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(10) THREE - STORIED HOUSE

Once there was an ignorant rich man who, one day, went to another rich man's three-storied house.

Struck with admiration by the imposing, spacious, airy and well - lighted building, he said to himself,

"I'm no less rich than he. Why don't I have the same house built as this one?"

Thereupon, he sent for a carpenter and said, "Can you construct an imposing house exactly like that one?"

That carpenter replied, "It's I who built that one."

He went on, "Now you may build a house like that one for me."

The carpenter began first to level the ground, afterward laid the foundation stones and then drove in piles for walls. The stupid man could not make it out when he saw the worker doing all these. He asked, "What are you doing now?"

The carpenter replied, "I'm building three floors."

The stupid man went on, "I don't want the two floors below. You had better start building from the third floor for me."

The carpenter answered, "It's impossible. If I don't begin with the ground floor, how can I build the second? If I don't build the two below, how can I build the third floor?"

The stupid man persisted saying, "But I don't need the two floors below, only the top."

Hearing those words, his contemporaries sardonically laughed at him. They all said how could one have the top floor done without building the lower floors?

Sakyamuni's four degrees of disciples who are unable to practice earnestly Buddhism and respect the Three Precious Ones, wanted to attain the path of deliverance by leading an idle life. They said, "We don't need the first three degrees below, but seek only that of Arahant's."

There was no difference between the stupid rich man and those disciples who were also laughed at by their contemporaries.

10三重楼喻

往昔之世，有富愚人，痴无所知。到余富家，见三重楼，高广严丽，轩敞疏朗，心生渴仰，即作是念：我有财钱，不灭于彼，云何顷来而不造作如是之楼？即唤木匠而问其曰：「解作彼家端正舍不?」木匠答言：「是我所作。」即便语言：「今可为我造楼如彼。」

是时，木匠即便经地垒墼作楼。愚人见其垒墼作舍，犹怀疑惑，不能了知，而问之言：「欲作何等?」木匠答言：「作三重屋。」愚人复言：「我不欲作下二重之屋，先可为我作最上屋。」木匠答言：「无有是事！何有不作最下重屋，而得造彼第二之屋?不造第二，云何得造第三重屋?」愚人固言：「我今不用下二重屋，必可为我作最上者。」时人闻已，便生怪笑，咸作此言：「何有不造下第一屋而得上者? 」

譬如世尊四辈弟子，不能精勤修敬三宝，懒惰懈怠，欲求道果，而作是言：「我今不用余下三果，唯求得彼阿罗汉果。」亦为时人之所嗤笑，如彼愚者，等无有异。

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