諸經要集 16.40

16.40

又雜寶藏經云。昔有烏梟共相怨憎。烏待晝日。知梟無見。踏殺群梟散食其肉。梟便於夜。知烏眼闇。復啄群烏。開啄其腹亦復散食。畏晝畏夜無有竟已。有一智烏語眾烏言。已為怨憎不可求解。終相誅滅勢不兩全。宜作方便。彌覆諸梟。然後我等可得歡樂。若其不爾終為所敗。眾烏答言。當作何方得滅讐賊。智烏答言。爾等眾烏。拔我毛羽啄破我頭。我當設計要令彌覆。即如其言。燋悴形容。向梟穴外而自悲鳴。聞其聲已便言。今爾何故破傷來至我所。烏語梟言。眾烏讐我。不得生活。故來相投以避怨惡。時梟憐愍。遂便養給。恒與殘肉。日月轉久毛羽平復。烏作微計。銜乾樹枝并諸草木。著梟穴中。似如報恩。梟語烏言。何用是為。烏即答言。孔穴之中。純是冷石。用此草木。以御風寒。梟以為爾默然不答。而烏於是即求守穴孔。詐給使令用報恩養。時會暴雪。寒風猛盛。眾梟率爾來集孔中。烏得其便尋生歡喜。銜牧人火用燒梟孔。眾梟一時於孔焚滅。爾時諸天。說偈言曰。

Furthermore, the Zabaozang jing says: In the past, crows and owls harboured mutual hatred and resentment. The crows waited for daylight, knowing that the owls had no sight, and stomped to death flocks of owls, tearing them apart and eating their flesh. The owls then, during the night, knowing that the crows were blind in the dark, in turn pecked at the flocks of crows, ripped open their bellies, and also tore them apart and ate them. Fearing the day and fearing the night, there was never an end to it. There was a wise crow who spoke to the other crows: 'Having become enemies, our enmity cannot be resolved. In the end we will exterminate one another, as both sides cannot survive together. We should devise an expedient means to completely eradicate the owls; only then can we obtain joy. If not, in the end we shall be defeated by them.' The other crows answered: 'What method should we employ to destroy this enemy and foe?' The wise crow answered: 'You crows must pluck out my feathers and peck my head bloody; I shall devise a plan that will surely eradicate them.' Thereupon, just as he said, with an emaciated and wretched appearance, he went outside the owls' cave and wailed in sorrow. Having heard his cries, [the owl] asked: 'Why have you come to my place now wounded and harmed?' The crow said to the owl: 'The other crows made an enemy of me so that I could not survive; therefore I have come to take refuge with you to escape their malice.' At that time, the owl took pity on him, and consequently sheltered and provided for him, constantly giving him leftover meat. As days and months went by, his feathers grew back. The crow made a subtle plan: holding dry tree branches along with grasses and wood in his beak, he placed them inside the owl's cave, appearing as though repaying the kindness. The owl said to the crow: 'What is the purpose of this?' The crow immediately replied: 'Inside the cave, it is nothing but cold rock; with these grasses and wood, we can ward off the cold wind.' The owl thought it was indeed so, and was silent without answering. Thereupon the crow asked to guard the entrance of the cave, falsely offering his service to repay the kindness of being nurtured. It happened that there was a sudden heavy snow and the cold wind blew fiercely; the flock of owls gathered hastily inside the cave. Having obtained his opportunity, the crow immediately gave rise to joy. Holding herdsmen's fire in his beak, he set the owl cave ablaze. All the owls were incinerated and destroyed in the cave all at once. At that time, the devas spoke a verse: