雜譬喻經 1.52

1.52

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.