English
English version: The overall meaning of the sutra is simply that Maudgalyayana (目连) felt sorrow. Upon careful examination of the situation at that time, shouldn't it be so? Therefore, the Tripitaka's (三藏) classification says it was 'heart-wrenching grief.' The explanation says, 'Gratitude penetrated to the marrow, and cries shook the heavens and the earth.' As for offering rice in a bowl to his mother, it was because his mother's breath was weak, her life was in danger, and she was in a state of hunger. Being both hungry and thirsty, she should be relieved. To relieve this urgent situation, food is the priority. Therefore, he offered rice in a bowl to his mother because her six evil habits were present. When his mother received the bowl of rice, she used her left hand to cover the bowl and her right hand to grab the food. Before the food could enter her mouth, it turned into burning coals, and she was unable to eat it. This is because the environment changes with the mind, and the result is caused by karma. The cause of being a hungry ghost has not been eliminated, so how can the condition of being full come about? The mouth of a ghost is like a torch, and the food burns as it approaches the mouth. Water turns into solid ice, and the ice becomes harder as it approaches hot water. From this, it can be known that the power of supernatural abilities cannot overcome the power of karma. To eliminate hunger, one must first eliminate stinginess. Therefore, even with the six supernatural powers (六通) to make offerings, it will bring disaster; even with various delicacies, it will lead to suffering. How terrible it is when karma ripens! Now, covering the bowl with the left hand is stinginess, fearing that others will encroach; grabbing the food with the right hand is greed, only caring for oneself. Stinginess and greed are manifested so strongly, how can meager food satisfy the need? Therefore, the food turns into burning coals and cannot be eaten. The above is the introduction section. Next is two, the main section (divided into two parts). The content of the main section is divided into two parts: first, Maudgalyayana (目连) sorrowfully recounts his mother's suffering; second, the Tathagata (如来) extensively explains the causes and conditions. First is Maudgalyayana (目连) sorrowfully recounts his mother's suffering. Maudgalyayana (目连) shouted loudly, weeping and crying, and rushed back to report to the Buddha (佛), detailing what had happened. A son urgently tells his father, a minister urgently tells his king, one's own strength is insufficient, and one should seek help from the Buddha (佛). I, as a disciple, diligently observe the Four Noble Truths (四谛) (suffering, accumulation, cessation, path), and have already attained the Three Clearnesses (三明) (knowledge of past lives, divine eye, extinction of outflows), and can reverse mountains and rivers, and turn the sun and moon. How could I have expected that my mother would be entangled in extreme suffering, with her life hanging by a thread. I have exhausted my filial piety and used all my supernatural powers, but I have not been able to eliminate her evil retribution or temporarily alleviate her hunger. That is why I shout and cry, and run back to