諸經要集 7.27

7.27

Furthermore, the Xianyu jing (Sūtra of the Wise and the Foolish) states: The merits of pravrajyā are exceedingly great in terms of blessings. Whether one permits sons and daughters or slaves and servants to leave the household, or whether one allows the common people to do so, or leaves the household to enter the path oneself, the merit is immeasurable and beyond comparison. The merit of leaving the household is higher than Mount Sumeru, deeper than the great ocean, and wider than empty space. Why is this? Because by leaving the household, one is certain to achieve the Buddha path. When the Buddha was in the world, in the city of Rājagṛha there was an elder named Fuzeng (Puṇyavardhana), who was over a hundred years old. Everyone in his household, young and old, detested and despised him. Having heard that the merit of leaving the household is immeasurable, he went to the Buddha's place to seek to leave the household. It so happened that the Buddha was not present, so he went directly to Śāriputra's place. Śāriputra saw that he was old and did not admit him. In this way, all five hundred great arhats refused to admit him. Thereupon he went outside the monastery gate, stood at the threshold, and wept loudly. The World-Honoured One arrived later, comforted and instructed him in various ways, and then told Maudgalyāyana to admit him to pravrajyā. Maudgalyāyana then gave him pravrajyā and administered the precepts. However, he was constantly provoked and ridiculed by the young bhikṣus, so he wanted to throw himself into the river to drown and die. Maudgalyāyana saw this with his supernatural sight, used his supernatural powers to retrieve him and set him on the riverbank, and asked him to learn the cause. Maudgalyāyana thought: 'If I do not terrify this man with [the perils of] saṃsāra, he will have no means to attain the path.' He then bade him take hold of the corner of his teacher's robe with single-minded devotion, and they flew through the air to the shore of the great ocean. He saw a recently deceased, beautiful woman. He saw a worm come out from her mouth and go back into her nose, come out from her eyes and go into her ears. Maudgalyāyana observed this and turned away to leave. The disciple asked: 'What woman is this?' He answered: 'This was the wife of a great merchant leader (sārthavāha) in Śrāvastī. Her appearance was beautiful and rare in the world. She would constantly hold a mirror on a tri-branched wooden stand to gaze upon her face. Seeing her own beauty, she gave rise to arrogance and deeply attached to herself. Her husband deeply loved and respected her, and took her with him onto the sea. The sea grew violent, the ship broke apart, and she drowned and died, her body drifting ashore. Because this merchant leader's wife loved her own body, after dying she was reborn back into her former body as this worm. When she sheds this worm's body, she will fall into the great hells to undergo immeasurable suffering.' Moving forward a little, he saw a woman carrying a bronze cauldron on her own body. She set down the cauldron, filled it with water, and brought it to a boil with fire. She stripped off her clothes, entered the cauldron, and when the flesh was cooked and separated from the bones, the boiling bubbled the bones out. When the wind blew upon them outside, they immediately turned back into a human again, and she took her own flesh to eat it. Fuzeng asked his teacher: 'What woman is this?' His teacher replied: 'In the country of Śrāvastī there was an upāsikā who had reverent faith in the Three Jewels. She invited a bhikṣu to receive offerings for one summer retreat, setting up a room for him at the end of a street. She prepared various fragrant and delicious foods herself and sent her maidservant to deliver them. The maidservant went to a secluded place, picked out the best food to eat first, and gave the remainder to the bhikṣu. Her mistress noticed and asked: "Did you steal and eat it?" The maidservant replied: "No. After the bhikṣu finished eating, there was leftover food which he gave to me, and only then did I eat it. If I ate first, may I eat my own body's flesh life after life." Due to these causes and conditions, she first receives this initial retribution, and later will fall into the hells.' Next, moving forward a little, he saw a tree of flesh, with many worms surrounding and gnawing upon its trunk, leaving no empty space, wailing and crying like the sounds of hell. The disciple asked his teacher: 'What kind of tree is this?' Maudgalyāyana answered: 'This was the bhikṣu who managed affairs, Tālīṭa. Because he had arbitrary authority, he squandered the Saṃgha's property, sending flowers, fruit, food, and drink as gifts to laypeople. Due to these causes and conditions, he receives this initial retribution, and later will fall into the hells. The worms gnawing upon the tree were the