Chapter 15 Section 1 Venerable Shariputra

(1) Became a lecturer at the age of eight Shariputra translates it as the body, and its mother has a good body shape and is born of the body, hence the name.Also translated as the son of a pheasant, the mother's eyes are clear and clear, like the eyes of a pheasant and a heron.He was born in the village of Karabinaka on the outskirts of Shecheng, the king of Magadha.His father's name is Podhara, and he is a famous theorist in Brahmanism.When Shariputra was eight years old, he could know all books.At that time, the Magadha state owned Geely and the Ajialuo brothers had a banquet for the crown prince and ministers to discuss the teacher and talk about the past and the present.The eight-year-old Shariputra stepped onto the throne of the teacher and debated with the teachers and their children.Shariputra's words are clear, the meaning is comprehensive, and the words are shocking. They have convinced everyone and are praised by people.The king admired him very much and immediately gave him a village.At the age of 20, he became a teacher of the Sixth Division and became a close friend with his classmate Mu Qianlian. After studying for a period of time, he was dissatisfied with the knowledge of the Sixth Division and wanted to enroll in another teacher.It happened that one day I met Bhikkhu Ma Sheng and said: The practice French taught by the Buddha, "The law born of karma, I say is empty, and I, the great monk of the Buddha, often say so." Qianlian led two hundred disciples together to take refuge in the Buddha at the Bamboo Forest Abode.

(2) Famous architects Shariputra is not only proficient in the four Vedas, Upanishads and Buddhism, but also a famous architect.The elder Sudatta of Savatthi City in the Josaro Kingdom bought the garden of Prince Jeta with gold bricks and built a Buddhist dwelling for the Buddha.Asked to send a person who designed and managed the construction, the Buddha sent Shariputra to take on this important task.Under Shariputra's design, sixteen halls were built for gatherings, sixty small halls, divided into dormitories, recuperation rooms, washrooms, bathrooms, storage rooms, toilets and other facilities. Buildings.During the construction process, many heretics unanimously opposed the construction of Suda Duo's monastery, made offerings to the Buddha, and demanded to debate with Shariputra.If the heretics win, Shariputra leaves Savatthi, and the project stops.As a result of the debate, Shariputra defeated all heretics and asked Shariputra to introduce him, convert to Buddha, abandon evil and return to righteousness, so that Buddha's teaching in Savatthi City can lay a foundation for the masses.

(3) The Bodhisattva’s deeds of non-retreat It is said that Shariputra practiced the bodhisattva way before sixty kalpas, not only willing to donate all the houses, fields, property and other resources to others, but even his body and life.One day, a young man said to him: My mother is suffering from an incurable disease. The doctor said that the eyeballs of a monk can be used as medicine to cure my mother's illness.Shariputra took off the left eye without hesitation and gave it to the young man.The young man took the eyeball and said: The doctor said it was the right eye.Shariputra then gouged out the right eyeball and gave it to the young man.The young man put his eyeballs under his nose and took a sniff, and said: What kind of Taoist are you?The eyeballs stink badly!Throw it on the ground, step on it with your foot, and walk away.Hearing the young man's words and the sound of stepping on the eyeballs, Shariputra sighed and said: "Sentient beings are difficult, Bodhicitta is difficult to arouse, Bodhisattva's actions are difficult to do, I'd better be a self-sufficient man and forget it."Immediately someone said to Shariputra: That young man just now is your great mentor, and he is testing whether your Bodhisattva behavior is firm or not.You should not lose your bodhicitta, you should be more courageous and diligent, and seek the Buddha way.After hearing this, Shariputra became more firm in the Bodhisattva's vows, so almost all of the Mahayana Buddhist scriptures have Shariputra as the host.For example, the "Amitabha Sutra" says that the land of the Western Ultimate Bliss is righteous and solemn. In the "Prajna Sutra", the Buddha explained the deep Prajna Dharma for Shariputra. "Fahua Sutra Metaphors" The Buddha prophesies for Shariputra that he will become a Buddha in the future. He is called Huaguang Tathagata, and the country is named Ligou.The soil is flat and clean, and the glass is the ground.There are eight roads, and the gold is the rope to bound its sides.Next to each of them is a row of trees of seven treasures, often bearing flowers and fruits.There are immeasurable and boundless bodhisattvas in this country, all of whom have planted the virtues for a long time, and in the places of countless hundreds of thousands of myriads of Buddhas, they practice purely the holy life.Huaguang Tathagata lived twelve small kalpas, and the people of his country lived eight small kalpas.After Huaguang Tathagata Nirvana, Jianman Bodhisattva became a Buddha for the second time, named Huazu Anxing.

(4) Devadatta is most afraid of him Shariputra's wisdom is the first, and he often speaks on behalf of the Buddha.As the Buddha's attendant for twenty years, the Buddha praised him as the birth mother of all living beings.When the Sangha encountered some difficult problems, they were all resolved by Shariputra.For example, after Devadatta rebelled against the Buddha, he used various threats and temptations to lure Buddhist disciples to run away with him.Many people who were not firm in their beliefs coveted the rich offerings made by King Ajashi to Devadatta, and they also rebelled.Shariputra went to Devadatta's place and questioned these people: Are you leaving home to cultivate the Tao?Or to receive support?Are you not ashamed to be shaken by mere small gains and give up your belief in the righteous way?After Sariputta's education, the apostate and the original disciples of Podidaduo realized their mistakes at the moment, knelt down and begged for repentance, and Sariputta brought them back to the Sangha.Shariputra has made great contributions to maintaining the unity of the Sangha, and has been praised by the Buddha and respected by the monks.The person Devadatta feared most was Sariputta.

(5) The previous Buddha entered the extinction state After the Buddha preached in the forest near the city of Vili, he announced an amazing news that he would enter Nirvana in three months.When Shariputra heard the news, he was as sad as everyone else.Think in meditation: All the Buddhas in the past, the first disciples, all entered Nirvana before the Buddha.I am the first disciple of the Buddha, and I should enter Nirvana before the Buddha.After his idea was approved by the Buddha, he went back to his hometown, Karamanaka Village, and after meeting his centenary mother, he entered Nirvana in the birth room.