經律異相 45.38

45.38

昔有長者居富無限。唯有一妹嫁得貧婿。兄數數餉遺。轉欲厭妹來。從兄貸麵。兄言。自往取之。妹便案捺而取。持灑如還。兄亦不覺數數非一。妹命終為兄家作犢子。兄甚愛之養食令肥。當殺祠神。時五百賈客欲從主人舉錢頓息。在外展轉自相問言。卿取幾錢各各說其多少。最後一人言。但益取之。後同不還多少何在。時犢子在邊。便作人語。諸人何以乃生此意。我是主人妹。坐貸麵欺兄。今作牛身來償兄債。時五百賈人。聞其言莫不戰慄。皆不復舉錢而去（出諸經中要事）。

In the past there was an elder whose wealth was boundless. He had only one younger sister, who was married to a poor husband. The elder brother frequently sent her gifts, gradually coming to resent his sister's visits. She came to borrow flour from her brother. Her brother said: "Go and take it yourself." The sister pressed it down firmly when taking it, but when returning it, she held it loosely as if pouring it. Her brother did not notice, and this occurred on many occasions. When the sister's life ended, she was born in her brother's house as a calf. Her brother loved it dearly, feeding and caring for it to make it fat, intending to slaughter it to sacrifice to the gods. At that time five hundred merchants wished to borrow money from the master with immediate interest. Outside, they successively asked one another: "How much money will you take?" Each told their amount. The last person said: "Just take more; afterwards, since none of us will pay it back, what does the amount matter?" At that time the calf was beside them and spoke in human words: "Why do you people give rise to such thoughts? I am the master's younger sister. Because I cheated my brother when borrowing flour, I have now taken a bovine body to repay my brother's debt." When the five hundred merchants heard these words, there was none who did not tremble with fear. They all took no more money and departed (from the Zhujing zhong yao shi).