When Sakyamuni Buddha was in Vaishali, there was a priest named Mayali. He does not believe in Buddhism. He himself had many disciples following him. He was rich, but stingy, greedy and jealous. To prevent birds from eating his stored grain, he covered his house with netting. On this day, in order to educate all sentient beings, the Buddha showed a slight discomfort in his body. The Buddha asked his disciple Ananda to go to Mayali's house and collect a bowl of milk. Venerable Ananda came to Mayali's home just in time for Mayali and his disciples to go out. Mayali asked the Venerable Ananda clearly about the purpose of coming, and he thought to himself: "If I don't give him milk, people will say I am stingy. If I give him milk, people will say I have been subjugated by the Dharma. I might as well let him do it on his own. And let him go to get the milk from a violent cow. If he is gored to death by the cow, people will not say it is my fault, and if he gets the milk, people will not say I am stingy." So, He said to Venerable Ananda: "All the other cows in my family have been let out to graze. There is only one cow lying in the pit. Go and get the milk yourself." At this time, Mayali's disciples understood Mayali's Intention, all secretly happy. At this time, the Venerable Vimalakirti was on his way to see the Buddha. He passed by Mayali's house and saw the Venerable Ananda. Then the Venerable Vimalakirti asked Ananda what he was doing. Ananda told him that the Buddha needed milk to cure his illness. Venerable Vimalakirti said: "The Tathagata has the body of a vajra and will not be sick. You should not say this. Don't tarnish the reputation of the Buddha. Go back quickly." Venerable Ananda was very ashamed after hearing this and was about to go back. Suddenly a voice came from the sky: "The Venerable Vimalakīrti is right. However, this time the Tathagata shows disease in order to educate all living beings by taking milk to cure diseases. Ananda, don't be ashamed, go and take milk." At this time, not only Venerable Ananda heard the sound and felt strange in his heart, but also the surrounding Mayali, his disciples and nearby residents also heard the sound coming from the air. So everyone followed Venerable Ananda to the edge of the pit, intending to see how Venerable Ananda took the milk from the ferocious cow. Venerable Ananda came to the edge of the pit and thought: "My teacher taught us to be quiet in our hearts and pure in behavior. As a samaṇa, I should not touch the udder of a cow with my hands." Venerable Ananda was thinking , suddenly looked up and saw a young man standing next to the pit. Venerable Ananda was very happy to see the young man. He said to the young man: "Hello young man, could you please fetch milk for me?" The young man replied in a low voice: "I am not a young man, I am the God of the second Trayasatha. I know you are coming to get milk but no one is helping you, so I am here to help you." After hearing this, Venerable Ananda said: "As a noble God, how can you be willing to get close to this filthy and unclean cow? "The God said: "Although I am a God, I am far less noble than the Buddha. The Buddha is tireless in saving all sentient beings, let alone us. Although I have a high status, I am not exempt from reincarnation. When my blessings are exhausted, I will also fall. Therefore, I must practice virtue now, otherwise I will not be able to escape suffering in the future." After hearing this, Venerable Ananda said: "God, since you want to help me, you must pay attention to the timing of taking the milk, because this Cow is very ferocious and can easily go after people, so don’t arouse its temper." The god nodded in agreement. The god calmly took the alms bowl and came to the side of the ferocious cow. At this time, the ferocious cow turned quiet and motionless, like a docile lamb. At this time, the onlookers were very surprised, and people were worried that the cow would offend the young man. The young man transformed by the god came to the cow and said to the cow: "The Buddha is feeling a little unwell now. Please give me some milk so that the Buddha can recover as soon as possible. The Buddha saved countless sentient beings, and the blessings you received are indescribable." Suddenly the cow spoke: "God, you came to get my milk, I am really lucky. You can take the milk, and please leave some of the remaining milk for my child. It has not yet drink any milk this morning. Although I know that offering milk to the Buddha will bring blessings, I hope you will be equal in heart." At this time, the calf on the side also spoke: "I have experienced countless kalpas before I was lucky enough to hear the name of the Buddha. Please give my share of milk to the Buddha. The Buddha is the teacher of all living beings. I am very happy to meet the Buddha. I can be full by eating grass and drinking water. Since I have a human body in previous lives, I drank milk a lot. Even in my reincarnation among animals, I can’t count how much milk I drank. The stupid people in the world don’t know how to give because they firmly believe in their own existence. Regret is useless. When I was in my previous life , I listened to my friends’ bad words and did not believe in Buddhism, so I was reborn as an animal for sixteen kalpas. Now I finally meet the Buddha, just like a long-ill patient meets a doctor. The opportunity is very rare. I really hope you can help me to donate all my share of the milk. Give it to the Buddha so that I can become a Buddha in the future." The god took a bowl full of milk for Venerable Ananda and then disappeared. Venerable Ananda held a bowl full of milk and was very happy. He walked out of the pit and offered milk to Tathagata. At this time, everyone around was shocked because the cow and the calf spoke, and there was no violence at all. People followed Venerable Ananda to the presence of the Buddha. The Buddha has just finished speaking to many monks and bodhisattvas. Venerable Ananda reported what had just happened to the Tathagata. Venerable Ananda asked the Buddha: "Why did the cow and the calf speak?" The Buddha said: "The cow and the calf were wealthy people in their past lives. They were stingy and refused to give. They also earned money through lending and fraud. So the reward they get is to become a cow. They have been reincarnated among animals for sixteen kalpas. Now that they hear my name, they offer milk because their sins have been completed and they will soon be liberated." After the Buddha finished speaking, he smiled slightly, and his body emitted light. Fifty kinds of light shone in ten directions, circled the Buddha three times, and then divided into two streams, one entering the navel of the Buddha and the other into the top of Buddha. Ananda looked at it and asked the Buddha: "The Buddha does not laugh casually. Why?" The Buddha said: "Don't despise the cows and calves. After their death, they were born seven times in Tusita heaven and Brahma heaven, and seven times in human world. When they are reborn in the human world, they are all born into very wealthy families and will not fall into the three evil realms again. They can often recall their previous lives, and they all work hard to learn Dharma and make offerings to the Buddha. Because of this fate, the cow will reborn in Maitreya Buddha time and  will become a Samana and was able to practice Arhat. The calf's merits were so great that he reincarnated in heaven and on earth for twenty kalpas before becoming a Buddha, named Milky Light Tathagata. At that time, Milky Light Tathagata would save countless sentient beings. " The Buddha also said: "Both cows and calves can be determined to give alms and eventually become Buddhas, not to mention people who now have human bodies. People should not just indulge in wrong ideas, but should work hard to learn the Dharma and abide by it. Follow the precepts, give alms and make progress." After hearing what the Buddha said, the people around them all aroused the confidence to learn Buddhism.-The Buddha tells the Sutra of the Calf



