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| Contents Preface 1-10 11-20 21-30 31-40 41-50 51-60 |
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Hundred Parables Sutra 百喻經
31 - 40
(三一)雇借瓦師喻
Parable 31. Mason Wanted昔有婆羅門師，欲作大會，語弟子言：「我須瓦器，以供會用。汝可為我雇借瓦師，
詣市覓之。」時彼弟子，往瓦師家。時有一人，驢負瓦器，至市欲賣。須臾之間，驢盡破之；還來家中，啼哭懊惱。弟子見已，而問之言：「何以悲歎、懊惱如是？」
其人答言：「我為方便，勤苦積年，始得成器，詣市欲賣。此弊惡驢，須臾之頃，盡破我器；是故懊惱。」
爾時弟子，見聞是已，歡喜而言：「此驢乃是佳物，久時所作，須臾能破。我今當買此驢。」
瓦師歡喜，即便賣與，乘來歸家。師問之言：「汝何以不得瓦師將來，用是驢為？」
弟子答言：「此驢勝於瓦師。瓦師久時所作瓦器，少時能破。」
時師語言：「汝大愚癡，無有智慧。此驢今者，適可能破。假使百年，不能成一。」
世間之人，亦復如是：雖千百年，受人供養，都無報償。常為損害，終不為益。背恩之人，亦復如是。
Once upon a time, a brāman master intended to give a big party. He told his disciple, "I need earthenware for the party. Go to the market and fetch me a mason."
On his way to the mason's home, the disciple came across a man whose donkey was loaded with earthenware for sale in the market. Yet all the pottery was broken by the animal in the twinkling of an eye. On his return home, the man was crying and getting quite distraught. Upon seeing this, the disciple asked: "Why are you so sad and disappointed?"
The man replied, "I have been making earthenware with all my expedient means after toiling and moiling for many years. I was on my way to the market intending to sell them. But this dumb animal has broken all I had in no time. That's why I'm so distraught."
The disciple was glad to see and hear all this and said, "It's a good donkey. I would like to buy it."
The mason was delighted to sell it. When the disciple rode it back, the master asked, "Why didn't you come back with a mason? What's the idea of bringing a donkey here?"
The disciple replied, "This donkey is better than a mason: it can break things in a split second that a mason has made over a long time." The master said, "You are stupid and ignorant indeed. Although the donkey can break things in a second, it can't even make one pottery in a hundred years."
So are the people at large. Those who sometimes receive offerings from their benefactors for a hundred years, give nothing in return. On the contrary, they always do more harm than good. This is held to be true with someone who shows ingratitude.
(三二)估客偷金喻
Parable 32. The Trader Who Stole Gold
昔有二估客，共行商賈。一賣真金，其第二者賣兜羅綿。有他買真金者，燒而試之。第二估客，即便偷他被燒之金，用兜羅綿裹。時金熱故，燒綿都盡。情事既露，二事俱失。如彼外道，偷取佛法，著己法中，妄稱己有；非是佛法。由是之故，燒滅外典，不行於世，如彼偷金，事情都現，亦復如是。
Once upon a time, there were two traders who were in business together. One sold real gold, while the other sold tula cotton. A potential customer of the gold trader came and wanted to put the gold in a fire to test its authenticity.
The second trader then stole the newly smelted gold and wrapped it up in some of his tula cotton. But the intense heat of the smelted gold burned through the tula cotton and completely consumed it, thus exposing the theft. As a result, the trader lost both the gold and the tula cotton.
This is like those non-buddhists who steal the Buddhadharma and incorporate it into their own teachings. They make the false claim that it is their own, and that isn’t the Buddhadharma. For this reason, when such external literature is put to the test, it cannot hold up and ceases to be circulated in the world, just as the thief was caught for stealing the gold.
(三三)斫樹取果喻
Parable 33. Killing the Tree to Obtain the Fruit
昔有國王，有一好樹，高廣極大，當生勝果，香而甜美。時有一人，來至王所。王語之言：「此之樹上，將生美果，汝能食不？」
即答王言：「此樹高廣，雖欲食之，何由能得？」
即便斷樹，望得其果，既無所獲，徒自勞苦；後還欲竪，樹已枯死，都無生理。世間之人，亦復如是：如來法王，有持戒樹，能生勝果，心生願樂，欲得果食，應當持戒，
修諸功德。不解方便，返毀其禁，如彼伐樹，復欲還活，都不可得。破戒之人，
亦復如是。Once upon a time, there was a king who had a tall, luxuriant, and exceptionally fine tree that bore an extraordinary sweet fruit. A man went to visit the king, and the king said to him, “This tree will soon bear some very sweet fruit. Would you like to taste it?”
The man replied, “This tree is so tall. Although I wish to eat its fruit, how could I possibly reach the fruit to taste it?”
