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金縷衣的布施

有一次，佛陀來到故鄉迦毘羅衛城遊化，住在城南的尼拘律園精舍中。

一天，佛陀的姨媽摩訶波闍波提，拿一件親手縫製的嶄新金縷黃色衣，要布施給佛陀。 佛陀告訴她說：

「瞿曇女！這件衣服應該布施給僧眾。布施給僧眾，便是供養了我，也供養了僧眾。」 但是，摩訶波闍波提再三地執意要佛陀收下，佛陀也再三地要她布施給僧眾。

這時，站在佛陀後面，執扇搧佛的尊者阿難說：

「世尊！請您收下吧。世尊！摩訶波闍波提瞿曇女照顧您很多，既是您的姨媽，又是您的奶媽與養母，世尊在生母過世後，就是由她哺乳養育您長大的啊。」

「是啊，阿難！摩訶波闍波提瞿曇女確實照顧我很多，在我母親過世後，養育我長大。

阿難！摩訶波闍波提瞿曇女也因為我的緣故，歸依了佛、法、僧眾，不疑三寶，不疑苦、集、滅、道，離殺、盜、淫、妄、酒，成就了信、戒、施、聞、慧。如果一個人想要以終身禮敬與供養生活所需用品的方式，來報答讓自己歸依佛、法、僧眾的恩人之恩澤，那是報答不了的。

再者，阿難！能布施十四種個別眾生，有大功德，大福報。這十四種是：如來、辟支佛、阿羅漢、向阿羅漢、阿那含、向阿那含、斯陀含、向斯陀含、須陀洹、向須陀洹、離欲外道、精進的修行人、一般人、畜生。阿難！如果布施給畜生，可得到的福報大小為一百，那麼，布施一般人為一千，布施精進的修行人為十萬，布施離欲外道為十萬億，布施向須陀洹到阿羅漢的聖者，則為無量，布施辟支佛也是無量，更何況是布施如來了。

再者，阿難！對七類僧眾的布施，有大功德，大福報，即使僧眾中可能雜有不精進、有名無實的惡比丘，也一樣有大功德，大福報。這七類是：
一、布施如來在世時的比丘、比丘尼僧眾。
二、布施如來入滅不久後的比丘、比丘尼僧眾。
三、只布施比丘眾。
四、只布施比丘尼眾。
五、指名特定的比丘眾、比丘尼眾。
六、指名特定的比丘眾。
七、指名特定的比丘尼眾。

阿難！布施給任何特定的個人，所得的功德與果報，再怎樣也不會大於布施給僧眾的。

再者，阿難！有四種布施：
一、由行善法的清淨施者，布施給行惡法的邪惡受者。此類布施，因施者而清淨。
二、由行惡法的邪惡施者，布施給行善法的清淨受者，此類布施，因受者而清淨。
三、由行惡法的邪惡施者，布施給行惡法的邪惡受者，此類布施，施者、受者都不清淨。
四、由行善法的清淨施者，布施給也行善法的清淨受者，此類布施，施者、受者都清淨。」
The Offer of Clothes Sewn With Gold Thread

On one occasion, the Buddha was in Kapilavatthu, the Sakayan country for traveling and teaching, he was living in Nigrodha’s park located in south of the city.

One day, Mahapajapati Gotami, aunt of the Buddha took a new pair of yellow clothes sewn with gold thread by her.

The Buddha told her: “Gotami! Give it to the Sangha, when you give it to the Sangha, both I and the Sangha will be honored.”

However, Mahapajapati Gotami repeatedly asked the Buddha to accept it, and the Buddha also repeatedly requested her to give it to the Sangha.

Then, the Venerable Ananda who was standing behind, fanning the Buddha said:

“The World Respected One! Please accept it. The World Respected One! Mahapajapati Gotami has been very helpful to you, she is your aunt, your forester mother and gave you milk, after the Buddha’s mother passed away, she took care of you and breastfed you until you grew up.”

“Indeed, Ananda! Mahapajapati Gotami looked after me and brought me up after my mother passed away.

Ananda! It is owning to me that Mahapajapati Gotami has gone for refuge to the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha. Has become free from doubt in the Three Jewels, has become free from doubt in Suffering, the Origin of Suffering, Cessation of Suffering and about the Path to Cessation of Suffering; sustains from killing living beings, from taking what is not given, from misconduct in sensual pleasures, from false speech, and from wine, liquor, and intoxicants; achieves Faith, Precept, Charity, Hearing and Wisdom. If one would like to pay homage for the lifetime and offer livelihood necessities to repay the blessings from the benefactor who allowed one to take refuge in the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha, it is far from adequate.

