The Long Āgama Sūtra 7.82

7.82

「如是前行，見劫貝縷，次見白疊，次見白銅，次見白銀，次見黃金，其一智者言：『若無金者，當取白銀，若無白銀，當取白銅，乃至麻縷，若無麻縷，當取麻耳。今者此村大有黃金，眾寶之上，汝宜捨麻，我當捨銀，共取黃金，自重而歸。』彼一人言：『我取此麻，繫縛牢固，齎來道遠，不能捨也。汝欲取者，自隨汝意。』其一智者捨銀取金，重擔而歸其家，親族遙見彼人大得金寶，歡喜奉迎。時，得金者見親族迎，復大歡喜。其無智人負麻而歸居家，親族見之，不悅亦不起迎，其負麻者倍增憂愧。婆羅門！汝今宜捨惡習邪見，勿為長夜自增苦惱，如負麻人執意堅固，不取金寶，負麻而歸，空自疲勞，親族不悅，長夜貧窮，自增憂苦也。」

“That other man said, ‘I’ve already got this hemp tied up and secured, and I’ve carried it a long distance on the road. I can’t discard it. If you want to take those things, then do what you like.’

“The wise man discarded the silver and took the gold, carrying the burden back home to his family. When his relatives saw him in the distance with a treasure of gold, they rejoiced and looked up to him. When the man who brought the gold saw his relatives looking up to him, he rejoiced as well. The ignorant man carried only hemp when he returned home. His relatives weren’t happy or proud of him when they saw him. The hemp he carried had doubled his sorrow and trouble.

“Priest, it would be right for you to abandon that pernicious view now. Don’t increase your own suffering for a long time like the man who carried the hemp. Attached to his stubborn thinking, he didn’t take the treasure of gold, and the hemp he carried home was a useless burden to him. His relatives weren’t happy, and he remained poor for a long time. It increased his own sorrow and suffering.”

“The wise man then discarded the hemp cloth and took the cotton. Thus, they continued and saw cotton thread … After that, they saw white muslin … they saw cupronickel … they saw silver … they saw gold. The wise man said, “If there were no gold, then we should take the silver. If there were no silver, we should take the cupronickel … If there were no hemp thread, we should just take the hemp. Now, this village has a great deal of gold and many superior treasures. It would be right for you to discard your hemp. I’ll take the silver, and you take the gold. We’ll carry it home ourselves.’