The Judge and the Deceptive Merchant

In a past life, the Bodhisatta was a wise judge who was called upon to resolve a conflict between two merchants. One merchant, a villager, had entrusted his five hundred plow blades to a friend who lived in the city. However, the city merchant secretly sold the blades and then deceived his friend by telling him that mice had eaten them. To make his story more convincing, he even left mouse droppings in the storeroom.

The villager did not react angrily to the deceit; instead, he calmly accepted that it was simply a matter of bad luck. Later, in an act of clever retaliation, the villager invited the city merchant’s son to bathe by the river. However, instead of going to the river, the villager took the boy to a hidden room in a friend’s house. Afterward, he returned to the city merchant, telling him that a hawk had seized his son and carried him away.

The city merchant, knowing such a thing was impossible, grew furious and demanded that the villager bring the boy back. The villager stood by his story and, when the Bodhisatta heard the dispute, he directed the villager to explain the full situation. The villager then truthfully told the Bodhisatta that he had hidden the boy away but also reminded the merchant of his own deceit over the plow blades. He said, “If mice can eat iron, then hawks can carry away boys; either both are true, or neither is true.”

The Bodhisatta, impressed by the villager’s cleverness and moral integrity, ordered the city merchant to return the plow blades to the villager. Only then would the boy be returned to him. The city merchant, realizing the cleverness of the villager’s move, did as instructed, and the boy was returned to his father.

In the Lifetime of the Buddha:

In the Buddha’s time, the two merchants were reborn as a virtuous man and a dishonest partner who had led a trade caravan together. They returned from their journey with great profits, but when it came time to divide the goods, the dishonest man made up an excuse, claiming that the celestial alignment was inauspicious and they would have to wait. In reality, he was trying to keep all the profits for himself, hoping that his partner would die from indulgence after their long journey.

However, the good man stayed healthy and, two weeks later, when the time came to divide the goods, they did so without conflict. The good man later visited the Buddha, who asked him why he had waited so long to see him after returning home. The man explained the situation with his dishonest partner, and the Buddha, knowing the past lives of all beings, shared this story. He told the man that his partner had been a swindler in a previous life as well, and this behavior had followed him into the present.

Moral:

1. The Consequences of Deception: The story illustrates that deception and dishonesty are often exposed and lead to consequences. The city merchant’s attempt to deceive the villager ultimately backfired when the villager, using his wits and moral strength, turned the tables on him.
2. Cleverness and Wisdom in Dealing with Dishonesty: The villager’s calm and clever response to the city merchant’s deceit teaches that wisdom and intelligence are valuable tools in resolving conflicts and dealing with trickery. Rather than reacting with anger, the villager used his sharp mind to expose the truth.
3. The Cycle of Moral Behavior: The Buddha used this story to show that a person’s past actions shape their present character. Just as the dishonest merchant in this story had been a swindler in a previous life, so too was his current life shaped by the habits and actions he had cultivated over many lifetimes.
4. The Power of Justice and Fairness: The Bodhisatta, as a wise judge, exemplified the power of fairness and justice. He did not let the merchant’s deceit go unpunished and ensured that the innocent villager was compensated for his loss.

The moral of the story is clear: dishonesty may seem to give temporary gains, but it ultimately leads to ruin. The villager’s honesty, wisdom, and cleverness, however, led to a fair resolution and the restoration of balance.