At one time, when the Buddha lived in a bamboo forest where the chinchilla were kept in the city of the king, a Zoroastrian Brahmin was preparing for the fire offering, he cooked cheese porridge, placed various fire offerings, and prepared to perform the fire worship ceremony.

At this time, before noon, the Buddha put on his robes, took the rice bowl, and entered the Acropolis to eat house-to-house meals regardless of rich and poor. When the Buddha came to the house of the fire-worshipping brahmin, he was standing outside the house of the fire-worshipping brahmin, and when the fire-worshipping brahmin placed the fire offering back and forth, he saw the Buddha standing outside the door of his house, and he said to the Buddha: "The physical behavior, the oral speech, the inner thoughts have been fully practiced, and he was born in a noble house, he is knowledgeable, he is disciplined, he regulates his physical behavior, he speaks his words, and the thoughts that arise in his heart do not let go, he does not do evil deeds, he stops evil and cultivates good, so that his heart is pure and stable. Wisdom is turned on. The practice of physical behavior, oral speech, and inner thoughts has been completed, and the realization of the true equality and universal consciousness of the supremacy of the universe has been achieved, and the fruit of liberation has been fulfilled. Such people are eligible to receive my cheese porridge.

You are standing outside my house with a rice bowl, you want me to provide for you, are you the liberator I just said? If I hadn't asked you to leave, I'm busy right now, preparing to offer to the Vulcan, and I wouldn't greet those who have no practice. ”

At this time, the Fire Worship Brahmin said:

"Sanming and so on are sufficient, and there is a lot of smell in the height.

Whoever is full of good deeds will be fed on my milk."

The Buddha said, "It is useless to recite mantras countless times, because the heart is full of a lot of filth." Just doing something superficial to decorate the façade is of little use. Even if the ritual of sacrifice is held well, it is a self-deception, because the filth of one's own physical behavior, oral speech, and inner thoughts has not been removed, and he is still not a pure and liberated person. People in the world are not born pure and clean, and practice comes step by step, and it is impossible to achieve it overnight and achieve it immediately. Deeply believe in cause and effect, and understand that doing good deeds can plant a lot of merit for oneself, and doing evil deeds can create a lot of sinful karma for oneself. And the number of merit determines the type of rebirth, those who are deeply fortunate are born in rich houses and go to heaven to enjoy blessings, and those with weak merit and deep sins are reborn in poor houses and fall into hell, hungry ghosts, and beasts to suffer. People who no longer worry about and cling to all things in the world, who have eliminated all troubles and pains, and who have been forever liberated from the cycle of life and death, are the sages who have completed their worldly practice, but the sages were also ordinary people when they first practiced, and they understood that only by doing good deeds with physical behavior, speaking good words, generating good thoughts in their hearts, cutting off evil and cultivating good, and persevering and unremitting practice, can they slowly remove the dirt of their actions, words, and thoughts, and it is not smooth sailing in the process of removing dirt, there will be a process of repeatedly being contaminated with dirt and removing it again. Many people in the world just want to attain the fruit of pure liberation, not knowing that this fruit of pure liberation is the result of a long period of intensive practice.

Whether they were born into a rich family or a poor family, these physical deeds do good deeds, speak good words, generate good thoughts in their hearts, and stop evil and cultivate good, these people who receive the precepts, make their hearts pure and stable, and open wisdom are people worthy of respect and support. Although they may not all have attained complete wisdom, they may not all have fulfilled the practice of physical behavior, spoken words, and inner thoughts, but they are people who are moving towards complete liberation. Saints who have attained the fruit of liberation also go through this process of practice. Saints are also practiced by ordinary people. Don't miss the opportunity to provide for the ordained monks and practitioners, and don't miss the opportunity to plant merit for yourself. Think in your heart, "I am providing for a practitioner who is advancing in his practice and moving towards the fruit of liberation, I am planting merit for myself, I am practicing almsgiving, I am practicing almsgiving."

Big trees are made of small trees, the sea is formed by rivers, practice is also from shallow to deep, and the fruit of liberation is achieved through slow enlightenment. Deep merit is also planted by small acts of kindness. Elephants are made of baby elephants, and their bodies grow from weak babies to strong adults. Don't take little bit of good deeds lightly, and don't miss any opportunity to plant merit for yourself. You should give alms as much as possible to the monks and practitioners you meet and who are subject to the vows, and do not see others receive merit and enjoy the blessings, and then regret that you did not plant merit before; Do not come back before you die and regret that you did not do many good deeds and plant merit; Do not regret the evil deeds you have done and the sinful karma you have created when you are suffering. Grasp every moment now, seize every opportunity you encounter to help others more, do more good deeds, give more alms to provide for your family, and cultivators plant merit for their present and future lives. Such people are truly wise people. ”

At this time, the Buddha said:

"Leave the mantra and sing more, and Emmane is not clean.

Concealment is deception, not pure path.

To know the cause and effect, to see the evil interests of the heavens.

Merit is the afterlife, and everyone crosses the field.

The Holy One gradually achieves and walks righteously.

Those who have such a wise man shall be fed milk and rice."

After the Buddha had spoken, the Fire Worship Brahmin had an epiphany and said, "Dade, please forgive me for my rude behavior towards you just now, and please accept my offer to you." ”

After that, the Fire Worshippers put the freshly cooked cheese porridge in a large bowl and brought it to the Buddha, asking the Buddha to accept their devotional offerings.

