When my father was young, he worked as a sailor.
Ships were docked at the port, and most of the crew had gone ashore, leaving only the duty watch behind. Among them was a sailor who was a bit simple-minded. An old man in tattered clothes approached him and begged for something to eat. Naturally, there was only enough food prepared for the crew, but the sailor gave his own portion to the old man.
In return, the old man told him, "Though it will only last for your generation," and granted him a mysterious power. After that, he came to live in a massive mansion.
This happened back in the Showa era. Rumor had it that the old man was Kobo Daishi.
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Even if the person giving alms is completely selfless, it doesn't guarantee that something good will happen to them.
Take my grandfather's story, for instance. When he was young, he was in business and lived in a truly huge house. One day, a man who looked like a vagrant came by, asking if there was anything at all to eat. Feeling sorry for the man because of how wretched he looked, my grandfather gave him a meal.
However, the old man then said, "I'm sorry to say this, but something terrible is going to happen to this house."
Angered, my grandfather chased the vagrant away. About a week later, the house caught fire and burned completely to the ground.
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