舊雜譬喻經

In the distant past, beyond reckoning, there was a merchant named Sārthavāha. At that time, he traveled to another country to purchase goods. The place where he lodged was near the home of a disciple of the Buddha.

The disciple’s household was then holding a great merit-making ceremony. A high seat was set up, and members of the Sangha expounded the Dharma, explaining that good and evil, transgression and merit, are all created by body, speech, and mind; they also taught the Four Truths and the doctrines of impermanence, suffering, and emptiness. The merchant, who had come from afar, went to listen.

His mind understood, rejoiced, and gained faith, and he then received the Five Precepts and became an upasaka. The elder exhorted and instructed him, saying: “Good man, by guarding body, speech, and mind, the ten wholesome deeds are fulfilled. Each precept has five spirits, so the Five Precepts have twenty-five spirits.

In this life they protect one from an untimely death; in the next life one attains freedom and the great unconditioned Way.” On hearing this teaching, the merchant rejoiced beyond measure.

Afterward he returned to his own country, where there was no Buddha-Dharma at all. He wished to spread the Way, but feared that no one would listen. He therefore used the teaching he had received to guide and transform his parents, brothers, wife, children, and all the servants within and without the household. Everyone accepted and followed it.

A thousand li from the merchant’s country lay another kingdom, densely populated, wealthy, prosperous, and abundant in precious and beautiful things. The two countries were separated and had maintained no friendly relations for more than a hundred years. On the road dwelt a yaksha demon that seized people and devoured their flesh; its victims over the years were beyond counting. For this reason, all passage had ceased, and no one traveled between the two lands. The merchant thought to himself: “I uphold the Buddha’s precepts. According to the sutras, twenty-five spirits protect and assist me; of this there can be no doubt. As for that demon, I have heard that it is alone. If I go and subdue it, I shall surely prevail.”

At that time, more than five hundred merchants were traveling together. He said to them: “I possess extraordinary strength and can subdue the demon. If you go and encounter it, however, you will surely gain no great benefit.” They then discussed the matter among themselves: “These two countries have had no relations for a very long time.

If passage can be restored, the profit will be considerable.” They agreed to set out. Midway along the road, they came to the place where the demon devoured people and saw bones and hair strewn everywhere upon the ground. Sārthavāha thought to himself: “It is now proven that this demon spirit has long been able to devour people.

If I die, that accords with my undertaking; I fear only for these people.” He then said to them: “Remain here. I alone shall go ahead. If I overcome the demon, I shall return to fetch you.

If I do not return, you will know that I have met with harm. Each of you should then go back and must not proceed any farther.”

Sārthavāha then went forward alone. After traveling only a few li, he saw the demon approaching. He single-mindedly recollected the Buddha, and his resolve was free from fear.

The demon came and asked: “Who are you?” He replied: “I am a guide who has come to open this road.” The demon laughed loudly and said: “Have you not heard my name, that you wish to open this road?” Sārthavāha answered: “I know that you dwell here, and so I have come seeking to contend with you. If you win, you may eat me. If I win, I shall open the road for the myriad people and bring benefit to all under heaven.” The demon asked: “Who should strike first?” The merchant replied: “Since I came seeking you, I should strike first.” The demon agreed.

Sārthavāha struck it with his right hand, but when his hand touched the demon’s belly, it became firmly stuck and could not be withdrawn. He struck again with his left hand, which also became stuck. In the same way, both feet and his head became stuck to the demon’s belly, and he could not move.

The yaksha then asked in verse:

Your hands, your feet, and also your head—

These five are now securely bound.

You need only submit and face your death;

What benefit is there in struggling?

The merchant replied in verse:

My hands, my feet, and also my head—

Though these five are now bound fast,

My heart remains like adamant;

In the end, you shall not kill me.

The demon spoke again in verse:

I am the king of all the spirits,

A demon possessed of “mighty strength.”

Throughout the past I have eaten your kind,

In numbers far beyond all reckoning.

Now your death is close at hand;

Why do you speak so many words?

The merchant replied in verse:

Impermanent indeed is this body;

I have wished to cast it off soon.

Now my aspiration is fulfilled,

And I give it to you as alms.

Through this may I attain perfect awakening

And directly realize unsurpassed wisdom.

The demon replied to his intent in verse:

Sublime is the resolve of this great man;

Rarely is its like found in the three realms.

Surely you shall become a teacher who delivers beings;

Before long your virtue shall encompass all.

I beg to entrust my body to you;

With head and face bowed, I reverently worship you.

The yaksha then requested to receive the Five Precepts and brought forth compassion for sentient beings. After paying homage, it withdrew into the depths of the mountains. Sārthavāha returned and called everyone to proceed onward to the other country. From that time, both kingdoms learned how the Five Precepts and the ten wholesome deeds had subdued the demon and opened the road. They then understood that the Buddha-Dharma is utterly true and immeasurable. They too upheld the precepts and revered the Three Jewels. The kingdoms became peaceful, and afterward their people ascended to heaven and attained the Way. This came about through the beneficent power of that worthy man’s sincere faith in the Five Precepts.

The Buddha told the bhikshus: “Sārthavāha at that time was I myself.”

By practicing the perfection of morality, a bodhisattva is able to deliver beings in this way.

2

Countless kalpas in the past, there was a peacock king with five hundred peahen consorts who followed him as he wandered throughout the mountains. He saw a blue peahen whose coloring was exceedingly beautiful, and so he abandoned his five hundred consorts to follow her. The blue peahen ate only sweet fruits of amrita. At that time, the king’s consort fell ill and dreamed during the night that she saw the peacock king. Upon awakening, she reported to the king: “I beseech Your Majesty to offer a great reward for his capture.” The king issued an edict proclaiming that any hunter who caught the peacock king and presented him at court would be rewarded with one hundred jin of gold and given the king’s daughter as his wife.

The hunters spread out across all the mountains. When they saw the peacock king following the blue peahen, they smeared sweet paste all over the trees. Day after day, the peacock king went there to obtain this food for the blue peahen. Once he had grown accustomed to doing so, a hunter smeared the sweet paste over his own body. When the peacock king came to take the paste, the man immediately captured him. The peacock king said to him: “If I give you a mountain of gold, can you release me?” The man replied: “The king will give me gold and his daughter as my wife. That is enough to sustain me for a lifetime.” He then took the peacock king and presented him to the king.

The peacock king addressed the king: “It is because Your Majesty loves the queen so deeply that you had me captured. Please bring water, and I shall consecrate it with an incantation for the queen to drink and bathe in. If she is not cured, it will not be too late to kill me then.” The king brought water for him to consecrate with an incantation and then gave it to the queen to drink.

Her illness immediately vanished. Within and outside the palace, all those afflicted with any of the hundred illnesses were cured through that water. The king and the people came to obtain the water in numbers beyond counting.

The peacock king said to the king: “You may fasten a wooden tether to my leg, allowing me to move freely within the pond while I compound medicines and consecrate the water with incantations, so that people from near and far may freely come and obtain it.” The king replied: “Excellent.” Carrying the wooden tether, the peacock entered the pond, where he personally prepared many remedies while consecrating the water with incantations.