people who received those goods at that time.' Next, moving forward again, he saw a man surrounded by many evil ghosts and spirits with beast-heads and human-bodies, holding bows and crossbows with three poisoned arrows each, their points blazing with fire, vying to shoot him, his entire body scorched and burnt. Fuzeng asked his teacher: 'What person is this?' Maudgalyāyana answered: 'In a previous life, this man was a great hunter who killed many birds and beasts, and therefore he suffers this torment. When his life ends hereafter, he will fall into the great hells.' Next, moving forward again, he saw a great mountain with knives and swords set beneath it. He saw a person cast himself down from the top, his body impaled and destroyed; after casting himself down, he ascended again and did so as before without rest. Fuzeng asked his teacher: 'What person is this again?' The teacher replied again: 'This was the great battle-general of the king of Rājagṛha. Because of his bravery, he stationed himself at the vanguard, slaying and killing living beings. He first suffers this torment, and later will fall into the hells.' Next, moving forward again, he saw a mountain of bones. This mountain was seven hundred yojanas high, capable of blocking the sun and making the sea dark. At that time, Maudgalyāyana was walking back and forth in contemplation on one large rib-bone of this mountain of bones. The disciple asked his teacher: 'What mountain of bones is this?' The teacher answered Fuzeng: 'If you wish to know, these are the bones of your own former body.' When Fuzeng heard this, his heart was terrified, his hair stood on end, and he broke out in a fearful sweat. He said to the upādhyāya: 'Before my heart splits apart upon hearing this, I pray you will explain for me the causes and conditions from beginning to end.' Maudgalyāyana told him: 'The cycle of saṃsāra has no bounds. Good and bad deeds created never decay; one is bound to receive their retribution. Long ago in the past, in this Jambudvīpa there was a king named Fazeng (Dharmavardhana) who delighted in dāna, observed the precepts, and listened to the Dharma. He was compassionate toward sentient beings and did not harm living creatures. He ruled the country with the correct Dharma for a full twenty years. In his leisure time, he would play board games with others. At that time, there was a man who broke the law and killed someone. The ministers reported this to the king. It coincided with the king playing the game at dusk, and he casually answered them: "Punish him according to the laws of the realm." They judged him according to the statutes: one who kills a person must die, and they immediately killed him. After the king finished playing, he asked the ministers: "Where is the criminal?" The ministers replied: "We have already executed him." When the king heard these words, he fainted and collapsed to the ground, reviving only after being splashed with water. Shedding tears, he said: "The palace attendants, maidservants, elephants, horses, and seven treasures will all remain here; only I alone shall enter hell! By killing a man now, know that I am a caṇḍāla king! I know not to what realm I shall go life after life! I have resolved that I must not remain king!" He immediately relinquished the royal throne, entered the mountains, and guarded his conduct. After his life ended, he was born in the great ocean as a makara fish, seven hundred yojanas in length. Kings and great ministers who rely on their power to unjustly oppress the common people and commit boundless slaughter mostly fall to become great makara fish after death. There were many worms gnawing and feeding upon its body. When its body itched, it rubbed against the mountains, killing worms and polluting the sea, its blood flowing for a hundred li. When the fish slept once, a hundred years would pass. Thirsty and hungry, it sucked in water, which flowed into its mouth like a torrent in a great river. At that time, it happened that five hundred merchants entered the ocean to gather treasures. They encountered the fish opening its mouth, and their ship was rapidly drawn toward it. The merchants, terrified, wept aloud; as they were on the verge of entering the fish's mouth, they called out in unison, "Namo Buddhāya!" When the fish heard the Buddha's name, it closed its mouth and the water stopped flowing; the merchants survived. Starving, the fish's life ended, and it was born in Rājagṛha as your present body. After the fish died, yakṣas and rākṣasas hauled it out onto the seashore; the flesh decayed and the bones remained, forming this mountain of bones. King Fazeng was your very body. Because of killing a man, you fell into the sea to become a fish.' Having heard this, Fuzeng became deeply terrified of saṃsāra. Viewing his former body, he understood that phenomena are impermanent, and attained the fruit of an arhat.