The Steward of the New City King, a man of considerable wealth, once had a vivid dream. In it, a figure burst into his sleeping chamber and declared, "You owe me forty thousand wen in copper coins. Repay me swiftly."

The Steward questioned him, "When did I ever owe you money?"

The figure offered no answer, merely turning and departing. The Steward awoke just as his wife gave birth to a baby boy. The Steward knew instantly: the debt collector had taken the form of his son, arriving to collect his due. Ah, the karmic debt of a past life.

Thus, he prepared forty thousand copper coins, storing them separately in a single room. All expenses for the child—food, clothing, schooling, and medicine—were drawn exclusively from that hoard.

Three or four years passed, and only seven hundred coins remained in the room. Coincidentally, the wet nurse passed by holding the child. The Steward called the boy over and announced, "The forty thousand coins are nearly spent. You may depart now." At these words, the child’s face instantly twisted in horror; his eyes snapped wide open, and he stopped moving. A touch to his nose revealed no breath; he was dead.

The Steward sighed deeply, using the remaining seven hundred coins to purchase a coffin, manage the funeral rites, and lay the small boy to rest.

Those who fail to repay debts should take this as a solemn warning.

In ancient times, a man, advanced in years and childless, sought counsel from a venerable high monk regarding his plight. The monk explained, "You owe no one, and no one owes you; how, then, could you be blessed with a son?" Therefore, it is said: a good child is born to repay kindness, while a wicked child is born to exact a debt. Hence, one should not rejoice excessively at birth, nor grieve excessively in death.