The king immediately had the tree cut down with the hope of getting its fruit. But he obtained nothing and only toiled in vain. Although he wished to revive it, there was no way he could bring a withered tree back to life again.
People of the world act in the same way. The Thus Come One, the Dharma King, has a tree of upholding the precepts, which is able to bring forth a supreme fruit. If people aspire to taste the fruit, they should uphold the precepts and cultivate many kinds of meritorious acts.
However, failing to understand the use of expedients, they violate the prohibitions instead. Just as the king who hacked down the tree could never revive it, so it is with people who break the precepts.
(三四)送美水喻
Parable 34. Sending Pure Spring Water
昔有一聚落，去王城五由旬，村中有好美水。王勅村人：常使日日，送其美水。村人疲苦，悉欲移避，遠此村去。時彼村主語諸人言：「汝等莫去，我當為汝白王，改五由旬作三由旬；使汝得近，往來不疲。」
即往白王。王為改之，作三由旬。眾人聞已，便大歡喜。有人語言：「此故是本五由
旬，更無有異。」雖聞此言，信王語故，終不肯捨。世間之人，亦復如是：修行正法，度於五道，向涅槃城。心生厭惓，便欲捨離；頓駕生死，不能復進。如來法王，有大方便。於一乘法，
分別說三。小乘之人，聞之歡喜，以為易行。修善進德，求度生死。後聞人說，無有三乘，故是一道。以信佛語，終不肯捨。如彼村人，亦復如是。Once upon a time, there was a village five yojanas away from the capital city that produced pure spring water. The king ordered the villagers to send him some of this water every day. The villagers, feeling exhausted by this ordeal, wished to move to another village. But the chief of the village said to them, “Don’t go away. I will go and ask the king to change the distance from five yojanas to three, so you won’t have to exhaust yourselves by walking such a long distance.”
He went and submitted his case to the king, and the king declared that the distance was changed to three yojanas. When the people heard this, they were delighted. Someone said, “You are still walking the five yojanas you have always walked. There hasn’t really been any change in the mileage.”
Although the villagers heard this, they had faith in the king, and they never gave up.
Common people are like this, too. They cultivate the Proper Dharma to get across the five paths of rebirth and to head for Nirvana City. As time goes on they grow weary and wish to give up their pursuit. No longer wishing to go forward, they revert back to birth and death.The Thus Come One, the Dharma King, establishes a great skill-in-means, and within the One Vehicle, he speaks of three. Those of the Small Vehicle are delighted when they hear this. Thinking the path is easy to walk, they cultivate good and virtuous acts and aspire to cross beyond birth and death. Later, they hear others tell them that there were no Three Vehicles to begin with, that originally there was only a single path. But because they cling to what the Buddha first proclaimed, they are just like the villagers in this story.
(三五)寶篋鏡喻
Parable 35. The Mirror in the Treasure Chest
昔有一人，貧窮困乏，多負人債，無以可償。即便逃避，至空曠處。值篋滿中珍寶。
有一明鏡，著珍寶上，以蓋覆之。貧人見已，心大歡喜。即便發之。見鏡中人，
便生驚怖。叉手語言：「我謂空篋，都無所有。不知有君，在此篋中，莫見瞋也。」凡夫之人，亦復如是：為無量煩惱之所窮困，而為生死魔王、債主之所纏著。欲避生
死，入佛法中，修行善法，作諸功德。如值寶篋，為身見鏡之所惑亂，妄見有我；即便封著，謂是真實。於是墮落，失諸功德、禪定道品、無漏諸善、三乘道果，一切都失，如彼愚人，棄於寶篋。著我見者，亦復如是。Once upon a time, there was a poor and destitute man who always had debts and had no means to avoid his creditors; he fled to the open wilderness. There he discovered a treasure chest filled to the brim with rare jewels. On top of all the jewels was a bright mirror.
When the poor man saw all this, he was beside himself with joy and started to look through it. Then he saw an image reflected in the mirror and became frightened.
Putting his palms together, he said, "I thought this was just an abandoned chest. I didn’t know that you were here. Please do not be offended! "Ordinary people behave in the same way. They are driven to destitution by innumerable afflictions and hounded by the demon king, creditor of birth and death. Wishing to flee from birth and death, they enter the Buddhadharma, and cultivate wholesome dharmas.
However, because they are deluded by their own image as reflected in the mirror of the view of a body, they falsely perceive there to be a ‘self.’ Thereupon, thinking the ‘self’ to be true and real, they close the treasure chest. Consequently they fall and lose all their merit and virtue, their dhyana samādhi, other Factors of Enlightenment, as well as their non-outflow dharmas of goodness, their fruition of the Way of the Three Vehicles — all of these are lost. They are just like the foolish man who relinquished the treasure chest. Those who cling to the view of self are also like this.
