Visuddhimagga I-135

Mahāsaṅgharakkhitattheraṃ kira atikkantasaṭṭhivassaṃ maraṇamañce nipannaṃ bhikkhusaṅgho lokuttarādhigamaṃ pucchi.

据说：大僧护长老，年逾六十（法腊），卧[wò]于临死的床上，比丘众问他证得出世间法没有？

Ñ(I,135): The Elder Saṅgharakkhita the Great (Mahā-Saṅgharakkhita), aged over sixty, was lying, it seems, on his deathbed. The Order of Bhikkhus questioned him about attainment of the supramundane state.

Thero ‘‘natthi me lokuttaradhammo’’ti āha.

他说：「我没有证得出世间法。」

Ñ: The Elder said: 'I have no supramundane state'.

Athassa upaṭṭhāko daharabhikkhu āha – ‘‘bhante, tumhe parinibbutāti samantā dvādasayojanā manussā sannipatitā, tumhākaṃ puthujjanakālakiriyāya mahājanassa vippaṭisāro bhavissatī’’ti.

于是他的一位少年比丘侍者说：「尊者！四方十二由旬之内的人，为了你的涅盘：都来集合于此，如果你也和普通的凡夫一样命终，则未免要使信众失悔的。」

Ñ: Then the young bhikkhu who was attending on him said: 'Venerable sir, people have come as much as twelve leagues, thinking that you have reached nibbāna. It will be a disappointment for many if you die as an ordinary man'.

Āvuso, ahaṃ ‘‘metteyyaṃ bhagavantaṃ passissāmī’’ti na vipassanaṃ paṭṭhapesiṃ. Tena hi maṃ nisīdāpetvā okāsaṃ karohīti.

「道友！我因欲于未来得见弥勒世尊，所以未作毗钵舍那（观），[PTS 048]然而众望如是，请助我坐起，给我以作观的机会。」

Ñ: — 'Friend, thinking to see the Blessed One Metteyya, I did not try for insight. [48] So help me to sit up and give me the chance'.

So theraṃ nisīdāpetvā bahi nikkhanto.

长老坐定之后，侍者便出房去。

Ñ: He helped the elder to sit up and went out.

Thero tassa saha nikkhamanāva arahattaṃ patvā accharikāya saññaṃ adāsi.

当在他刚出来的剎那，长老便证阿罗汉果，并以弹指通知他。

Ñ: As he went out the Elder reached Arahantship and he gave a sign by snapping his fingers.

Chew: Why one can give a sign of one has enlightened? Han: It is said in the books that an arahant should not tell he is an arahant. Maybe, it was an exceptional case, because the Order was waiting outside to know the outcome of his efforts.

Saṅgho sannipatitvā āha – ‘‘bhante, evarūpe maraṇakāle lokuttaradhammaṃ nibbattentā dukkaraṃ karitthā’’ti.

僧众即集合而对他说：「尊者！在此临终之时得证出世间法，实为难作已作。」

Ñ: The Order assembled and said to him: 'Venerable sir, you have done a difficult thing in achieving the supramundane state in the hour of death'.

Nāvuso etaṃ dukkaraṃ, apica vo dukkaraṃ ācikkhissāmi – ‘‘ahaṃ, āvuso, pabbajitakālato paṭṭhāya asatiyā aññāṇapakataṃ kammaṃ nāma na passāmī’’ti.

「诸道友！这不算难作之事，我将告诉你真实难作的：我自出家以来，未曾作无念无智之业。」

Ñ: — 'That was not difficult, friends. But rather I will tell you what is difficult. Friends, I see no action done [by me] without mindfulness and unknowingly since the time I went forth'.

Chew: How can a non-Arahant able to have no action done without mindfulness? Han: I agree with you that it is not possible for a non-Arahant to do that. But the Burmese translation also says the same thing. It is difficult to understand how that would be possible.

Bhāgineyyopissa paññāsavassakāle evameva arahattaṃ pāpuṇīti.

他的外甥（僧护），在五十岁（法腊）的时候，亦曾以类似之事而证阿罗汉果。

Ñ: His nephew also reached Arahantship in the same way at the age of fifty years.