經律異相 20.19

20.19

There was a blind monk who could see nothing with his eyes, yet was sewing robes with his hands. At that time, the thread slipped from the needle, and he said, “Who loves merit? Thread the needle for me.” At that moment, the Buddha came to where he was and said to the monk, “I am a person who loves merit; I have come to thread it for you.” The monk recognized the Buddha’s voice, quickly rose, paid homage, and said to the Buddha: “The Buddha's merit is already complete; why do you say you love merit?” The Buddha replied, “Although my merit is already complete, I deeply understand the causes and effects of merit. Among all sentient beings, I have attained the foremost supreme state because of this merit; therefore, monk, I praise merit.” Next, the Buddha expounded the Dharma for him. At that time, this monk attained the purification of the Dharma-eye, and his physical eyes became bright again (extracted from the tenth fascicle of the Mahāprajñāpāramitopadeśa).