佛說戒消災經一卷
Sutra on the Precepts That Eliminate Disasters
吳月支優婆塞支謙譯
Translated by the lay disciple Zhi Qian of the Yuezhi people during the Wu dynasty.
聞如是：
Thus have I heard:
一時佛在舍衛國。
Once, the Buddha was staying in the country of Shravasti.
爾時有一縣，皆奉行佛五戒、十善，一縣界無釀酒者。中有大姓家子，欲遠賈販，臨行父母語其子言：「汝勤持五戒，奉行十善，慎莫飲酒，犯佛重戒。」受教而行。往到他國，見故同學、親友，相得歡喜。將歸，出蒲萄酒，欲共飲之。辭曰：「吾國土奉佛五戒，無敢犯者。飲酒後生為人愚癡，不值見佛。且辭親行，父母相誡，以酒蒸仍違教犯戒，罪莫大也。知識區區，別久會同，心雖悅喜，不宜使吾犯戒，違親教也。」
At that time, there was a district where everyone followed the Buddha's Five Precepts and Ten Virtuous Deeds, and no one brewed alcohol within the entire region. In this district, there was a young man from a wealthy family who wanted to travel far to trade. Before his departure, his parents advised him, "Diligently uphold the Five Precepts and practice the Ten Virtuous Deeds. Be very careful not to drink alcohol, as it violates a major Buddhist precept."
Accepting their instruction, he set off. When he arrived in another country, he met old classmates and friends who were delighted to see him. They invited him to their home and brought out grape wine, wanting to drink together. He declined, saying, "In my homeland, we follow the Buddha's Five Precepts, and no one dares to violate them. Drinking alcohol causes one to be reborn as ignorant and foolish, unable to encounter the Buddha. Moreover, before leaving, my parents warned me about exactly this. If I were to violate their teaching by drinking, the offense would be enormous. Though I am truly happy to see you, my dear friends, after such a long separation, I cannot break the precepts or disobey my parents' instruction."
主人言：「吾與卿同師，恩則兄弟，吾親則是子親，父母相欽，豈可違之！若吾在卿家，必順子親。」事不獲已，乃聽飲之。醉臥三日，醒悟，心悔怖懼。
The master said, "You and I studied under the same teacher, so our bond is like that of brothers. Your family is my family, and our parents respect each other—how could we go against this? If I were at your home, I would certainly fulfill my duty as a son." Unable to refuse, he allowed him to drink. He lay drunk for three days. When he sobered up, he felt remorse and fear.
事訖還家，具首於親，父母報言：「汝違吾教，加復犯戒，亂法之漸，非孝子也。無得說之，為國作先。」便以所得物逐令出國，無宜留此。
After returning home, he confessed everything to his family. His parents responded, “You have disobeyed our instructions and further violated the precepts—this is the beginning of chaos in the Dharma, and you are not a filial child. Do not speak of this, or you will bring trouble to the kingdom.” They then took the belongings he had acquired and forced him to leave the country, saying, “There is no reason for you to remain here.”
子以犯戒，為親所逐，乃到他國，住客舍家。主人所事三鬼神能作人，現對面飲食、與人語言。主人事之，積年疲勞，居財空盡，而家疾病、死喪不絕，患厭此鬼，私共論之。
A man was expelled by his relatives for breaking the precepts. He traveled to another land and lodged at a guesthouse. The host served three spirits, who could take human form, appear before people to eat and drink with them, and converse with them. The host had served these spirits for many years, exhausting his entire fortune through offerings, yet his household suffered endless illnesses, deaths, and misfortunes. Weary and disgusted with these spirits, he began secretly discussing the matter with his family.