When the people drank the water, the blind regained their sight, the deaf regained their hearing, and the lame and hunchbacked became straight.

The peacock king again addressed the king: “All the grave illnesses in the kingdom have now been cured. The people worship me no differently from a heavenly spirit. I have no intention whatsoever of flying away. Great King, you may unfasten my leg so that I may fly freely about the pond. At night, I shall roost in that forest.” The king immediately ordered him released. Several months passed in this way.

One day, while standing in the forest, the peacock king laughed loudly. The king asked: “Why are you laughing?” He replied: “I laugh because there are three kinds of foolishness under heaven. The first is my own foolishness.

The second is the hunter’s foolishness. The third is the king’s foolishness. I had five hundred consorts who followed me, yet I abandoned them in order to follow the blue peahen.

Because of lustful desire, I was captured by the hunter. That was my foolishness. When I offered the hunter a mountain of gold, he refused it, saying instead that the king would give him gold and a wife.

That was the hunter’s foolishness. The king obtained a divine king of physicians, through whom the queen, the crown prince, and all the people in the kingdom were cured of whatever illnesses they had and were also made beautiful. Yet after obtaining such a divine physician, the king failed to guard him carefully and instead released him.

That was the king’s foolishness.” Having said this, the peacock king flew away.

The Buddha told Shariputra: “The peacock king at that time was I myself. The king of the country at that time was you. The queen at that time is now Devadatta’s wife. The hunter at that time was Devadatta.”

3

Long ago, a king went hunting in a vast marshland and became extremely hungry, thirsty, and exhausted. From afar, he saw a house amid luxuriant trees and went there. A young woman lived in the house.

The king asked her for food, drink, fruit, and other things. Whatever he requested, he received. He then asked to see the young woman.

Her attendant replied, “She is naked and has no clothing.” The king immediately took off his robe and gave it to her, but the robe spontaneously burst into flames. This happened three times. Astonished, the king asked the young woman, “Why does this happen?” The young woman replied, “In a former life, I was the king’s wife.

The king offered meals to śramanas and brahmins and also wished to present them with robes. At that time, I said, ‘It is enough merely to offer them meals; there is no need to give them robes.’ Therefore, I now suffer this retribution. If the king still remembers me, please have robes made and offer them to the śramanas and religious practitioners throughout the kingdom.

If anyone understands the Buddha’s scriptures, please ask that person to pronounce a prayer of dedication so that this young woman may be freed from such suffering.”

The king agreed. He returned to his kingdom, had robes made, and searched for śramanas and religious practitioners, but found none. At that time, no one in the kingdom understood the Buddha’s scriptures.

Recalling something, the king ordered that the ferryman be questioned, thinking that he might know. The ferryman said, “Previously, a man wished to cross the river but had no money to pay the fare, so he gave me a copy of the Scripture of the Five Precepts to read.” The king said, “Since you know a Buddhist scripture, I shall give the robes to you.” He then had the ferryman pronounce a prayer of dedication so that the naked young woman might gain immeasurable merit and be freed from her suffering.

At that moment, the young woman obtained new robes and put them on. After completing her existence in the realm of ghosts, she would be reborn in the first heaven.

4

Long ago, a king in a coastal region went hunting and captured a śramana. He then made the śramana chant scriptures and hymns at night. The king said, “This man is a great singer.” Thus, whenever guests arrived, he ordered the śramana to sing.

At that time, a merchant who was an upāsaka from another country came to that kingdom. The king had the śramana brought out and ordered him to sing. After hearing the scripture recited, the upāsaka departed with a joyful heart.

The merchant brought ten million coins to ransom the śramana, and only when the sum reached thirty million did the king permit the ransom. The merchant paid homage and said, “Only after I brought thirty million coins was I able to ransom you.” The monk immediately rose into the air and said, “You have ransomed yourself, not me. Why is this?

In the past, the king was an onion seller. You went to him to buy onions but were three coins short of the price. At that time, I lent you the three coins.

You never repaid them. Now those coins have multiplied through principal and offspring until they amount to thirty million, which you had to repay on account of the original three coins.” The king immediately understood, repented of his wrongdoing, received the Five Precepts, and became an upāsaka.

The Master said, “A debt, whether large or small, must not be incurred, nor should it be passed on to another person.”

5

When the Buddha was still in the world, there was a young child who lived with his elder brother’s son. Every day, the child went to the Buddha’s dwelling place to hear the scriptures and precepts. His elder brother’s son repeatedly tried to stop him but could not.

Finally, he shackled and detained the child, beat him with a staff, and said, “Let the Buddha and the Sangha of bhikshus come and rescue you!” Crying out in terror, the child took refuge in the Three Jewels and thereby attained the fruit of stream-entry. Through the Buddha’s awe-inspiring spiritual power, the child immediately flew away, still bound to the shackles, freely passing into and out of walls and entering and emerging from the earth at will.

Seeing this, his elder brother’s son was terrified, bowed his head, and repented. The child then explained to him the consequences of good and evil deeds, and together they went to the Buddha and received the precepts. The Buddha recounted the whole course of their previous lives.

His elder brother’s son rejoiced and understood everything in his heart, and through this he attained the fruit of stream-entry.

6

Long ago, an arhat practiced the Way in the mountains together with a śrāmaṇera. Every day, the śrāmaṇera went to the home of a lay follower to obtain food. The path crossed an uneven and perilous embankment, where he often slipped and spilled the food into the mud.

The śrāmaṇera put the clean portion of the food into his master’s bowl, while he washed whatever was soiled and ate it himself. This did not happen for only a single day. His master asked, “Why has washing removed the fragrance of the rice?” He replied, “When I go out to beg, the sky is clear, but when I return, it rains.

On the embankment along the road, I slip and spill the food.” The master silently entered meditative concentration and learned that a dragon was teasing the śrāmaṇera. He then arose, went to the embankment, and struck it with his staff. The dragon transformed into an old man, bowed his head, and prostrated himself upon the ground.

The śramana asked, “Why do you tease my śrāmaṇera?” He replied, “I would not dare tease him. The truth is that I am fond of the śrāmaṇera’s appearance.” The dragon then asked, “Why do I see him passing by every day?” The master replied, “He goes to beg for food.” The dragon said, “From this day onward, please come to my home and eat every day until the end of my life.” The śramana silently accepted the invitation. Upon returning, he told the śrāmaṇera, “Go and beg only for your own portion of food; do not bring back a portion for me.”

From then on, the śrāmaṇera ate at that house. Later, he saw several grains of fragrant and delicious rice in his master’s bowl, unlike any food in the human world. He asked the preceptor, “Is this food from heaven?” The master remained silent and did not answer.

Wishing to spy and discover where his master obtained the food, the śrāmaṇera crawled beneath the bed and clung to one of its legs. The preceptor entered meditative concentration and, through the power of samadhi, flew together with the bed to the dragon’s palace made of the seven treasures. The dragon, his wife, and all his maidens came to pay homage to the śramana and then also paid homage to the śrāmaṇera.

