（六）
(6)
昔有一婆羅門，居家貧窮正有一牸牛，𤛓乳日得一斗，以自供活。聞說十五日飯諸眾僧沙門得大福德，便止不復𤛓牛，停至一月并取，望得三斛持用供養諸沙門。至滿月，便大請諸沙門至舍皆坐，時婆羅門即入，𤛓牛乳正得一斗，雖久不𤛓乳而不多。諸人呵罵言：「汝癡人！云何日日不𤛓，乃至一月也而望得多？」今世人亦如是，有財物時，不能隨多少布施，停積久後須多乃作，無常水火及以身命須臾難保，若當不遇一朝蕩盡虛無所獲，財物危身猶如毒蛇無得貪著。譬如昔日佛遊波斯匿王國中，見地有伏藏滿中寶物，佛語阿難：「汝見是毒蛇不？」阿難言：「已見。」時有人隨佛後行，聞此語試往看之，見有好寶，嫌佛此語謂為虛綺，此實是寶而言為毒陀。其人即時私將家人大小取此寶物，其家大富。有人向王言之：「此人隨得寶藏而不輸官。」王即收繫，責其寶物即時輸盡。王故不信更多方拷治之，痛毒備至而復不首。王大怒欲誅其七世，載出欲殺，王遣人微伺為何道說，即言：「佛語至誠，實是毒蛇。而我不信，今為毒蛇所由，知當何云。若為毒蛇所殺正可及身，而今乃及七世，實如所語。」使者具上事向王陳說，王聞此語即喚令還，語其人言：「佛是大功德人，而汝能憶佛往語。」王大歡喜還其寶物，放之令去。緣念佛語故得免死難，是以佛語不可不志心念之。
Once there was a Brahmin who was very poor and owned just one cow. Milking it every day, he got one bucket of milk to support his family. Hearing that feeding monks and holy men on the fifteenth day of the month would bring great blessings, he stopped milking the cow for a whole month, expecting to get three full buckets to offer the monks. When the full moon arrived, he invited many monks to his home and seated them. Then he went in to milk the cow — but got only one bucket of milk. Even after so long without milking, there wasn't more. The people scolded him, saying: "You fool! Why didn't you milk day by day? How could you expect to get more after waiting an entire month?"
People today are just the same. When they have wealth, they don't give in small amounts. They hoard it, waiting to make a big offering later. But as life, death, fire, and flood can strike at any moment, and one's own body may vanish in an instant — if fortune suddenly collapses, all is lost and nothing is gained. Wealth endangers the body like a poisonous snake; don't be greedy for it.
Consider this: Once the Buddha was traveling through King Prasenajit's kingdom when he saw buried treasure filled with jewels. The Buddha said to Ananda: "Do you see that poisonous snake?" Ananda replied: "Yes, I see it." A man walking behind them overheard this and went to look. Seeing the jewels, he thought the Buddha's words were a lie — this was real treasure, not poison. So he secretly took his whole family and dug up the treasure, making them very rich. Someone told the king, saying this man had found treasure without reporting it. The king had him arrested and forced him to hand over all the treasure. Still suspicious, the king tortured him in many ways to extract the truth. The man endured terrible pain but refused to confess. In a rage, the king ordered the execution of his entire family line for seven generations. As they were being led out to die, the king sent someone to secretly listen to what the man would say. The man said: "The Buddha's words were true! It really was a poisonous snake. But I didn't believe it, and now I'm being bitten by this snake — what can I do? If a snake only bites one person, the harm ends with that person, but now it reaches seven generations of my family. The Buddha spoke the truth." The spy reported this to the king, who immediately ordered the man's release. The king said: "The Buddha is a greatly virtuous being, and you remembered his words." Overjoyed, the king returned his treasure and let him go. Because he remembered the Buddha's words, the man escaped death. Thus, the Buddha's words must always be kept in mind.