(三六)破五通仙眼喻
Parable 36. Blinding the Immortal Who Had Gained the Five Penetrations
昔有一人，入山學道，得五通仙。天眼徹視，能見地中一切伏藏，種種珍寶。國王
聞 之，心大歡喜，便語臣言：「云何得使此人，常在我國，不餘處去，使我藏中，
得多珍寶？」有一愚臣，輒zhé便往至。挑仙人雙眼，持來白王：「臣以挑眼，更不得去，
常住是國。」王語臣言：「所以貪得仙人住者，能見地中一切伏藏。汝今毀眼，何所復任？」
世間之人，亦復如是：見他頭陀苦行，山林、曠野、塚間、樹下，修四意止，及不淨
觀，便強將來，於其家中，種種供養。毀他善法，使道果不成，喪其道眼，已失其利，空無所獲，如彼愚臣，唐毀他目也。Once upon a time, there was a man who went to the mountains to study the Way and became an immortal replete with the five spiritual penetrations. With his heavenly eye, he could clearly discern all the treasures hidden underground. When the king heard about him, he was elated.
He said to his ministers, “In what way can we make this person remain in our country forever and not move to another place? Then our treasury will always be filled with rare jewels.”
A foolish minister went on his own to the immortal, plucked out his eyes, brought them back and presented them to the king, saying, “I have plucked out the immortal's eyes so that he won't be able to leave but will always remain in our country.”
The king told the minister, “The reason I wanted the immortal to stay here was so that he could see all the treasures hidden in the earth. But now that you have plucked out his eyes, what use could they be?”
Worldly people behave in the same way. They see someone practicing dhūtanga (bitter) practices in the mountain groves, the wilderness, the graveyards, or underneath trees, cultivating the Four Bases of Mindfulness and the contemplation of impurity. These people then force the cultivator to go to their homes where they ply him with many kinds of offerings.
Thus, they ruin his wholesome dharmas so that he is no longer able to achieve the fruition of the Way. By plucking out the cultivator's eyes of the Way, all benefits are lost, and they end up with absolutely nothing. They are just like that foolish minister who for no reason destroyed the immortal's eyes.
(三七)殺群牛喻
Parable 37. Killing a Herd of Cattle
昔有一人，有二百五十頭牛。常驅逐水草，隨時餧食。時有一虎，噉食一牛。爾時牛
主，即作念言：「已失一牛，俱不全足，用是牛為？」即便驅至深坑高岸，排著坑底，盡皆殺之。凡夫愚人，亦復如是：受持如來具足之戒。若犯一戒，不生慚愧，清淨懺悔，便作念言：「我已破一戒。既不具足，何用持為？」
一切都破，無一在者，如彼愚人，盡殺群牛，無一在者。
Once upon a time, there was a man who owned two hundred and fifty head of cattle. He often took them out to the pasture to graze. One day a tiger ate one of the cows. The cattle owner then thought, “Now that I’ve lost one cow, the herd is no longer complete. What’s the point of keeping it at all?”
Thereupon he drove the cattle up to a high cliff and killed them all by pushing them down into the deep gorge below.
Foolish people in the world are like this too. Having taken the Thus Come One’s complete precepts, they may happen to violate one precept. They do not give rise to shame and remorse, nor try to repent and reform to regain purity. Instead they say to themselves, “Since I have broken one of the precepts, they are no longer complete. What’s the use of holding any of the others?”
Then they go on to violate all of the precepts with none remaining. They are like the foolish man who killed all of his cattle so that not a single one remained.
(三八)飲木筩水喻
Parable 38. Drinking Water from the Wooden Bucket
昔有一人，行來渴乏，見木筩中，有清淨流水，就而飲之。飲水已足，即便舉手，語木筩言：「我已飲竟，水莫復來。」
雖作是語，水流如故，便瞋恚言：「我已飲竟，語汝莫來，何以故來?!」
有人見之言：「汝大愚癡，無有智慧。汝何以不去，語言莫來？」
即為挽却，牽餘處去。世間之人，亦復如是：為生死渴愛，飲五欲鹹水，既為五欲之所疲厭，如彼飲足，便作是言：「汝色聲香味，莫復更來，使我見也。」
然此五欲，相續不斷。既見之已，便復瞋恚：「語汝速滅，莫復更生，何以故來，使我見之？」
時有智人，而語之言：「汝欲得離者，當攝汝六情，閉其心意。妄想不生，便得解脫。何必不見，欲使不生？」
如彼飲水愚人，等無有異。
Once upon a time, there was a man who was thirsty and tired from traveling. He saw a clear stream of water in a wooden trough and drank some fresh water from it.
