前期提示: 佛告諸比丘。爾時王者。則我身是。時仙人者。今提婆達多是。
他來到這兒怎麼說呢？他說：「唉呀！釋迦牟尼佛呀！他說他有神通，他沒有什麼大神通，他的神通不如我徒弟的神通大呢？你們跟著我去試一試。」於是乎，這五百個比丘就都跟著他去了。提婆達多把這五百個比丘帶回去，回去他就睡覺。他說：「我一睡能睡一百天，我也不醒，你看一看！」這五百個比丘就在這兒陪著他睡覺。這時候，舍利弗回來一看，五百個比丘沒有了，就用神通把這五百個比丘又從提婆達多那兒給搶回來。搶回後，這提婆達多睡覺睡醒了一看，五百個比丘又沒有了。他也有點神通，一看，被舍利弗又都給用神通攝回去了，他就很不高興的：「哼！你給我搶回去，好！」於是乎，他就儘量破壞釋迦牟尼佛。
釋迦牟尼佛教化比丘說，要吃齋，不要吃肉；他教徒弟怎麼樣？教徒弟不要吃飯，連鹹鹽都不要吃。釋迦牟尼佛教徒弟一天只吃一餐，日中一食；他就教他徒弟一百天不要吃飯，一百天吃一餐飯。你看！這比釋迦牟尼佛也高了嘛！釋迦牟尼佛不吃肉，他教他的徒弟連鹹鹽都不要吃。那麼連鹽都不要吃，這個菜、什麼的，都沒有什麼味道，他說：「那我們這才是真修行，比釋迦牟尼佛更高。」所以當時就有一些個人歡喜高的，就跟他去學。其實越學越遠，因為他不合乎中道。
提婆達多也出過佛身血。怎麼出佛身血呢？釋迦牟尼佛在靈鷲山那兒山底下走，他在山上邊用一塊大石頭，往下一推，就預備把釋迦牟尼佛砸扁扁的，砸成肉餅。那麼這護法神著急了，就用寶杵把這一塊大石子，一寶杵就給打到一邊去了，打偏偏了。但是把這石頭就打碎了一塊，這一塊石頭呢，就打到佛的小腳指頭上了，把小指頭就給打破了，流血了，所以這叫出佛身血了，他犯這五逆的罪。
他又殺阿羅漢，怎麼殺阿羅漢呢？那個蓮華色比丘尼是個證果的阿羅漢，他一拳就把她給打死了，所以這殺阿羅漢。還有破和合僧，他又叫比丘大家都不和，這是破和合僧。他叫阿闍世王殺父、殺母，所以這五逆罪，他都犯了。雖然犯了五逆罪，是惡知識，但是他也正是幫助釋迦牟尼佛的，不過在相反的那個方向來幫助他，來護法他。所以將來提婆達多也是成佛的，在這部《法華經》裡，釋迦牟尼佛都給他授記了。所以你看！提婆達多是釋迦牟尼佛的師父，釋迦牟尼佛成佛了，他還沒成佛呢！這個佛法裏頭，誰用功精進，誰就先成就。
待續 |
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Sutra text from last issue: The Buddha told the Bhikshus, “The king was I myself, in a previous life and the seer was the present Devadatta.”
What did he do to convince them? He said “Ha! Shakyamuni Buddha claims he has spiritual penetrations, but his powers aren't even as great as my disciples’. Follow me and see for yourselves!” And he took five hundred Bhikshus off with him. When they arrived at his place, he went to sleep, saying, “Watch! I can go to sleep for a hundred days without waking up.” And the five hundred Bhikshus went to sleep along with him.
When Shariputra returned and realized that five hundred Bhikshus were gone from the assembly, he used his spiritual powers to get them back. When Devadatta woke up, he saw that the Bhikshus were gone. Since he too had some spiritual powers, he figured out they had been taken back by Shariputra. That infuriated him and he thought, “You're stolen back the Bhikshus? Fine!” From then on, he did his best to try to ruin Shakyamuni Buddha.
Shakyamuni Buddha taught his disciples to eat vegetarian food and not to eat meat, but Devadatta tried to go him one better and told his disciples not even to eat salt! Shakyamuni Buddha taught his disciples to eat only one meal in the middle of the day, but Devadatta told his disciples to eat only once every one hundred days. You see? This was supposed to mean he was higher than Shakyamuni Buddha. Shakyamuni Buddha didn't eat meat, but he told his disciples not even to eat salt. It made the food tasteless, but he said, “This is true once every one hundred days. You see? cultivation. We're higher than Shakyamuni Buddha.” People who wanted to be ‘higher” studied with Devadatta. Because they were not in accord with the Middle Way, the more they studied, the more they got off the track.
Devadatta also committed the offense of shedding the Buddha's blood. Once when the Buddha was walking beneath Vulture Peak, Devadatta pushed a huge boulder on top of him, intending to turn him into a pancake. The Dharma Protectors raced to the rescue and rammed the boulder with their vajra pestles to send it off in another direction. They knocked loose a small piece of rock however, which hit the Buddha on his little toe, breaking the skin, and causingit to bleed. Shedding the Buddha's blood is one of the Five Rebellious Acts-unpardonable offenses.
He also killed an Arhat, when with one fist he beat to death the Bhikshuni Lianhuase (Lotus Flower Color) who was an Arhat who had certified to the fruit. He also broke up the harmony of the Sangha, when he encouraged dissension among the assembly of Bhikshus. He also encouraged King Ajatasatru to kill his father and mother. Thus he committed all five of the Five Rebellious Acts:
1. Patricide,
2. Matricide,
3. Killing an Arhat,
4. Shedding the Buddha's blood, and
5. Breaking the harmony of the Sangha.
Even though he was an evil advisor who committed the Five Rebellious Acts, he was really helping Shakyamuni Buddha and protecting the Buddha's Dharma, in a back-handed way. When Shakyamuni Buddha spoke the Dharma Flower Sutra, he gave Devadatta a prediction of Buddhahood. In the future Devadatta will become a Buddha. So you see, Devadatta was once Shakyamuni Buddha's teacher, and now Shakyamuni Buddha has become a Buddha, but Devadatta hasn't done so yet. In the Buddhadharma whoever works hard and is vigorous comes to accomplishment first.
To be continued |
