舍利弗入城乞食，得已，向壁坐食。是時有梵志女，名淨目，來見舍利弗，問舍利弗言：沙門汝食耶？答言：食。淨目言：汝沙門下口食耶？答言：不！仰口食耶？不！方口食耶？不！四維口食耶？不！淨目言：食法有四種，我問汝，汝言不：我不解，汝當說，舍利弗言：有出家人合藥、種穀、植樹等不淨活命者，是名下口食。有出家人觀視星宿、日月，風雨、雷電、霹靂，不淨活命者，是名仰口食。有出家人曲媚豪勢，通使四方，巧言多求，不淨活命者，是名方口食。有出家人學種種咒術，卜算吉凶，如是等種種不淨活命者，是名四維口食。姊！我不墮是四不淨食中，我用清淨乞食活命。是時淨目聞說清淨法食，歡喜信解。舍利弗因為說法，得須陀洹道。
附註：
對某些人而言，想要以正確的佛教觀點來理解這個問題，需要在文化和觀念上做一跨越。對於身體健全的人，只接受布施供養，而不去賺錢謀生，很多人頗不以為然，抱著懷疑鄙視的眼光。以下幾點有助瞭解：
1.佛陀很肯定的一說再說，業因果報的力量是很大的。在家人發歡喜心幫助捨棄世俗，過清淨寺廟生活的修行人，能得不可思議功德，此生及未來世皆獲福報及快樂。（但須注意分辨，此處所指的是清淨修行人，不包含不斷欲，仍過在家生活的傳教者。）因為這個緣故，捨俗出家，誠心精進的修行人稱為福田，堪受協助，在家人欲於未來得人間福報及心靈利益，必獲其果。
2.佛陀禁止寺廟修行人追求謀生技能或參與營利事業，因為會危及他們的修行，使他們無法全心、全力、全時地投注於修道上。
3.假如出家的修行人，於靈修上混雜了謀生營利的事業，那麼「福田」的功用便相對地降低；而他們在心靈上的明晰、見識，以及對在家眾精神上的導引功用便會大打折扣。
4.仔細觀察正信的出家寺廟生活，可知這是一種最具挑戰性而且是最自強不息的工作。只要你放下狹隘、苛刻，以金錢為主的衡量標準，你就不會再執著於原先的觀點，認為出家的寺廟生活是不切實際、不老實的工作。
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Shariputra went into the city to make his alms rounds and having obtained his food sat down against a wall to eat. At this time, a Brahmacarini named "Pure Eyes" (Shucimukhi) came along and, seeing Shariputra, asked him, "Shramana, are you eating?"
He replied, "Yes, I'm eating."
Pure Eyes asked, "Do you shramanas eat with your attention directed downwards?"
He replied, "No, Sister."
"Do you eat with your attention directed upwards?"
"No."
"With your attention directed to the [four] directions?"
"No."
"With your attention directed to the four midpoints?"
"No."
Pure Eyes said, "There are four approaches to gaining one's sustenance. I asked you about them and you said 'no' in every case. I don't understand. You ought to explain."
Shariputra said, "There are those who, having left the home life, blend herbs, sow grains, plant trees, or engage in other such forms of impure means of sustaining one's life. These methods are referred to as eating with one's attention directed downwards.
"There are those who, having left the home life, carry out observations of the stars, the constellations, the sun, the moon, the wind, the rain, thunder and lightning, and thunderbolts, carrying on this impure means of sustaining one's life. These methods are referred to as eating with one's attention directed upwards.
"There are those who have left the home life who manipulate and flatter the noble and powerful, who deliver messages for them in all four directions, or who employ clever words and covetousness, these impure means of sustaining one's life. These methods are referred to as eating with one's attention directed in all directions.
"There are those who, having left the home life, study all manner of incantational techniques, or who practice divination and calculation of auspiciousness and inauspiciousness and all manner of impure means such as these for sustaining their lives. These methods are referred to as eating with one's attention focused on the midpoints. Sister, I do not fall into any of these four types of impure means of sustaining one's life. I employ the pure alms round to sustain this life."
At this time, when Pure Eyes had heard the explanation of the dharma of pure eating, she was delighted and developed faith and understanding. Shariputra, because he had spoken Dharma for her, gained the way of the Srotaapana.
End Notes:
Reaching an accurate Buddhist understanding of this idea may require a cultural and conceptual leap for some. Many of us are hard pressed not to wince and look askance at apparently able-bodied people who prefer alms to the wage-earner's nine-to-five, cash-on-the-barrelhead mode of existence. A few clues which may be helpful:
a) The Buddha stated repeatedly and in no uncertain terms that because of the great power of the karmic law of cause-and-effect, the layperson who willingly and happily provides assistance to the renunciate monastic (not to be confused with non-celibate lay priests) gains an incredible reward of merit whereby blessings and bliss ensue in this and future lives. This being the case, the earnestly rigorous and renunciate monastic constitutes what is referred to as a "field of blessings" whose availability to accept such assistance is a particularly potent resource to the layperson desirous of accumulating merit for future worldly and spiritual benefit;
b) Involvement in the exigencies of pursuing a livelihood in the normal sense of the term was forbidden for monastics by the Buddha. It was heldto be a great abyss which jeopardizes the monastic's ability to retain fulltimefocus on the Path;
c) Were the monastic to dilute his spiritual cultivation with involvementin a "livelihood," his potency as a "field of merit" would diminish commen-surately while his clarity, perspective and effectiveness as a source of spiri-tual guidance to the laity would be seriously compromised;
d) closer examination of orthodox monastic life reveals that it constitutes the most extremely challenging and unremittingly demanding of jobs.When one drops the rather mean and narrow criteria of the fiscal yardstickit becomes much more difficult to maintain the opinion that the monasticlife doesn't constitute real and honest work.
English translation © 1996 Dharmamitra.
All rights reserved.
Reprinted with permission of Kalavinka. |