Having drunk to his fill, he raised his hands in front of the wooden bucket and said to the water, “I’ve had enough to drink. Stop flowing!”
Despite his words, the water kept on flowing. Then the man got angry, yelling, “I’ve had enough to drink and I told you to stop. Why don’t you listen?” An onlooker said to him, “You are very foolish and ignorant. Why don’t you just leave?”
Then he drew him away.
People of the world are this way, too. Someone driven by the thirsty craving of birth and death drinks the salty water of the five desires. After getting tired of the five desires, he says to them, “Get out of my sight—form, sounds, smells, and tastes!” and yet the five desires continue without ceasing.
Then the person gets angry and yells, “Quickly get out of my sight! Why do you keep arising so that I have to look at you?”
A wise man tells him, “If you wish to separate from the five desires, gather in your six sense faculties preventing them from running wild, and discipline your thoughts. When you no longer have false thoughts that keep arising, you attain liberation. Why do you need to tell them to be out of your sight so they won’t arise again?”
This is just like the story of the foolish man who drank the water.
(三九)見他人塗舍喻
Parable 39. Plastering the Walls
昔有一人，往至他舍。見他屋舍，墻壁塗治，其地平正，清淨甚好，便問之言：「用何和塗，得如是好？」
主人答言：「用稻穀䴬，水浸令熟，和泥塗壁，故得如是。」
愚人即便而作念言：若純以稻䴬不如合稻，而用作之。壁可白淨，泥始平好。便用稻穀和泥，用塗其壁，望得平正。返更高下，壁都劈裂。虛棄稻穀，都無利益。不如惠施，可得功德。
凡夫之人，亦復如是：聞聖人說法，修行諸善，捨此身已，可得生天，及以解脫。便自殺身，望得生天，及以解脫。徒自虛喪，空無所獲，如彼愚人。
Once upon a time, there was a man who visited another man whose house had just had its walls plastered so they were made even and looked nice and neat. The man asked his host, “With what did you plaster the walls so that they look so nice?”
The host replied, “I used a mixture of rice bran, water, and clay to achieve such a fine result.”
The foolish man thought to himself, “It would be better if he had used rice grain instead of rice bran. The walls would be even more smooth, white, and clean.”
Thereupon he mixed rice grain together with clay and plastered the walls of his own house, hoping for a smooth and tidy effect. But the walls became cracked and uneven. He had wasted the rice grain to no avail. He would have done better if he had used the grain to practice giving and thereby accrued some merit and virtue.
Common people are this way, too. They hear the sages preach Dharma, which says that if people cultivate good acts, after they die they will be born in the heavens and attain liberation. Then these people kill themselves, thinking they can be reborn in the heavens or attain liberation this way. They merely lost their lives and obtained nothing. They are like the stupid man with the plaster.
(四○)治禿喻
Parable 40. On Curing Baldness
昔有一人，頭上無毛，冬則大寒，夏則患熱。兼為蚊虻，之所唼食。晝夜受惱，
甚以為苦。有一醫師，多諸方術。時彼禿人，往至其所，語其醫言：「唯願大師，
為我治之。」時彼醫師，亦復頭禿。即便脫帽示之，而語之言：「我亦患之，以為痛苦。若令我治，能得差者，應先自治，以除其患。」
世間之人，亦復如是：為生老病死之所侵惱，欲求長生不死之處。聞有沙門、婆羅門
等，世之良醫，善療眾患，便往其所，而語之言：「唯願為我，除此無常，生死之患。常處安樂，長存不變。」時婆羅門等，即便報言：「我亦患此無常、生老病死。種種求覓，長存之處，終不能
得。今我若能，使汝得者，我亦應先自得，令汝亦得。」如彼患禿之人，徒自疲勞， 不能得差。
Once upon a time, there was a man who was completely bald. In the winter he felt cold and in the summer he felt hot. He was bitten by mosquitoes and gnats such that he felt afflicted day and night. One day, the bald man went to consult a physician skilled in medical practices. He said to the physician, “Great master, please cure my baldness!”
The physician took off his hat, showed the man that he was also bald, and said, “I am vexed by the same problem. If I could cure this problem, I would have done so for myself a long time ago.”
People of this world are the same. Attacked by the disease of birth, old age, sickness, and death, they seek for immortality. Hearing about śramaṇas and brāmans who are good physicians of the world skilled in curing these diseases, they seek one out and say to such a brāman, “Please release me from this disease of the impermanence of birth and death, so that I can forever dwell in comfort and joy.”
The brāman then says to them, “I myself also suffer from the disease of impermanence, birth, and death. I have made many attempts at seeking immortality, but I still haven’t found it. If I could help you attain it, I would first attain it myself and then help you attain it.”
Thus is like the bald man who tired himself out pursuing a cure in vain.