(85) THE WOMAN WHO HAD SORE EYES

(85) THE WOMAN WHO HAD SORE EYES
Once upon a time, there was a woman who had a bad case of sore eyes. Another woman told her, "Where there are eyes, there are some times pains. Although my eyes do not ache now, I want to gouge them out so that they will not ache later."
A bystander said, "Though it's true that when you have your eyes, they may sometimes ache to disturb you, yet when you don't have them, you'll be sure to suffer for lifetime."
This is also held to be true with the common stupid men. People have heard that wealth and fame are the sources of decadence. They are afraid of retribution in the hereafter for not doing almsgiving in their present lives. The more wealth they have, the more troubles they sometimes suffer afterwards. It is said that if you do almsgiving, you may be happy, or you may be not. But if you don't do it, you will surely be the most unhappy man.
This is just like that woman who could not bear the thought of having sore eyes, wanted to gouge them out to suffer forever.

85妇女患眼痛喻
昔有一女人极患眼痛。有知识女人问言：「汝眼痛耶?」答言：「眼痛!」彼女复言：「有眼必痛。我虽未痛，并欲挑眼，恐其后痛。」傍人语言：「眼若在者，或痛、不痛；眼若无者，终身长痛。」
凡愚之人亦复如是，闻富贵者衰患之本，畏，不布施，恐后得报，财物殷溢，重受苦恼。有人语言：「汝若施时，或苦或乐；若不施者，贫穷大苦。」如彼女人，不忍痛，便欲去眼，乃为长痛。

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