麻瘋病者經

如是我聞，一時薄伽梵住王舍城竹林的松鼠園。爾時王舍城有一麻瘋病者蘇巴菩達，乃貧窮、悲慘、潦倒之人。其時薄伽梵為眾人圍繞，正端坐說法。麻瘋病者蘇巴菩達於遠處見此眾人，心想： “無疑那裡必有人布施主食副食。我何不去那眾人處，或者可得些主食副食。”於是朝那群人走去。他看見薄伽梵為眾人圍繞，正端坐說法。見此，他意識到：“這裡並沒有人布施主食副食。那是沙門喬達摩為眾人圍繞，正端坐說法。我何不聽法？”他當即坐於一邊，[心想]：“我也願聽法。”

其時，薄伽梵以他的覺知包容了全體在場者的覺知後，自問：“現在，這裡有誰能領悟法？”他見麻瘋病者蘇巴菩達坐在人群中，見他時，即想：“此人能領悟法。”於是，針對麻瘋病者蘇巴菩達，他作了一場次第漸進的開示，即：一段布施說，一段戒德說，一段天界說；他宣講了感官之欲的過患、降格、退敗，以及出離的果報。接著，他見麻瘋病者蘇巴菩達的心已預備、可塑、五蓋祛除、提升、明亮，便作了一場諸覺者特有的法義開示，即：苦、苦因、苦的止息、苦的止息之道。如無垢、潔淨之布得以善吸染料，同樣地，麻瘋病者蘇巴菩達正端坐原地，即升起內在無塵、無垢的法眼： “凡緣起者，皆趨向止息。”

既已見法、證法、解法，於法中立足，已超越，不再有疑、不再有惑，已證得無畏、於導師之教言不再依賴他人，他離座走向薄伽梵。近前向薄伽梵頂禮後，坐於一邊。坐於一邊後，他對薄伽梵說：“勝哉，世尊，勝哉！薄伽梵正好比將顛倒之物置正、把隱秘之事揭開、為迷途者指路、在黑夜裡舉燈、使有目者見形，同樣地，薄伽梵藉種種方便，闡明了法。我歸依薄伽梵、歸依法、歸依僧。願薄伽梵記得我這個從今日起一生歸依於他的優婆夷。”

於是麻瘋病者蘇巴菩達受薄伽梵說法的教導、敦促、鼓勵、激勵，對薄伽梵之言心悅、隨喜，離座起身，對薄伽梵頂禮、右繞後離去。離去不久，他即被一頭帶著小牛的母牛撞死了。

此後，有眾比丘朝薄伽梵走來，近前向薄伽梵頂禮後、坐於一邊。坐於一邊後，他們對薄伽梵說，“世尊，那麻瘋病者蘇巴菩達，受薄伽梵說法的教導、敦促、鼓勵、激勵者，今已死矣。他的趣向為何? 他的來世為何？”

“比丘們，麻瘋病者蘇巴菩達有智慧。他如法修持，未在法義上與我糾纏。隨著前三種束縛的摧毀，他是入流者，不墜惡趣，必然走向自覺醒。”

言畢，一比丘對薄伽梵說：“世尊，是什麼因、是什麼緣，麻瘋病者蘇巴菩達何以如此貧窮、悲慘、潦倒？”

“比丘們，曾經就在此王舍城內，蘇巴菩達乃一富有的放貸人之子。他隨護衛往游樂園途中，見獨覺佛多伽羅屍迦在城裡托缽。見時他想：‘這徘徊覓食的麻瘋病者是誰？’ 他朝獨覺佛多伽羅屍迦唾啐、並無禮地以左側對之離去。作為該業的果報，他在地獄裡煎熬了許多年、許多百年、許多千年、許多千萬年。作為該業的果報，他就在此王舍城內，成為一貧窮、悲慘、潦倒的麻瘋病者。然而，緣見如來宣說法與律，他獲得信心、戒德、學問、離欲、明辨。既已緣見如來宣說法與律而獲得信心、戒德、學問、離欲、明辨，如今身壞命終，他重現 善趣、天界，與三十三天的諸天神為伴。他在彼處的美麗與榮耀勝於諸天神。”

意識到該事件的重要性，其時薄伽梵大聲宣說：

明眼者於艱險處，

力避坎坷。

明智者於人世間，

當避惡行。

I have heard that on one occasion the Blessed One was staying in Rajagaha at the Bamboo Grove, the Squirrels' Sanctuary. Now at that time in Rajagaha there was a leper named Suppabuddha, a poor, miserable wretch of a person. And at that time the Blessed One was sitting surrounded by a large assembly, teaching the Dhamma. Suppabuddha the leper saw the large gathering of people from afar and thought to himself, "Without a doubt, someone must be distributing staple or non-staple food over there. Why don't I go over to that large group of people, and maybe I'll get some staple or non-staple food." So he went over to the large group of people. Then he saw the Blessed One sitting surrounded by a large assembly, teaching the Dhamma. On seeing this, he realized, "There's no one distributing staple or non-staple food over here. That's Gotama the contemplative, sitting surrounded by a large assembly, teaching the Dhamma. Why don't I listen to the Dhamma?" So he sat to one side right there, [thinking,] "I, too, will listen to the Dhamma."

