眾經撰雜譬喻 1.14

1.14

Once there was a brāhmaṇa whose household was poor; he had only a single cow, which he milked daily to obtain one peck, supporting his livelihood with it. Hearing that feeding the saṃgha of monks and śramaṇas on the fifteenth day brings great merit, he stopped milking the cow, saving it up until a month had passed to take it all at once, hoping to obtain three bushels to offer to the śramaṇas. When the month was full, he invited the śramaṇas in great numbers to his home, and they all sat down. The brāhmaṇa then went in and milked the cow, but obtained only one peck; though he had not milked her for a long time, the milk had not increased. The people reproached and scolded him, saying: “You foolish man! How could you not milk her day by day, leaving it for an entire month, and still hope to obtain much?” People of the world today are also like this: when they possess wealth and goods, they cannot practice dāna according to whatever amount they have, but save and accumulate it for a long time, wanting much before they do so. The anitya fires and waters, as well as one’s own life, can scarcely be preserved for a moment; if misfortune strikes, it will all be swept away in a single morning, leaving nothing gained. Wealth imperils the body just like a venomous snake; do not be greedily attached to it. For example, in the past, when the Buddha was traveling in King Prasenajit's kingdom, he saw a hidden treasure in the ground full of precious objects. The Buddha said to Ānanda: “Do you see this venomous snake or not?” Ānanda said: “I have seen it.” At that time, a man walking behind the Buddha heard these words and went to look out of curiosity. Seeing the fine treasures, he disliked the Buddha's words, thinking them to be vain deceit: “These are truly treasures, yet he calls them a venomous snake.” That man immediately brought his family, great and small, in secret to take these treasures, and his household became very rich. Someone reported it to the king: “This man found a treasure hoard and did not turn it over to the authorities.” The king immediately arrested and imprisoned him, demanding the treasures, which were completely handed over at once. Still not believing him, the king tortured and interrogated him in even more ways; cruel suffering reached the utmost, yet he had nothing further to confess. The king was furious and wished to execute him unto seven generations. As he was being carted out to be killed, the king sent someone to spy secretly on what he would say. He then said: “The Buddha's words are utterly true; it was truly a venomous snake! But I did not believe it. Now that I have been brought to this by that venomous snake, what can I say? If killed by a venomous snake, it would reach only one’s own body; yet now it reaches unto seven generations. It is truly as he said.” The messenger reported all these matters to the king. Hearing these words, the king immediately called for him to be brought back, and said to him: “The Buddha is a person of great virtue, and you were able to recall the Buddha’s past words.” The king was greatly pleased, returned his treasures, and let him go. Because he recalled the Buddha's words, he escaped the peril of death. Therefore, one must not fail to remember the Buddha's words with a dedicated mind.