經律異相 44.24

44.24

In the past, there was a lame man of the Way who kept the precepts and begged for food. He happened to arrive at a household that had long had faith in the Great Dharma. Seeing that he suffered from an ailment in his foot, the host felt pity and made offerings to him for a year. When the man of the Way took his leave to depart, the host said, "May you often grace us with a visit." At the moment of parting, guest and host shed tears of sorrow. After the man of the Way departed, the host opened the bed and saw only gold and treasures; because of this, he became extremely wealthy. A neighboring household, seeing that he had become very rich, asked what the cause was. The man answered truthfully. The neighbor had an evil thought, hoping to seek precious treasures: he searched for a lame person, wishing to make offerings to him, but could find none after an exhaustive search. He happened to meet a man of the Way whose body was whole and intact; he bound him, broke his legs, made offerings to him for a short time, and then forcibly drove him away. After he departed, [the neighbor] opened the bed. Due to the resonance of his evil intention, poisonous snakes, bees, and scorpions came to sting the entire household. In the present life he suffered an evil retribution, and later he entered hell. The one who obtained treasures had a pure and auspicious mind; the one stung by poison had an unbenevolent mind. (From the Samyuktāvadāna-sūtra.)