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100. THE MERCHANT WHO DRANK
PUTRID WATER
A certain merchant, who was reduced to poverty, went on roaming around in his dejection. He came to Ratnadvipa and discovered a treasure of the most beautiful and priceless jems. He would very much like to take them all home but felt worried about the safety of the journey. There would of course be plenty of encounters with robbers. However, he hid the whole treasure in a secret place. He tied just a few stones in his garment, dressed like a madman and pretended to be a merchant. He did three such trips during which he encountered no dangerous character. Then during the fourth trip, he carried the real gems. This time he travelled much faster than before. When he came to a forest on his way, he felt acute thirst. He saw a small puddle of water. He also saw that several animals in the forest were lying dead around the puddle and the water was terribly putrid with rotten flesh of the dead animals. Even then, the merchant drank that water and reached home safely with his store of precious stones.
Right Knowledge, Right Faith and Right Conduct are like those gems; sense objects are like robbers; non-living eatables are like the putrid water. Just as the merchant became successful and happy in this world, by accepting them so should a monk be. He would easily go through worldly existence as the merchant went through the wilderness.
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