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(22) GET LIGNALOES FROM UNDER THE SEA
Once upon a time there was a merchant who was getting lignaloes from under the sea. He did not gather enough of them to fill up a cart to bring back home until several years later. He then transported them into the market. However, there were no buyers, due to their high price. Unable to sell them after several days, he got bored and tired.
While he saw some other dealers selling out quickly their charcoal, he said to himself that it is better to burn the lignaloes into charcoal in order to get them sold quickly.
After he burnt them, he went to the market again, but the value of the burnt lignaloes was less than half of that of the charcoal.
So are the stupid in the world. To attain Buddhahood, it requires them to practice diligently and zealously through various methods. However, they draw back from encountering difficulties. They would resolve reaching Sravaka stage by destroying quickly the Karma of reincarnation in their hope of becoming Arahant.
(23) THE THIEF STEALS EMBROIDERED SATIN TO WRAP UP WORN CLOTHES AND RAGS
Once upon a time there was a thief who sneaked into a rich man's house to steal a piece of embroidered satin. He used it to wrap up such objects as worn clothes, rags and sundry effects. He was laughed at by the wise.
So are the stupid in the world who have faith in Buddhism, who practice good teachings and who do meritorious works. Because of their basic greed for gain, however, they break the pure commandments and lose their various merits. They are also laughed at by the people at large.
(24) TO CULTIVATE THE BOILED SESAME
Once upon a time, a stupid man who, after eating the raw sesame, found it not as tasty as the boiled kind. He said to himself, "I would boil the sesame before cultivating it. This way I could produce better sesame."
He then boiled and cultivated it as he had planned. However, the attempt failed altogether.
So are the people at large who consider it difficult to follow Bodhisattva's practice, due to the strict requirement of eternities of the strenuous efforts. Finding no pleasure, they think that it will be easier for them to become Arahant's by cutting quickly off the transmigration, without realizing that they would never attain Buddhahood that way, just as the boiled seed that would never grow.
This is just like the story of the stupid who tried to cultivate boiled sesame.
(25) THE FIRE AND THE WATER
Once upon a time, there was a man who needed fire and cold water in caring out his household duties. He built a fire in his room. He filled a kettle with water and put it on the fire. Afterwards, the fire went out and the cold water turned hot. He got neither fire nor cold water.
So are the people at large who, devoted to the attainment of Buddhism, seek the enlightened way by becoming monks. But afterwards, they still keep ties to their wives, children and relatives; maintain their concern with the worldly affairs and their enjoyment of the five desires as well. For these reasons, they lose their meritorious blessings like the fire. They also break their commandments like the cold water.
This is held to be true with greedy men.
(26) THE KING'S BLINKING HABIT IS IMITATED
Once upon a time, there was a man who wanted to please the king. He asked the others how to do it and was told, "If you want to please the king, you should imitate him."
He then went to the palace where he saw the king blinking. Thereupon, he imitated and the king asked him, "Do you have sore eyes? Is the wind disturbing your eyes? Why are you blinking?"
He replied, "Not at all on seeing your Majesty, I want to be just like you to please your Majesty."
Upon hearing those words, the king got very angry. The man was punished by hard blows and sent into exile.
So are the people at large. They wish to approach Buddha, king of the Law, to achieve advancement. Once there, Buddha reveals to them his human weaknesses for the welfare of all mankind. When they sometimes hear of using incorrect phrases in his teachings, they may be unable to understand Buddha and they start to ridicule and defame him. They imitate all his weaknesses. For this reason, they lose the benefit they have got from Buddhism forever and fall into Three Evil Paths of Transmigration accordingly.
This is just like the story of the man imitating the king's blinking habit.
(27) DRESS WHIP WOUNDS
Once upon a time, there was a man who was punished by the king by whipping and was wounded from it. He applied on the wounds horse excrement for quick recovery. A stupid man nearby was pleased to see it. He said to himself, "I have just discovered the method to cure a wound faster."
As soon as he got home, he told his son, "You are going to whip me until I'm wounded. I have got a good method to cure wounds. I should like to try it."
Then, he was flogged by his son who dressed his wounds with horse excrement, believing it was a good method.
So are the people at large who hear that the practice of meditation on impurities could remove the evil corruption of the body. They say to themselves in these words, "We are going to meditate on venery and the five desires."
They did not see the impurities of the body, but rather got deceitful and wrong ideas from the pursuit of sexual pleasure. Furthermore, they suffer from Transmigration and descend into Hell.
This is held to be true with the stupid at large dressing their wounds with horse excrement.
(28) CHANGE THE WIFE'S NOSE
Once upon a time, there was a man whose wife was graceful except for her ugly nose. When he was out, he saw another graceful looking woman with a pretty nose. It came into his mind that "I would cut her nose and transplant it on my wife's face. Wouldn't that be nice?"
