Buddha's Disciple 佛陀弟子 ~ Aniruddha 阿那律

Aniruddha (P. Anuruddha; T. Ma ’gags pa; C. Analü; J. Anaritsu; K. Anayul 阿那律). One of the ten great disciples of the Buddha, who was Gautama’s first cousin and brother of Mahānāman. Along with many others of the Buddha’s relatives in the Śākya clan, such as Ānanda and Devadatta, Aniruddha renounced the life of a householder to become a disciple of the Buddha when the Buddha returned to his home town of Kapilavastuafter his enlightenment. According to legend, Aniruddha was once scolded by the Buddha for sleeping too much. Aniruddha subsequently devoted himself to vigorous practice without sleep (see Dhutaṅga), as a consequence of which he became blind. 

The Pāli Theragāthā notes that he did not sleep at all for twenty-five years, and that for the last thirty years of his life, he slept only during the last watch of the night. 

Despite his physical blindness, he attained through his meditative practice the divine eye (Divyacakṣus) and came to be ranked as foremost among the Buddha’s disciples in that attainment. 

For this reason, in East Asia, he is given the epithet Tianyan Diyi or “First of Those Who Have the Divine Eye.” 

According to Pāli tradition, after the recitationof the Buddha’s teachings at the first Buddhist council (Council, First), Aniruddha and his disciples were entrusted with preserving the Aṅguttaranikāya. 

Aniruddha and the Buddha held one another in particularly high regard, and many of the Buddha’s discourses were addressed personally to him. 

In assemblies, Aniruddha always sat near the Buddha, and he was present at the Buddha’s death. He consoled his fellow monksat their master’s passing (Parinirvāṇa) and advised the Mallā on how properly to carry out the funerary rites.

在佛陀的十大弟子中，阿那律尊者被尊為「天眼第一」；而阿那律尊者最令修行人所景仰的，更是他為法忘軀的決心、慚愧懺悔的堅持，及一段開悟證果的因緣……。

出家前的阿那律是釋迦族的王子，由於過去生曾供養辟支佛，所以生生世世皆感得大富大貴的福報，食衣住行一切不虞匱乏。而善根深厚的王子，並不因此耽溺於五欲之樂，在聽聞到佛陀的開示後，便發心離俗，出家修行。

出家後的阿那律精進向道，謙和不憍，雖常因相貌莊嚴數次受到「女難」的考驗，但他都不為所動，且以智慧法水澆息對方的欲念。如此的定力與修持，使年紀輕輕的阿那律得到大眾所共同的尊敬及讚歎。然而有一次，在佛陀為大眾開示的時候，阿那律卻不慎打瞌睡，佛陀見到此狀，便呵責教誡他：「像你這樣放縱睡眠，只怕要落入螺螄、蚌蛤一類的畜生道中了，一睡下去，不知多久才能聽到佛的名字、聽聞到佛的教法啊！」

阿那律聽了佛陀的呵責十分懺悔，當下涕淚悲泣，生起了大慚愧心，並發願從此以後要精進用功，再也不閤上眼睛。慢慢地，幾天過去了，阿那律的視力愈來愈差，幾近失明，佛陀知道了這件事，便找神醫耆婆來替他醫治。耆婆診斷後，告訴阿那律：「你如果再不睡眠，讓眼睛休息，勢必會失明的！」甚至連佛陀也親自勸他：「阿那律啊！所有萬事萬物都需要食才能留存；涅槃以不放逸為食，眼根以睡眠為食，你應該要睡眠才是。」但阿那律仍然堅持當初的誓願，不願把眼閤上。七天過後，阿那律果真失明了，但他仍舊精進不懈，不因此而後悔憂傷。

有一天，由於阿那律無法縫補自己的衣物，他便高聲喊著：「有誰要修福報啊？來幫我穿針縫衣吧！」這時，慈悲的佛陀親自來到了他的房間，對他說：「我來修福報吧！」阿那律聽出這是佛陀的聲音，大為驚訝，馬上起身恭敬頂禮佛陀，然後問道：「佛陀您已具足無量福報，為什麼還要修福呢？」佛陀回答：「那有人會嫌福報多的呢？」聽到佛陀這麼說，阿那律想：「既然佛陀都如此精進修福了，更何況是像我們這樣的凡夫呢！」他對佛陀的慈悲十分感恩，這時，佛陀便教導阿那律修持「樂見照明金剛三昧」，由於一心專注的緣故，阿那律當下便得了天眼，觀見十方無有障礙，並證到阿羅漢果。

阿那律尊者得天眼的因緣，正是「懺悔法門」殊勝的最佳例證，只要誠心認錯，勇於改過，不僅能除滅罪愆，更能得到無比的清涼與功德利益！