དམ་པའ་ཆས་པད་མ་དཀར་པ་ཞས་བྱ་བ་ཐག་པ་ཆན་པའ་མད 5.22

5.22

“Bhikṣus, it is like this: A group of beings, in order to go to an island of jewels, comes to a jungle that is five hundred yojanas wide. They have a single guide who is wise, bright, clever, intelligent, and has brought many travelers through that difficult jungle.

“That great group of beings becomes tired, exhausted, and frightened. They say, ‘O noble guide, we are tired, exhausted, frightened, and miserable. We are going to turn back. This jungle goes on too far.’

“Bhikṣus, the guide who has skill in methods, knowing that the people wish to turn back, thinks, ‘These distressed people must not fail to reach the great island of jewels!’ Then with compassion for them he employs a skillful method. He conjures up in the middle of the jungle a miraculous city that is more than a hundred yojanas, or two hundred yojanas in size. He says to those people, ‘Do not be afraid! Do not turn back! Rest in this great region! Here you may do whatever you wish! There you will rest and attain relief from misery.³¹⁶ Then the one who has more to accomplish can go on to the great island of jewels.’

“Bhikṣus, those people who entered the jungle are astonished and think, ‘We are freed from the jungle. We will stay here where we have attained relief from misery.’

“Bhikṣus, those people enter the miraculous city and believe they have arrived at their destination. They believe they have crossed through the jungle, and they believe they have gained tranquility³¹⁷ and relief from misery. When the guide knows that they have rested, he causes the miraculous city to vanish.