He then cut the nose off this other woman. Caring it home he hurriedly called out to his wife, "Come quickly! I got a pretty nose for you."
Once she came out, he cut off her nose and replaced it with the one he had cut off first. It did not fit; also the wife suffered a great pain.
So are the stupid in the world. They hear that aged monks and Brahmans with great fame and merit are respected and much supported. They say to themselves in these words, "There is no difference between them and us."
They falsely pretend to be virtuous. Not only do they gain nothing, they get a bad name for their misbehavior as well. Those people are just like the stupid man cutting other's nose only to injure his own wife.
(29) THE POOR MAN BURNS HIS COARSE WOOLLEN CLOTHING
Once upon a time, there was a poor and weary man who wore a coarse woolen garment, which he had made for his customer. He was seen by a stranger who said to him, "Coming from an honorable family clan, you are the son of a man of high position. Why do you wear such coarse woolen clothing? Now let me teach you how to get some fine clothes. You should follow my instructions. I won't cheat you."
The poor man follows his instructions happily. The stranger immediately lit a fire before him and said in these words, "Now you may take off your coarse woolen garment and put it into the fire. You'll get some beautiful clothes out of the flame instead."
The poor man did as he was told. After his old clothes were burnt, nothing was left but ashes.
So are the people at large.
Our being born as human beings must be attributed to the practice of a good religion from former lives. We should take good care of our beings and improve our virtue and do good deeds. We are sometimes cheated by the heretics, vicious men and seductive women, who said, "You should believe us that you will be reborn, after this life, in the Brahman Heaven and enjoy longevity and happiness, if you practice ascetics by jumping into the fire or rocks now."
This is just like the story of the poor man burning his clothing.
(30) THE SHEEP - FARMER
Once upon a time, there was a shepherd who was skillful in raising as many as thousands of sheep. However, he was so stingy that he would not spend a penny.
At the time, a swindler found means to make friends with him and said, "Since you and I have become intimate friends united as one man, there should be no gap of any kind between us now. I know a pretty girl from a certain family. I should like you to ask her to be your wife."
The sheep-farmer was glad to hear those words. He gave him a flock of sheep and other precious things.
The swindler then said, "Now your wife has brought a child into the world."
The sheep-farmer was very delighted to learn about this, in spite of the fact that he had not met her yet. Again he gave him more things.
Then one day the swindler said, "Your child is dead shortly after birth."
On hearing those words, the sheep-farmer cried bitterly and sighed ceaselessly.
So are the people at large.
There are people who, acquiring much knowledge, put their creed into practice only for fame and gain. They keep secret its teachings, unwilling to preach or to teach the others. Indulging in mundane pleasures, they are cheated by the transience of their bodies like the poor man cheated by the illusion of getting a wife and a child. Consequently, they lose first their good faith, then their lives and finally their precious possessions. They can then only shed bitter tears by getting depressed and melancholy just like the sheep-farmer.
(31) MASON WANTED
Once upon a time, a Brahman master indented to give a big party. He told his disciple, "I need earthenware for the party. Go to the market and fetch for me a mason."
On his way to the mason's home, the disciple came across a man whose donkey was loaded with earthenware for sale in the market. Yet all pottery was broken by the animal in the twinkling of an eye. On his return home, the man was crying and getting quite distraught. On seeing this, the disciple asked: "Why are you so sad and disappointed?"
The man replied, "I have been making earthenware with all my expedient means after toiling and moiling for many years. I was on my way to the market intending to sell them. But this dumb animal has broken all I had in no time. That's why I'm so distraught."
The disciple was glad to see and hear all this and said, "It's a good donkey. I should like to buy it."
The mason was delighted to sell it. When the disciple rode it back, the master asked, "Why didn't you come back with a mason? What's the idea of bringing a donkey here?"
The disciple replied, "This donkey is better than a mason, for it can break things in a split second what a mason has made over a long time."
The master said, "You are stupid and ignorant indeed. Although the donkey can break things in a second, it can't even make one pottery in a hundred years."
So are the people at large. Those who sometimes receive offerings from their benefactors for a hundred years, give nothing in return. On the contrary, they always do more harm than good.
This is held to be true with someone who shows ingratitude.
(32) A TRADER STEALS GOLD
Once upon a time, two traders ran some business together. One was a seller of genuine gold, while the other, Tula cotton. A buyer of gold came along and asked for a fire test before buying it. The cotton trader stole the burnt gold and wrapped it with his Tula cotton, which got all burnt up by the red-hot gold.
Thus the stealing was revealed. Consequently, he lost both gold and Tula cotton.
Like them are the heretics, who steal from Buddhism and write in their own religion. They wrongfully claim Buddhism to be their own teaching and deny copying from it. For this reason, they burn and destroy their heretic scripture, which is disappeared from the world.
