天神獻玉女於佛 欲壞佛意 佛言 革囊衆穢 爾來何為 去 吾不用 天神愈敬 因問道意 佛為解說 即得須陀洹
tiān shén xiàn yù nǚ yú fó yù huài fó yì fó yán gé náng zhòng huì ěr lái hé wéi qù wú bù yòng tiān shén yù jìng yīn wèn dào yì fó wèi jiě shuō jí dé xū tuó huán
Key Message
Purity in rejecting temptation is itself the most powerful teaching. The Buddha's clarity becomes the cause of another's liberation.
▸A heavenly deity presented a beautiful jade woman to the Buddha, intending to break his resolve.
A heavenly deity presented a beautiful jade woman to the Buddha, intending to break his resolve. The Buddha said: a leather bag filled with all manner of filth — what have you come here for? Go — I have no use for it. The deity, filled with even greater reverence, then asked about the meaning of the Way. The Buddha explained, and the deity immediately attained stream-entry (須陀洹). The story shows how the Buddha's purity in rejecting temptation itself became a teaching, and the deity was transformed by that very purity.