Moreover, Ananda! There are great merits, great blessings if one can make offer to fourteen kinds of individual sentient beings, these sentient beings are: the Tathagata, a paccekabuddha, arahant, disciple of arahant, non-returner, disciple of non-returner, once-returner, disciple of once-returner, stream-enterer, disciple of stream-enterer, outside the dispensation who is free from lust for sensual pleasures, a diligent practitioner, ordinary person and an animal. Ananda! By giving a gift to an animal, the offering may be expected to repay a hundredfold. By giving a gift to an ordinary person, the offering may be expected to repay a thousand fold. By giving a gift to a diligent practitioner, the offering may be expected to repay a hundred thousand fold. By giving a gift to one who is outside the dispensation who is free from lust for sensual pleasures, the offering may be expected to repay ten trillion fold. By offering a gift to stream-enterer and arahant, the offering may be expected to repay immeasurable fold. By offering a gift to a paccekabuddha, the offering also may be expected to repay immeasurable fold, no to mention offering a gift to the Tathagata.

Moreover, Ananda! There are seven kinds of offerings made to the Sangha, which could yield great merit and great blessing, even though there are possibly mixing with non-diligent, merely nominal evil bhikkhus, it will yield great merit and great blessing. The seven kinds of offering are: 1. One gives a gift to a Sangha of both bhikkhus and bhikkhunis headed by the Buddha. 2. One gives a gift to a Sangha of both bhikkhus and bhikkhunis after the Tathagata has attained final Nivana. 3. One gives a gift to a Sangha of bhikkhus. 4. One gives a gift to a Sangha of bhikkhunis. 5. One gives a gift saying: “Appoint so many bhikkhus and bhikkhunis for me from the Sangha.” 6. One gives a gift saying “Appoint so many bhikkhus for me from the Sangha” 7. One gives a gift saying “Appoint so many bhikkhunis for me from the Sangha.”

Ananda! One gives a gift to an appointed individual the merit and reward cannot be greater than that of gives a gift to the Sangha.

Moreover, Ananda! There are four kinds of purification of offering, such offerings enable both the giver and receiver becomes purified. The four offerings are: 1. The giver is virtuous, of good character, and the receiver is immoral, of evil character. Thus the offering is purified by the giver, not by the receiver. 2. The giver is immoral, of evil character, and the receiver is virtuous, of good character. Thus the offering is purified by the receiver, not by the giver. 3. The giver is immoral, of evil character and the receiver is immoral, of evil character. Thus, the offering is purified neither by the giver nor by the receiver. 4. The giver is virtuous, of good character, and the receiver is virtuous, of good character. Thus the offering is purified both by the giver and by the receiver.

按語：

一、本則故事取材自《中阿含第一八○瞿曇彌經》、《中部第一四二施分別經》。

二、「金縷衣」，《中部第一四二施分別經》只作「一套新衣」。

三、早期佛教對修行有成就者，安立了四個果，分別是：預流果、一來果、不還果、無學果；或音譯為：須陀洹果、斯陀含果、阿那含果、阿羅漢果；或簡以：初果、第二果、第三果、第四果。預流果是指初入聖者之流，表示從此邁向聖道而不退，最多再經七番生死流轉，就能成就解脫。一來果是預流果之上的成就，最多只再來人間一次，就能成就解脫。不還果是一來果之上的成就，不會再來人間了，就在「不還天」的天界成就解脫。無學果表示已經成就解脫，不再有生死流轉了。（參考《雜阿含第一二四八經》等）

四、本則故事，亦廣泛地記載於各部律典。律典中，佛陀回答摩訶波闍波提瞿曇女的話，有一句極有意義，那就是佛陀說「我在僧數」（如《五分律》，大正大藏經第二三冊第一八五頁中）。「我在僧數」，表示佛陀也是僧團中的一分子，與「如來不言：我持於眾、我攝於眾。」（如來不說：我領導眾人，《長阿含第二遊行經》）相應。

五、尼拘律園，位於迦毘羅衛城南的尼拘律樹林。佛陀成佛後第六年，第一次回家鄉時，父親淨飯王為他在此建立一座精舍的林園。當時佛陀在此精舍住了七天，為淨飯王說法，也在此林園中接受了姨母所供養的金縷袈裟（金縷衣）。（參考《佛光大辭典》第一八八五頁，印順法師著《印度之佛教》第二九頁）

