At the city of Sāvatthī…
Seated to one side, King Pasenadi said to the Buddha, “Bhante, when I’m sitting in judgment hall, famous ministers, high caste people and wealthy people come there. They are very rich and prosperous. They have lots of gold and silver, lots of property and land, and lots of money and possessions. But they tell deliberate lies in order to own more wealth and obtain more pleasures. Then it occurred to me, ‘I have had enough now with the judgment hall! Not a single beautiful face is seen in this judgment hall!’”
“That’s so true, great king! That’s so true! If those famous ministers, high caste people and wealthy people who are very rich, prosperous and have lots of gold and silver, lots of property and land, and lots of money and possessions, tell deliberate lies in order to gain more wealth and obtain more pleasures, it will lead to their harm and suffering for a long time to come.”
The Buddha:
“Some people’s minds are full of desires
for possessions and pleasures,
they are very greedy and infatuated by sense pleasures;
they don’t notice that they’ve gone too far,
like fish entering a cast net.
It’ll be bitter later on;
because the result will be painful for them.”
