眾經撰雜譬喻 1.39

1.39

Formerly, at the Que-li Monastery, there was a senior bhikṣu who had attained the fruit of arhatship. Taking a novice with him, he came down at times to enter the city and wander about. The robes and bowl were very heavy, so he had the novice carry them and follow behind him. On the road the novice had this thought: “When people are born into the world, none do not suffer. If one wishes to escape this suffering, what kind of Way should one promote?” He reflected: “The Buddha constantly praises: ‘The bodhisattva is supreme!’ I shall now generate the bodhisattva mind.” Just as he had this thought, his master, using the supernormal knowledge of reading others' minds, directly illuminated his thought and said to the novice: “Bring the robes and bowl here.” The novice then took the robes and bowl and handed them to his master. The master said to the novice: “You walk in front.” Just as the novice was walking in front, he had another thought: “The bodhisattva path is extremely laborious and painful. If they ask for your head, you must give your head; if they ask for your eyes, you must give your eyes. This matter is extremely difficult and not something I can manage. It would be better to attain arhatship early and swiftly be freed from suffering.” The master again knew his thought and said to the novice: “Take the robes and bowl and follow behind me again.” Three times this happened, and the novice was bewildered and startled, not knowing what it meant. Proceeding to their resting place, he clasped his hands, addressed his master, and asked for the meaning. The master answered: “Because your mind advanced three times toward the bodhisattva path, I also thrice sent you ahead; because your mind thrice retreated, I sent you behind. Why is this? The merit of generating the bodhisattva mind surpasses that of filling a trichiliocosm with people who attain arhatship—it admits of no comparison.”