The master perceived what had happened, called him out, and said, “Steady your mind and do not let it waver. This is an extraordinary sight. Why defile your own mind?

After we have eaten and returned, I shall explain it to you. Although that dragon possesses a palace and dwellings made of the seven treasures, as well as a wife, children, and maidens, he is still an animal. Although you are only a śrāmaṇera and have not yet attained the Way, you will certainly be reborn in the Heaven of the Thirty-three, surpassing him a hundredfold.

Therefore, do not defile your mind because of this.” He further told the śrāmaṇera, “When this food of a hundred flavors enters the mouth, it turns into frogs. When one’s disgust causes one to vomit it back up, it again becomes food, yet one can no longer swallow it. Second, though the women and maidens are incomparably beautiful, when they wish to perform the rites of husband and wife, they turn into two snakes coiling around each other.

Third, the dragon has reverse scales upon his back, within which sand accumulates, causing pain that reaches his heart and liver. Dragons suffer these three torments. Why would you wish to become a dragon?” The śrāmaṇera did not answer.

Day and night, he pined with longing and refused to eat. He fell ill and died. His spirit was reborn as the dragon’s son, endowed with formidable awe-inspiring power.

Later, when the dragon’s allotted lifespan ended, he escaped that state and became a human being.

The Master said, “Before you have attained the Way, you must not be allowed to see those who have attained the Way or the interior of a king’s palace.”

7

Long ago, a king’s wife gave birth to a daughter. Her parents named her Maiden Moon, and her beauty was peerless. The king gave her clothing and precious jewels, but she said that they had come naturally. When she reached the age of sixteen, the king angrily said, “These are things I gave you. Why do you say that they came naturally?” Later, when a beggar came asking for alms, the king said, “He shall indeed be your husband.” Maiden Moon replied, “Yes, naturally.” She was then driven away. The beggar was frightened and did not dare accept her. The maiden said, “You often beg for food without getting enough to eat. Now the king has given you a wife; why do you refuse?” The two then departed from the city, resting by day and traveling by night.

They arrived in a great kingdom whose king had recently passed away without a crown prince. The husband and wife sat outside the city. People entering and leaving asked them, “Who are you?

What are your names and clan? From what country have you come?” They replied, “Naturally.” This continued for more than ten days. At that time, a chief minister ordered eight brahmins to station themselves in sequence at the gates of the capital and examine the physiognomy of those entering and leaving.

Only this husband and wife possessed the proper marks. Thereupon, all the ministers and people of the kingdom welcomed them and made them king and queen. The royal couple governed according to the true Dharma, and the people dwelt in peace.

The lesser kings came to pay homage at court, among them Maiden Moon’s father. When the meal was finished, Maiden Moon specially asked her father to remain behind. Maiden Moon used the seven treasures to fashion a mechanism of fish: when the curtain of one was drawn, one hundred and twenty appeared; when the door of one was struck, all one hundred and twenty opened.

She then descended, paid homage to her father, and said to him, “That I have now attained all this is natural.” Her father said, “Your Majesty has acted in this way; this subject cannot compare with you.”

The Teacher said: “In a former life, Lady Moon and the beggar were husband and wife who worked the fields together. The husband told his wife to go and fetch their meal. From afar, the husband saw his wife encounter a śramaṇa who had stopped by the riverbank and approached her for alms. The wife divided the meal and offered a portion to the monk. The monk stopped to eat. Seeing the two of them from a distance, the husband could not help harboring ill will and took up a staff to go and see. The monk then departed. The wife said: ‘Your portion is still there; do not be angry.’ The husband said: ‘Divide it in two, and you and I shall eat together.’

The Teacher said: “Because the husband harbored ill will, he fell into rebirth as the child of a poor family. Later, upon seeing the monk, he rejoiced and repented of his fault; therefore, he too shared in that merit.”

8

Once, a group of bhikshus were traveling together when they encountered three drunken men. One ran into the grass and hid. One sat upright, slapped his cheeks, and claimed that he had not committed a breach of the precepts. One stood up and danced, saying: “I did not drink the Buddha’s wine, so what is there to fear?” The Buddha told Ananda: “The man who hid in the grass will be delivered and become an arhat when Maitreya Buddha attains Buddhahood. The man who sat upright and slapped his cheeks will pass through the eras of one thousand Buddhas, and only under the last of them will he be delivered and become an arhat. The man who stood up and danced will not be delivered until innumerable kalpas have passed.”

Once, there was a śramaṇa who recited sutras day and night. A dog lay beneath his bed, listening single-mindedly to the sutras and no longer thinking of food or drink. This continued for several years. When the dog died, it obtained a human body and was born as a girl in the land of Shravasti. When she grew up and saw a śramaṇa seeking alms, she immediately ran to fetch food and joyfully made an offering. Later, she followed the śramaṇa into the monastic life and became a bhikshuni. Through diligent cultivation, she attained the fruit of arhatship.

9

Once, when Vipashyin Buddha was still in the world, each of the prominent clans in the kingdom made an offering to the Buddha and the bhikshu Sangha in turn. At that time, one prominent clan had become poor and possessed nothing with which to make an offering to the Buddha. They therefore said: “If any member of the bhikshu Sangha requires medicine to treat an illness, we ask to provide everything needed.” At that time, a bhikshu was physically ill.

The clan gave him a sweet fruit to eat, and the bhikshu became comfortable and recovered from his illness. After the head of that clan died, he was reborn in the heavenly realm and surpassed the other devas in five respects: first, his body was free of illness; second, he was beautiful; third, he enjoyed long life; fourth, he possessed abundant wealth; and fifth, he had wisdom. Thus, for ninety-one kalpas, he was born above as a deva and, when he descended to the human realm, was born into a prominent clan, never falling into an evil destiny.

In the time of Shakyamuni Buddha, he was born as the son of a wealthy family and was named Abundant Treasures. When he encountered the Buddha, he rejoiced. He became a śramaṇa, cultivated diligently, and attained the path, becoming an arhat.

Making an offering to even one śramaṇa of lofty conduct is superior to making offerings to all the impure people of an entire country who are filled with wrong views.

Once, there was a husband and wife who both observed the five precepts and served the śramaṇas. A newly ordained bhikshu who did not know the sutras came to their house to seek alms. The couple invited the bhikshu to take the honored seat and prepared a meal as an offering.

After he had eaten, they both bowed their heads in homage and said: “We have served the venerable monks to a small extent, yet we have never heard the sutras. We pray that you will illuminate what is dark and deficient in us.” The bhikshu lowered his head, knowing nothing with which to reply, and said: “Suffering indeed! Suffering indeed!” The minds of the husband and wife were both released.

They understood that the world was truly suffering and immediately attained the path. When the bhikshu saw the two of them rejoicing, he too attained the path.

