(79) CARRYING CHAIRS FOR THE KING

Once upon a time, there was a king who wished to go to the garden named "Free From Care" for a good time. He ordered one of his ministers, "You'll drag a lounge chair to that garden for me to sit and take rest on."

The minister considered it a demeaning job for a minister to drag a chair. So he refused to do it and replied, "I would rather carry it on my back with a pole than dragging it."

Then the king put thirty-six chairs on his back and asked him to carry them to the garden. Such a stupid man was laughed by the people at large.

This is also held to be true with the common people.

Seeing hair fallen from a woman's head on the ground, people are reluctant to pick it up, in the name of keeping the commandments. However once disturbed by ignorance and desire, they do not mind picking up thirty-six unclean things at a time such as hair, capillary, nail, tooth, excrement, urine, etc., without feeling shameful and even keep them as long as they live. This is just like that stupid man bearing chairs on his back.

79為王負机喻

昔有一王，欲入無憂園中歡娛受樂，勅一臣言：「汝捉一机，持至彼園我用坐息。」時彼使人羞不肯捉，而白王言：「我不能捉，我願擔之。」時王便以三十六机置其背上，驅使擔之至於園中。如是愚人為世所笑，凡夫之人亦復如是，若見女人一髮在地，自言持戒不肯捉之；後為煩惱所惑，三十六物髮毛爪齒屎尿不淨不以為醜，三十六物一時都捉不生慚愧，至死不捨，如彼愚人擔負於机。

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