前期提示：善星妄說一切法空......
琉璃大王在小的時候，正有人給佛造一座廟，造廟就設一個法堂，法堂也就好像設了一個法座。法座剛造好，琉璃大王那時候是小孩子，佛都沒有上去講經說法，這個小孩子就先上去，坐到佛的座位上。坐上了，佛的弟子和瞿曇這些個人，就罵他，說：「你這一個奴婢生的小孩子，你怎麼能坐到佛的座位呢？」
這麼一罵他，這小孩子一聽，這個人罵他是奴才生的，他就不高興了，就告訴一個照管他的人，說：「你等我將來做國王的時候，你要告訴我這一句話，不然到時候我會忘了，說釋種罵我是奴婢生的小孩子。你要告訴我，我要報仇的。」那麼等以後，果然他就做了國王了，他這個使臣就告訴他：「你記得不記得，瞿曇的種族罵你是婢女生的小孩子啊？」他說：「哦！我忘了，現在你告訴，我想起了！趕快發兵，去把瞿曇的人都給我殺了，統統都殺，連佛也殺。」這叫“琉璃大王滅釋種”。
那麼就發兵去殺釋種，目連就對釋迦牟尼佛說：「琉璃大王現在把瞿曇的種族、釋迦的種族都給殺了，我們要想法子救啊！」佛當時不出聲，也沒有答覆他。目連就顯了神通，用他的寶缽，裝了五百個釋種，送到天上去。「放到天上，這回你一定殺不了了。」他以為他救了五百個釋種。等琉璃大王把釋種殺完了之後，目連就告訴釋迦牟尼佛說：「我用我的寶缽把釋種救出來五百個，現在可以把他們放出來了。」拿下來一看，這五百個釋種已經都變成血水了。目連就問說：「我怎麼救不了釋種的生命呢？這是什麼道理呢？」就問佛這種因果。
釋迦牟尼佛說：「唉！你不知道啊！在因地，以前有一個地方天旱，有一個水池子裏頭有很多魚，就有兩個魚王，一個魚王就叫麩，一個魚王就叫多舌。那水池子沒有水，這個地方的人也沒有什麼東西吃，就吃魚，把魚都吃完了，沒有魚吃了。這泥裡兩條魚王都鑽到那泥裏頭去了，這些人看見泥在那兒動彈，於是乎把泥刨開，裏邊又有兩條大魚，一條叫麩的，一條叫多舌的。而釋迦牟尼佛當時是個小孩子，這一些釋種，就是那時候吃魚的。那小孩子看見這兩條大魚出來了，他拿著一根木棍，照著魚頭就打了三下。所以釋迦牟尼佛在成佛之後，頭就痛了三天。那麼麩這個魚王，現在就是琉璃大王；這個多舌呢，就是告訴琉璃大王說，釋種罵他的這個使臣。所以現在他應該滅釋種，應該殺釋種。」所以就是釋迦牟尼佛雖然成佛了，也救不了這種的定業，這叫「定業不可轉」。因為這個，所以說“琉璃大王滅釋種”。
「善星比丘」：這善星比丘盡胡說八道，專門邪知邪見，他講法不依照佛所說的法去講。他自己別開生面，獨出心裁。他怎麼樣別開生面？譬如佛說要戒殺，他說不需要戒殺！為什麼要戒殺呢？這個眾生生生死死，牠就是給人預備的，要人吃牠嘛！你如果不吃牠，留著做什麼？牠也沒有什麼智慧。他說佛所說的戒殺的法不對。本來善星比丘也是跟佛出家的，但是他反對佛所說的法，「佛說這個，唉！這個？」他就總有個問號，所以有一些個比丘沒有智慧的，就跟著他去學，說：「他講這對呀！殺生，有什麼罪過呢？」就好像那寶蓮香比丘尼，說：「淫欲有什麼罪過呢？」善星比丘說：「偷盜？沒有他才偷的嘛！若有，他就不偷了嘛！那你沒有，如果不偷怎麼能生活呢？」他也講出個道理。殺、盜、淫、妄、酒，他都贊成，反對佛所立的這個戒，所以他就胡說八道。
「琉璃為誅瞿曇族姓」：他殺瞿曇族姓，就是殺釋種。「善星妄說一切法空」：什麼他都說空的，他說殺人也是空的，你偷盜也是空的，無論什麼都沒有，業無體性，說：「你造什麼業啊？你把那個業拿來我看看，沒有嘛！」你看！說一切法空，「生身陷入阿鼻地獄」：就是在這活的，不是等死了，再下地獄。琉璃大王、善星比丘和寶蓮香比丘尼，就這麼活著，帶著肉身墮地獄的；不是等到死了，沒有肉身，才墮地獄的。所以阿難就問佛這種因緣。
待續 |
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Sutra text from last issue: Good Star lied and said that all dharmas are empty...
