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(7) ONE RECKONS ANOTHER MAN TO BE ONE'S ELDER BROTHER

Once upon a time, there was a man endowed with a respectable appearance and intelligence as well as wealth. All these evoked feelings of admiration and praise from the people around him. Another man then claimed this man to be his elder brother. He did so, because of the man's wealth. When he needed money, he called the man elder brother. After the rich man paying his debt, he stopped calling him elder brother. A bystander asked, "You are a strange man. When you are in need of money, you call him elder brother. When he is in debt, you will not. Why?"

The man answered, "When I want to get at his money, I'll call him elder brother. As a matter of fact, he isn't my own elder brother. When he is in debt, I will not call him elder brother."
Hearing these words, people laughed at him.

The heretics, who have heard the good words of Buddhism, purloin and make use of them as their own. When people try to teach them how to practice the goods words, they do not want to listen. They declared that they use the good words of Buddhism to instruct the other people in order to earn a living. There is no need that they should bother to know how to practice it.

Those heretics are just like the stupid man who calls the rich man elder brother for his money.

7认人为兄喻

昔有一人，形容端正，智慧具足，复多钱财，举世人间，无不称叹。时有愚人，见其如此，便言我兄。所以尔者，彼有钱财，须者则用之，是故为兄；见其还债，言非我兄。傍人语言：「汝是愚人，云何须财，名他为兄，及其债时，复言非兄?」愚人答言：「我以欲得彼之钱财，认之为兄，实非是兄。若其债时，则称非兄。」人闻此语，无不笑之。

犹彼外道，闻佛善语，盗窃而用，以为已有。乃至傍人教使修行，不肯修行，而作是言：「为利养故，取彼佛语化导众生，而无实事，云何修行?」犹向愚人，为得财故，言是我兄；及其债时，复言非兄。此亦如是。

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