SA 1144（一一四四） 众减少

Thus have I heard:

At one time, the Venerable Mahākāśyapa and the Venerable Ānanda were staying in Rājagṛha on Mount Gṛdhrakūṭa, not long after the Tathāgata's parinirvāṇa. At that time, there was a famine in the world and it was difficult to obtain alms.

At that time, the Venerable Ānanda was with a group of young bhikṣus who were unable to properly restrain their faculties, ate without moderation, and were not diligent in meditation during the early and late parts of the night. They enjoyed sleeping and always sought worldly benefits. While traveling in the human world, they arrived in southern India, where thirty of the young disciples abandoned the precepts and returned to lay life, leaving many young boys behind. At that time, the Venerable Ānanda was traveling in the southern mountain region with a small group of disciples and returned to Rājagṛha. The Venerable Ānanda then put away his robes and alms bowl, washed his feet, and went to where the Venerable Mahākāśyapa was. He bowed his head at Mahākāśyapa's feet, withdrew and sat to one side.

At that time, the Venerable Mahākāśyapa asked the Venerable Ānanda, "Where have you come from? Your disciples are few in number."

Ānanda replied, "I was traveling in the human world in the southern mountain region. Thirty of the young bhikṣus abandoned the precepts and returned to lay life, and the remaining disciples are mostly young boys."

The Venerable Mahākāśyapa said to Ānanda, "What are the few benefits that the Tathāgata, the Arhat, the Perfectly Enlightened One knows and sees, allowing the rule of eating in groups for three or more people?"

Ānanda replied, "It is for two reasons. What are the two? First, for the sake of poor and small families. Second, to prevent many evil people from becoming their companions and destroying each other. Do not allow evil people to live in the Sangha, receive the name of the Sangha, obstruct the great assembly, and form two separate groups, hating and disputing with each other."

The Venerable Kāśyapa said to Ānanda, "You know this meaning. How can you travel to the southern mountains and countries with many young disciples during a famine, causing thirty people to abandon the precepts and return to lay life, reducing the number of disciples? The rest are mostly boys. Ānanda! Your disciples are disappearing. You are a boy yourself, not knowing how to plan."

Ānanda replied, "Venerable Mahākāśyapa, how can I be called a boy just because my hair is two-colored?"

The Venerable Mahākāśyapa said, "You traveled through the human realm with young disciples during a famine, causing thirty disciples to abandon the precepts and return to lay life. The rest are also boys. The assembly is disappearing. You do not know how to plan. You say the assembly of elders is destroyed. Ānanda! The assembly is completely destroyed. Ānanda! You are a boy. You do not know how to plan."

At that time, the bhikṣuṇī Dīpā heard that the Venerable Mahākāśyapa blamed the Venerable Ānanda and the Venerable Vītaśoka as boys. Having heard this, she was displeased and spoke these evil words: "How can the Venerable Mahākāśyapa, a former non-Buddhist, blame the Venerable Ānanda and the Venerable Vītaśoka as boys, causing the name 'boy' to spread?"

The Venerable Mahākāśyapa heard with his divine ear that the bhikṣuṇī Dīpā was displeased and spoke evil words. Having heard this, he said to the Venerable Ānanda, "Look! This bhikṣuṇī Dīpā is displeased and speaks evil words, saying, 'Mahākāśyapa, having heard the non-Buddhists, blames the Venerable Ānanda and the Venerable Vītaśoka as boys, causing the name 'boy' to spread.'"

The Venerable Ānanda replied, "Stop it, Venerable Mahākāśyapa! Be patient, Venerable Mahākāśyapa! This foolish old woman lacks self-nature wisdom."

The Venerable Mahākāśyapa said to Ānanda, "Since I went forth, I have never known of any other teacher except the Tathāgata, the Arhat, the Perfectly Enlightened One. Before I went forth, I always thought of birth, old age, sickness, death, sorrow, lamentation, suffering, and distress. Knowing that household life is busy and full of afflictions, I went forth into the empty and secluded life, difficult for ordinary people to dwell in. I dwelt in non-home, single-mindedly pure, fulfilling the pure and bright practice of the brahman to the end of my life. I shaved my beard and hair, put on the saffron robes, and with right faith left home to study the path. I cut up a hundred thousand pieces of precious clothing into a saṃghāṭī robe. If there were arhats in the world, I would have gone forth in darkness. After I went forth, between Rājagṛha and Nālaka, at the stūpa of the many sons, I encountered the World-Honored One sitting upright with a dignified body, with wondrous and extraordinary characteristics, with tranquil faculties, the foremost cessation of breath, like a golden mountain.

