Parable: Pishacha Ghosts
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Hundred Parables Sutra
Parable: Pishacha Ghosts
Once there were two pishacha ghosts who jointly owned a suitcase, a cane, and a pair of wooden shoes. The two ghosts fought over these items, each wishing to claim them for his own. They quarreled all day long without ever reaching any kind of settlement. One day an onlooker came by and asked them, “What’s so special about this suitcase, cane, and wooden shoes that causes the two of your to fight over them so bitterly?”
The two ghosts replied, “This suitcase of ours is able to bring forth all manner of provisions such as clothing, food and drink, bedding and mats. This cane is able to subdue all enemies so they don’t dare resist. One who puts on these wooden shoes will be able to fly anywhere without hindrance.”
The man immediately said to the ghosts, “Stand further back, and I will divide these things equally between the two of you.”
The two ghosts moved away. The man quickly snatched the suitcase and the cane, put on the shoes, and flew off. The two ghosts were shocked, and they ended up with nothing. The man said, “I have what you were fighting over. Now there’s no more reason for the two of you to argue.”
The pishacha ghosts are an analogy for demons and heretics. The suitcase is an analogy for giving, for providing all the necessities of life for humans and gods in the five paths of rebirth.
The cane is an analogy for Chan Samadhi, able to vanquish demonic enemies and the thieves of afflictions. The wooden slippers are an analogy for holding precepts, which enable one to ascend to the realm of humans and gods. Demons and heretics fighting over the suitcase is an analogy for those who pursue the rewards of liberation while laboring in the midst of outflows—they will obtain nothing. However, if one is able to practice wholesome deeds, giving, holding precepts, and Chan Samadhi, one will be able to leave suffering and attain the fruit of the Way.