有一次，佛陀在摩揭陀國遊化，住在摩鳩羅山。那時，佛陀身邊的侍者還不是尊者阿難，而是尊者那伽波羅。

這天傍晚，天色才暗，天空飄著細雨，又有間歇的閃電，佛陀在室外的空地上經行。

這時，三十三天的統領釋提桓因，知道佛陀在屋外經行，於是變化出一座毘琉璃寶塔，帶著去拜見佛陀，以表示對佛陀的崇敬。當他見過佛陀，向佛陀頂禮後，就跟隨在佛陀後面經行。

佛陀為了提供天帝釋多一些經行的機會，所以經行的時間，比平常要久。尊者那伽波羅看不到佛陀後面的天帝釋，更不知道佛陀比平常經行的時間久，是為了天帝釋。而依據當時的慣例，侍者要等到所侍奉的老師結束禪修後，才能去睡覺，所以尊者那伽波羅一直沒辦法就寢。

或許是因為感到太疲憊了，尊者那伽波羅開始想辦法要讓佛陀停止經行，以便自己可以趕快去睡覺。當時，摩揭陀國人有一個習俗：當小孩子夜間哭鬧不停時，大人們便說，住在摩鳩羅山的摩鳩羅鬼來了，小孩就會害怕而停止哭鬧。尊者那伽波羅竟然異想天開，想裝成摩鳩羅鬼來嚇佛陀，以為佛陀會害怕而停止經行。於是，尊者那伽波羅就將一件毛織物翻轉過來，披在身上，讓自己身上看起來像是長滿了長毛的摩鳩羅鬼，然後躲到佛陀經行小路的盡頭處，準備嚇佛陀。

當佛陀走過來時，尊者那伽波羅就跳出來，對著佛陀大喊：「摩鳩羅鬼來了！摩鳩羅鬼來了！」來嚇佛陀。

佛陀當然不會被嚇著，於是對尊者那伽波羅說：「那伽波羅，你這個愚癡人！想以摩鳩羅鬼的樣子來嚇如來嗎？那是連一根毛髮也撼動不了我的，我離恐怖已經很久了。」

這時，跟隨在佛陀後面經行的天帝釋對佛陀說：「世尊！僧團裡也有這種人嗎？」

佛陀回答說：「憍尸迦！僧團中廣納各類不同根性的人，他們在未來，都會成就清淨之法的。」

On this occasion, the Buddha was staying at Makura Mountain in Magadha for traveling and teaching. At that time, his attendant was Venerable Nakabara instead of Venerable Ananda.

In that evening, it was getting dark, it was drizzling amid occasionally lightening, and the Buddha was engaging in walking meditation in the outdoor open space.

At this time, Sakra Devanam-indra, ruler of the Thirty-three Heaven gods was aware of that the Buddha was engaging in walking meditation, hence magically produced a set of glass pagoda to present to the Buddha to express his respect. After greetings and paid homage to the Buddha, he followed the Buddha for walking meditation.

In order to provide greater opportunity for Sakra Devanam-indra to take part in the walking meditation, time for the walking meditation was longer than normal. Venerable Nakabara was unable to see Sakra Devanam-indra who was behind the Buddha, not to mention the longer time that the Buddha took was for the benefit of Sakra Devanam-indra. According to the customs at that time, the attendant must wait till the teacher finished the meditation practice before the attendant could go to sleep; hence Nakabara was unable to go to bed because of that.

Perhaps due to over-exhausted, Venerable began to figure a way to stop the Buddha from walking meditation so that he could go to sleep sooner. At that time the Magadhans had a custom: When a child crying nonstop and restless at night, the adults would say that the Makura ghost that lives in Makura Mountain was coming, the child would stop crying because of fear. Out of widest fantasy, Venerable Nakabara planned to disguise as a Makura ghost to scare the Buddha, figuring that the Buddha would stop walking meditation out of fright. Therefore, Venerable Nakabara turned over a peace of knitted woolen clothing, put it on as if he were the Makura ghost with long hair on the body, then hided at the end of the path, which the Buddha was using for walking meditation, and prepared to scare the Buddha.

When the Buddha approaching, Venerable Nakabara jumped out and shouted to the Buddha: “The Makura ghost is coming, the Makura ghost is coming” to scare the Buddha.

