（九）
(9)
昔有慳貪長者，佛欲度之，先遣舍利弗為說布施之福種種功德。長者慳貪都無施意，見日欲中，語舍利弗：「汝何不去？我無食與汝。」舍利弗知不可化，即還佛所。佛復遣目連神足返化而為說法。長者復言：「汝欲得我物故作此幻術。」目連知其不可化，即還佛所。於是佛必破其慳貪自造其家，長者見佛自來，為作禮，將佛入座。佛方便種種說法，語長者言：「汝能行五大施不？」長者白佛：「我小施猶尚不能，況復大施！」長者白佛：「云何五大施？」佛言：「五大施者，不得殺生，汝能作不？」長者思惟：「不殺生者，乃不用我財物又無所損。」即白佛言：「我能！」以是次第為說，乃至不飲酒，皆言：「能作！」於是佛即為長者種種說法五戒義：「若能持此五戒，便為作五大施竟。」即大歡喜，欲以一張不好㲲施佛，即入庫求，無不好者，便以一張而奉施佛。庫中餘㲲盡相隨來，至於佛前。佛知長者施心不定，語長者言：「天帝釋與阿修羅共鬪，心不定故三返不如，後以定心故大破阿修羅軍。」長者聞已，知佛大聖深知人意，信心清淨，佛為說法，即得須陀洹道。明日魔知其心，即化作佛欲來壞之，而至其家，長者以未得他心智故，不知是魔歡喜迎之，善來將入座。魔佛語長者言：「我昨日所說者，盡非是佛語，汝速捨之！」長者聞此語已，甚大怪之：「形雖是佛而所說者非，如師子皮被驢，雖形似獅子而心是驢。」長者不信，魔知其心正，還復其身言：「我故來試汝，而汝心不可轉。」是故經言：「見諦之人尚不信佛語，何況餘道？以深察理故。」是故佛弟子要解深理，魔說佛說悉皆能知。是故義不可不學，施不可不修。
Once there was a miserly elder. The Buddha, wishing to liberate him, first sent Shariputra to explain the merits and virtues of generosity. The elder, gripped by stinginess, had no intention of giving. Seeing the sun nearing noon, he said to Shariputra, "Why haven't you left? I have no food for you." Shariputra, knowing he could not be transformed, returned to the Buddha.
The Buddha then sent Maudgalyāyana, who used his spiritual powers to return and teach the Dharma. The elder again said, "You only want my things, so you perform these illusions." Maudgalyāyana, knowing he could not be transformed, returned to the Buddha.
Therefore, the Buddha resolved to break his stinginess and went to his house himself. Seeing the Buddha had come personally, the elder paid his respects and led the Buddha to a seat. The Buddha skillfully taught the Dharma in various ways and said to the elder, "Can you practice the Five Great Gifts?" The elder replied to the Buddha, "I cannot even manage a small gift, let alone a great one!" He then asked, "What are the Five Great Gifts?"
The Buddha said, "The first of the Five Great Gifts is to refrain from killing living beings. Can you do this?" The elder thought to himself, "Not killing requires none of my wealth and causes no loss." He then said to the Buddha, "I can!" In this manner, step by step, the Buddha explained up to refraining from intoxicants, and to each the elder said, "I can do it!"
Then the Buddha extensively explained the meaning of the Five Precepts to the elder: "If you can uphold these five precepts, you will have completed the Five Great Gifts." The elder was overjoyed. He wished to offer the Buddha one piece of poor-quality cloth. He went into his storeroom to look but found none that were poor quality, so he took one piece and offered it to the Buddha. All the remaining cloth in the storeroom followed him out, coming before the Buddha.
The Buddha, knowing the elder's mind of giving was still unsteady, said to him, "When Śakra, Lord of the Devas, fought the Asuras, because his mind was unsteady, he was defeated three times. Later, with a settled mind, he greatly defeated the Asura army." Hearing this, the elder knew the Buddha was a great sage who deeply understood people's minds. With his faith purified, the Buddha taught him the Dharma, and he attained the fruit of Stream-Entry.
The next day, Māra, knowing his mind, transformed into the Buddha intending to ruin him. He arrived at the elder's house. As the elder had not yet attained the knowledge of others' minds, he did not know it was Māra and joyfully welcomed him, saying "Welcome," and led him to a seat. The demon-Buddha said to the elder, "What I taught you yesterday was entirely not the Buddha's words. You must quickly abandon it!"
Hearing this, the elder was greatly astonished: "Although the form is the Buddha's, the words are not. It is like a donkey wearing a lion's skin—though the shape resembles a lion, the mind is a donkey's." The elder did not believe him. Māra, knowing his mind was correct, resumed his own form and said, "I came to test you, and your mind cannot be turned." Therefore, the scripture says, "One who has seen the truth does not even believe the Buddha's words [if they contradict the truth], how much less the words of other paths? It is because they have deeply examined the principle." Therefore, a disciple of the Buddha must understand the profound principle, and thus be able to discern whether a teaching comes from Māra or from the Buddha. Therefore, the meaning must be studied, and generosity must be practiced.