---
title: "撰集百緣經 · 58 佛度水牛生天緣"
description: "撰集百缘经是三国时期吴国译经师支谦所译的一部佛教经典。该经收录于大正藏本缘部，主要记述佛陀及其弟子在过去世修行时种种善行因缘故事，通过百则寓言阐释因果业报、六道轮回等核心教义。其内容生动丰富，兼具文学与宗教价值，对研究汉传佛教早期本生类经典及因果思想发展具有重要地位，是了解佛教基础教义与传播历史的重要文献之一。"
url: "https://rushiwowen.co/en/r/cmczlw0sb18z0jj04917dmrh9"
---

### （五八）佛度水牛生天緣

> Sutra Story 58: The Buddha Guides a Water Buffalo to Rebirth in Heaven

佛在驕薩羅國，將諸比丘，欲詣勒那樹下。至一澤中，有五百水牛，甚大凶惡。復有五百放牛之人，遙見佛來，將諸比丘，從此道行，高聲叫喚：「唯願世尊莫此道行！此牛群中，有大惡牛，觝突傷人，難可得過。」爾時佛告放牛人言：「汝等今者！莫大憂怖！彼水牛者，設來觝我，吾自知時。」比語言之頃，惡牛卒來，翹尾低角刨地吼喚，跳躑直前。爾時如來，於五指端，化五師子，在佛左右，四面周匝，有大火坑。時彼水牛，甚大惶怖，四向馳走，無有去處。唯佛足前有少許地晏然清涼，馳奔趣向，心意泰然，無復怖畏，長跪伏首，舐世尊足，復更仰頭，視佛如來，喜不自勝。爾時世尊，知彼惡牛心已調伏，即便為牛，而說偈言：

> The Buddha was in the country of Kosala, leading the monks toward the Lelna tree. As they came to a marsh, there were five hundred water buffalo there, extremely fierce and dangerous. There were also five hundred cowherds who, seeing the Buddha approaching from afar with the monks, traveling along this road, cried out loudly: "May the World-Honored One not take this road! Among these buffalo there is a great vicious bull that gores and tramples people—it is hard to get past." At that time the Buddha said to the cowherds: "Do not be greatly frightened now. If that buffalo comes to gore me, I will know the right time myself." Scarcely had he spoken when the vicious bull suddenly appeared—tail raised, head lowered, pawing the ground, bellowing, leaping and charging straight ahead. Then the Tathagata, from the tips of his five fingers, created five lions, stationed to the Buddha's left and right, and all around them appeared a great pit of fire. The buffalo was seized with terror, dashing in all four directions but finding no way out. Only before the Buddha's feet was there a small patch of ground, calm and cool. It rushed toward it, and its mind became peaceful, free of all fear. It knelt long upon the ground, lowered its head, and licked the World-Honored One's feet. Then it raised its head again and gazed at the Buddha, the Tathagata, unable to contain its joy. Then the World-Honored One, knowing that the vicious bull's mind had been tamed, spoke these verses for the bull:

「盛心興惡意， 欲來傷害我，歸誠望得勝， 返來舐我足。」

> With a heart full of malice, they came wanting to harm me. But when I took refuge in the truth, they were defeated and came back to lick my feet.

時彼水牛，聞佛世尊說是偈已，深生慚愧，欻然悟解，蓋障雲除，知在先身在人道中所作惡業，倍生慚愧，不食水草，即便命終。生忉利天，忽然長大，如八歲兒，便自念言：「我修何福，生此天上？」尋自觀察，知在世間，受水牛身，蒙佛化度，得來生天。「我今當還，報佛之恩。」作是念已，頂戴天冠，著諸瓔珞，莊嚴其身，齎持香花，來詣佛所，光明赫奕，照佛世尊，前禮佛足，却坐一面。佛即為其說四諦法，心開意解，得須陀洹果，遶佛三匝，還于天宮。

> At that time, the water buffalo, having heard the Buddha, the World-Honored One, speak this verse, was deeply moved with shame and suddenly awakened to understanding. The clouds of obscuration cleared away, and it knew the evil karma it had committed in a previous life in the human realm. Overwhelmed with even greater shame, it stopped eating grass and drinking water and soon passed away. It was reborn in the Trayastrimsa Heaven, suddenly grown large, like an eight-year-old child. It then thought to itself: "What merit did I cultivate to be born in this heaven?" Looking inward, it understood: while in the world it had borne the body of a water buffalo, and through the Buddha's guidance it had been reborn in heaven. "I should now return to repay the Buddha's kindness." With this thought, it placed a heavenly crown upon its head, adorned itself with all manner of necklaces and jewels, and carrying incense and flowers, came to where the Buddha was. Radiating brilliant light, it illuminated the Buddha, the World-Honored One. It bowed at the Buddha's feet and sat to one side. The Buddha then taught it the Four Noble Truths, and its mind opened with understanding, attaining the fruit of stream-entry. It circumambulated the Buddha three times and returned to the heavenly palace.