When I saw this, I thought, 'This is my teacher! This is the World-Honored One! This is the Arhat! This is the Perfectly Enlightened One!' I then single-mindedly joined my palms in respect and said to the Buddha, 'This is my great teacher! I am your disciple.'

"The Buddha told me, 'So it is, Kāśyapa! I am your teacher! You are my disciple. Kāśyapa! You now accomplish such true and pure respect. Not knowing, you say you know; not seeing, you say you see. Truly not an arhat, you say you are an arhat. Not a perfectly enlightened one, you say you are a perfectly enlightened one. You should naturally be shattered into seven pieces. Kāśyapa! I now know and say I know; see and say I see. Truly an arhat, I say I am an arhat. Truly a perfectly enlightened one, I say I am a perfectly enlightened one. Kāśyapa! I now have causes and conditions, and therefore teach the Dharma to the hearers, not without causes and conditions. Relying, not without relying; with spiritual power, not without spiritual power. Therefore, Kāśyapa! If you wish to hear the Dharma, you should study thus: "If you wish to hear the Dharma, for the sake of meaning and benefit, you should unify your mind, respect and honor it, listen attentively, and think thus: 'I should correctly observe the arising and ceasing of the five aggregates, the arising and ceasing of the six sense bases, and abide in joy with right mindfulness in the four foundations of mindfulness. Cultivate the seven factors of awakening and the eight liberations, realize them with the body, always be mindful of the body, never interrupted, free from shamelessness and lack of conscience, and always abide in shame and conscience towards the great teacher and the great virtuous ones.'" You should study thus!'"

At that time, the World-Honored One taught the Dharma for me, showing, teaching, illuminating, and delighting me. Having shown, taught, illuminated, and delighted me, he rose from his seat and left. I also followed him to his dwelling place. I cut up a robe worth a hundred thousand in price and made it into a seat. At that time, the World-Honored One knew my sincere mind and went down the road here and there. I then spread out the robe and offered it as a seat, inviting the Buddha to sit. The World-Honored One then sat down and stroked the robe with his hand, praising, 'Kāśyapa! This robe is light and fine, this robe is soft.' I then said, 'So it is, World-Honored One! This robe is light and fine, this robe is soft. I only wish the World-Honored One would accept this robe of mine!' The Buddha told Kāśyapa, 'You should accept my rag robe, and I will accept your saṃghāṭī.' The Buddha then personally handed me a rag robe, and I then offered the saṃghāṭī to the Buddha. In this way, he gradually instructed me. Within eight days, I accepted alms food through the Dharma of learning, and on the ninth day, I attained the state of no more learning.

"Ānanda! If there is a correct question: 'Who is the World-Honored One's Dharma son, born from the Buddha's mouth, born from the Dharma, entrusted with the Dharma wealth, the various dhyānas, liberations, samādhis, and samāpattis?' One should answer that I am. This is the correct explanation. It is like the eldest son of a wheel-turning sage king, who should be enthroned and enjoy the five desires of a king, effortlessly and naturally. I am also like this, as the Buddha's Dharma son, born from the Buddha's mouth, born from the Dharma, obtaining the remaining Dharma wealth, the dhyānas, liberations, samādhis, and samāpattis, effortlessly and naturally. It is like the precious elephant of a wheel-turning sage king, seven or eight cubits tall, which can be obscured by a single palm leaf. So too, the six supernormal knowledges I have accomplished can be obscured. If there is any doubt about the knowledge of the realm of supernormal knowledge, I can explain and record it for them. If there is any doubt about the knowledge of divine hearing, mind-reading, past lives, death and rebirth, and the realization of the destruction of the taints, I can explain and record it for them, causing them to attain certainty."

Venerable Ānanda said to Venerable Mahākāśyapa, "So it is! So it is! Mahākāśyapa! It is like the precious elephant of a wheel-turning sage king, seven or eight cubits tall, which can be obscured by a single palm leaf. So too, Venerable Mahākāśyapa's six supernormal knowledges can be obscured. If there is any doubt about the knowledge of the realm of supernormal knowledge, up to the knowledge of the realization of the destruction of the taints, Venerable Mahākāśyapa can explain and record it for them, causing them to attain certainty. I have long respected and revered Venerable Mahākāśyapa because of his great supernatural powers.

When Venerable Mahākāśyapa had spoken these words, Venerable Ānanda, having heard them, joyfully accepted and upheld them.