Naturally, the Buddha was not frightened, and said to Venerable Nakabara: “Nakabara, you are a fool who wishes to use the form of Makura ghost to scare the Tathakata? It would not move a hair of mine, I have long been free from fright.”

At this time, Sakra Devanam-indra who was following the Buddha for walking meditation spoke with the Buddha: “The World Respected, does such kind of person exists in the sangha?”

The Buddha replied “Sakra Devanam-indra! The sangha accepts persons with all sorts of characters, they will achieve the Pure Dharma in the future.”

一、本則故事取材自《雜阿含第一三二○經》、《別譯雜阿含第三一九經》。

二、出現在《阿含經》經的佛陀侍者，計有尊者優波摩、尊者羅陀、尊者彌醯、尊者那伽波羅，以及尊者阿難等五位，其中，以尊者阿難侍佛時間最久，依《中阿含第三三侍者經》說共有二十五年，亦即在佛陀五十五歲到八十歲的這段期間。

三、如果再依《根本說一切有部毘奈耶》（大正大藏經第二三冊第六二八頁上欄），佛陀成佛後的最初十二年間，沒有制定戒律，其原因是，在這段期間來跟隨佛陀修學的比丘，程度很好，沒有人曾犯有過失，所以尊者那伽波羅加為佛陀侍者的時間，也不太可能是在最初的十二年內。因此推斷本則故事發生的時間，以佛陀成佛後十二到二十年的八年間最有可能。

四、尊者那伽波羅是怎樣的一位比丘呢？在《阿含經》中有關他的經文並不多，僅在《增壹阿含第四品第十經》中說他是「我聲聞中第一比丘曉了星宿，預知吉凶」。這樣的描述，就佛法的律制標準來說，並不太光彩，因為那不是佛陀鼓勵比丘們應當學的。而在《增壹阿含第四一品第二經》中，則可以看出那時的尊者那伽波羅，已經是證入解脫的聖者了。該段經文描述了一段相當稀有的事件：有一位尊者那伽波羅小時候的好友來見他，向尊者述說他近來七天裡，死了七個有才華的兒子，近六日來死了十二個能幹的傭人，近五日來死了四個各有專長的兄弟，近四日來死了百歲年邁的雙親，近三日來死了兩位賢慧的太太，昨天，家中的財寶也被偷了，真是遭逢了人生最大的打擊，痛苦極了，然後羨慕尊者那伽波羅，讚歎是「快樂中最快樂的人」。尊者那伽波羅就為他的朋友說了解脫之法，引導他也證入解脫，成為阿羅漢。

五、經行，是在一段距離適中的空地或小徑上，緩慢地往返步行，也有在室內進行的。通常是在飯後，或在禪坐中感到昏沈疲倦時來做，其目的，除了有調劑作用外，還是不離「攝心」與「覺察」。

六、天帝釋，又譯為釋提桓因、因陀羅、釋迦因陀羅，依《雜阿含第一三二○經》、《雜阿含第五○四經》、《雜阿含第五五二經》、《雜阿含第一一○六經》等經的敘述，知道「憍尸迦」（《中阿含第一三四釋問經》等譯為「拘翼」）是他過去世為人時的姓，因為其樂善好施，死後生天，為三十三天──忉利天的領袖，這相當於台灣民間信仰中的「玉皇大帝」。 天帝釋在佛世時經常來人間親近佛陀與佛弟子，聽聞佛法，只是三十三天環境太好，娛樂太多，依《雜阿含第五○五經》帝釋天自己告訴尊者大目揵連說，他們「多著放逸樂」，所聽聞的佛法也時憶時忘。 三十三天，依印順法師《佛法概論》中說：「帝釋天與四方各八輔臣共治」（第一二四頁），即東西南北四方中，每方各有八天，加上中央帝釋天直接管轄部分，合計共三十三天。

七、在《阿含經》中，經常記載著天帝釋以及他所領導的三十三天天子，常來人間聽聞佛法，向佛陀及佛弟子學習，這與後來佛弟子們逐漸傾向依靠天神庇護的情形不同。

八、遠離恐怖，這是解脫聖著的模樣。其實不只解脫的聖者，即使是剛入聖者之流的「初果」者，就能自說「於正法中得無所畏」，所以佛陀會說他已「久離恐怖」了。

1. This story was derived from Samyuktagama 1230th Surta, and Other Translation Edition, Samyuktagama 319th Sutra.

2. The Buddha’s attendants appeared in the Agama Sutra included Venerable Ubama, Venerable Miru, Venerable Nakabara and Venerable Ananda, totaling five. Among them, Venerable Ananda served the Buddha the longest, according to Madhyamaga 33th Sutra, a total of 25 years, which was from the period covering the Buddha’s age from 55 to 80.

