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佛陀受了風寒

有一次，佛陀遊化到憍薩羅國的首都舍衛城城，住在一位名叫提婆比多婆羅門的芒果園中，而尊者優波摩那為佛陀的侍者。

那時，佛陀受了風寒，引起了背部疼痛的痼疾，所以,佛陀就找來尊者優波摩那，對尊者說：

「優波摩那！我受了風寒，引起背痛。請你穿好外衣，拿著鈴，到提婆比多婆羅門家去，為我要一些熱水來。」

「好的！世尊。」

尊者優波摩那來到提婆比多婆羅門家，默默地站在門外。

這時，提婆比多婆羅門正在廳堂中理髮，看到尊者優波摩那站在門外，就問道：

「外面這位穿長袍的出家尊者，你默默地站在門外，要乞討什麼嗎？」

「住在芒果園的阿羅漢、善逝，受了風寒，背痛得厲害，你有可以治療的熱水或藥物，可以施捨嗎？」

聽尊者優波摩那這麼說，提婆比多婆羅門就布施了一滿鈴的酥、一瓶油、一瓶石蜜，並且差人擔了熱水，隨尊者優波摩那回到世尊的住處，以油為佛陀塗身，再以熱水泡洗，然後以溫水調和酥蜜飲下。有了這樣的處置，世尊的風寒與背痛，就緩和下來了。

隔天一早，提婆比多婆羅門來探望佛陀。一番問候寒暄後，佛陀與提婆比多婆羅門有一段關於布施的問答。佛陀問：

「你們婆羅門，是怎樣修婆羅門法的呢？例如：布施什麼人可以獲得大果報？在什麼時機布施、布施什麼東西，才是殊勝的福田？」

我們婆羅門最有成就的聖者，稱為三明婆羅門。成就三明的婆羅門，有三個條件：是博記多聞的好老師、有純正的婆羅門血統、相貌端正。能布施三明婆羅門的人，可以獲得大果報，而隨時布施飲食與衣物，就是最殊勝的福田。」

接著，提婆比多婆羅門反過來請教佛陀說：

「瞿曇！你認為怎樣才是真正的婆羅門？如何才稱得上三明？布施什麼人可以獲得大果報？怎樣才是布施的適當時機？怎樣才是殊勝的福田？」

「善知解脫，解脫一切貪的人，才是真正的婆羅門。得了然三世的宿命通、能見諸趣眾生的天眼通、斷盡諸煩惱的漏盡通的人，是成就三明的聖者。能隨時布施這樣的聖者，有最大的果報，是最殊勝的福田。」
The Buddha Was Afflicted With Winds

On one occasion, the Buddha was in Savatthi, capital of Kosala for travel and teaching, he was staying in Brahmin Devahita’s mango grove and the Venerable Upavana was his attendant.

At that time, the Buddha was afflicted with winds, causing recurrent back pain, hence fetched the Venerable Upavana and said:

“Upavana! I am afflicted with winds, causing back pain. Please put on your overcoat, take a bell and go to the residence of Brahmin Devahita, and find some hot water for me!”

“Yes! The World Respected One.”

The Venerable Upavana arrived at the doorstep of Brahmin Devahita and stood silently.

At that time, Brahmin Devahita was having his haircut in the living room, saw the Venerable stood silently at the door and asked:

“The Venerable monk clad in a robe, standing silently outside the door, what do you want to beg for?”

“The Arhat Well-Gone is afflicted with winds, his back is in severe pain, do you have any medicine or hot water for offering?”

Upon learning from the Venerable Upavana, Brahmin Devahita offered a full bell of butter, a bottle of oil, a bottle of molasses, and ordered a man to bring a carrying pole with hot water following the Venerable Upavana to the residence of the Buddha. The Venerable rubbed the Buddha’s body with oil, bathed him with hot water, and mixed the molasses with warm water for him to drink. With such treatment, the Buddha’s ailment subsided.

The next day, Brahmin came to visit the Buddha.

After exchanged greetings, the Buddha asked:

“Brahmin! How do you practice the Brahmin dharma? For instance, to whom an offering can bear great fruit? When and what to offer bring the especially excellent field of merit?”

“Gotama! The most achieved Brahmin sage is called the Three-awareness Brahmin. There are three conditions to become a Three-awareness Brahmin: Who is a good teacher with broad retention ability and well informed, with pure Brahmin blood relationship, and dignified features. Those Three-awareness Brahmin who can offer, can receive great fruition, and offer anytime food and clothing, is the most especially excellent field of merit.”