The Buddha said, "If you come to speak for you, it is not for the sake of receiving an offering for your food and drink. Brahmins, if they have already spoken for you, they should no longer accept your offerings, and before they say this, you have not developed the heart to provide for you, indicating that the causes and conditions are not sufficient, and if you come to follow the causes and conditions, you will no longer accept your offerings. The purpose of speaking for you is to open up your wisdom and thus correct your incorrect practice methods. The Buddhas are also like this, when they go out to make food and drink, they will no longer receive offerings after speaking, and they also follow the causes. This is because the Buddhas do not speak in order to obtain various offerings, but to enlighten those who listen to the Dharma, to eliminate the troubles and sufferings in the hearts of sentient beings, and to correct the incorrect practice methods of sentient beings. Please provide these foods to other monks and practitioners. There is no need to worry about not providing for Rulai, because your previous incorrect knowledge has been corrected by Rulai, and the troubles and doubts of your discriminating mind to provide for your family and practitioners have been lifted. The insight that you only provide for noble, learned and fully liberated monks and practitioners has been corrected by this. You now understand that you must always grasp the opportunity to plant merit and will no longer refuse to provide for monks and practitioners who have received the vows. The incorrect opinion in your heart has been quelled and corrected. You have come to understand that these ordained monks and practitioners are the fields where you plant merit, and you receive merit by offering alms, and the amount of merit determines the type of rebirth you will have in the future. People with profound merit are reborn in rich homes, reborn in heavenly realms to enjoy blessings, and even eternally liberated from the torment and pain of the cycle of life and death. Those who have weak merit and heavy sins are born in poor houses and suffer in the three evil ways of hell, hungry ghosts, and beasts. Brahmin, you have to practice well, you have to do good deeds in your body, you have to speak good words, good thoughts arise in your heart, and you must stop evil and cultivate good. Plant more merit for yourself. ”

At this time, the Buddha said:

"I sing this not for the eater.

Brahmins are here and those who know are illegal.

The singing of the Buddhas is to rebuke its price.

If you follow the cause, it is not beneficial to say.

Brahmins provide for them and spread their blessings.

Eating and drinking according to the service is for merit."

At this time, the Fire Worshippers knelt on the ground and saluted the Buddha, saying, "Thank you, Dade, for removing my incorrect insights and making my narrow and dark heart extremely bright. Please let me take refuge in you and be your disciple at home, I am willing to take your precepts, I am willing to practice according to your Dhamma. ”

The Buddha accepted the refuge of the fire-worshipping brahmin, after which the Buddha left, the Buddha did not accept the food and drink offerings of the fire-worshipping brahmin, and the fire-worshipping brahmin looked at the Buddha's distant back, moved to tears, and stood in place for a long time unwilling to leave.

Pali original scripture

SN.7.8/(8) Aggikasuttaṃ

　　 194. Ekaṃ samayaṃ bhagavā rājagahe viharati veḷuvane kalandakanivāpe. Tena kho pana samayena aggikabhāradvājassa brāhmaṇassa sappinā pāyaso sannihito hoti– “aggiṃ juhissāmi, aggihuttaṃ paricarissāmī”ti.

　　 Atha kho bhagavā pubbaṇhasamayaṃ nivāsetvā pattacīvaramādāya rājagahaṃ piṇḍāya pāvisi. Rājagahe sapadānaṃ piṇḍāya caramāno yena aggikabhāradvājassa brāhmaṇassa nivesanaṃ tenupasaṅkami upasaṅkamitvā ekamantaṃ aṭṭhāsi. Addasā kho aggikabhāradvājo brāhmaṇo bhagavantaṃ piṇḍāya ṭhitaṃ. Disvāna bhagavantaṃ gāthāya ajjhabhāsi–

　　 “Tīhi vijjāhi sampanno, jātimā sutavā bahū;

　　 Vijjācaraṇasampanno, somaṃ bhuñjeyya pāyasan”ti.

　　 “Bahumpi palapaṃ jappaṃ, na jaccā hoti brāhmaṇo;

　　 Antokasambu saṃkiliṭṭho, kuhanāparivārito.

　　 “Pubbenivāsaṃ yo vedī, saggāpāyañca passati.

　　 Atho jātikkhayaṃ patto, abhiññāvosito muni.

　　 “Etāhi tīhi vijjāhi, tevijjo hoti brāhmaṇo;

　　 Vijjācaraṇasampanno, somaṃ bhuñjeyya pāyasan”ti.

　　 “Bhuñjatu bhavaṃ gotamo. Brāhmaṇo bhavan”ti.

　　 “Gāthābhigītaṃ me abhojaneyyaṃ, sampassataṃ brāhmaṇa nesa dhammo.

　　 Gāthābhigītaṃ panudanti buddhā, dhamme sati brāhmaṇa vuttiresā.

　　 “Aññena ca kevalinaṃ mahesiṃ, khīṇāsavaṃ kukkuccavūpasantaṃ.

　　 Annena pānena upaṭṭhahassu, khettañhi taṃ puññapekkhassa hotī”ti.

　　 Evaṃ vutte, aggikabhāradvājo brāhmaṇo bhagavantaṃ etadavoca– “abhikkantaṃ, bho gotama …pe… aññataro ca panāyasmā aggikabhāradvājo arahataṃ ahosī”ti.