雜譬喻經 1.18

1.18

Formerly in North India there was a carpenter of great skill. He made a wooden woman of peerless beauty, adorned with clothes and ribbons no different from a woman of the world. She could come and go, serve wine, and wait upon guests; only she could not speak. At that time in South India there was a painter who was also exceptionally skilled in painting. Hearing of him, the carpenter prepared fine food and drink and invited the painter. When the painter arrived, [the carpenter] made the wooden woman serve wine and carry food from morning until night. Not knowing, the painter thought she was a real woman; sexual desire welled up intensely within him, and he could not forget her. At nightfall, the carpenter went in to sleep, and he also detained the painter to lodge there, making this wooden woman stand by his side in attendance. He said to the guest, "I have purposely left this woman so that you may sleep together." After the host had gone inside, the wooden woman stood beside the lamp. The guest called to her, but the woman did not come. The guest thought she was shy and therefore would not come, so he stepped forward and pulled her by the hand. Only then did he realize she was made of wood. Full of shame, he thought to himself and muttered, "The host has tricked me; I must repay him." Thereupon the painter devised a stratagem: he painted his own likeness upon the wall, wearing garments identical to his own, with a cord tied around the neck as though he had been hanged. He also painted flies and birds pecking at his mouth. Having finished, he shut the door and crawled under the bed. At dawn, the host came out and saw that the door was not yet open. Looking inside, he saw only the image of the hanged guest upon the wall. The host was terrified, believing he was truly dead. He smashed open the door, rushed in, and cut the cord with a knife. Thereupon the painter emerged from under the bed, and the carpenter was deeply ashamed. The painter said, "You were able to deceive me, and I was able to deceive you. Guest and host are now even; neither owes the other." The two said to each other, "How does the mutual deception and delusion of worldly people differ from this?" Both realizing the nature of deception and delusion, each abandoned those dear to him and left home to cultivate the Way.