The Teacher said: “Throughout many former lives, these three had been siblings who vowed to study and practice the path together; therefore, they have now all attained the path.”

10

Once, a king was returning from a hunt. As he passed a stupa, he circumambulated it and paid homage to the śramaṇas. All his ministers laughed. The king noticed this and asked them: “If there is gold in a cauldron and the cauldron is boiling, can you reach in with your hand and take the gold out?” They replied: “It cannot be done.” The king said: “If cold water is poured into it, can the gold then be taken out?” The ministers replied to the king: “It can.” The king said: “My royal business of hunting is like boiling water. Lighting incense and lamps and circumambulating the stupa are like pouring cold water into boiling water. Whoever serves as king performs both good and evil deeds. Why should there be only evil deeds and no good deeds?”

11

Once, a śramaṇa traveled to another kingdom. At night, he could not enter the city, so he sat in the grass outside the city walls. During the night, a yaksha demon came and seized him, saying: “I must eat you.” The śramaṇa replied: “Then we shall be far apart.” The demon asked: “How shall we be far apart?” The śramaṇa answered: “If you harm me, I shall be reborn in the Trayastrimsha Heaven, while you will enter hell. Would we not then be far apart?” The demon thereupon spoke words of submission, bade farewell, paid homage, and departed.

12

Once, a king sent a messenger to summon his friend. The friend said: “Please thank the king, but I am now occupied with digging a pit in which I intend to conceal the seven treasures.” When the king heard this, he was greatly astonished. He again sent a messenger to summon his friend.

The friend told the king: “I am now occupied with placing the treasures into the pit.” The king once more ordered that his friend be summoned. The friend told the king: “I am now occupied with filling the pit with earth. Once I have leveled it, I shall go.” The king asked: “Why are you so foolish?

Would anyone conceal the seven treasures and then tell others about it?” The friend replied: “Earlier, I was occupied with preparing delicious food and beautiful bowls and dishes, intending to offer a meal to the Buddha and the bhikshus. That was digging the pit. Bringing out and arranging the food and soup was placing the treasures into the pit.

Sweeping the roads, offering water for washing, and expounding the sutras were filling and leveling the pit. Your Majesty, those treasures cannot be violated by the five kinds of claimants.” The king said: “Excellent! Excellent!

Why did you not tell me sooner? I shall now take stock of the treasures concealed in my storehouses.” The king immediately opened his treasuries, gave abundant alms, and offered a meal to the Buddha and the bhikshus. The Buddha expounded the principle of purity for the king and pronounced prayers of blessing.

The king immediately brought forth the aspiration for the path.

13

Once, a wealthy man invited the Buddha and offered him a meal. At that time, a cow’s-milk seller was there. The wealthy man asked him to stay for the meal and instructed him to observe the fasting precepts. After remaining to hear the sutra, the guest returned home. His wife said: “I have been waiting for you since morning and have not eaten.” She then pressured her husband to eat, causing him to break his observance of the fasting precepts. Even so, he was reborn in heaven seven times and in the human world seven times.

The Teacher said: “Observing the fast for one day provides provisions for six hundred thousand years. It also brings five blessings. First, one has few illnesses. Second, one’s body is peaceful and at ease. Third, one has little lust. Fourth, one sleeps little. Fifth, one is reborn in heaven and always knows the deeds one performed in former lives.”

14

The Buddha and the bhikshu Sangha accepted an invitation. One śramaṇa and one novice arrived later. Along the road, they encountered a courtesan who enticed the śramaṇa.

The śramaṇa lay with the courtesan. Only after lying with her did he proceed to the house where the meal was being offered. The Buddha told the novice: “Go beneath Mount Sumeru, fetch water from the sweet spring, and bring it here.” The novice had already attained the path.

He therefore cast his bowl ahead of him, joined his palms, and followed after it. In a moment, he had obtained the water and brought it back. His teacher became ashamed and anguished.

He repented, reproached himself, and immediately attained arhatship. In a former life, that woman had been the śramaṇa’s companion. Upon encountering his former companion and exhausting the karmic offense, he then attained the path.

In former times, King Ashoka offered meals each day to one thousand arhats. Later, a young śramaṇa arrived and entered the palace together with the thousand monks. After taking his seat, the young śramaṇa looked over the king’s palace from top to bottom, and then gazed continually at the king’s chief consort. The king became angry. When the meal was over, everyone departed. The king detained three senior elders and asked, “Where did that young śramaṇa come from? What is his name and family? Whom does he honor as his teacher? He cannot be a true śramaṇa. Why was he brought into the palace, where he stared at the queen’s face without even blinking?”

The three elders replied, “That śramaṇa came from India. His teacher is so-and-so, his family is such-and-such, and his name is so-and-so. He possesses wisdom and thoroughly understands the scriptures. He came to inspect the palace’s construction, and then looked up toward the Heaven of the Thirty-Three and saw that the palace was its equal. He had no other intention. In a former life, Your Majesty offered sand in the Buddha’s bowl, and thus your majesty now rises to such lofty heights. Now, moreover, you offer meals each day to one thousand arhats; the merit of this is immeasurable.

“As for why he gazed at the chief consort: among sixteen thousand women, the queen’s beauty is without equal, yet in seven days she will die and descend into hell. The world is impermanent; that is why he looked at her.”

Terrified, the king summoned the queen to take refuge with the three monks. The monks said, “Although Your Majesty offers meals each day to a thousand of us, these thousand cannot free the queen’s mind from its bonds. You must invite that young śramaṇa to expound the scriptures; only then will the queen quickly perceive the Buddha’s path.”

The king sent someone to invite that true monk, and the monk returned. The king and queen bowed until their heads touched the ground, requesting refuge so that grave offenses might be lightened. The monk explained to the queen what she had experienced in former lives and the essential teachings of the path. At that very moment, she rejoiced, the hairs of her body stood on end, and she attained the fruit of stream-entry. Five hundred lives earlier, the queen had been this monk’s elder sister, and they had vowed to each other that whoever first attained the path would deliver the other.

The teacher said, “Those who share no connection from former lives ultimately have no means of understanding one another. They cannot truly encounter one another, and when they speak, their minds will never accord. Each person has their own teacher.”

15

In former times, there was a wealthy man named Yilisha, whose riches were beyond reckoning, yet he was so miserly that he refused to eat fine food or wear fine clothes. At that time, there was also a gluttonous old man living nearby. Every day he freely ate fish and meat, and guests came to his house without cease. The wealthy man thought to himself, “My possessions are beyond reckoning, yet I cannot even live as that old man does.”

He therefore killed a chicken, cooked a sheng of white rice, loaded them onto his cart, and went to a deserted place. He got down from the cart and was just about to eat when Shakra, Lord of the Gods, transformed himself into a dog and approached, looking up and down. The wealthy man said to the dog, “If you can hang upside down in midair, I will give you some food.” The dog immediately hung upside down in midair. The wealthy man was utterly terrified, wondering how such a thing could happen. He then said, “If your eyes leap out and fall upon the ground, shall I give you some food?” The dog’s two eyes immediately sprang out and fell to the ground. The wealthy man abandoned the place and went elsewhere.

