Skip to main content

(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。

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Kong Rong Gives up the Biggest Pear

Kong Rong (153-208), the 20 th generation descendant of Confucius, was a high official during the reign of Emperor Ling of the Eastern Han Dynasty. As he was good-tempered and hospitable, his house was always full of guests. He was a noted poet and was one of the “Seven Famous Personages of Jian An.”  Kong Rong was once appointed the prefect of Beihai , hence named Kong Beihai . During his tenure of office, Kong Rong constructed cities, built schools, and advocated Confucianism. Kong Rong upheld etiquette , and had made his name heard in his childhood for a "giving up the biggest  pear" story.  In Kong  Rong ’s Family, there were seven brothers in his family and Kong Rong was the sixth son. When he was four years old, he was asked to choose a pear in priority. However, Kong Rong choose a smallest pear, leaving big ones to his elder brothers. Every time the siblings ate pears, his elder brothers always took big ones. He, however, always picked up the small one.  When ...
1 comment
Read more

When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter.

This proverb originates from the story of Qin Hui, who was regarded till today as the most treacherous court minister of the Song dynasty. Qin Hui was born with a peculiarity: his feet measured one foot four inches from heel to toe. he was therefore nicknamed the Long-Foot Scholar when he was a student in the Royal Academy. Qin Hui had been teacher in a private school, he was very unsatisfied by his humble and mean position, and wrote a poem, one couplet of it was: If I had three hundred Acres of irrigated lands, I wouldn't have to be the Monkey king. Here the monkeys were referred to mischievous boys in the private school, he himself was the king of those monkeys. Later he passed the imperial examinations and rose quickly to the post of Prime Minister. By the time, the Song dynasty was under continuous attack by the northern tribe Jurchen [Jin]. Qin Hui initiated Peace negotiation with Jurchens, and made the Southern Song dynasty cede territory and subjugate itself to them....
Post a Comment
Read more

The Legend of The Three-Life Stone

The Buddhist believe metempsychosis, or the migration of the souls of animated beings, people's relationships are predestined through three states of life: the past, present, and future life. Legend has it that there's a road called Yellow Spring Road, which leads to Fogotten River. Over the river there's a bridge called Helpless Bridge (Naihe Bridge), at one end of the bridge sits a crimson stone called Three-life Stone. When two people die, they take this route to reincarnation. if they carve their name on the Three-life Stone together while they pass the stone, they are to be predestined to be together in their future life. Although before their rebirth they will be given a MengPo Soup to drink and thereby their memory of past life are obliterated. In reality, San-Sheng Shi (三生石), or Three-Life Stone is located beside Flying Mountain near the West Lake, Hangzhou. On the stone, there is seal with three Chinese characters that say "The Three-life Stone," and a de...
Post a Comment
Read more