法苑珠林 44.12

44.12

Furthermore, the Sūtra of One Hundred Parables says: “Formerly, there was a man who spoke of the king's faults and transgressions, saying, ‘The king is extremely tyrannical and his governance lacks principle.’ When the king heard these words, he became furious. Without investigating the matter thoroughly, he believed a flatterer at his side, seized a virtuous minister, and had him laid down on his stomach so that a hundred ounces of flesh were peeled from his back. Someone then proved that he had never spoken such words. The king's heart was filled with regret, and he sought a thousand ounces of flesh to patch his back. In the middle of the night, the minister moaned in immense agony. Hearing his voice, the king asked, ‘Why are you in agony? I took a hundred ounces from you and gave you ten times as much. Is your mind not satisfied? Why do you moan in agony?’ A bystander replied, ‘Great King, it is like severing a person's head: even if he were given a thousand heads, he could not avoid death. Although he has received ten times as much flesh, he cannot avoid the bitter pain.’ Foolish people are also like this: not fearing future lives and coveting murky present pleasures, they torment sentient beings and levy harsh taxes on the common people to acquire abundant wealth, hoping to extinguish their guilt and obtain blessed retribution. This is just like that king cutting open a person's back to take his flesh and patching it with other flesh in the hope of making it painless—this is utterly impossible.”