須跋陀梵志。年百二十歲。得五神通。阿那跋達多池邊住。夜夢見一切人失眼。裸形。冥中立。日墮、地破。大海水竭。大風起吹須彌山破散。覺已恐怖。思惟言。何以故爾。我命欲盡。若天地主欲墮。猶豫不能自了。以有此惡夢故。先世有善知識天。從上來下。語須跋陀言。汝莫恐怖。有一切智人名佛。後夜半當入無餘涅槃。是故汝夢不為汝身。是時。須跋陀明日到拘夷那竭國。樹林中見阿難經行。語阿難言。我聞汝師說新涅槃道。今日夜半當取滅度。我心有疑。請欲見佛。決我所疑。阿難答言。世尊身極。汝若難問。勞擾世尊。須跋陀如是重請至三。阿難答如初。佛遙聞之。敕語阿難。聽須跋陀梵志來前。自在難問。是吾末後共談。最後得道弟子。是時須跋陀得前見佛。問訊世尊已。於一面坐。如是念。諸外道輩。捨恩愛財寶出家。皆不得道。獨瞿曇沙門得道。如是念竟。即問佛言。是閻浮提地六師輩。各自稱言我是一切智人。是語實不。 |
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Subhadra, the brahmacārin, was one hundred and twenty years old and had obtained the five superknowledges. He dwelt on the shore of Lake Anavatapta. One night, in a dream, he saw everyone blinded and standing naked in the dark. The sun fell from the sky, the earth was shattered, and the great oceans had all dried up. A great wind arose and blew away Mount Sumeru. When he woke up he was frightened and thought, "Why was it like this? Is my life about to end or is the lord of heaven and earth about to fall?" He was bewildered and unable to understand it. Because he had had this terrible dream, a god who had been his spiritual guide in a former life descended from above and said to Subhadra, "Don't be frightened. There is a man possessed of omniscience known as the Buddha, who, tomorrow, in the middle of the night, will enter the nirvana without residue. Therefore your dream was not to do with you."
Then, the next day Subhadra went to the forest in the state of Kusinagara and saw Ananda walking along and said to Ananda, "I have heard that your master describes a new path to nirvana, and that this very day, in the middle of the night, he will choose to enter extinction. My mind is afflicted with doubts. Please, I wish to see the Buddha that he might resolve the cause of my doubts."
Ananda replied, "The World Honored One's body is exhausted. If you approach with difficult questions it will weary and trouble the World Honored One."
Subhadra repeated his request until he had asked three times. Each time Ananda replied as before. The Buddha overheard this from a distance and ordered Ananda, "Allow Subhadra the brahmacārin to come forward and freely pose difficult questions. This will be my very last conversation and my very last disciple to gain the Way."
At this time Subhadra was able to have an audience with the Buddha. After he had greeted the World Honored One, he sat down to one side and thought, "Although the followers of all of the externalist traditions renounce the ties of love and affection, of wealth and treasure, nonetheless they do not gain the Way. Only the "Sramaņa Gautama has found the Way." After he had finished this thought, he asked the Buddha, "Here in this land of Jambudvlpa, all of the six masters say of themselves, "I am possessed of all-knowledge. Is this talk true or not?" |
