諸經要集 14.55

14.55

Furthermore, the Jiu piyu jing says: In ancient times, a man of the four castes hid his wife and did not let people see her. The wife had a maidservant dig an underground passage and had illicit relations with a silversmith apprentice. The husband later discovered his wife, but the wife said, 'In my entire life, I have never committed misconduct; do not speak falsely, sir.' The husband said, 'I do not believe you. I shall take you to the sacred tree to take an oath.' The wife said, 'Very well.' The husband observed a fast for seven days and only then entered the fasting room. The wife secretly spoke to the silversmith, 'Pretend to be mad with disheveled hair in the marketplace; whenever you meet someone, embrace them, pull them, and play with them.' When the husband finished the fast, he brought his wife out. The wife said, 'I have never seen the marketplace; take me through the marketplace, sir.' The silversmith then came, embraced her, feigned madness, and lay on the ground. The wife then shouted to her husband, 'Why did you let someone embrace me?' The husband said, 'This is a madman; why bother taking note of it?' The husband and wife both arrived at the spirit's shrine, and she kowtowed and said, 'Since I was born, I have done no evil, except for being embraced by a madman.' The wife was thus spared, while the husband was silent and ashamed. The Buddha said: 'You should know that all women are deceitful like this and cannot be trusted.'