六、佛陀不接受摩訶波闍波提瞿曇女的個別布施，而要她布施給僧眾，其實是期望她能獲得更大的福報，因為布施僧眾的福報，比布施佛陀個人更大。

七、在尊者阿難的多次請求下，後來佛陀允許尊者摩訶波闍波提等女眾出家，這是比丘尼僧團成立之始（參考《中阿含第一一六瞿曇彌經》）。而本則故事發生時，尊者摩訶波闍波提還沒出家，比丘尼僧團也還沒成立，所以，經文後段所說，包括布施比丘尼僧眾的「對七類僧眾布施」，很有可能是後來增入的（參考菩提比丘英譯本註解一二九一），這應為經典增編失誤的痕跡。

八、為何布施僧眾的功德，大於如來？或許是因為僧團負有「正法久住」的使命，佛法在世間的延續，是靠僧眾實際承擔的吧。
Notes:

1. This story was derived from Madhyamagama 180th Gotami Sutra; Majjhima Nikaya 142nd Sutra.

2. “Clothes sewn with gold thread” in the text of Majjhima Nikaya 142nd Sutra read “A pair of new clothes”.

3. Four Fruitions established in the early Buddhism were “Stream-enterer”, “Once-returner”, “Non-returner” and “Arhan” or in Sanskrit phonetic “Sorta-apatti”, Sakd-agamin”, “Anagamin” and “Arhattva”; or in short: “First Fruition”, “Second Fruition”, “Third Fruition” and “Fourth Fruition”. The fruition of Stream-enterer means entering the stream of saint for the first time, indicating one would not retreat after entering into the path of saint, one would attain liberation by going through at the most, seven times in the cycle of life and death. The fruition of once-returner is the achievement of stream-enterer; one would attain liberation after reborn once at the most. The fruition of Non-returner is the advancement of once-returner, who would no longer return to the human realm, and attain liberation in the “Non-return heaven” of the Heavenly Realm. The Fruition of Arhan indicates one has attained liberation; the transmigration through life and death is no longer necessary. (See Samyuktagama 1248th Sutra.)

4. This story also widely recorded in the Nikaya Canon. An extremely significant sentence in the text of Nikaya Canon is the words that the Buddha answering Mahapajapati Gotami by saying “I am in Sangha” as in Vinaya of the Five Categories of the Makisasaka sect (see Taisho Tripitaka Volume 23, p.185b). “I am in the Sangha” means the Buddha is one of the Sangha, it is corresponding to “the Tathagata does not say: I control the messes, I keep the messes” (The Tathagata does not say I lead the messes (Dirghagama 2nd Sutra).

5. Nigrodha’s park was located in the Nigrodha Woods south of Kapilavatthu. The Buddha returned to his hometown for the first time after the sixth year of his attaining Buddhahood; his father King Suddhodhana built a monastery for him as residence. The Buddha stayed there for seven days, preached Dharma for King Suddhodhana, the Buddha also accepted the cassock sewn with gold thread (clothes sewn with gold thread) given by his aunt. (See “Fo Guang Dictionary” p. 1885 and “Buddhism of India” The Venerable Yin Shun. p. 29)

6. The objective of Buddha’s refusal of accepting the personal gift from Mahapajapati Gotami, and requested her to give it to the Sangha was to expect a greater merit for her. Because the merit would be greater if the gift was given to the Sangha instead of the Buddha.

7. After repeatedly requesting from the Venerable Ananda, the Buddha granted permission to the Venerable Mahapajapati and other female practitioners to become monastic. This was the inception of bhikkhuni Sangha. (See Madyhamagama 116th Gotami Sutra.). At the time of occurrence of this story, the Venerable Mahapajapati had yet to become member of the monastic, there was no establishment of bhikkhuni Sangha, hence, the latter paragraph of the sutra, including the “seven kinds of offering to the Sangha”, which make offer to bhikkhunis, most likely was later modified. (See English translation of the Majjhima Nikaya, Bhikkhu Bodhi, notes 1291). This should be the trace of error in sutra modification.

8. Why the merit of making offering to the Sangha is greater than to the Buddha? Perhaps the Sangha is bearing the mission of “Right Dharma long exists”; the continuation of Dharma is practically relying upon the Sangha.