There once was a beggar, and in his home town there lived a millionaire. But that person was very, very stingy! So everything he had, he stuck somewhere in a cupboard or dug a hole in the earth and hid. No one, not even he, knew where it was. In this way, he didn't have to spend!
So he was very, very stingy! He never gave anyone a penny, not to mention refugees or the Red Cross; he didn't even want to hear about such things. He wanted to keep his money intact. As for spending in the home, he was also very, very expert in stinginess. So his wife, his children, his mother, his brother, his sister — everyone — were miserable.
Then one day a beggar came to the millionaire's door and wanted a piece of gold from him. The millionaire had a lot of gold, but of course, he kicked the beggar out and also told his workers and family to throw him out.
The next day, however, the beggar came back again and wanted the same thing, a piece of gold. So the millionaire once again kicked him out. But the beggar came back again yet another day — and again and again, day after day, mouth after month, year after year. He really practiced patience!
Year after year it went on like this until one day the millionaire was so fed up with the beggar that he finally cut a piece of gold, a very small one, and gave it to him.
Then the beggar became very, very happy. He jumped around and sang “Hallelujah!”And then he took the piece of gold to his bosom and went back to his place and went to sleep. He put his piece of gold next to him, on top of his meditation cushion, and went to sleep.
But when he woke up, it wasn't there anymore. Of course! Maybe another person had thought it was a play toy and brought it home with him or he left it alone and someone else took it, but he didn't know who.
Because the beggar just slept anywhere in front of the supermarket, under a bridge, in front of the theater, in an empty field, anywhere! So if he put his piece of gold there, people could just take it away.
Then the next day he went back and requested another piece of gold from the millionaire. And the millionaire asked, “But why? I just gave you one yesterday. What did you do with it?”
So the man said, “Yes, yesterday I had it. I put it beside me, and I just closed my eyes, and when I opened my eyes, it was gone. So today I have to come back again for another piece.”
When the millionaire heard this, he immediately became enlightened! He realized the truth about the things of this world: today you have them; tomorrow you don't. Or you might have them now, but later you don't.
从前有个乞丐，他有个同乡是个百万富翁。但是那个人非常非常抠门。但凡他的东西，不是塞在柜子里就是在地上挖个洞藏起来。没有人知道东西放在哪儿了，连他自己也不知道。这样一来，他就一分钱也不用花了！
这个百万富翁可抠门了！他从来不给别人一分钱，更别提救济难民或是捐钱给红十字会了，这种给钱的事儿他是听都不想听，自己的钱一个子儿都不愿意动。要说家里的花销，他也有抠门的一套，他的妻子、孩子、母亲、兄弟姐妹——每个人——都受不了他。
有一天，乞丐来到百万富翁家想向他讨一块金子。百万富翁有的是金子，但不用想也知道，他撵乞丐走，还吩咐长工和家人把他轰出门去。
第二天，乞丐又来了，还是讨要一块金子。百万富翁又把他撵了出去。但是又过了一天，乞丐又来了——后来每天都来，就这样持续了一个月又一个月、一年又一年。人家这就叫有耐心啊！
同样的戏码一年年上演，有一天，百万富翁烦了，终于割了一块金子给他，可是是很小的一块。
乞丐高兴极了，一路跳着，唱着“哈利路亚”，把金子揣在胸口走回住处去睡觉。他把金子放在身旁的冥想垫子上就睡着了。
乞丐醒来的时候，发现金子不见了。当然了，有可能是有人觉得这是个玩具就拿回家了，或者这个人把金块单独放在什么地方，又被不知是谁的其他人拿了去。
鉴于乞丐都是随便找地儿睡的，要么是超市门口，要么是大桥底下，要么是剧院门口，要么是在空地上，哪儿都有可能！所以说他要是把金块放在这些地方，肯定就被人拿走了。
第二天，他又去百万富翁家要一块金子。百万富翁问：“我就不明白了，我昨天刚给了你一块，你拿去干吗了？”
乞丐回答：“是的，昨天我是拿了一块。我就放在身边，就闭了一下眼睛。睁开眼的时候，它就不见了。所以今天我来再要一块。”
百万富翁听了这话，瞬间明白了一个道理，这个道理放之四海而皆准。那就是：今天拥有的，明天可能失去。又或者现在拥有的，稍纵即逝。
-bosom [ˈbʊzəm] n. 胸部；衣服的胸襟
有时，对于金银财宝的执念不如转化为乐善好施的义气和潇洒。