二十億耳出家前是一名琴師，隨佛出家後急於證果。他日夜不懈的精進修行，結果非但久久沒有開悟，反而把身心弄得疲憊不堪，因此生起退轉之心。佛陀知道後，曉喻他說：「譬如琴弦，太緊則弦易斷，太鬆則彈不成調；唯有急緩得中，才能彈出美妙的音樂。修行也是如此，過份急躁或懈怠，都非正常之道」。二十億耳聞佛開示後，調整修行方式，終於在不久之後證得阿羅漢果。

Sronakotivimsa was a musician before he became a monk. After renouncing, he was anxious to be enlightened. He cultivated tirelessly, day and night. As a result, not only did he not attain enlightenment, he ended up exhausting himself so much that he became discouraged. After the Buddha learned of this, he used a simile to explain to Sronakotivimsa, "Just like playing a stringed instrument, if the strings are too tight, they break easily; but if the strings are too loose, there will be no melody. Only when the strings are tuned properly is there beautiful music. Cultivation is the same: too rushed or too relaxed, neither is the proper path." After Sronakotivimsa heard the Buddha's advice, he altered his way of cultivation, and soon attained Arhatship.

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