時放牛人，於其晨朝，而白佛言：「昨夜光明，為是釋梵四天大王？二十八部鬼神將耶？」佛告放牛人：「亦非釋梵諸神王等來聽法也，乃是汝等所道惡牛，以見我故，命終生天，來供養我，是其光耳。」時五百放牛人，聞佛語已，各相謂言：「彼惡水牛，尚能見佛得生天上；況我等輩，今者是人，云何不修諸善法耶？」作是語已各相師合，設諸餚饍，請佛及僧。飯食已訖，佛即為其種種說法，心開意解，各獲道跡，求索出家。佛即告言：「善來比丘！」鬚髮自落，法服著身，便成沙門，精懃修習，得阿羅漢果，三明六通，具八解脫，諸天世人，所見敬仰。

> One morning, the cattle herders came before the Buddha and asked, "Last night's radiance—was it from Indra, Brahma, the Four Great Heavenly Kings, or the twenty-eight divisions of spirit generals?" The Buddha told the cattle herders, "It was not Indra, Brahma, or any of the spirit kings who came to hear the Dharma. It was that vicious ox you all spoke of. Because it saw me, when its life ended it was reborn in heaven, and it came to make offerings to me. That was the source of the light." When the five hundred cattle herders heard the Buddha's words, they said to one another, "Even that vicious water buffalo, by seeing the Buddha, was reborn in heaven. How much more should we, who are human beings now—why shouldn't we cultivate wholesome practices?" After speaking these words, they joined together and prepared a feast, inviting the Buddha and the monks. When the meal was finished, the Buddha gave them teachings in various ways. Their minds opened and they understood, each attaining a stage of the path, and they asked to leave home life. The Buddha said to them, "Come, monks!" Their hair and beards fell away on their own, the Dharma robes appeared on their bodies, and they became monks. They practiced diligently, attained the fruit of arhatship, and possessed the three insights and six supernormal powers, complete in the eight liberations. They were honored and revered by gods and humans alike. <note>This text is from the Chinese Buddhist canon (likely the Saṃyukta Āgama or a related collection). The story illustrates a core Buddhist teaching: even an animal can gain rebirth in heaven through devotion to the Buddha, so humans should certainly cultivate goodness. The "three insights," "six supernormal powers," and "eight liberations" are standard descriptions of an arhat's spiritual attainments.</note>

時諸比丘，見是事已而白佛言：「今此水牛，及五百放牛人，宿造何業，生水牛中？復修何福，值佛世尊，出家得道？」爾時世尊，告諸比丘：「汝等今者，欲知水牛及放牛人宿業所造諸惡業緣，我今當為汝等說偈：

「宿造善惡業， 百劫而不朽，善業因緣故， 今獲如是報。」

時諸比丘，聞佛世尊說是偈已，前白佛言：「不審，世尊！過去世時，其事云何？唯願世尊！敷演解說。」爾時世尊，告諸比丘：「汝等諦聽！吾當為汝分別解說。此賢劫中，波羅㮈國，有佛出世，號曰迦葉，於彼法中，有一三藏比丘，將五百弟子，遊行他國，在大眾中而共論議。有難問者，不能通達，便生瞋恚，返更惡罵：『汝等今者，無所曉知，彊難問我，狀似水牛觝突人來。』時諸弟子，咸皆然可，以為非他。作是語已，各自散去。以是惡口業因緣故，五百世中，生水牛中及放牛人，共相隨逐，乃至今者，故未得脫。」佛告諸比丘：「欲知彼時三藏比丘者，今此群中惡水牛是；彼時弟子者，今五百放牛人是。」

佛說是水牛緣時，各各自護身口意業，厭惡生死，有得須陀洹者、斯陀含者、阿那含者、阿羅漢者，有發辟支佛心者，有發無上菩提心者。

爾時諸比丘，聞佛所說，歡喜奉行。