The Lord of the Gods then assumed the wealthy man’s body and voice, mounted the cart, and returned to his house. He ordered the household servants that if anyone came falsely claiming to be the wealthy man, they were to drive him away and beat him. That evening, the wealthy man returned home, but the gatekeeper cursed him and ordered him to leave. The Lord of the Gods took all his wealth and made vast gifts of charity, while the wealthy man could not return home. When all his possessions were gone, he went mad.

The Lord of the Gods transformed himself into a man, approached him, and asked, “Why are you grieving?”

He replied, “All my possessions are gone.”

The Lord of the Gods said, “Possession of precious things causes people much anxiety. The five claimants ultimately arrive without appointment. You amassed wealth but neither enjoyed it nor gave it away. After death, you will become a hungry ghost, forever lacking food and clothing. Even if you escape that state and become human, you will constantly be born into a lowly family. You do not understand impermanence; though wealthy, you were miserly and would not even eat. What did you hope to gain?”

The Lord of the Gods then expounded the Four Truths, suffering, emptiness, and non-self. The wealthy man understood in his heart and rejoiced. The Lord of the Gods then departed. The wealthy man was able to return home, repented of his former conduct, devoted himself entirely to giving, and attained the path.

16

In former times, the son of a great family was exceedingly handsome. He cast a statue of a maiden in gold and said to his parents, “If there is a maiden who resembles this, I will take her as my wife.” At that time, in another country, there was an exceedingly beautiful maiden. She likewise made a golden statue of a young man and said to her parents, “If there is a young man like this, I will take him as my husband.” When the parents on both sides heard of this, they sent betrothal gifts from afar and united the two in marriage.

At that time, the king looked at himself in a mirror and asked his ministers, “Is there anyone in the world whose appearance equals mine?”

They replied, “We have heard that in another country there is a young man whose beauty is without equal.”

The king therefore dispatched an envoy to invite him. When the envoy arrived, he conveyed the king’s intention, saying, “The king wishes to meet the worthy one.” The young man harnessed his carriage and departed. He then thought, “The king considers me discerning, and that is why he sent for me.” He therefore returned home to retrieve certain essential books, but found his wife committing adultery with a guest. Overcome with deep sorrow, his vitality was depleted, his features became haggard and strange, and he grew ugly.

When the minister saw him in this condition, he thought that the hardships of travel had made his appearance gaunt, so he gave him lodging in the royal stables. While staying there, the young man saw the king’s chief consort come out to commit adultery with the groom. He then understood in his heart, “Even the king’s consort behaves in this way; how much more so my wife!” His mind was freed from its distress, and his appearance returned to what it had been before.

He then went to see the king. The king asked, “Why did you remain outside for three days?”

He replied, “When the envoy came to escort me, I realized that I had forgotten something. I therefore turned back midway to retrieve it and saw my wife committing adultery with a guest. My mind was filled with sorrow and anger, my appearance deteriorated, and I had to remain in the stables for three days. Yesterday, in the stables, I saw the chief consort come to have illicit relations with the groom. If even the queen behaves thus, how much more so other people? My mind understood and was freed, and so my appearance returned to what it had been before.”

The king said, “Even my wife behaves thus; how much more so the wives of ordinary men?”

Together, the two entered the mountains, shaved off their beards and hair, and became śramaṇas. Reflecting that they could no longer involve themselves with women, they practiced diligently without indolence, and both attained the fruit of pratyekabuddhahood.

17

In former times, a woman gave birth to a daughter of incomparable beauty. When the girl was five or six years old, the king summoned her for inspection and called upon a monk skilled in physiognomy to determine whether she was destined to become his queen. The monk said, “This girl will have a husband, and the king will certainly come afterward.”

The king thought, “I must conceal her securely.” He summoned a pigeon and asked, “Where do you live?”

It replied to the king, “I live halfway up a great mountain, where there is a tree that neither humans nor animals can reach. Below it is a whirlpool that no boat can cross.”

The king said, “I entrust this girl to you to raise.”

The pigeon then clasped her and carried her away. Each day, it came to the king to obtain food for the girl.

After a long time had passed, a village upstream was swept away by floodwaters. A perfectly straight tree was carried downstream by the current. Farther down the river, a young man caught hold of the tree and was drawn into the whirlpool, where he could not drift away. After circling for some time, the tree rose upright and lodged against the mountain. The young man climbed up to the pigeon’s tree and had illicit relations with the girl. The girl hid him there.

Each day, the pigeon weighed the girl. Before the young man came to stay with her, she had been light, but now the pigeon knew that she had grown heavy. It investigated the matter, discovered the young man, and threw him away. Then it went and truthfully reported everything to the king.

The king said, “The monk had already discerned it from her features.”

The teacher said, “Those who were destined to be partners in former lives cannot be kept apart by force. When they meet their destined partner, they unite. The same is true even among animals.”

18

Once there was a king who kept the women of his palace under strict guard. His chief consort called the crown prince and said, “I am your mother, yet in all my life I have never seen the sights of the kingdom. I wish to go out sightseeing just once.

You can ask the king on my behalf.” After she had said this three times, the crown prince presented her request to the king. The king immediately consented. The crown prince himself drove the carriage and had the ministers go out along the road to welcome and bow to the queen.

The queen raised her hand and opened the curtain so that the people could see her. When the crown prince saw a woman behave in this way, he pretended to have stomach pains and returned. The queen said, “I am truly unfortunate.” The crown prince thought, “Even my own mother is like this; how much more so other women?” When night came, he entrusted the affairs of state to others and went into the mountains to wander and observe.

At that time, there was a tree beside the road, beneath which flowed a beautiful spring. The crown prince climbed the tree and saw a Brahmin ascetic come alone to bathe in the spring. The ascetic then brought out food and ate. Using magical arts, he vomited forth a jar. Inside the jar was a young woman, who ate with the Brahmin ascetic and lay with him in a secluded place. Once satisfied, the Brahmin ascetic lay down to sleep. The young woman then used magical arts to vomit forth another jar. Inside that jar was a young man, with whom she likewise ate and lay. Afterward, she swallowed the jar again. A short while later, the Brahmin ascetic awoke, shut the young woman back inside his jar, swallowed it, took up his staff, and departed.

The crown prince returned to the kingdom and asked the king to invite the ascetic and the ministers. He had three portions of food set out to one side. When the Brahmin ascetic arrived, he said, “I am alone.” The crown prince said, “Venerable ascetic, you should bring out your wife so that she may eat with us.” Having no other choice, the ascetic brought out his wife. The crown prince told the wife, “You must bring out the young man so that he too may eat with us.” After he had said this three times, she had no choice but to bring out the young man to eat with them. When the meal was finished, they departed.

