經律異相 44.46

44.46

Formerly, a man was selling a Piye ghost in the marketplace. A person wishing to buy the ghost asked how much he wanted. The ghost's master said: 'Two hundred ounces of gold.' The buyer asked: 'What extraordinary power does this ghost have that you demand so much gold?' The seller said: 'As for this ghost's ability, there is nothing it cannot do; one day's work by it equals that of a hundred men. It has only one defect, against which you must guard beforehand.' He asked what defect it was. The seller said: 'When you set this ghost to work, you must keep it working day and night without letting it rest. If it has nothing to do, it will turn and harm its master.' The master paid the gold and took it home. He ordered it to plow and sow; when plowing and sowing were finished, he set it to woodwork; when woodwork was finished, he set it to leveling ground, building houses, pounding grain, milling, and cooking, never letting it rest for a moment. Within a few years, he became exceedingly wealthy. The master had an affair requiring him to travel as a guest; he forgot to leave instructions, and the ghost, wanting to work without any ordered tasks, took the master's child, placed him in a cauldron, lit a fire, and boiled him. By the time the master returned, the child was already boiled tender. Grieved, heartbroken, and full of regret, what more could he say? (Extracted from the Parable Sūtra).