鬼知人意而患苦之，鬼自相共議：「此人財產空訖，正為吾耳，未曾有益，令相厭患。宜求珍寶以施與之，令其心悅！」便行盜他方國王庫藏好寶，積置園中，報言：「汝事吾歷年，勤苦甚久，今欲福汝，使得饒富，此乃快乎？」主人言：「受大神恩。」鬼曰：「汝園中有金銀，可往取之，方有大福，令得汝願。」主人欣然入園，見物奇異，負摙歸舍，辭謝受恩：「明日欲設飲食，願屈顧下。」施設餚饌皆辦，鬼神來詣門，見舍衛國人在主人舍，便奔走而去。主人追呼請還：「今設微供皆已辦具，大神既已顧下，委去何為？」神曰：「卿舍尊客，吾焉得前。」重復驚走。
Ghosts, however, can read human minds and are troubled by this recognition. The ghosts discussed among themselves: "This man has lost his entire fortune all because of us, yet we have never given him any benefit. Now he has grown weary and disgusted with us. We should find some precious treasures and give them to him, so as to cheer him up!" So they went and stole a king's treasury from another country, hiding the jewels in the man's garden. Then they told him: "You have served us for many years with great diligence. Now we wish to bless you with wealth and abundance—wouldn't that make you happy?" The man replied, "I am deeply grateful for the kindness of the great spirits." The ghosts said, "In your garden there is gold and silver. Go and take it, for great fortune awaits you and your wishes will be fulfilled." Overjoyed, the man went into the garden, saw the astonishing treasures, carried them back to his house, and expressed his gratitude. The next day he said, "I would like to prepare a feast, and I humbly invite you to honor me with your presence." He prepared a lavish meal. When the spirits arrived, they saw that a certain man from the city of Shravasti was also present in the master's house. They immediately ran away. The master ran after them, calling out: "Please come back! The humble offerings are ready. Since you have already honored me with your presence, why leave so suddenly?" The spirits said: "There is a noble guest in your house. How could we possibly come before him?" And they fled in fear.
主人還歸坐自思惟：「吾舍之中無有異人，正有此人耳！」即出語言，恭設所有，極相娛樂。飲食已竟，因問之曰：「卿有何功德於世，有此吾所事神畏子而走？」客具說佛功德、五戒、十善；實犯酒戒，為親所逐，尚餘四戒，故為天神所營護，卿神不敢當之。主人言：「吾雖事此神，久厭之，今欲奉持佛五戒。」因從客受三自歸、五戒、十善，一心精進，不敢懈怠。問佛所在，可得見不？客曰：「佛在舍衛國給孤獨園中，往立可見。」
The master returned to his seat and thought to himself: "There is no one extraordinary within my household—only this man!" He then went out to speak with his guest, preparing a feast with utmost hospitality, and they enjoyed each other's company. After the meal, he asked: "What merit have you accumulated in this world that even the deity I worship fears you and flees?"
The guest explained the virtues of the Buddha, the Five Precepts, and the Ten Good Deeds. He admitted he had broken the precept against alcohol, which had led to being cast out by his family, but he had kept the remaining four precepts. For this reason, the heavenly spirits protected him, and the household deity dared not challenge him.
The master said: "I have served this deity for a long time and have grown weary of it. Now I wish to uphold the Five Precepts of the Buddha." He then received from his guest the Three Refuges, the Five Precepts, and the Ten Good Deeds. With single-minded dedication, he persisted without slackening. He then asked: "Where is the Buddha? Can I meet him?"
The guest replied: "The Buddha is in the Jeta Grove, Anathapindika's Garden in Shravasti. If you go there, you can see him."
主人一心到彼，經歷一亭。中有一女人端正，是噉人鬼婦也。男子行路逈遠，時日逼暮，從女人寄止一宿，女即報言：「慎勿留此，宜急前去。」男子問曰：「用何等故，將有意乎？」女人報曰：「吾已語卿，用復問為？」男子自念：「前舍衛國人，完佛四戒，我神尚為畏之乃爾。我已受三自歸、五戒、十善，心不懈怠，何畏懼乎？」遂自留宿。噉人鬼見護戒威神徘徊其旁，去亭四十里，一宿不歸。
The man was determined to reach the city. On his journey, he came across a rest stop. Inside, there was a beautiful woman, but she was actually the wife of a man-eating demon. Traveling a long distance, the man saw that night was falling, so he asked the woman if he could stay for the night. The woman warned him, “Do not stay here. You should leave immediately.” The man asked, “Why? Is there something wrong?” She replied, “I have already told you. Why do you keep asking?” The man thought to himself: “Back in the city of Śrāvastī, a man who had fully upheld the Buddha’s four precepts still left me in fear. Now, I have taken refuge in the Three Jewels and accepted the Five Precepts and the Ten Good Deeds, never shirking in my devotion. What is there for me to fear?” So he decided to stay the night. The man-eating demon saw how the protective gods of the precepts hovered near him, so he stayed forty miles from the rest stop for the entire night.
