經律異相 44.80

44.80

Formerly, a group of merchants passed through a perilous road and encountered robbers, losing a great deal of clothing and goods. Among them was a garment made of fawn down, finely spun, soft, and glossy; its value was a hundredfold [that of the others], but its color was purplish-black and not pleasing to the eye. The robbers did not recognize its distinction and used it as a wrapping cloth to hold coarse clothes, going to another place to divide them together. Each took various items, thinking them wonderful and fine, leaving this single wrapping cloth before they had distributed it. Among the band of robbers, there was a distressed and weak man whom they alone would not give a share. Bitterly disputing, they together gave him the wrapping cloth as a handout. He immediately sold it himself. At that time, a great nobleman knew it was a fine article and paid its price according to its value, which equaled the shares obtained by the rest of the robbers. When the robbers heard of this, they were deeply ashamed and vexed. (Taken from the Sūtra of One Hundred Parables, fascicle 1.)