detail my plea. Next is two, the Tathagata (如来) extensively explains the causes and conditions (divided into eight parts). The Tathagata (如来) extensively explains the causes and conditions, and according to the classification of the Tripitaka (三藏), it is divided into eight sections: first, highlighting the depth of the mother's sins; second, explaining the inadequacy of the son's virtues; third, rebuking the powerlessness of evil dharmas; fourth, highlighting the ability of the right dharma; fifth, allowing the provision of methods of salvation; sixth, expounding the correct dharma; seventh, the filial son understands; eighth, the compassionate mother benefits. First, highlighting the depth of the mother's sins. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 母罪深。
Chinese
佛言汝母罪根深结 有经中说。定光佛时目连名罗卜。母字青提。罗卜欲行。嘱其母曰。若有客来娘当具膳。去后客至母乃不供。仍更诈为设食之筵。儿归问曰。昨日客来若为备拟。母曰。汝岂不见设食处耶。从尔已来五百生中悭悭相续。故云罪根深结。罪谓身口之业。根谓悭贪之心。多生相续为深。交固难解为结。从悭所起皆是罪业。非唯彼时一度妄语。谓悭贪是苦根。所作是苦业。饿鬼是苦果。为三事也。若准十重戒中。悭亦是业。唯贪为根。起罪业故。问五百生悭为人为鬼。答人鬼相间。造受相资。若唯人身不名恶报。若唯鬼身不应造业。或亦为畜于理无妨。但悭习不除即名相续。问目连自定光佛世已来。所生之母不一。如何偏救彼之青提。答青提与目连缘深。今生复为其母。但救此身所生之母。非谓救彼远世青提。余论云云。皆为未达 二明子德劣。 非汝一人力所奈何 汝母悭心。悭于一切。时经多世。事历多人。岂汝一人力可济拔。三斥邪无力。 汝虽孝顺声动天地天神地祇邪魔外道。道士四天王神。亦不能奈何 三藏云。纵汝感天灵于上界。激地祇于下方。纵摄邪魔横罗外道。统六合以同一家。总八部以为一众。并其神力亦不奈何。外道道士者。外道中之道士也。简内道 现代汉语译本： 母亲的罪孽深重。 佛说：‘你母亲的罪根已经深深地结下了。’有经典中记载，在定光佛（Dipamkara Buddha）时期，目连（Maudgalyayana）名叫罗卜，他的母亲名叫青提。罗卜要出门远行，嘱咐他的母亲说：‘如果有客人来，母亲您应当准备斋饭供养。’他走后，有客人来，他的母亲却不供养，反而虚假地摆设了宴席。儿子回来后问：‘昨天有客人来，您是怎样准备的？’母亲说：‘你难道没看见摆设宴席的地方吗？’从那以后，五百世中都持续不断地悭吝。所以说罪根深结。罪是指身口所造的恶业，根是指悭贪之心。多生持续不断称为深，交织牢固难以解开称为结。从悭吝所产生的一切都是罪业，不仅仅是当时的一次妄语。悭贪是痛苦的根源，所作所为是痛苦的业因，饿鬼是痛苦的果报，这就是三事。如果按照十重戒来说，悭吝也是一种业，只有贪才是根本，因为会由此产生罪业。’问：‘五百世的悭吝是做人还是做鬼？’答：‘人与鬼相互交替，造业和受报相互资助。如果只是人身，不能称为恶报；如果只是鬼身，不应该造业。或许也可能做畜生，从道理上来说没有妨碍。但是悭吝的习气不除，就称为相续。’问：‘目连从定光佛时代以来，所生的母亲不止一个，为什么偏偏要救青提？’答：‘青提与目连的缘分深厚，今生又做了他的母亲，只是救度今生所生的母亲，不是说救度遥远时代的青提。’其他的议论等等，都是因为没有理解透彻。 二、说明儿子的德行不足。 不是你一个人的力量所能奈何的。你母亲的悭吝之心，悭吝于一切，时间经历了许多世代，事情经历了许多人，难道是你一个人的力量可以救济拔除的吗？ 三、斥责邪法没有力量。 你即使孝顺感动天地，天神地祇（地神），邪魔外道，道士四天王神，也不能够奈何。三藏说：‘纵然你感动天上的神灵，激怒地下的地祇，纵然收摄邪魔，横扫外道，统一天下如同一个家庭，统领八部如同一个大众，加上这些神力也不能奈何。’外道道士，是外道中的道士。这是为了区别于内道。
English
English version: The mother's sins are deep. The Buddha said, 'Your mother's roots of sin are deeply entrenched.' There is a sutra that says, during the time of Dipamkara Buddha (定光佛), Maudgalyayana (目连) was named Luo Bu, and his mother was named Qing Ti (青提). Luo Bu was about to travel far away and instructed his mother, 'If there are guests, Mother, you should prepare offerings of food.' After he left, when guests arrived, his mother did not provide offerings but instead falsely set up a feast. When the son returned, he asked, 'Yesterday, when guests came, how did you prepare?' The mother said, 'Didn't you see the place where the feast was set up?' From then on, for five hundred lifetimes, she continuously practiced stinginess. Therefore, it is said that the roots of sin are deeply entrenched. Sin refers to the evil deeds created by body and speech, and root refers to the mind of stinginess and greed. Continuous over many lifetimes is called deep, and intertwined and difficult to untangle is called entrenched. Everything that arises from stinginess is sinful karma, not just that one instance of lying. Stinginess and greed are the root