經律異相 19.4

19.4

In the past, there was a man of the four castes named Illīsa. He possessed boundless wealth, but begrudged clothing and food. There was an impoverished old man living near him, who daily indulged himself, eating fish and meat, with guests arriving without end. The man of the four castes thought to himself: 'Though my wealth is boundless, I am conversely not equal to this old man.' He thereupon killed a chicken, cooked a sheng of white rice, loaded them onto a cart, and went to an uninhabited place. Stepping down from the cart, just as he was about to eat, Śakra transformed himself into a dog, approached, and looked at him up and down. He said to the dog: 'If you can hang upside down in midair, shall I give you [some] or not?' The dog immediately hung upside down in midair. The man of the four castes was greatly terrified and said: 'If your eyes drop to the ground, shall I give you [some] or not?' Both eyes of the dog fell out onto the ground. The man of the four castes then moved away. Śakra transformed himself into the body of the man of the four castes, rode the cart back home, and gave orders: 'If anyone from outside falsely claims to be me, drive him away and beat him!' The man of the four castes returned late; the gatekeepers reviled him and made him leave. Śakra took all the wealth and gave it away in great generosity. The man of the four castes could not return either; seeing that his wealth was completely gone, he went mad on account of it. Śakra transformed himself into a person and asked: 'Why are you grieving?' He said: 'My wealth has been completely wiped out.' Śakra said: 'Indeed, possessing precious treasures causes one much worry. The five families take without notice; if one amasses wealth without giving, after death one becomes a hungry ghost, constantly lacking clothing and food. If one happens to be reborn as a human, one constantly falls into the lowly and base. You did not realize impermanence; you were wealthy yet stingy, greedily hoarding and not eating—what were you hoping for?' Śakra preached the four noble truths for him. The man of the four castes understood. Śakra dissolved his transformation and left. The man of the four castes returned home, repented of his former intentions, dedicated himself to giving, and when his wealth was exhausted, he attained the Way (from the fifth fascicle of the Samyuktāvadāna-sūtra).