§39 见他人涂舍喻
(39) house painting
昔有一人，往至他舍，见他屋舍墙壁涂治，其地平正，清净甚好。便问之言：“用何和涂，得如是好？”
once upon a time, there was a man who went to another man's house, which had just been painted, and the floor made even. it was nice and clean. he asked the host, "with what paint did you make the wall so white and beautiful?"
主人答言：“用稻谷[麥弋]，水浸令熟，和泥涂壁，故得如是。”
the host replied, "i mixed rice bran with water and day. the beauty is the result."
愚人即便而作念言：“若纯以稻[麥弋]，不如合稻而用作之，壁可白净，泥治平好。”
to himself, the guest said, "it would be better if he had used rice grain instead of bran. the wall would be more smooth and more beautiful."
便用稻谷和泥，用涂其壁。望得平正，返更高下，壁都坼裂，虚弃稻谷。都无利益，不如惠施，可得功德。
he then used his own formula on his own house. the walls turned out to be concave and convex with cracks on them. the stupid man thus wasted all his rice grain. it had better have done alms-giving to obtain any merits.
