A Wonderful Parable of the Pure Land School
淨土宗妙喻
9.1 The Impoverished Son (continued)
He called in another two of his attendants who were of smaller stature. He asked them to dress in rags and look like paupers. “Follow him,” he said.
Appearing like beggars, the two attendants staggered away as instructed. As an old saying puts it, “Birds of a feather flock together, and like attracts like.”
The pair, on finding the impoverished man, started with small talk about things tramps and vagrants did and soon gained his confidence.
They told the man, “You know, you don’t have to work so hard. Where we work, our boss is very nice. We are paid twice as much as we would get elsewhere.”
The impoverished man responded at once, “Sounds like a great place! Do you think they will let me work there?”
“Give it a go, mate.”
“But ... I’m not sure what I can do! I can’t read or write; I ain’t educated.”
“You can try cleaning…toilets.”
“Yeah, I can do that!”
So, the two spies led the man back into the rich elder’s estate. They snuck back into the house through the back door (the main gates would be too lofty for the son). The elder’s son stayed on, working every day as a lavatory cleaner. He felt safe and relaxed, and thought to himself, “This job suits me – it’s what I’m supposed to be, a toilet cleaner.”
Never had he lived such a happy, stable, and secure life before, so he worked very hard, wholeheartedly.
(to be continued tomorrow)
9.1 窮子喻 (續)
他另外找了兩個人，長得不是那麼高大威猛，穿的衣服也是破破的，交代說：「你們去跟蹤他。」
這兩個人看起來跟窮子差不多， 像乞丐一樣，搖搖晃晃，跟著去了。物以類聚，人以群分，他們一塊兒就聊起來了，談著做乞丐的事，相談甚歡。
這兩個人就跟他講：「其實，你用不著這麼辛苦。我們打工那個地方的老闆很慈悲，幹一天活的工資是其他地方的兩倍。」
窮子一聽，「這麼好的地方！我去行不行？」
「你去也可以。」
「可是我什麼都不會幹！我不識字，需要文化的活我都不會啊！」
「你可以去打掃衛生，清理廁所。」
「這個我可以！」
這兩位就把他帶到大富長者莊園來了，從後門繞進來（正門太高貴）。進來以後天天除糞，他幹得很安心，心想：「這跟我的身分很相 應，我就是掃廁所的。」
他一輩子就沒有這樣幸福過，生活很安定，他過得很安心，幹得很賣力。
但是，兒子天天在除糞，長者心中有所不悅：「我的兒子怎麼可以做這等下劣事呢？」父子還沒有相認！財產還沒有委付！所以，大富長者就想辦法接近兒子。他把華麗的服裝脫下來，穿上一身粗布衣服（下地幹活兒、除糞的衣服），也拿了除糞的工具，跟窮子一起除糞，和顏悅色地問候他，跟他話家常，問寒問暖。窮子一輩子也沒有得到過父母的溫暖，遇到這麼一個長者，對他這樣慈悲關愛，他感動得不得了，「怎麼有這麼好的人！」他這時候還不知道長者就是他的父親。
時間久了，彼此關係熟了，感到很親切了，這時候，長者就略微暴露自己的身分，他說：「不瞞你說，我就是這座莊園的主人。」
Namo Amituofo!
