"Have you heard this unprecedented tale? There were two wealthy merchants in the past. One merchant didn't know Dhamma, while the other knew Dhamma. During drought, don't thieves and robbers emerge?
Now, that merchant who didn't know Dhamma, when he heard dogs barking at night, could he sleep peacefully? Think about it. If fifty people entered his property, could he eat and drink with enjoyment? He couldn't enjoy anymore, right? Isn't this worth examining? #Eating_in_fear_like_a_crow.
Look at how that merchant eats. There's stewed pork there, fried chicken, fried fish - he has various foods, doesn't he? Though he eats, can he enjoy it? He eats like a startled crow. Isn't this worth contemplating?
When robbers arrive, "Don't move!" Would he dare move? They demand, "How many viss of gold, how much money, rice, oil do you have?" Doesn't he have to say, "I don't have that much"? Neighbors spoke out of jealousy. They put a basket over his head, twisted his neck, and slashed him.
"How many are buried under the stairs? How much under the mango tree? How much under the coconut tree?" He had to reveal everything. These gold, silver, and jewels are #shared_property. Servants, wife, children - all shared property. Gold, silver, jewels - all shared property.
When the robbers took these shared properties, what remained with the merchant? Isn't this worth examining? Like burning chaff, isn't anger arising? In his mind, he wishes "May these people die with blood poisoning!" The merchant, while his shared properties are gone, is this wish wholesome or unwholesome? #Unwholesome_thoughts_multiplying. #Only_unwholesome_remains, understand? Think about it.
But the merchant who knew Dhamma, when robbers came to steal, thought: "These people must be stealing because they have no food or drink. They rob because they lack necessities. If they come to us, we'll give." Doesn't he include the thought of #giving? Notice the different mental states.
When the robbers arrive and say "Don't move!", he can't move. But having cultivated loving-kindness, he asks, "Brothers, may uncle speak a few words?" Doesn't he ask permission?"
"Don't you ask them, 'Why are you stealing and robbing?' Due to drought, they have no food. Afraid of death, they steal and rob because they have no food to eat. Then I say, 'I will give to you. I'll give whatever satisfies you.' Shouldn't we speak such gentle words?
Now, doesn't this remove the criminal intent from their minds? #They_become_joyful. But there's one thing - if you try to carry all these things now, the journey is tiring, you can't carry as much as you'd like. Let's build up strength first.
Here, there's hot water already boiling in the pot. There's sugarcane, peanut butter, white palm sugar, Zayan tea leaves, fried onions - let's have a meal. Shouldn't we speak like this?
The cooks prepare rice and curry. We have dried fish, dried nga-yant fish, vermicelli. You can mix whatever you like. We have mango curry. There's pe-gyi-san, chickpeas - cook what you like.
'Do you prefer Paw-san-hmwe rice, Nga-kywe, or Taung-htit-pan?' Shouldn't we ask what they prefer? Before the food is ready, let's have tea. After everyone has finished eating, then we show: 'This is gold, this is silver, these are rice, oil, and salt.' Shouldn't we show them?
'Take as much as you like.' Is this wholesome or unwholesome? #It's_wholesome. Among the fifty robbers, there are five leaders. With them being so kind to us, and we having plenty of possessions...
Let's leave enough for both them and us. Maybe three viss of gold per person, five hundred thousand in silver. For rice, carry what you can - one basket if you can carry one basket, three baskets if you can carry three, half if you can carry half.
'If we don't eat this rice and use this oil, we'll die. Gold and silver can't be eaten.' Shouldn't we speak like this? Then, 'Brothers, may I say one more thing?' They say, 'Please speak.'
'From today, if you want to be farmers, you have capital. If you want to be merchants, you have capital. With this capital, I want you to observe the five precepts properly.' Shouldn't we say this? #Want_all_fifty_to_observe_five_precepts. They agree to follow my words.
From that day, they won't commit evil deeds anymore. They robbed because they couldn't bear hunger. In the future, even if they're starving, they won't rob anymore. Don't they promise to follow my words? #Isn't_this_wholesome?
Don't the robbers develop virtuous minds? They do. The shared properties were taken by the robbers, but doesn't the merchant retain wholesome deeds? #One_who_knows_Dhamma. How peaceful it is! Isn't this worth examining?
The one who doesn't know Dhamma - the shared properties are gone, and only unwholesome states remain. Isn't this worth studying? This needs to be understood. #Can_only_abandon_through_understanding. Can we abandon without understanding? We need to understand the aggregates, the Noble Truths, and Dependent Origination. Isn't this worth studying..."
