雜譬喻經 1.44

1.44

Formerly, there was a prince of a kingdom who, at the age of seven, entered the deep mountains to cultivate the way of the ṛṣis, never having known the offices of the court and its hundred officials. Later, the king's life came to an end, and there was no one capable of being king of the country. The ministers deliberated together: “The ṛṣi in the mountains was originally a prince and additionally cultivates virtue; if we make him king, all the realms will have someone to rely on.” The officials and people throughout the realm all went out into the mountains, bowed to this ṛṣi and made him king, brought him back to his native country in a royal carriage, and issued an edict to the culinary officers to present wonderful dishes of abundant flavours to feast the great king. Because the food tasted delicious, the king demanded every sort of other thing from the cook. The ministers all laughed, and therefore said to the king: “The duties of the hundred officials each have their master. The culinary officer masters food, the wardrobe officer masters clothing, and military affairs and the treasury each have their supervisor. You must not, on account of delicious food, demand everything of a single person.” This parable illustrates that the various sūtras each clarify their own subject; one must not demand everything from a single sūtra. If they themselves clarify the true nature of dharmas, while the Abhidharma clarifies the existence of dharmas, they differ from one another, being spoken in terms of marks or marklessness.