諸經要集 6.20

6.20

The commentary states: Having undertaken the fast, if one wishes to conclude it, one must wait until the daybreak mark appears; only then may one eat porridge. If not, the fast is broken. What is meant by the 'daybreak mark'? As the Sarvāstivāda-śāstra states, the daybreak mark has three kinds of colour: when the sun shines on the jambu tree, there is black; when it shines on the leaves, there is blue-green; and when it passes beyond the leaves, there is white. Among the three colours, white is the correct one; only then may one conclude the fast and eat the porridge. Furthermore, the Mahāsāṃghika-vinaya states: The Buddha was dwelling in Śrāvastī. To the south there was a settlement named Great Forest. At that time, a merchant driving eight oxen arrived at the northern country of Kuta. There was another merchant, and together they let their cattle graze in a marsh. At that time, there was a Licchavi who captured nāgas to eat them. He caught a nāga maiden. The maiden had undertaken the poṣadha precepts and harboured no mind to harm. Yet the Licchavi pierced her nostrils and led her along. When the merchant saw this, he gave rise to a mind of compassion and asked the Licchavi, 'You lead this nāga—what do you intend to do with it?' He replied, 'I intend to kill it.' The merchant said, 'Do not kill it. I will trade you an ox for it.' The captor refused, until it reached eight oxen; only then did he say, 'This meat is very delicious. Now, for your sake, I shall release it.' The merchant was still apprehensive. After releasing the nāga maiden, the merchant thought, 'This is an evil man. I fear he will pursue her again and send [others] to capture her.' Releasing her into another pool, he followed along and watched over her. The nāga transformed into a human and said to the merchant, 'My lord, you have granted me my life; now I wish to repay your kindness. We may enter my palace together, where I shall repay my lord's kindness.' The merchant answered, 'The nature of nāgas is impetuous and violent, with erratic wrath; you might kill me.' She answered, 'It is not so. That previous man bound me, and I had the power to kill him, but because I had already received the poṣadha precepts, I had no thought of killing whatsoever. How much less, now that my lord has granted me my life, would I inflict harm! If you will not come at once, remain here for a short while; I will arrange things first.' She then entered. Later, upon entering the palace, [the merchant] saw two nāgas bound at one side of the nāga gate. The merchant asked, 'For what reason are you bound?' They answered, 'This nāga maiden undertakes the fast precepts for three days each half-month. We brothers guarded this nāga maiden carelessly and she was caught by the Licchavi; it is for this reason that we are bound. We only pray that my lord, in your compassion, will speak so that we may be released.' When the nāga maiden had finished arranging things, she called him into the palace and seated him upon a jewelled couch. The nāga maiden addressed him, saying, 'Among nāgas there is food that takes one's whole life to digest; there is [food] that takes twenty years to digest; there is [food] that takes seven years to digest; and there is food for humans of Jambudvīpa. I do not know what kind of food my lord now desires to eat.' He answered, 'I require the food of Jambudvīpa.' Thereupon she brought various foods and drinks and gave them to him. The merchant asked the nāga maiden, 'For what reason are those nāgas bound?' The nāga maiden said, 'They have committed a fault; I intend to kill them.' The merchant said, 'Do not kill them.' [She said], 'If it were not [for you], they would certainly be killed.' The merchant said, 'Only if you release them will I eat.' She said, 'They cannot simply be released just like that. They must be punished by being banished to the human realm for six months.' The merchant saw that in the nāga palace, various precious treasures adorned the palace halls. The merchant then asked, 'You have such adornments; why do you undertake the poṣadha?' She answered, 'In the nature of our nāga condition there are five sufferings. What are the five? At birth, during sleep, during sexual indulgence, in anger, and at death. Three times in a single day, our skin and flesh fall to the ground, and hot sand bakes our bodies.' He asked again, 'What do you seek?' She answered, 'I wish to be born in the human destiny; because of the suffering among animals and not knowing the Dharma, I wish to go to the Tathāgata and go forth.' The nāga maiden then gave him eight cakes of gold, saying to him, 'This gold will suffice for your parents and relatives to use throughout their lives without being exhausted.' She said to him, 'Close your eyes.' Then, by supernatural power, she transported him to his native country. He took the eight cakes of gold and gave them to his parents. This was nāga gold: once cut, it grew back again; it could be used for an entire lifetime without ever being exhausted. (Reflecting that if human compassion cannot but be practiced, and briefly saving a nāga maiden brings such an abundant recompense of gratitude, how much more inexhaustible is the blessing received from upholding the great fast!)