thirst. Due to this karmic cause, she suffers such torment.' The Buddha told Maudgalyāyana: 'If you wish to know who the guildmaster's wife was at that time, she is this hungry ghost Puṇyā.' When the Buddha spoke this, the monks abandoned causes of stinginess and greed and felt revulsion toward saṃsāra. Some attained the four fruits of śramaṇahood, some gave rise to the aspiration for pratyekabuddhahood, and some gave rise to the aspiration for unsurpassed bodhi. At that time, the monks heard what the Buddha had said, and rejoiced and practiced accordingly.