明日男子進路，見鬼所噉人骸骨狼藉，衣毛為起，心怖而悔，退自思惟：「我在本國，家居衣食極快足用，空為此人所化，言佛在舍衛國，未覩奇妙，反見骸骨縱橫。」惡意更生，自念：「不如還彼女人，將歸本土，共居如故，不亦樂乎？」即時迴還，還至亭所，因從女人，復求留宿。女人謂男子：「何復還耶？」答曰：「行計不成，故迴還耳，復寄一宿。」女言：「卿死矣！吾夫是噉人鬼，方來不久，卿急去。」此男子不信，遂止不去，心更迷惑，婬意復生，不復信佛三自歸之德、五戒十善之心，天神即去，無復護之。鬼得來還，女人恐鬼食此男子，哀愍藏之瓮中。鬼聞人氣謂婦言：「爾得肉耶？吾欲噉之。」婦言：「我不行，何從得肉？」婦問鬼：「卿昨夜何以不歸？」鬼言：「坐汝所為而舍尊客宿，令吾見逐。」甕中男子踰益恐怖，不復識三自歸意。婦言：「卿何以不得肉乎？」鬼言：「正為汝舍佛弟子，天神逐我出四十里外，露宿震怖，于今不安，故不得肉。」婦聞默喜，因問其夫：「佛戒云何悉所奉持？」鬼言：「我大飢極，急以肉來，不須問此。此是無上正真之戒，非吾所敢說也。」婦言：「為說之，我當與卿肉。」
The man went ahead the next day and saw human remains scattered everywhere, devoured by the ghost. His hair stood on end, and he was terrified. Full of regret, he thought to himself, "Back in my own country, I lived comfortably with plenty of food and clothing. I was foolish to let this woman lure me away, talking about the Buddha in Sravasti. I haven't seen any miracles, only bones scattered around." His faith wavered, and he thought, "Better to return to that woman and take her back to my homeland, living together as before. Wouldn't that be wonderful?" He turned around at once and went back to the pavilion, asking the woman to let him stay another night.
The woman asked him, "Why have you returned?" He replied, "My journey didn't work out, so I came back. Could I stay one more night?" She said, "You're as good as dead! My husband is a man-eating ghost, and he'll be back soon. Leave immediately." The man didn't believe her and insisted on staying, his mind confused and lust rekindled. He no longer had faith in the blessings of taking refuge in the Triple Gem, or the virtue of the five precepts and ten wholesome actions. The heavenly being protecting him departed, and no one guarded him anymore. The ghost returned, and the woman, fearing he would eat the man, took pity on him and hid him in a jar.
The ghost smelled human scent and asked his wife, "You got meat, didn't you? I want to eat it." She answered, "I didn't go out, so how could I get any meat?" She then asked the ghost, "Why didn't you come back last night?" The ghost replied, "Because of what you did—you sheltered a distinguished guest—I was chased away." The man in the jar grew even more terrified and could no longer remember the meaning of taking refuge in the Triple Gem. The woman asked, "So why couldn't you get meat?" The ghost said, "Because you hosted a disciple of the Buddha! The heavenly being drove me forty miles away, and I had to sleep in the open, terrified. Even now I can't settle, so I couldn't get any meat."
Hearing this, the woman was secretly delighted and asked her husband, "What are the Buddha's precepts, and how should they be observed?" The ghost replied, "I'm extremely hungry—get me meat quickly! Don't ask about this. These are the unsurpassed true precepts, not something I dare to speak about." The woman persisted, "Tell me about them, and I'll give you meat."
鬼類貪殘，欲食無止，婦迫問之，因便為說三自歸，五重戒：一曰慈仁不殺；二曰清信不盜；三曰守貞不婬；四曰口無妄言；五曰孝順不醉。鬼初說一戒時婦輒受之，五戒心執口誦，男子於甕中識五戒，隨受之。天帝釋知此二人心自歸佛，即選善神五十人擁護兩人，鬼遂走去。
The hungry ghost was greedy and cruel, with an insatiable appetite. The woman pressed him with questions, and so she preached to him the Three Refuges and the Five Precepts: First, be compassionate and do not kill; second, be pure in faith and do not steal; third, be chaste and do not commit adultery; fourth, speak no false words; and fifth, be filial and do not become drunk. When the ghost recited the first precept, the woman accepted it immediately. With the Five Precepts held in her heart and recited aloud, the man in the jar recognized these precepts and also embraced them. The Lord of Heaven, Shakra, knew that these two people had taken refuge in the Buddha in their hearts, and so he selected fifty benevolent spirits to protect them. The hungry ghost then fled away.
