雜譬喻經 1.52

1.52

昔有田舍人暫至都下，見被鞭、持熱馬屎塗背，問言：「何故若是？」其人答：「令瘡易愈而不作瘢。」田舍人密著心中，後歸家語其家人言：「我至都下大得智慧。」後家人問言：「得何等智慧？」便呼奴言：「持鞭來痛與我二百鞭。」奴畏大家不敢違命，即痛與二百鞭流血被背，語奴言：「取熱馬屎來為我塗之，可令易愈而不作瘢。」語家人言：「汝知之不？此是智慧。」此喻下戒道人，本遇明師受戒即得，見他受戒便捐棄本戒，更作白衣以壞法身。喻受二百鞭流血被背也，方求更受如馬屎塗也。

Formerly, a rustic countryman went briefly to the capital and saw someone who had been whipped have hot horse dung smeared over his back. He asked: “Why do you do this?” The person answered: “It makes the wounds heal easily without leaving scars.” The countryman secretly took this to heart. Later, returning home, he said to his family: “I went to the capital and attained great wisdom.” Later, his family asked: “What kind of wisdom did you attain?” He then called his servant and said: “Bring a whip and give me two hundred severe lashes.” Fearing his master, the servant did not dare disobey, and immediately gave him two hundred severe lashes so that blood flowed over his back. He told the servant: “Fetch hot horse dung and smear it on me; it can make them heal easily without leaving scars.” He said to his family: “Do you understand? This is wisdom.” This illustrates a practitioner of inferior precepts who originally met an enlightened teacher, received the precepts, and attained them; but seeing another receive precepts, he abandons his original precepts and becomes a white-robed layman again, thereby destroying his Dharma-body. This is likened to receiving two hundred lashes so that blood flows over his back, and only then seeking to receive them anew, like smearing horse dung.