In the past, there once was a rich man named Lu Zhi. Lu Zhi was very wealthy, and his home warehouse was filled with all kinds of belongings. Because he had practiced giving in his previous life, he received rich results in this life. However, in his past life, he could not give sincerely. Therefore, although he is rich in this life, his thoughts are often not noble. Although he is rich, his clothes are always greasy and unclean. Although he is rich, his food was all grains and wild vegetables. Although he was rich, he drank unsanitary water. Although he was rich, the carriage he rode in was very dilapidated. Although he is rich, he is very stingy and only thinks about how to keep his wealth every day. Therefore, when giving alms, if you have different intentions, you will get completely different results.

One year, people all over the city were celebrating the festival, with lights and colorful lights everywhere, and it was very lively. Lu Zhi saw that ordinary people were so happy, and he felt that he should also enjoy it. He went home, took some money, and prepared to buy some good food and drink. However, he is afraid that if he is seen enjoying the things he buys and takes them home, someone will take the opportunity to beg for alms. So, he bought some food and some good wine, took them outside the city, sat under a tree, and planned to enjoy them. But he saw a lot of crows, and he was afraid that the crows would harass him, so he came to the tomb again. He saw wild dogs again, so he fled to an empty and quiet place. Here he ate and drank. Not long after, he was drunk and very indulgent. He sang: "My life is so happy that even the gods cannot compare with me."

At this time, the God of the Thirty-third Heaven went to visit the Buddha together with other gods in the sky. The God passed by and saw Lu Zhi on the roadside, and heard the arrogant words Lu Zhi said. The God thought: I should take the opportunity to teach him a lesson. Give him a look.