This is just like the story of the disclosure of the stealing of gold.
(33) HACKING A TREE DOWN FOR FRUIT
Once upon a time, there was a king who had a tremendously gigantic and beautiful tree. It always produced excellent fruit with fragrance and sweetness. One day the king told a guest who was visiting his palace, "Wouldn't you like to pluck some of the fruits?"
The man replied, "I wish to have some, but how Call I get them, the tree is so tall and large."
The king then ordered to have the tree hacked down to get the fruit. In this context, all hard efforts were made in vain. The king still tried to revive the tree, which had withered and died.
So are the people at large.
Buddha, the king of the Law, possesses a "tree of keeping commandments" which bears wonderful fruit. It gives people happiness and makes their wishes come true. To get the fruit, one has to observe all commandments.
Those who do not know how to do good deeds by expedient means, do wrong things in breaking commandments instead. This is just like the king who ordered to have the tree hacked down and the unable to make it grow again. Those who break commandments are just like that.
(34) TO SEND PURE SPRING WATER
Once upon a time, there was a village, which was located five Yojanas away from the city and supplied pure spring water. The king ordered the water to be sent to him in the palace every day by the villagers. Becoming utterly weary of the irksome task, they all wanted to move away to some remote place.
To them, the village chief said,"Don't go away. I'll talk with the king for you to alter the distance between here and the palace from five Yojanas into three Yojanas. It would be closer for coming and going without much weariness."
The chief hastened to report to the king who changed the mileage. People were delighted at knowing this. Some of them said that there was no difference whatsoever. Most still stayed on, because of their newly reassured confidence in the king.
So are the people in various walks of life.
Those who devote themselves to the right religion for crossing the Five Paths toward the Nirvana City, intend to abandon their faith when they are weary and exhausted. Traveling by the transmigration boat, they are unable to make their way toward the shore.
However, Buddha, the king of the Law, has many expedient means from the One Vehicle to the Three Vehicles. Those who follow the Hinayana sect are glad to hear those words and find it easier to practice. Therefore, they spare no effort to do good deeds and improve themselves spiritually so as to make their way of transmigration toward the other shores. Afterwards, they realize that there is no Three Vehicles but ones. Because of the confidence in Buddha's words, they do not want to abandon their faith by then.
This is just like the story of the villagers ending pure spring water.
(35) THE MIRROR IN A VALUABLE CASE
Once upon a time there was a poor and weary man who was always in debt. Insolvent, he hid himself in the wilderness where he found a valuable case full of precious things. A crystal mirror covered them. The poor man was most delighted to see them. He did not hesitate to take them. But he was frightened when he discovered a man's image in the mirror. Twisting his hands, he said, "I thought it was nothing more than on empty case. I wasn't aware of your being in the case. Don't get angry with me!"
He then gave up the whole case. So are the people from all walks of life.
Those who are weary of countless annoyances in life and persecuted by the creditors of the Transmigration Devil, want to avoid them and free from them through their belief in Buddhism. They begin to practice their faith and do good deeds just as the valuable case to the poor man. Troubled by the man's image- in the mirror, they wrongly cling to the ego taken as the real. They fall decadent and lose all their merits acquired previously from meditation, monastic grade and good deeds. Furthermore, they fail in their attainment of the Nirvana from the Three Vehicles, just like the stupid man sticking to the prejudice of the ego and abandoning their precious findings in the case.
(36) TO BLIND AN IMMORTAL
Once upon a time, there was a man who went to the mountains to learn Buddhist Priesthood. He succeeded in becoming an Immortal possessing five supernatural powers. His divine vision could perceive all hidden sundry treasures. Upon hearing it, the king said to one of his ministers excitedly:
"In order to add more valuable things to my treasury, could you make this man live permanently in our country?"
The stupid minister went to his man soon afterwards and took his eyes. He then went back to the king and said, "I have gouged out his eyes so he couldn't go away but stay in this country forever."
The king exclaimed, "What is important for his staying in this country is that he could perceive all hidden treasures. Now that you have gouged out his eyes, he is useless to me."
So are the people at large. Upon seeing a monk making strenuous efforts to meditate on the Fourfold stage of Mindfulness and the impurities or the human body on mountain groves, among tombs, in the wilderness or under a tree, a layman invited him home to practice by making various offerings. But in so doing, he destroys the monk's good works done before and his chance of attaining Nirvana. Therefore, he makes him lose the benefit of the eyes of Enlightenment without obtaining anything.
This is just like the fatuous minister blinding the man with no avail. .
(37) TO KILL A HERD OF CATTLE
Once upon a time, there was a man who owned two hundred fifty cows. He often took them to the pastureland for grazing. By accident, one day a cow was killed by a tiger. The cattle owner said to himself, "Now that a cow is lost, it's no longer an even number. What's the use of having them at all?"