The king asked the crown prince, “How did you know?” He replied, “My mother wished to see the sights of the kingdom, and I drove her carriage. She put out her hand so that people could see her. I thought that women are often filled with desire, so I pretended to have stomach pains, returned, and went into the mountains. When I saw that ascetic concealing his wife inside his belly, I knew there must be deceit. Thus, the deceitfulness of women can never be brought to an end. I ask Your Majesty to release the women of the palace and let them go wherever they wish.” The king immediately issued an order that anyone in the inner palace who wished to leave could do as she pleased.

The Teacher said, “Women in this world cannot be trusted.”

19

Once there were two men who followed a teacher to study the Way. They traveled together to another kingdom. On the road, they saw an elephant’s tracks. One of them said, “This is a female elephant pregnant with a female calf. She is blind in one eye, and a woman riding upon her is pregnant with a girl.” The other asked, “How do you know?” He replied, “I know by carefully applying my mind. If you do not believe me, go farther and you will see.” The two continued on and caught up with the elephant, and everything was exactly as the first man had said. Later, both the elephant and the woman gave birth.

The other man then thought, “He and I studied under the same teacher, yet I alone have failed to grasp the essential point.” After returning, he said to the teacher, “The two of us traveled together. When he saw the elephant’s tracks, he correctly discerned all these things, but I understood nothing. Please teach me again; I shall not be negligent.” The teacher then summoned the other man and asked, “How did you know those things?” He replied, “They are matters that you have often taught us.

When I saw the place where the elephant had urinated, I knew it was a female. When I saw that the right foot had pressed deeply into the ground, I knew she was pregnant with a female calf. When I saw that the grass on the right side of the road was undisturbed, I knew that her right eye was blind.

When I saw urine where the elephant had stopped, I knew that the rider was a woman. When I saw that her right foot had pressed deeply into the ground, I knew she was pregnant with a girl. I merely applied my mind and examined these things closely.”

The Teacher said, “Whenever you study, you must apply your mind and examine matters closely; only then can you attain understanding. If you are careless and superficial, you will not succeed. That is not the teacher’s fault.”

20

Once there was a woman who possessed gold and silver and was intimate with a man. She took all her gold, silver, and clothing and went away with him. When they reached the bank of a swift-flowing river, the man said, “Bring the valuables here. I will carry them across first, then return to fetch you.” After crossing the river, however, the man ran away and never returned. The woman remained alone on this side of the river. She saw a fox that had caught a hawk, but it released the hawk to go after a fish. It failed to catch the fish and also lost the hawk. The woman called to the fox, saying, “How foolish you are! By trying to catch two things, you failed to keep even one.” The fox said, “I may be foolish, but your foolishness is even greater than mine.”

21

Once the daughter of a dragon king went out to play and was caught, bound, and beaten by a cowherd. A king who was making an inspection saw the little girl, untied her, and told her to go. The dragon king asked his daughter, “Why are you crying?” The little girl replied, “The king unjustly beat me.” The dragon king said, “That king has always been benevolent. Why would he unjustly beat someone?” The dragon king secretly transformed himself into a snake and lay beneath the king’s bed. He heard the king tell his wife, “While I was out, I saw a little girl being beaten by a cowherd. I untied her and told her to go.”

The next day, the dragon king assumed human form and came to see the king. He said, “Your Majesty has bestowed a great kindness upon me. Yesterday, I permitted my daughter to go out and play. She was beaten by someone, but Your Majesty came, untied her, and set her free. I am a dragon king. Is there anything you desire?” The king said, “I already possess many treasures. I ask only to understand the speech of animals.” The dragon king said, “You must observe the purification precepts for seven days. When the seven days are complete, come and tell me. Take great care not to let anyone know.”

Later, while the king and queen were eating together, he heard a female fly tell a male fly to fetch her some rice. The male fly told her that each should fetch its own. The female fly said, “My belly makes it difficult for me.” The king inadvertently laughed.

The queen asked, “Why did Your Majesty laugh?” The king remained silent. Later, while the queen was sitting, the king saw flies climbing the wall. They met, struggled with one another, fought, and fell together to the ground.

Again, the king inadvertently laughed. The queen asked, “Why are you laughing again?” After this happened and she had asked him for the third time, the king said, “I will not tell you.” The queen said, “If Your Majesty does not tell me, I will kill myself.” The king said, “Wait until I have gone out and returned; then I will tell you.”

The king then departed. The dragon king transformed himself into several hundred goats crossing a river. A pregnant female goat called to a male goat, “Come back and fetch me.” The male goat said, “I truly cannot carry you across.” The female goat said, “If you do not carry me across, I will kill myself.

Do you not see that the king is about to die for his wife?” The male goat said, “Only because that king is foolish would he die for his wife. If you die, do you think I will have no other female goat?” Hearing this, the king thought, “I am the king of an entire realm, yet is my wisdom inferior to that of a goat?” The king returned, and the queen said, “If Your Majesty will not tell me for my sake, I will kill myself.” The king replied, “If you can kill yourself, so much the better.

There are many other women in my palace; I have no need of you.”

The Teacher said, “A foolish man who follows his wife’s wishes destroys his own life.”

22

Once there was a kingdom where the five grains yielded abundant harvests, the people lived in peace, and there was no sickness. Day and night they sang and played music, free from all anxiety. The king asked his ministers, “I have heard that there is such a thing as calamity in the world.

What is it like?” They replied, “We too have never seen it.” The king sent one of his ministers to a neighboring kingdom to seek and purchase it. A celestial spirit transformed himself into a man and offered it for sale in the marketplace. Its form resembled a pig, tightly bound with iron locks.

The minister asked, “What is this called?” The man replied, “The Mother of Calamity.” The minister asked, “How much does it cost?” The man replied, “A hundred million coins.” The minister then examined it and asked, “What does it eat?” The man replied, “Each day it eats one sheng of needles.”

(From then on,) the minister mobilized every household to search for the gold. Thus, whenever people gathered in groups of two or three, they all searched for the gold, throwing the commanderies and districts into such turmoil that even a disastrous calamity could not have been worse. The minister reported to the king: “This mother of calamities has thrown the people into disorder and deprived men and women of their livelihoods.

We should kill it and cast it away.” The king said: “Excellent!” They then took it outside the city, but stabbing could not pierce it, hacking could not cut it, and dismembering could not kill it. They piled up firewood and burned it; its body became red as fire, and it ran away. When it ran through a village, it burned the village; when it ran through a marketplace, it burned the marketplace; when it ran into a city, it burned the city.

In this way, wherever it ran through the kingdom, the kingdom was thrown into disorder and the people suffered hunger and thirst. Thus, because the king had grown weary of enjoying happiness, he went and purchased calamity.

23

Once, a parrot flew to another mountain and joined the creatures dwelling there. The birds and beasts on the mountain came to love and respect one another and no longer harmed each other. The parrot thought: “Even so, I cannot remain here long; I should return home.” It then departed.

Several months later, a great fire broke out on the mountain, burning on every side. Seeing it from afar, the parrot flew into a river, soaked its feathers with water, then flew up into the air and shook the water from its feathers over the mountain, intending to extinguish the great fire. In this way, it flew back and forth, again and again.

