眾經撰雜譬喻 1.10

1.10

持戒之人無事不得，破戒之人一切皆失。譬如有人常供養天，其人貧窮四方乞求，供養經十二年，求索富貴。人心既志，天愍此人自現其身，而問之曰：「汝求何等？」「我求富貴，欲令心之所願一切皆得。」天與一器名曰德瓶，而語之言：「君所願者悉從此瓶出。」其人得以隨意，所欲無不得，得如意已，具作好舍、象馬車乘，七寶具足，供給賓客事事無乏。客問之言：「汝先貧窮，今日云何得如此富？」答言：「我得天瓶，天瓶中出此種種物，故富如是。」客言：「出瓶，見視其所出物。」即為出瓶。瓶中引出種種諸物，其人驕逸捉瓶起舞，執之不固失手破瓶，一切諸物俱時滅去。持戒之人種種妙樂無願不得，若人毀戒驕逸自恣，亦如彼人破瓶失物。是以欲天樂及涅槃樂，當堅持禁戒，莫破所受戒；若破所受戒，永墜三塗受苦，乃無復出期。夫人欲求報應，常當修習善心相續不絕，若命終時，能却諸惡、受善果報。所以然者，若不先習善心，設命終時欲令心善，卒不從意。譬如西方有一國王素無馬，減損國藏，四出推求，買五百匹馬以防外敵，足以安國。養馬既久，國中無事，王便思惟：「五百匹馬食用不少，飼養煩勞無益國事。」便勅所典掩眼令磨，可得自食不損國藏。馬磨既久習於旋迴。忽然鄰國興兵入境，王便約勅被馬具莊，勇將乘騎如戰鬪法，鞭馬向陣欲直前入。諸馬得鞭盡旋迴走，無向敵意。鄰賊見之知無所能，即便直前大破王軍。以是故知，欲求善果報，臨命終時心馬不亂，則得隨意往。不可不先調直心馬，若不先調直心馬者，死賊卒至，心馬盤迴終不如意，猶如王馬不能破賊保全其國。是以行人善心，不可不常在於胸心。

One who observes the precepts fails in nothing, while one who violates the precepts loses everything. For example, there was a man who constantly made offerings to a deva. He was poor and begged in the four directions, making offerings for twelve years to seek wealth and nobility. Seeing his resolve, the deva took pity on him, manifested his form, and asked him: "What do you seek?" "I seek wealth and nobility, wishing that whatever my heart desires may all be obtained." The deva gave him a vessel called the vase of virtue, and said to him: "Whatever you desire will all come out from this vase." The man obtained it and could follow his wishes, obtaining whatever he desired. Having obtained as he wished, he fully built fine houses, acquired elephants, horses, and carriages, and had all seven treasures in abundance, providing for guests with nothing lacking in any matter. A guest asked him: "You were poor before; how did you become so wealthy today?" He replied: "I obtained a celestial vase. From the celestial vase came forth these various things, and therefore I am wealthy like this." The guest said: "Bring out the vase and let us see the things that come out of it." He then brought out the vase for them. Various things were drawn forth from the vase; the man became arrogant and indulgent, took the vase, and began to dance. Holding it insecurely, his hand slipped and broke the vase, and all the things vanished at the same time. One who observes the precepts attains various wonderful pleasures and has no wish unfulfilled; if a person breaks the precepts, becoming arrogant, indulgent, and undisciplined, he is just like that person who broke the vase and lost the goods. Therefore, if one desires celestial bliss and the bliss of nirvāṇa, one should firmly uphold the prohibitive precepts and not violate the precepts one has received. If one violates the precepts received, one will forever fall into the three bad destinies to suffer torment, with no time of release. If a person wishes to seek retribution, they should constantly cultivate a wholesome mind continuously and without interruption; at the time of death, they will be able to ward off all evils and receive wholesome vipāka. Why is this so? If one does not train in a wholesome mind beforehand, even if one wishes to make the mind wholesome at the time of death, it suddenly will not follow one's intention. For example, a king in the western regions originally had no horses. Draining the state treasury, he sought in the four directions and bought five hundred horses to guard against external enemies, sufficient to secure the state. After raising the horses for a long time, the state had no trouble, so the king thought: "The five hundred horses consume not a little food; caring for and feeding them is burdensome and of no benefit to state affairs." He then ordered the officials in charge to blindfold them and make them turn millstones, so they could earn their own food without draining the state treasury. Having turned the mills for a long time, the horses became accustomed to circling around. Suddenly, a neighboring state raised troops and entered the borders. The king then commanded that the horses be saddled and equipped, and brave generals mounted them according to the methods of warfare, whipping the horses toward the battle lines, wishing to charge straight forward. Receiving the whip, all the horses simply circled around, with no intention of charging the enemy. Seeing this, the neighboring invaders knew they were capable of nothing, and immediately charged straight forward, utterly defeating the king's army. Therefore, one should know: if one wishes to seek a wholesome vipāka, keeping the mind-horse undisrupted at the time of death, one will be able to go where one wishes. One cannot fail to tame and straighten the mind-horse beforehand; if one does not tame and straighten the mind-horse beforehand, when the thief of death arrives suddenly, the mind-horse will circle around and in the end not follow one's intention, just like the king's horses could not defeat the enemy and preserve his state. Therefore, the wholesome mind of a practitioner cannot fail to be constantly in the breast.