《百喻经》
[The] Sūtra [Of A] Hundred Parables
（一八）就楼磨刀喻
(18) Parable [Of] Accommodating Stairs [To] Sharpen [A] Knife
昔有一人，贫穷困苦为王作事，日月经久身体羸瘦。王见怜愍，赐一死驼。
[In the] past, [there] was a person, [who was] poor, [with] hardship [and] suffering, for [the] King doing work. [With] days [and] months long passing, [his] body [became] thin [and] weak. [The] King, seeing [this and] empathising, bestowed [him with] a dead camel.
贫人得已即便剥皮，嫌刀钝故求石欲磨，乃于楼上得一磨石，磨刀令利来下而剥。
[The] poor person, [having] gotten [it] already, immediately peeled [the] skin. Disliking [the] knife [for being] blunt thus, [he] sought [a] stone, desiring [to] sharpen [it]. Thus at upstairs, [he] got [to] a grindstone, [with which he] sharpened [the] knife, enabling [it to be] sharp, [before] coming down [to] then peel.
如是数数往来磨刀，后转劳苦惮不能数上，悬驼上楼就石磨刀，深为众人之所嗤笑。
Thus repeatedly going [and] coming [to] sharpen [the] knife, [as this] later transformed [to be] toiling [with] suffering, dreading [that he might] not [be] able [to go] upstairs, hanging [the] camel upstairs [to] accommodate [the grind]stone [to] sharpen [the] knife, [he was] deeply by all people [as] that sneered [at].
犹如愚人毁破禁戒，多取钱财以用修福望得生天，如悬驼上楼磨刀，用功甚多所得什少。
Similar to [the] foolish person, [those who] destroy [and] break [the] prohibitive precepts, [are with] much obtained money [and] wealth, with [them] used [for] cultivating blessings, hoping [to] attain birth [in the] heavens. [They are] like [that person] hanging the] camel upstairs [to] sharpen [the] knife, using efforts extremely much, [with] that attained extremely little.
[Note: If the strife for a better rebirth is with breaking of the precepts, this is not possible, as doing so will karmically lead to a worse rebirth. Even if without breaking of precepts, there should not be shortsighted repeated toiling for just little short-lived benefits – be it in this one life, the next life, or from life to life.
Even if born in a heaven, the joys there will be neither permanent nor substantial, with one likely to fall later upon depletion of one’s blessings. This contrasts with birth in Āmítuófó’s (阿弥陀佛) Pure Land (净土), where there will only be swift and non-retrogressive progress towards Buddhahood, with no possibility of depleting blessings, as ensured by one’s naturally motivated continual spiritual cultivation, with the Buddha’s additional blessings.]
Namo Amituofo : Translation and notes by Shen Shi’an
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债半钱喻
[17] The Parable Of The Debt Of Half A Coin
https://purelanders.com/2023/08/01/17-the-parable-of-the-debt-of-half-a-coin-from-the-sutra-of-a-hundred-parables
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乘船失釪喻
[19] The Parable Of Riding A Ship And Losing An Alms Bowl
https://purelanders.com/2023/08/03/19-the-parable-of-riding-a-ship-and-losing-an-alms-bowl-from-the-sutra-of-a-hundred-parables
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All Hundred Parables:
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