A heavenly spirit said: “Parrot, why are you so foolish? This fire extends for a thousand miles. How could the water carried on your two wings possibly extinguish it?” The parrot replied: “I too know that I cannot extinguish it.

But I once lodged on that mountain. All the birds and beasts there are gentle and good; they are all my brothers and sisters. I cannot bear to watch them burn to death.” Moved by its sincere resolve, the heavenly spirit caused rain to fall and extinguish the fire.

24

The Buddha was traveling with the bhikkhus when he left the main road and entered the grass. Ananda asked the Buddha: “Why has the Master left the road to walk through the grass?” The Buddha replied: “There are bandits ahead. Later, three brahmin ascetics will be seized by them.” The three men who came afterward saw a heap of gold beside the road.

They stopped and took it together, then sent one of them back to the village to buy food. That man put poison into the food, intending to kill the other two. He thought: “Then I alone shall have the gold.” The other two likewise conceived an evil thought: when he returned, they would kill him together.

After doing so, they ate the poisoned food and both died. Thus, each of the three conceived evil intentions, and in the end they killed one another.

25

Once, a wealthy man kept his wife secluded and did not allow anyone to see her. The wife ordered a servant to dig an underground passage so that she could secretly have relations with a silversmith. Her husband later discovered this.

The wife said: “All my life I have never gone anywhere. Do not speak such nonsense.” The husband said: “I must take you before the tree spirit.” The wife replied: “Very well.” They observed the fasting precepts for seven days and entered the fasting chamber. The wife secretly told the silversmith: “Here is what you must do: pretend to be a madman, and whenever you encounter someone in the marketplace, embrace that person, hold fast, and drag the person away.” When the husband had completed the observance, he took his wife outside.

The wife said: “All my life I have never seen the marketplace. Take me through it.” The silversmith then seized and embraced her, lay down on the ground, and had intercourse with her on the spot. Panting, the wife cried out to her husband: “Why did you let that man seize me?” The husband said: “He is a madman.” The husband and wife then went together before the spirit and bowed their heads, saying: “All her life she has committed no evil; she was merely embraced by that madman.” The wife was consequently spared.

The husband remained silent in shame. Such is the extent of women’s deceit!

26

Once, a young woman was on her way to her husband’s home. Other young women accompanied her, eating, drinking, and making merry in an upper chamber. A tangerine fell to the ground.

They all looked down after it and said: “Whoever dares go down and retrieve the tangerine may share in our food and drink.” The bride-to-be went downstairs and saw that a young man had already picked up the tangerine. She said to him: “Please give me the tangerine.” The young man replied: “When the time comes for you to marry, you must first come to my house; only then will I return the tangerine. Otherwise, I will not give it to you.” The young woman said: “Very well.” The young man then handed her the tangerine.

She brought it back, and the young women ate and drank together before escorting her to her husband.

The young woman said: “I have made a solemn vow. Please allow me first to go and meet that young man; afterward I shall return and become your wife.” Her husband allowed her to go. Outside the city, she encountered a bandit and pleaded with him: “I have a solemn vow that I must fulfill.” The bandit let her go. Farther ahead, she encountered a man-eating demon. Bowing her head, she begged to be allowed to fulfill her vow. The demon let her go. When she reached the young man’s door, she asked to sit in his house. The young man did not hinder her; instead, he served her food and drink, gave her a cake of gold from his own possessions, and sent her home.

The Master said: “Thus, the husband, the bandit, the demon, and the young man were all good, though their intentions differed. Some say that the husband was superior because he carefully guarded his wife. Others say that the bandit was superior because he carefully guarded wealth. Others say that the demon was superior because he carefully guarded his food. Still others say that the young man was superior because he was merely an ordinary man.”

27

Once, there was a woman who often said: “I never lose anything.” Her son took his mother’s ring and threw it into the river. He then asked her: “Where is your gold ring?” The mother replied: “I have not lost anything.” The following day, the mother invited Venerable Maudgalyayana, Aniruddha, and Mahakasyapa to a meal. At that time, fish were plentiful, so she sent someone to the market to buy a fish. While preparing it, they found the ring in the fish’s belly. The mother called her son and said: “Did I not say that I had lost nothing?” Her son was overjoyed and went to the Buddha to ask: “What is the cause of my mother possessing the blessing of never losing anything?”

The Buddha taught: “Long ago, a hermit lived on the northern side of a mountain. In winter, it became dark and bitterly cold, so everyone moved to the southern side. At that time, there was a poor elderly widow who was unable to go. She remained behind alone and safeguarded everyone’s property and belongings. When spring came and the people returned, the woman gave back every item to its owner. Everyone rejoiced.” The Buddha said: “That widowed woman was your present mother. Because in a former life she safeguarded everyone’s possessions, she now enjoys the blessing of never losing anything.”

Once, the son of a wealthy family built a small dwelling for Revata, with just enough room for one person, and also made a place for walking meditation. After the son died, he was reborn in the Trayastrimsa Heaven, where he obtained a jeweled mansion four thousand miles in circumference. Whatever he wished for was fulfilled. Joyfully, he scattered celestial flowers over Revata’s dwelling. The deva said: “I built only a small earthen hut, yet I have obtained a magnificent palace. Remembering this kindness, I have come to scatter flowers.”

28

Once, three practitioners asked one another: “How did you attain the Way?” One said: “While I was in a kingdom, I saw a vineyard in full and beautiful bloom. By evening, people had come and plucked everything away. The entire garden lay ruined and scattered over the ground. Seeing this, I understood that life is impermanent, and through this I attained the Way.”

The second said: “I was sitting beside a river and saw a woman washing clothes with her hands. The bracelets on her arms struck one another, and through their coming together a sound arose. Through this, I attained the Way.”

The third said: “I was sitting beside a river where lotuses grew. I saw the flowers in full and beautiful bloom. By evening, several dozen carriages arrived, and the people and horses all went down to bathe, stripping away every flower. Such is the impermanence of all things. I awakened to this and thereby attained the Way.”

29

Once there was a highly gifted brahmin ascetic of vast learning. His arguments were intricate and subtle; he advocated baseless doctrines, forcibly distorted sound principles, made falsehood appear true, and used objects to construct analogies. No one could withstand him, and all the kingdoms revered him as a teacher. Later, he came to the kingdom of Sravasti, carrying a lit torch in broad daylight. The people in the city asked, “Why are you doing this?” He replied, “This kingdom is dark and without light, so I have lit a torch.” The king was deeply ashamed. He hung a drum beneath the city gate and summoned anyone wise enough to defeat the man.

At that time, a sramana entered the kingdom and asked, “Why has this been done?” They replied, “The king is ashamed because of the brahmin ascetic’s conduct. If anyone possesses wisdom, he is asked to strike the drum.” The sramana raised his foot and leapt in. When the king heard of this, he was greatly delighted.

He then invited the sramana and the brahmin ascetic into the palace hall for food and drink. The sramana said to the king, “Excellent indeed is this brahmin ascetic! His wisdom is luminous and penetrating.