So, the god of the thirty-third heaven transformed into Lu Zhi, came to Lu Zhi's home, and told his family: "The reason why I was stingy in the past was because there was a stingy ghost. He was exactly the same as me. He was stingy. Follow me every day. Today I went out and met a man who knew magic and helped me drive away that stingy ghost. So today, if that stingy ghost comes to the house again, you guys will beat him out." Fake Lu Zhi also asked The family opened the warehouse and distributed all the belongings to the family members, and even the guests from outside were shared. People in the city heard that Lu Zhi had driven away the stingy ghosts and was distributing property. So, people in the city came to Lu Zhi's house to watch the fun.

The real Lu Zhi woke up after being drunk and returned home. He saw people dancing happily and people from the city came to watch. He felt very strange. When he walked to the gate, the fake Lu Zhi at home said, "The stingy ghost is coming." His family members all hid when they heard the ghost was coming. Lu Zhi came home and confronted the fake Lu Zhi. One said he was real and the other said he was real. Even Lu Zhi's mother and wife couldn't tell the difference. Because the people in the family liked the generosity of the fake Lu Zhi, they beat the real Lu Zhi and threw him into the street. A neighbor saw his misery and came to comfort him. He was advised to go to the king the next day to appeal.

The next day, Lu Zhi asked to see the king. He borrowed the finest cloth from his neighbor as a gift and wanted to present it to the king, but when he arrived in front of the king, the god turned the cloth into a straw bale. Lu Zhi was very ashamed, but the king still received him. The king asked Lu Zhi why he came. Then the king summoned another Lu Zhi to come to the king. After repeated interrogations, the king could not tell. The king invited Lu Zhi's mother and asked her about the special mark on Lu Zhi's body. However, when the king examined it, the scars on the arms of the two Lu Zhi were exactly the same. The king finally understood the special nature of this matter and decided to go to the Buddha for advice.

So the king came to the Buddha with two Luzhi. The fake Lu Zhi looked calm. The real Lu Zhi looked haggard. The Buddha said to the transformed Lu Zhi, "Why are you doing this?" Then the God immediately returned to his original appearance. After bowing to the Buddha, the God said, "Lu Zhi is often very stingy. This time he is hiding in the wild to enjoy himself." He spoke very indulgent and despises the gods, so I let him suffer some hardships." The Buddha said to the God: "All sentient beings have faults and should be forgiven." At this time, Lu Zhi said to the God: "All the wealth I have worked hard to accumulate is gone. You gave my wealth to others as a reward." God said: "I have not caused you to lose any of your property." Buddha said to Lu Zhi: "Go home and check it out." Lu Zhi said: "All my property has been scattered, why should I go home?" The God said: "I really didn't cause you to lose any property." Lu Zhi said: "I don't believe what you said, I believe what the Buddha said." Because Lu Zhi can believe the words of the Buddha, so later, Lu Zhi realized Sotapanna.---《The Sutra of Karma and Destiny of Elder Lu Zhi》



