昔有长者子，入海取沉水积有年载，方得一车持来归家。
In the past, there was an elder’s son, who entered the ocean to take water-sunken incense (i.e. agarwood) that was accumulated for years, then getting a carriage to hold them, returning home.
诣市卖之，以其贵故卒无买者，经历多日不能得售，心生疲厌以为苦恼，见人卖炭时得速售，便生念言：「不如烧之作炭，可得速售。」
Arriving at the market to sell it, with it expensive thus, in the end without buyers, having experienced many days of not being able to get it sold, his mind gave rise to weariness, with it as suffering with afflictions. When seeing people selling coal getting to quickly sell it, he then gave rise to the thought, saying, ‘It would be better to burn it to become coal, so that I can get to quickly sell it.’
即烧为炭。诣市卖之，不得半车炭之价直。
Immediately, he burnt it for coal. Arriving at the market to sell it, he could not get the price of half of the carriage’s coal.
世间愚人亦复如是，无量方便勤行精进仰求佛果，以其难得便生退心，不如发心求声闻果，速断生死作阿罗汉。
The world’s foolish people are likewise thus, with immeasurable skilful means, then with diligent practices, diligently hoping for and seeking the Buddha fruit, with it ‘difficult’ to attain, then giving rise to retrogression’s mind, thinking it would be better to give rise to the mind to seek the Voice-Hearer fruit, to quickly sever from the cycle of birth and death by becoming Arhats.
[Note: With invertedness, the foolish, despite having encountered Right Dharma (正法), do not know how to fully appreciate and practise it. For what is truly precious, even if others lack understanding of it, its value does not decrease. However, the very foolish might even desecrate and ‘cheapen’ the precious, thus not benefitting much from it personally.
There are also the less wise, who originally aspired for Buddhahood, but with inadequate understanding of the immeasurable value of Buddhahood for one and all, decide to ‘lower’ their aspiration, for the self-liberation of Arhathood only. They lack awareness of the Pure Land Dharma Door (净土法门), which offers the Easy Practice Path (易行道) for Buddhahood. With the ultimate expedition, it also guarantees non-retrogression of spiritual progress upon reaching of Pure Land. This is thus the swiftest and most skilful path to Buddhahood.]
全百喻
All Hundred Parables:
https://purelanders.com/baiyu
