法苑珠林 92.39

92.39

'The donkey you saw was a person in hell. In the time of Kāśyapa Buddha, he was a renunciant who lacked the five virtues and managed the kitchen for the Saṃgha. When distributing food and drink to the Saṃgha, he regularly took extra portions meant for two or three people. When a Vinaya master reproved him in accordance with the Dharma, this person answered, saying, "I take charge of the Saṃgha's kitchen and the garden fruits and vegetables, constantly labouring over monastic affairs with extreme hardship. You monks do not recognise my kindness; you are just like donkeys, merely nourishing your single bodies. Why don't you keep quiet?" Therefore, he entered hell and became a donkey, enduring suffering without ceasing down to the present day.'