Brahmin Devahita asked the Buddha conversely:

“Gotama! What criteria do you think constitutes a true Brahmin? How to accomplish the Three-awareness achievement? To whom one offers could yield great fruition? How to offer to make it a especially excellent field of merit?”

“Brahmin! Know well how to liberate, liberate all the greedy people is a true Brahmin. Acquired the supernatural power of the understanding of previous lifetimes, the supernatural power of divine eyes wherein they can observe the full course of passage by sentient beings through the six destinies, and the power of the extinction of contamination, whereby they completely extinguish all the afflictions of the three realms, and thus are no longer subject to rebirth in the three realms is the accomplished Three-awareness sage. Whoever can offer to such sage would receive the greatest fruition, is the especially excellent field of merit.”
  

按語：

一、 本則故事取材自《相應部第七相應第一三經》、《雜阿含第一一八一經》、《別譯雜阿含第九五經》?

二、在《阿含經》中，多處記載著佛陀有背痛的痼疾，這是人間佛陀的模樣。可是，後來漸漸出現了理想的佛陀觀，說佛陀是一切圓滿者，身體當然是圓滿的，怎麼會生病需要吃藥呢？佛陀的吃藥，是示現用的，其用意是為了會生病的一般人，教化他們應當吃藥的（參考《摩訶僧祇律》，大正藏二二冊四八一頁上）。甚至，「大眾系的說大空宗以為：佛示現身相，其實佛在兜率天上，所以也不說法，說法是佛的化現。」（印順法師《印度佛教思想史》第六二頁）這樣的佛陀觀，離《阿含經》所記載的人間佛陀，差距多麼大啊！

三、佛陀為何會有背痛的痼疾？有些律典以佛陀過去生的「本生」與「因緣」風格，解說為這是佛陀長遠以前過去生的業力所致。這種說法，對毫無宿命通的一般人來說，是無法辨別的，只能存於信仰中。《相應部第七相應第一三經》的英譯本註解中，說佛陀背痛的痼疾，是緣於六年苦行中的傷害，這是比較容易以一般常人的經驗來理解的。佛陀在六年苦行中，曾有「日食一麻」，色身如何地瘦弱的記載（參考《增一阿含第三一品第八經》），可推見這六年間，佛陀對色身的保養，是如何地缺乏忽視了。說因此而種下背痛的病根，其可能性是很高的。

四、從佛陀與提婆比多婆羅門對「三明」的認定不同，也可以辨別佛法與婆羅門法之間的若干差異了 。
Notes:

1. This story was derived from Samyutta Nikaya 7th, Samyutta 13th Sutra; Samyutagama 1181st Sutra and Other Translation Samyutagama 95th Sutra.

2. There are numerous passages in the Agama sutra recording the chronic back pains suffered by the Buddha, reflecting the physical form of the Buddha in human life, proved that a liberated sage also suffer from “bodily suffering”. However, an ideal view of the Buddha later emerged, indicating the Buddha is all inclusively completed, how could a complete body become ill and have to take medicine? Hence, explaining that the Buddha taking medicine is for illustration, the purpose is for the ordinary people, who could fall ill, and instruct them that they should take medicine. (See Smgikavinaya, Taisho Tripitaka Vol. 22 p. 841a). Even “The Great Emptiness School of the Mahmgha Sect believes: While the Buddha manifesting his body-character, in fact he is in the Tuita Heaven, hence does not teach the Dharma, the one teaches the Dharma is his Response Body, which manifested in response to the need to teach the sentient beings.” (The History of the Buddhist Ideology In India, the Venerable Yin Shun, p. 62). Such view of the Buddha is far from the Buddha in the world as recorded in the Agama sutras.

3. Why would the Buddha suffer from chronic back pain? Based on the “Previous Life” and “Causes and Conditions” format, some of the writings explain that it was caused by the karma accumulated from the Buddha’s long previous lifetimes. For those without the superpower of understanding of previous lifetime, it is impossible to distinguish; it exists in their faith only. The reference of English translation of Samyutta Nikaya 7th Samyutta 13th Sutra indicates that the Buddha’s chronic back pain was caused by the damage as the result of the six-year practice of austerity; it is easier for an ordinary people with common experience to understand. During the six-year austerity practice, he “eat one sesame seed per day” for long period of time, resulting serious weakening of his physical body (See Dharma Story “The Course of the Buddha’s Studying”). It can be inferred that in this six years, how inadequate was the Buddha maintaining his physical body. If stating it was the cause for setting force the back pain, the possibility should be very high.

4. From the difference of defining the “Three-awareness” between the Buddha and Brahmin Devahita, one could distinguish certain differences between the Buddha Dharma and the Brahmin dharma