到明日，婦問男子：「怖乎？」答曰：「大怖！蒙仁者恩，心悟識佛。」婦言男子：「昨何以迴還？」答曰：「吾見新久死人骸骨縱橫，恐畏故，屈還耳。」婦言：「骨是吾所棄者也。吾本良家之女，為鬼所掠，取吾作妻，悲窮無訴。今蒙仁恩，得聞佛戒，得離此鬼。」婦言：「賢者今欲到何所？」男子報言：「吾欲到舍衛國見佛。」婦曰：「善哉！吾置本國及父母，隨賢者見佛。」便俱前行。逢四百九十八人，因相問訊：「諸賢者！從何所來，欲到何所？」答曰：「吾等從佛所來。」問言：「卿等已得見佛，何為復去？」報言：「佛日說經，意中罔罔，故尚不解，今還本國。」
The next day, the woman asked the man, "Were you afraid?" He replied, "Terrified! Thanks to your kindness, my mind has awakened and I have come to know the Buddha." The woman then said, "Why did you turn back yesterday?" He answered, "I saw the scattered skeletons of the dead, both old and new, and was overcome with fear, so I turned around." The woman said, "Those bones were the ones I discarded. I was originally the daughter of a good family, but a ghost kidnapped me and forced me to be his wife. I was full of sorrow with no one to turn to. Now, thanks to your kindness, I have heard the Buddha's precepts and have been able to escape from that ghost." The woman then asked, "Virtuous one, where are you heading now?" The man replied, "I want to go to the kingdom of Shravasti to see the Buddha." The woman said, "Excellent! I will abandon my homeland and my parents to go with you to see the Buddha." So they traveled together. On the way, they came across four hundred and ninety-eight people and exchanged greetings. The group asked, "Virtuous ones, where have you come from, and where are you going?" They answered, "We have come from the presence of the Buddha." The others asked, "Since you have already seen the Buddha, why are you leaving?" They replied, "The Buddha teaches the sutras every day, but our minds were confused and we still couldn't understand, so we are returning to our homeland."
兩賢者具說本末，以鬼畏戒高行之人，意乃開解，俱還見佛。
The two wise men shared their story from beginning to end, and realizing that ghosts fear those of high moral conduct who uphold precepts, their minds were opened and they both returned to see the Buddha.
佛遙見之，則笑，口中五色光出。阿難長跪：「佛不妄笑，將有所說。」佛語阿難：「汝見是四百九十八人還不？」對曰：「見之。」佛言：「此四百九十八人今得其本師，來見佛者，皆當得道。」五百人至佛所前，為佛作禮，一心聽經，心開意解，皆作沙門，得阿羅漢道。
The Buddha saw them from afar and smiled, and five-colored light streamed from His mouth. Ananda knelt and said, "The Buddha does not smile without reason; He must have something to teach." The Buddha said to Ananda, "Do you see those four hundred and ninety-eight people turning back?" Ananda replied, "Yes, I see them." The Buddha said, "These four hundred and ninety-eight people have now found their true teacher. Those who come to see the Buddha will all attain enlightenment."
The five hundred people approached the Buddha, bowed to Him, and listened to His teachings with full presence of mind. Their hearts opened, their minds understood, and they became monks, all attaining the state of Arhat.
佛言：「犯酒戒者，則是客舍主人，與此女人累世兄弟也；然此二人是四百九十八人前世之師也。世人求道，要當得其本師及其善友，爾乃解耳。」
The Buddha said: "Those who break the precept against alcohol are like the innkeeper—they have been brothers with this woman for many lifetimes. Yet these two individuals are also the teachers from previous lives of those 498 people. When people seek the Way, they must find their original teacher and good spiritual friends; only then can they truly understand."
佛說經竟，諸比丘皆大歡喜，前為佛作禮而去。
When the Buddha had finished speaking this sutra, all the monks were filled with great joy. They bowed to the Buddha in homage and then departed.
佛說戒消災經一卷
Sutra on the Precepts That Eliminate Disasters