of suffering, actions are the cause of suffering, and hungry ghosts are the result of suffering; these are the three matters.' Question: 'In the five hundred lifetimes of stinginess, was she a human or a ghost?' Answer: 'Humans and ghosts alternated, with karma and retribution mutually supporting each other. If it were only human, it would not be called evil retribution; if it were only a ghost, she should not be creating karma. Perhaps she was also an animal, which is not unreasonable. However, if the habit of stinginess is not eliminated, it is called continuous.' Question: 'Since the time of Dipamkara Buddha, Maudgalyayana has had more than one mother. Why specifically save Qing Ti?' Answer: 'Qing Ti has a deep connection with Maudgalyayana and is his mother in this life. He is only saving the mother born in this life, not saving Qing Ti from a distant era.' Other discussions are all due to not understanding thoroughly. 2. Explaining the inadequacy of the son's virtue. It is not something that your strength alone can do. Your mother's stinginess is directed towards everything, spanning many generations and involving many people. How can your strength alone be sufficient to save and deliver her? 3. Criticizing the powerlessness of heterodox paths. Even if your filial piety moves heaven and earth, the gods of heaven and earth (地祇), demons and heretics, Taoist priests, and the Four Heavenly Kings, they cannot do anything about it. The Tripitaka (三藏) says, 'Even if you move the spirits of heaven above and provoke the earth spirits below, even if you gather demons and sweep away heretics, unifying the world as one family and leading the eight divisions as one assembly, even with all that divine power, it cannot be helped.' Taoist priests of heterodox paths are Taoist priests within heterodox paths. This is to distinguish them from the inner path. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chinese
中之道士。佛教初传此方。呼僧为道士故。四天王者。毗沙门等护持世界者也。四显正有能。 当须十方众僧威神之力乃得解脱 三藏云。一缕不能制象。必假多丝。一人不能除业。必资众德。今详前后经文。以邪正一多相对乃有四句。一正而非多。此不能救故。前非汝一人奈何。二多而非正。亦不能救。即前神祇邪魔外道等也。三亦多亦正。方可救拔。即十方僧也。四不多不正。居然不可。故无经文。五许以救方。 吾今当说救济之法。令一切难皆离忧苦 今当说者。正是许词。救济法者。是所许事。令一切等者。千钧之弩。不独为鼷鼠发机。三界之尊。岂偏令汝母离苦。六示其正法。示正法于中分二。初教孝子献供之法。后教众僧受供之仪。初复有五。一定胜时。二发胜意。三设胜供。四赞胜田。五获胜益。谓自恣日为胜时。如春阳之月孝心为胜意。如精新种子百味五果等为胜供。如好牛犁以之供养。如能耕垦贤圣为胜田。如膏腴之地。存亡父母六亲眷属。乃至七代离苦生天为胜益。如千箱万斛秋收冬藏。经文意势。岂不然乎。智者详之。如指其掌。初教孝子献供法(五)。一定胜时。 佛告目连十方众僧七月十五日僧自恣时 梵语僧伽。此云众和合。谓若众而不和。如群商群吏及军众等。不 现代汉语译本：‘中之道士’。佛教最初传入中国时，人们称僧人为道士，所以有此称呼。‘四天王’（Sì Tiānwáng）指的是毗沙门天王（Vaishravana）等护持世界的四位天神。‘四显正有能’指的是四天王显现正法，具有能力。 ‘当须十方众僧威神之力乃得解脱’。三藏法师说：‘一根丝线无法制服大象，必须依靠许多丝线合力。一个人无法消除业障，必须依靠众人的功德。’现在详细分析前后经文，以邪正、一多相对，可以得出四种情况：一是正而不多的情况，这种情况不能救度，所以前面说‘非汝一人奈何’。二是多而不正的情况，也不能救度，即前面所说的神祇、邪魔、外道等。三是既多又正的情况，才可以救拔，即十方僧众。四是不多不正的情况，显然是不可能的，所以经文中没有提及。五是允许提供救度的方法。 ‘吾今当说救济之法，令一切难皆离忧苦’。‘今当说’，正是允许之词。‘救济法’，是所允许之事。‘令一切等’，好比千钧之弩，不只是为鼷鼠而发射机关。三界之尊，难道只偏袒你的母亲脱离苦难吗？六是展示正法。展示正法分为两部分：首先教孝子献供的方法，然后教众僧接受供养的仪轨。首先又有五点：一是确定殊胜的时间，二是发起殊胜的意念，三是设置殊胜的供养，四是赞叹殊胜的福田，五是获得殊胜的利益。所谓自恣日（Pravāraṇā）是殊胜的时间，如同春天的阳光；孝心是殊胜的意念，如同精选的新鲜种子；百味五果等是殊胜的供养，如同用好牛耕地；能够耕耘的贤圣是殊胜的福田，如同肥沃的土地；存亡的父母、六亲眷属，乃至七代都能脱离苦难，升到天界，是殊胜的利益，如同千箱万斛的秋收冬藏。经文的意义和气势，难道不是这样吗？智者详细思考，就像看自己的手掌一样。首先教孝子献供的方法（五点）。一是确定殊胜的时间。 ‘佛告目连（Maudgalyāyana），十方众僧七月十五日僧自恣时’。梵语‘僧伽’（Sangha），这里翻译为‘众和合’。如果僧众不和合，就像一群商人、一群官吏以及军队等，不能称为僧伽。