Then the Blessed One, having encompassed the awareness of the entire assembly with his awareness, asked himself, "Now who here is capable of understanding the Dhamma?" He saw Suppabuddha the leper sitting in the assembly, and on seeing him the thought occurred to him, "This person here is capable of understanding the Dhamma." So, aiming at Suppabuddha the leper, he gave a step-by-step talk, i.e., a talk on giving, a talk on virtue, a talk on heaven; he declared the drawbacks, degradation, & corruption of sensual passions, and the rewards of renunciation. Then when he saw that Suppabuddha the leper's mind was ready, malleable, free from hindrances, elated, & bright, he then gave the Dhamma-talk peculiar to Awakened Ones, i.e., stress, origination, cessation, & path. And just as a clean cloth, free of stains, would properly absorb a dye, in the same way, as Suppabuddha the leper was sitting in that very seat, the dustless, stainless Dhamma eye arose within him, "Whatever is subject to origination is all subject to cessation."

Having seen the Dhamma, reached the Dhamma, known the Dhamma, gained a footing in the Dhamma, having crossed over & beyond doubt, having had no more perplexity, having gained fearlessness & independence from others with regard to the Teacher's message, he rose up from his seat and went to the Blessed One. On arrival, having bowed down to the Blessed One, he sat to one side. As he was sitting there he said to the Blessed One: "Magnificent, lord! Magnificent! Just as if the Blessed One were to place upright what was overturned, to reveal what was hidden, to show the way to one who was lost, or were to carry a lamp into the dark so that those with eyes could see forms, in the same way has the Blessed One -- through many lines of reasoning -- made the Dhamma clear. I go to the Blessed One for refuge, to the Dhamma, and to the Community of monks. May the Blessed One remember me as a lay follower who has gone to him for refuge, from this day forward, for life."

Then Suppabuddha the leper, having been instructed, urged, roused, & encouraged by the Blessed One's Dhamma talk, delighting & approving of the Blessed One's words, got up from his seat, bowed down to the Blessed One, circumambulated him -- keeping him to his right -- and left. Not long after his departure he was attacked & killed by a cow with a young calf.

Then a large number of monks approached the Blessed One and, on arrival, having bowed down to him, sat to one side. As they were sitting there, they said to the Blessed One, "Lord, the leper named Suppabuddha, whom the Blessed One instructed, urged, roused, & encouraged with a Dhamma talk, has died. What is his destination? What is his future state?"

" Monks, Suppabuddha the leper was wise. He practiced the Dhamma in accordance with the Dhamma and did not pester me with issues related to the Dhamma. With the destruction of the first three fetters, he is a stream-winner, not subject to states of deprivation, headed for self-awakening for sure."

When this was said, one of the monks said to the Blessed One, "Lord, what was the cause, what was the reason, why Suppabuddha the leper was such a poor, miserable wretch of a person?"

Once, monks, in this very Rajagaha, Suppabuddha the leper was the son of a rich money-lender. While being escorted to a pleasure park, he saw Tagarasikhithe Private Buddha going for alms in the city. On seeing him, he thought, 'Who is this leper prowling about?' Spitting and disrespectfully turning his left side to Tagarasikhi the Private Buddha, he left. As a result of that deed he boiled in hell for many years, many hundreds of years, many thousands of years, many hundreds of thousands of years. And then as a result of that deed he became a poor, miserable wretch of a person in this very Rajagaha. But on encountering the Dhamma & Discipline made known by the Tathagata, he acquired conviction, virtue, learning, relinquishment, & discernment. Having acquired conviction, virtue, learning, relinquishment, & discernment on encountering the Dhamma & Discipline made known by the Tathagata, now -- on the break-up of the body, after death -- he has reappeared in a good destination, the heavenly world, in company with the devas of the heaven of the Thirty-three. There he outshines the other devas both in beauty & in glory."

Then, on realizing the significance of that, the Blessed One on that occasion exclaimed:

A person with good eyes,

encountering

a treacherous, uneven place,

would try hard to avoid it.

A wise person, in the world of life,

should avoid

evil deeds.