3. If again citing Binaya, the Original Theory of the Sarvastivadins Sect, and Volumn 28, Taisho Tripitaka p. 628 upper section, no precept had been established in the initial 12 years after the Buddha attained Buddahood, the reason was that the bhikkhus following the Buddha for studying at that time had higher level of aspiration, nobody had committed a mistake, hence it seems unlikely that the time for Venerable Nakabara as the Buddha’s attendant fell within the initial 12 years. Therefore inferring occurrence of this story would most likely be the eight years between twelfth to twentieth years after the Buddha attained Buddhahood.

4. What type of bhikkhu would Venerable Nakabara be? There was not much information concerning him could be found in the Agama Sutras, only Ekottarikagama 10th Sutra, Chapter 4 stated that he was “Among the “Voice Hearer” bhikkhus who is good at astrology, has foreknowledge of good or ill luck”. Such description was not too splendor according to the standard in the rule of disciplines in the Dharma, because it was not encouraged by the Buddha for bhikkhu to study. In Ekottarikagama 2nd Sutra, Chapter 41, readers could find Venerable Nakabara at that time, had been a sage who verified liberation. Texts in the sutra described a rear event: One of the childhood friend came to visit Venerable Nakabara and told him that in the last seven days, seven of his talented sons passed away, in the past six days twelve of his able servants died, in the past five days four of his brothers who had respective expertise ceased to live, in the past four days his centenarian parents passed away, in the past three days two of his beloved wives died, and yesterday, jewelries in the house were stolen, indeed encountered the most difficult hardship in his life, it was extremely painful, and he envied Venerable Nakabara, praised him as “the happiest man among the happiest.” Venerable Nakabara then spoke to his friend about the method for liberation, guided him to verify liberation and became an Arahat as well.

5. Walking meditation is performed in a suitable space or path, slowing walking back and forth, also can be performed indoors, usually performed after meals or experiencing sleepy or fatigue during sitting meditation. The purposes, in addition to adjustment, also adhesive to “Mindfulness” and “Awareness”.

6. Sakra Devanam-indra also translated as Satehanin, Indara, Sakra-indra, according to descriptions in Samyuktagama 1320th Sutra, Samyuktaga 504th Sutra, Samyuktagama 552th Sutra, and Samyuktagama 1106th Sutra, we know that “Sakra Devanam-indra (Madhyagama 134th Sakkapanha Sutra translated as “Sakka”} was his surname during his past life as human, because of his taking pleasure in performing good deeds and generous in offering, accented to the Heavenly Realm became the ruler of the Heaven of Thirty-three gods—Trayastrimsa, it is equivalent to the “Emperor of the Heaven” in the Taiwanese folklore. During the Buddha’s time, Sakra Devanam-indra often visited the Human Realm to get in touch with the Buddha and his disciples to listen to the Dharma, due to the excellent environment of the Thirty-three Heaven, abundant entertainment, according to Samyuktagama 505th Sutra, Sakra Devanam-indra himself told Venerable Mahamoggallana that they “often clinging to pleasure” resulting only marginally remembering the Dharma they learned. According to the book “An Introduction to Buddha Dharma” by Venerable Yin Shun, the Thirty-three Heaven was co-administered by Sakra Devanam-indra and eight subordinate of the four directions, i.e., there were eight Heavenly gods in each of the four directions of East, South, West and North, adding Sakra Devanam-indra in the center heaven total thirty-three heaven gods.

7. Texts in the Agama Sutras often recorded Sakra Devanam-indra and the Thirty-three Heaven gods that he led often visited the Human Realm to listen to the Dharma, to learn from the Buddha and his disciples, this was different from the later days when the Buddhist gradually inclines to relying upon gods for protection.

8. Departing from fears is the form of liberated sage. In fact not only the liberated sage, even those “First Fruit” who recently entered the stage of sage are able to state “obtain no fear from the Right Dharma”, hence the Buddha said that he “had long been free from fright”