百喻經之八: 山羌偷官庫衣喻
§8 山羌偷官庫衣喻
(8) a rustic steals clothes from the palace treasury
過去之世,有一山羌,偷王庫物而遠逃走。爾時國王遣人四出推尋,捕得將至王邊,王即責其所得衣處。山羌答言:“我衣乃是祖父之物。” 王遣著衣,實非山羌本所有故,不知著之,應在手者,著於腳上,應在腰者,返著頭上。
once upon a time there was a rustic who stole garments from the palace and then escaped to a remote place. the king sent men to search for him in all directions. finally, he was arrested and taken to the king who accused him of theft and asked him where he had got the clothes. the rustic answered that they belonged to his grandfather. the king then ordered him to put them on. he did not know how to wear them. he put on his arms what should be worn on his legs. what he ought to have on his waist, he put on his head.
王見賊已,集諸臣等,共詳此事,而語之言:“若是汝之祖父已來所有衣者,應當解著,云何顛倒,用上為下?以不解故,定知汝衣必是偷得,非汝舊物。”
seeing this, the king summoned his ministers for consultation on the matter. "if the clothes belonged to your grandfather, you should know how to wear them. how can you wear them in all wrong ways? it's certain that they are not your old clothes. you have stolen them," said the king.
借以為譬:王者如佛,寶藏如法,愚癡羌者,猶如外道。
figuratively speaking, here the king is like buddha; the valuable clothes, the buddhist teachings; the stupid rustic, the heretic.
竊聽佛法,著己法中,以為自有。然不解故,布置佛法,迷亂上下,不知法相。
a heretic, who has eavesdropped on buddhism, makes it for his own. he then misinterprets it, because he does not know the real meaning of its teachings.
如彼山羌,得王寶衣,不識次第,顛倒而著,亦復如是。
this heretic is like the rustic who stole the king's valuable clothes without knowing how to wear them properly and put them on in all the wrong ways.
注釋:
①山羌:居住在山林之中,以獵、牧為生的人。
②推尋捕得:推尋,打探尋找;捕得,追捕到。
③法:佛教的重要理論范疇。原始佛教認為:法是貫穿于物質世界和精神世界的規律,一切物質世界的現象和人的精神、意識都是法的表現。宇宙間的一切現象既是瞬息萬變的,又是統一的、互相聯系的。人的認識的根本目的就在于通過自己精神的“反觀內照”來認識法,從而得到真正的精神解脫。傳說中佛陀在菩提樹下的成正覺,即大徹大悟的智慧,就是認識了法,從而獲得了徹底解脫的認識。但“法”這一理論范疇并非創自佛教,佛教借用了“法”這個范疇,并賦予了新的含義,使之成為支配自然現象以及人類精神活動的普遍規律。佛典中所謂“法建世間”的含義充分表現了“法”的重要意義。
④法相:主要有六種含義,分別是指:各種法的特質;對事物的觀念;諸法的差別與形態;現象存在的形態;事物存在的形態;現象界的事物。本文指一切事物的真實形態,諸法的本性,即真理的特質。參見《維摩經》、《法華玄義》,羅什譯《小品般若》等。
⑤次第:等次、位次,本文指使用的方法。
白話:
很久以前,有一位居住在山林的人,偷了國王倉庫的東西后逃到了遠方。國王知道后,立即派人四處打探尋找,捕獲了山民,把他帶到國王面前。國王馬上追問山民衣物的來源。山民回答:“這衣服是我祖父留給我的。”國王讓他把衣服穿好。由于衣服確實不是他的,所以不知道怎樣穿。應該穿戴在手上的,卻套在了腳上,應當扎在腰上的,卻圍在了頭上。國王見了,確定是賊無疑,召集大臣討論這件事,并說:“如果是你祖父留給你的衣物,你應熟悉這些衣物的穿法,為什么上下顛倒,戴在手上的卻穿在腳下?所以不會穿,在于你的衣服肯定是偷來的,而不是你原有的衣物。”
借這個故事作比喻:國王好比佛陀,國庫的財產好比自然與認識的規律。愚蠢無知的山民,像其他各種思想派別,聽到一些佛教的教義,就認為已經掌握了認識自然與現象的規律,自以為是,但并不能理解它的實質,就妄加斷言,思維邏輯顛倒,不認識一切事物的真實形態、本性,以及真理的本質意義。這好像山民,得到國王的衣物,不懂怎么使用,上下顛倒地穿戴的道理一樣。
本文地址:http://www.hengchuai.cn/writing/story/1505.html