Venerable Ananda, a disciple of the Buddha, went out one day to beg for alms. He walked along the river. It was hot and he was thirsty, and he wanted to drink water. Suddenly he saw a girl carrying water from the river. Venerable Ananda rushed to the girl and begged for water. The girl put down her burden and gave water to Venerable Ananda. Venerable Ananda drank the water and continued to move forward. However, the girl was fascinated by him that she chased Ananda until he stopped, then she turned back. This girl's name was Moden Girl. She returned home and cried to her mother, asking her mother to marry her to the Venerable Ananda. Her mother went out to inquire about Venerable Ananda. Her mother learned that Venerable Ananda had become a monk and became a disciple of the Buddha. She returned home and told her daughter that Venerable Ananda had become a monk and could no longer get married. But the moden girl still asked her mother to coax Venerable Ananda into her home. Her mother took advantage of Venerable Ananda to go out for alms and invited Venerable Ananda to her home. Venerable Ananda was not defensive, so he came. When Venerable Ananda came to her house, the mother said to Venerable Ananda: "My daughter is willing to marry you as your wife." Venerable Ananda said: "I have become a monk and cannot get married." The mother said: "If you don't agree, she will commit suicide." Venerable Ananda still said: "I practice Buddhism and I can't get married." The mother told Moden Girl: "Ananda said that he abides by the Buddha's teaching, and he can't get married." Moden Girl asked her mother: "What is Buddhism?" Her mother said: "Buddhism enabled Venerable Ananda to realize the enlightenment of Arhat. It is a very noble method." The moden girl did not know any shame, so she begged her mother to lock Venerable Ananda in the room. When night came, the mother dressed the moden girls in fancy clothes, forced Venerable Ananda to get married, and placed a brazier in the house to threaten Venerable Ananda. But Venerable Ananda refused to obey. He said: "I will never do anything casual to tarnish the reputation of a Samana." At this critical moment, Venerable Ananda clasped his hands and called to Sakyamuni Buddha. The Buddha already knew that Ananda was in danger, so he used his supernatural powers to rescue Ananda. When the moden girl saw Venerable Ananda leaving her, she kept crying. The next day, the moden girl went out to look for Venerable Ananda, and it happened that Venerable Ananda was out begging for food. Wherever Ananda went, she followed him. Venerable Ananda was very ashamed and avoided her. Until Venerable Ananda returned to the Buddha, the moden girl stood at the door for a long time and then went back crying for a long time. Venerable Ananda told the Buddha that the girl had been chasing him all day long. The Buddha asked someone to call the moden girl to him. The Buddha asked the moden girl: "Why are you chasing Ananda?" The moden girl said: "I heard that Ananda doesn't have a wife, and I don't have a husband. I am willing to be his wife." The Tathagata said: "Ananda is a Samana with no hair, you have hair. Can you cut off your hair now? If you can cut off your hair, I will let Ananda be your husband." The moden girl said: "I am willing to cut off my hair." The Tathagata said: "You go home first and explain the situation to your mother. Come back after cutting off your hair." The moden girl returned home and said to her mother: "Mother, you can't help me get Ananda. I chased him to the Tathagata today, and the Tathagata agreed to Ananda being my husband. It's just that the Samana don't have hair, and I have hair now, after I cut off my hair, the Tathagata will make the decision for me. I am willing to cut off my hair now." Her mother said: "You are my beloved daughter. Keeping your hair can show your beauty. I hope you take care of your hair. Why do you have to be so certain? Do you want to marry a Samana? There are many good young men from rich families here. I can help you find one among them to be your husband." The moden girl replied: "Mom, please stop talking. I swear to my death that I will marry Ananda." Her mother said, "Why do you have to insult our family's reputation like this?" The moden girl said, "Mother, you love me very much. Since you love me, you should follow my wishes. " Her mother had no choice but to cut off her daughter's hair with tears in her eyes. After cutting off her hair, the moden girl came to the Tathagata and asked to marry the Venerable Ananda. The Tathagata asked her: "What do you love about Ananda? What do you love about him?" The moden girl said: "I love Ananda's beautiful eyes, I love Ananda's straight nose, and I love Ananda's mouth and ears. They are prettier than others. I love Ananda’s gentle voice, and I love the way he walks. I feel that among hundreds of people, I can’t find another person like him.” The Tathagata further enlightened her: “There are only tears in the eyes. There is only mucus in the nose, saliva in the mouth, earwax in the ears, and the body is full of feces, urine and other stinky and unclean things. A woman with a husband will have lochia and the pain of giving birth to children. If you have children, you will age early. There is joy, but when you have not enjoy enough, your sorrow will be fully revealed. What good place is there in this illusory and unreal body? Why are you so obsessed with the body?" The moden girl was originally occupied by a very strong desire, but suddenly heard these words instantly extinguish the flames and purify the soul. She thought to herself that the body was like a skin, which was really full of all kinds of impure things inside. There was nothing to love, so what else was there for a body? What self? What woman? What man? What love? What couple? She broke her evil thoughts, filled her heart with righteous thoughts, and immediately realized the path of Arahantship. The Tathagata knew that the girl had achieved enlightenment, so he said to her: "You can get up and go to Ananda now." The girl bowed her head in shame and knelt in front of the Tathagata. She said, "I was really stupid before, so I went chasing Ananda. Now I have woken up, just like getting a light when walking in the dark, like a blind person getting support, like an old man walking with a cane, like taking a boat when the boat has broken down but I luckly has reached the other side of the river. Today the Tathagata showed mercy to me and showed me the way. I have become enlightened and am no longer stupid." The surrounding bhikkhus asked the Tathagata: "The moden girl and her mother deceived the Venerable Ananda to go to their home. They are committing a serious crime. So people abandoned them. But now the moden girl has achieved Arhat enlightenment. What is the cause and condition? " The Tathagata told the monks: "This moden girl has been Ananda's wife for five hundred lives in the past. For five hundred lives, the couple respected and loved each other. Today, the opportunity is ripe for them to realize Buddhahood together with me. Husband and wife in past lives are now brothers. ”--"The Confused Girl Breaks the Confusion"

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