Once upon a time, there was a man who rode on a black horse to a battle. Out of fear, he was incapable to combat. He daubed his face and eyes with blood and dirt. Pretending to be dead, he laid down in the midst of corpses. The horse on which he had rode was taken away. After the battle was through, he went home bringing with him the cut-off tail of a white horse that belonged to another soldier. Back at home, he was asked, "Where is your old horse?"
The man replied, "My horse is dead. I have brought back with me its tail."
People said, "But your old horse was black. How did its tail turn white?"
Speechless, the man was laughed at.
So are the people at large. Despite of their pretending to be good, pious, compassionate and restraining themselves to eat meat and drink wine, people indulge themselves in killing and injuring other sentient beings and thus raising to pain and cruelty. Furthermore, they boast that they do good deeds, but there is nothing they will not do to commit sins, just like the stupid man and his horse.
昔有一人騎一黑馬入陣擊賊，以其怖故不能戰鬪，便以血污塗其面目，詐現死相臥死人中，其所乘馬為他所奪。軍眾既去便欲還家，即截他人白馬尾來，既到舍已有人問言：「汝所乘馬今為所在，何以不乘？」答言：「我馬已死，遂持尾來。」傍人語言：「汝馬本黑，尾何以白？」默然無對，為人所笑。世間之人亦復如是，自言善好修行慈心不食酒肉，然殺害眾生加諸楚毒，妄自稱善無惡不造，如彼愚人詐言馬死。
The man replied, "My horse is dead. I have brought back with me its tail."
People said, "But your old horse was black. How did its tail turn white?"
Speechless, the man was laughed at.
So are the people at large. Despite of their pretending to be good, pious, compassionate and restraining themselves to eat meat and drink wine, people indulge themselves in killing and injuring other sentient beings and thus raising to pain and cruelty. Furthermore, they boast that they do good deeds, but there is nothing they will not do to commit sins, just like the stupid man and his horse.
73詐言馬死喻
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