Once, while that king was still a child, someone built a temple for the Buddha, complete with an elaborate Dharma Seat. When the seat was finished, but before the Buddha himself had ascended the platform to sit on it and speak Dharma, the child who was to be King Crystal climbed up and sat on it. The Buddha's disciples and the people of the Gautama clan who saw him all scolded him, saying, “You’re the son of a slave, how dare you sit in the Buddha’s seat?” Hearing them call him that, he was outraged, and he said to his attendant,“Wait until I’m the king and then remind me of what was said here today, lest I forget it. People from the Gautama clan say I’m the son of a slave. Remind me of that. I intend to get even.”
Later, when he was king, his attendant did remind him, and the King issued an edict that the entire Gautama clan was to be exterminated, including the Buddha himself. When Mahamaudgalyayana got wind of this, he went to the Buddha to report.“We have to think of a way to save them,” he said. But the Buddha didn’t say anything. So Maudgalyayana loosed his spiritual powers, put five hundred members of the Gautama clan into his precious bowl, and sent them to the heavens. He thought they’d be safe there. When the King had completed the extermination, Maudgalyayana told Shakyamuni Buddha, “I’ve got five hundred Gautamans in my bowl stashed away in the heavens, so the clan isn’t totally gone after all. I’ll bring them down now and let them go.” But when he’d recalled them and took a look in his bowl, he found nothing there but blood.“Why was I unable to save them?” asked the puzzled Maudgalyayana. He wanted the Buddha to explain the causes and conditions.
“Ah, you don’t know,” said the Buddha.“On the causal ground, a long time ago, at a place where the weather was hot, there was a pool with schools of fish in it. The two leaders of the schools were named “Bran” and “Many Tongues.” The water in the pool evaporated in the intense heat, and since the people in the area didn’t have anything else to eat, they ate the fish. In the end there was just a mud-hole, but even then they noticed a movement in the mud. Digging in, they found the two big fish-kings-Bran and Many Tongues. At that time, I, Shakyamuni Buddha, was a child among these people-who were later to become the Gautama clan. Seeing that the two fish were about to be devoured alive, I beat them over the head three times with a club to knock them out first.” That’s why in his life as a Buddha, he had to endure a three-day headache as retribution.“Further, the fish, Bran, was the present King Crystal, and the fish, Many Tongues, was his attendant who reminded him of the words spoken by the Gautama clan to the king as a child. So it was fated that they would exterminate the Gautama clan.” Even though Shakyamuni had become a Buddha, he could not rescue his people from the fixed karma they were destined to repay.
The Bhikshu Good Star was forever voicing his deviant knowledge and deviant views. When he spoke Dharma, he did not speak in accord with what the Buddha taught. He made up his own. For instance, the Buddha instructed us to refrain from killing, but this Bhikshu’s instruction was,“It’s not necessary. Why should we refrain from killing? Birth and death goes on and on for living beings, and some of them are especially intended for people to eat. If you don’t eat them, what use will they be left alive? They don’t have any sense.” In this way he countered the Buddha’s admonishment not to take life. This Bhikshu had originally left home under the Buddha, but later he disagreed with the Dharma the Buddha spoke. Whatever the Buddha said he found questionable, and he was able to influence a lot of the less intelligent Bhikshus to go along with him. They began believing him.“Right!” they said.“What he says makes sense. What’s the crime in killing?” It was much the same situation as with the Bhikshuni Precious Lotus Fragrance, who said,“What’s the offense in sexual misconduct?” Bhikshu Good Star said,“We just take what we need; it’s not that we steal. If we have something, then we don’t need to take it. But if you don’t take what you need, how can you get by in this life?” That’s what he said about stealing. He thought of ways to counter the five basic precepts established by the Buddha, which prohibit killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, false speech, and taking intoxicants. Good Star lied and said that all dharmas are empty. His best line was,“Everything is empty. Killing is empty, and stealing is empty, since there isn’t anything at all to begin with! There’s no substance to karma. You talk about creating karma? Then bring out your ‘karma’ and show it to me. It doesn’t exist.”
They both sank into the unintermittent hell alive. They didn’t even wait until they died to fall into the hells. King Crystal, Bhikshu Good Stars, and Bhikshuni Precious Lotus Fragrance experienced hell in their physical bodies while still alive. So Ananda asks the Buddha about these causes and conditions.
To be continued |