He then drove the cattle to a high cliff and killed them all by pushing them down the cliff.
So are the vulgar people in the world.
One who observes all of Buddha's commandments breaks one commandment without any sense of shame or repentance. On the contrary, he says to himself: "Now that one commandment is broken, I'm no longer perfect. What's the use of keeping any of the others?"
All commandments are broken as a result of his ill logic. He is just like the stupid man killing all his cattle.
(38) YELLING AT WATER
Once upon a time, there was a man who was tired and thirsty from traveling. He drank some fresh running water from the wooden bucket. After he had had enough, he raised his hands in front of the water and said, "I have had enough to drink. Stop flowing!"
The water went on. Losing his temper, he yelled, "I told you to stop. Why don't you listen?"
On seeing this, an onlooker said, "You are so ignorant. Why don't you just leave?"
Thereupon, the onlooker drew him away.
So are the people at large.
One who immerges himself in transmigrations and the thirst of desire drinks salty water of the five desires. After getting tired of them, he says in those words, "Disappear, thou Five Desires. Don't let me see you again, I've told you. Why are you still present?"
A wise man tells him, "You can keep the Five Desires away by controlling your six organs of senses2 or by closing your mind and thought to them. Then illusions will not arise and consequently Enlightenment may be attained. Why do you need to tell "Desires" to be out of your sight and to disappear?"
This is just like the story of the man yelling at the water.
(39) HOUSE PAINTING
Once upon a time, there was a man who went to another man's house, which had just been painted, and the floor made even. It was nice and clean. He asked the host, "With what paint did you make the wall so white and beautiful?"
The host replied, "I mixed rice bran with water and day. The beauty is the result."
To himself, the guest said, "It would be better if he had used rice grain instead of bran. The wall would be more smooth and more beautiful."
He then used his own formula on his own house. The walls turned out to be concave and convex with cracks on them.
The stupid man thus wasted all his rice grain. It had better have done alms-giving to obtain any merits.
So are the common people. Those who have heard the Saints preaching that people who do good deeds may go to Heaven after death and consequently get deliverance, commit suicide to get there. They merely 1ose their lives in vain without getting anywhere just like that stupid man with his paint.
(40) TO CURE BALDNESS
Once upon a time, there was a man who was completely bald. He felt very cold in winter and hot in summer. He was stung by gadflies and mosquitoes. He suffered from his baldness day and night. One day, he went to see a specialist well known for his medical and surgical practice and said, "Great Master! Would you cure my baldness?"
Taking off his hat, the doctor revealed to him that he too was bald and said, "I have the same trouble as you. If I could cure it, I would have done so with myself long time ago."
So are the people at large. Suffering from the agonies of birth, old age, sickness and death, people seek for immortality. They hear Sramanas, Brahmans etc, are the best doctors in the world who know now to cure all kinds of diseases. They go to a Brahman and say, "Would you release us from the pain of impenitence and transmigration and help us live in happiness and immortality?"
The Brahman tells them, "I also suffer from those agonies that you feel. So I'm looking for immortality, which I can't find. If I was able to make you get it, I would get it first for myself and then for you too."
The Brahman is just like the bald man getting weary in vain for his healing.
(41) PISACAH DEVILS
Once upon a time, there were two Pisacah devils who conjointly owned a suitcase, a stick and a pair of wooden shoes about which they fought for their monopoly. They were quarreling all day long without reaching a settlement.
An onlooker came over and asked, "What are the particularities of those three things that you have been fighting for so angrily?"
The two devils replied, "This suitcase of ours turns out all sorts of things such as clothes, food, bed articles used on a bed, and other living necessities. One who takes the stick can conquer his hateful enemies without encountering resistance. One who puts on these shoes will be able to fly without a hitch."
Upon hearing it, the onlooker said to the devils, "Would you please stand further away! Let me equally apportion them to you both."
The two devils moved away. Immediately the onlooker flew off snatching their suitcase and stick with the shoes on. The two devils were startled at the loss of their share. To them he said, "I got what you have been fighting for. Now you need not are any more."
Here Pisacah refers to devils and heretics.
Almsgiving applies to the suitcase that turns out all the essential things to the needs of the Five Ways of Existence such as human beings, Devas, etc.
Meditation symbolizes the stick, which can disperse or submit devils, enemies and afflictions as thieves.
Commandments observing is like the shoes that ensure rebirth in the world of Devas and men.
As for the divils and heretics, coveting the suitcase, it signifies that they labor themselves to the seeking for the reward of Enlightenment in the imperfect way, which result in nothing to be obtained.
If one can perform acts of merit together with almsgiving, commandments observing and meditation practice, he will be rid of all suffering and in turn obtain Nirvana.