He is truly a practitioner, not one of the sort who are slaves, soldiers, or bearers of corpses.” The brahmin ascetic remained silent, having nothing with which to reply. Music and dancing began at once. The king then had the brahmin ascetic thrown into a basket of excrement, erased all trace of the affair, expelled him from the kingdom, and ordered that the news be passed from one person to another.

30

Once, after a sramana had finished eating, he rubbed and adorned his face, straightened his robes, and looked himself over from front to back. Ananda said to the Buddha, “This bhiksu is not acting in accordance with the Dharma; that is why he behaves so.” The Buddha taught, “He has only just emerged from an existence as a woman, and so his former habits have not yet come to an end.” The bhiksu immediately manifested the fruit of arhatship and passed directly into quiescence.

31

Once, outside the city of Sravasti, the wife of a certain householder was a faithful laywoman whose observance of the precepts was pure and complete. The Buddha personally came to the door of her house to receive alms. The wife placed rice in his bowl and then paid homage. The Buddha taught, “Sowing one brings forth ten; sowing ten brings forth a hundred; sowing a hundred brings forth a thousand. In this way, tens of thousands and hundreds of millions arise, until one attains the vision of the true Path.”

Her husband did not believe in virtue or the Path. Standing silently behind them, he heard the Buddha’s benediction and said, “How exceedingly extravagant are the words of the sramana Gautama! How could giving a single bowl of rice produce such merit and even lead to seeing the true Path?”

The Buddha asked, “From where have you come?”

He replied, “I have come from inside the city.”

The Buddha asked, “How tall is the banyan tree that you saw?”

He replied, “It is forty li tall and produces several tens of thousands of hu of fruit each year, though its seeds are only as large as mustard seeds.”

(At this point, a question by the Buddha has probably been lost from the text, approximately: “How many seeds were planted to produce so much?” This would account for the reply: “Only a very small number.”)

He replied, “Only a very small number.”

The Buddha asked, “Was it one sheng?”

He replied, “Only one seed.”

The Buddha asked, “How exceedingly extravagant are your words! A single seed, no larger than a mustard seed, grew forty li tall and bears several hundred thousand fruits in one year.”

He replied, “It is truly so.”

The Buddha taught, “The earth is insentient, yet the power of its recompense is still such as this. How much more so when, with a joyful heart, one offers a bowl of rice to the Buddha! The resulting merit cannot be reckoned or measured.” The minds of the husband and wife opened and were freed, and they immediately attained the fruit of stream-entry.

32

Once, a sramana who had attained the fruit of a non-returner was on a mountain boiling herbs to dye his robe. At that time, a man had lost his ox and went everywhere searching for it. Seeing smoke on the mountain, he went to investigate. He saw that everything in the pot had become ox bones, the bowl had turned into an ox’s head, and the kasaya had turned into an ox hide. The man then tied the bones to the head and went throughout the kingdom. Everyone saw them.

The novice saw that the sun had already reached midday. He struck the wooden signal but did not see his master arrive. He then entered his room, sat down, and contemplated. Perceiving that his master had been humiliated by others, he immediately went to him, bowed reverently, and asked, “Why has this happened?”

The master replied, “Because of offenses committed long ago.”

The novice said, “You may return for a while to eat.” The two of them immediately extended their legs through spiritual power and traveled together. The novice had not yet attained the Path, and the anger in his heart had not yet been eliminated. Seeing that the faithful layman and the people of the kingdom had treated his master in this way, he commanded dragons to rain down sand and stones. The city walls and houses were all destroyed.

The master told him, “In a former life, I worked as an ox slaughterer, and so I suffered this calamity. Why did you commit such an offense? You may go; there is no need to follow me.”

The master said, “Such are offenses and merit. How could one not be cautious?”

33

Once, there were a king and five great ministers. On the previous day, one of the ministers had gone to invite the Buddha, but the Buddha did not accept, so the minister returned. When the king then invited the Buddha, the Buddha said, “That minister will surely reach the end of his life today. On whom could he rely tomorrow to cultivate merit?”

The minister’s physiognomancer had often told him, “You will die through an affair involving weapons.” Therefore, he always employed soldiers to guard him. He himself also drew a sword and held it. Late at night, when he wished to sleep, he handed the sword to his wife to keep. His wife dozed off and dropped the sword, severing her husband’s head. She immediately wept and cried, “My husband is dead!”

The king then summoned the four ministers and asked them, “You arranged guards and urgently took precautions against treachery and unforeseen disturbances, yet you allowed his wife to accompany him and suddenly commit this deed. For whom, then, were you standing guard?” He then had the right hands of the four ministers cut off.

Ananda asked the Buddha why this had happened. The Buddha said, “In a former life, the husband was a goatherd boy, and his wife was a white mother goat. The four ministers were bandits. When they saw the goatherd boy, they called him over and, raising their right hands, pointed and ordered him to kill the white mother goat. The five of them then roasted and ate her together. The boy wept bitterly in sorrow, yet killed the goat for the bandits to eat. Passing gradually through birth and death in this way, they met again in this life to repay the offenses of their former existence.”

34

Once, there was an exceedingly wealthy householder whose riches amounted to countless millions. He always delighted in giving, and never refused anyone who asked. Later, a son was born to him without hands or feet, whose body was shaped like a fish; he was therefore called Fish-Body. Eventually, his parents died, and he inherited the family estate. He lay sleeping inside the house, where no one could see him.

At that time, there was a strongman who was given food from the king’s kitchen but always remained hungry and unsatisfied. By himself, he hauled sixteen cartloads of firewood to sell in order to support himself, yet this was still never enough. He therefore went to the wealthy household to request what he lacked, saying, “For many years the king has provided me with food and drink, but it is never enough, and I am always hungry. I have now heard that this wealthy householder possesses countless millions in riches, so I have come to ask for food.”

Fish-Body invited him in for an audience. When the strongman saw his form, he returned and thought to himself, “Such is the recompense for one’s deeds. Yet it nearly seems better than being a person without hands or feet who must depend upon others to obtain things.” He then went to the Buddha and asked about his doubt: “There are people in the world who are as wealthy and honored as kings, yet are utterly without hands or feet. It must be because they were preoccupied with amassing wealth. As for me, my strength is unequaled throughout the kingdom, yet I am always hungry and thirsty, and food and drink are never sufficient. Why is this so?”

The Buddha taught, “Long ago, in the age of Kasyapa Buddha, Fish-Body and that king together made an offering of rice to the Buddha. At that time, you were poor and ran over to assist them. Fish-Body prepared all the necessary provisions and was to go with the king, but he called to the king and said, ‘I have business today and cannot go with you. Abandoning that business would be no different from cutting off my hands and feet.’ The one who went at that time is now the king. The one who broke his promise and did not go is now Fish-Body. The poor man who assisted them is now you.”

Thereupon, the strongman’s mind awakened to understanding. He immediately became a sramana and attained the Path and the fruit of arhatship.