雜譬喻經 1.62

1.62

Formerly, when the Buddha was in the world, there were five hundred wrestlers who all became śramaṇas and stayed together in one place to sit in dhyāna and chant the sūtras. Dishonest thieves completely plundered the garments and alms bowls of the śramaṇas, stripping them entirely bare; only their nivāsanas remained. After the thieves departed, the śramaṇas hastily put on their nivāsanas and went together to the Buddha’s place, fully explaining the matter. The Buddha said to the śramaṇas, “Why did you not cry out loudly?” The śramaṇas replied, “The Buddha had not permitted it, and therefore we dared not cry out.” The Buddha said to the bhikṣus, “If you dare not cry out, the thieves will strip you of your robes day after day; who could constantly provide for you? From this day forward, I permit that when you see thieves coming, you may cry out loudly and grasp staves, bricks, and stones to frighten them and make them leave, but you must not sincerely harm them.” That which humans value is the body, life, and wealth. These three things are both not worth begrudging and not to be made light of. They are not worth begrudging because they are impermanent, perishable, and without solidity; the foolish and deluded begrudge them, taking them to be ‘mine’, and through craving and stinginess they give rise to unwholesome causes and conditions, later falling into evil destinies—therefore they are not worth begrudging. They are not to be made light of because having a body allows one to meet the worthy and holy, raising the hands, kneeling, bowing, welcoming, and paying homage to them, thereby later attaining an indestructible adamantine, jeweled body—therefore it is said they are not to be made light of. Life is not worth begrudging because humans, for the sake of life, commit killing, robbery, sexual misconduct, the four vocal transgressions, and conceive greed, anger, and wrong views in the mind, later falling into hell—therefore it is said it is not worth begrudging. Yet it is also not to be made light of because having life allows one to encounter the holy and worthy, hear the words of the Dharma, let its refined principles enter the spirit, and practice for one’s entire lifespan, later attaining an immeasurable and inexhaustible jeweled life—therefore it is said it is also not to be made light of. Wealth is not worth begrudging because wealth is the shared portion of the five houses—thieves, water, fire, officials, and bad children; when the five houses suddenly arrive, in a single morning it is gone—therefore it is said it is not worth begrudging. It is not to be made light of because encountering a fine field of merit, one uses it to practice dāna and offer various kinds of pujas without any remaining stinginess, later attaining the four great treasuries of precious wealth, relieving the impoverished, aiding the destitute, and seeking whatever one desires inexhaustibly—therefore it is said it is not to be made light of. In cultivating meritorious virtues, one should set one’s mind on seeking to accomplish the Buddha Way and should not merely seek the fruit of retribution among humans and devas. Why is this? It is like planting grain: one seeks only the grain itself; though the grain is not yet ripe, the stalks, nodes, branches, and leaves are naturally already attained. Practicing dāna and making merit are also like this: if one arouses the intention and resolves solely to seek the achievement of Buddhahood and the path of nirvāṇa, then though the Way is not yet accomplished, the bliss among humans and devas, the wheel-turning king of the golden wheel, Śakra, and the Brahma King will naturally all arrive together, just as in planting grain one does not anticipate stalks, nodes, branches, and leaves, yet naturally obtains them. This is why one should not merely seek the bliss of the retribution of humans and devas.