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.
37殺群牛喻
昔有一人。有二百五十頭牛。常驅逐水草隨時餧食。時有一虎啖食一牛。爾時牛主即作念言。已失一牛俱不全足。用是牛為。即便驅至深坑高岸。排著坑底盡皆殺之。
凡夫愚人亦復如是。受持如來具足之戒。若犯一戒不生慚愧清凈懺悔。便作念言。我已破一戒。既不具足。何用持為。一切都破無一在者。如彼愚人盡殺群牛無一在者。
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