百喻經之六: 子死欲停置家中喻
§6 子死欲停置家中喻
(6) the dead son is about to remain in the house
昔有愚人，養育七子。一子先死。時此愚人，見子既死，便欲停置于其家中，自欲棄去。旁人見已，而語之言：“生死道異，當速莊嚴，致于遠處而殯葬之。云何得留，自欲棄去？”
once upon a time there was a man who brought up seven boys, one of whom died. finding the son dead, he intended to leave the body in the house and moved out himself. a bystander said to him, "you know the living and the dead go separate ways. since your son is dead, he should be quickly buried in a far away place with all due solemnity. now why do you want to leave your house and let your dead son remain here?"
爾時愚人聞此語已，即自思念：“若不得留，要當葬者，須更殺一子，停擔兩頭，乃可
勝致。”於是便更殺其一子而擔負之，遠葬林野。時人見之，深生嗤笑，怪未曾有。
when the man heard this, he decided to bury his son and not let the corpse lie at home. he then thought he would have to kill another son to hang one body on each end of the pole to keep in equilibrium and carry them for burial in a long way off the forest. that seemed the only thing possible for him to do and he did it. his contemporaries laughed aloud at his unprecedented eccentricities.
譬如比丘私犯一戒，情憚改悔，默然覆藏，自說清凈。或有知者，即語之言：“出家之人，
守持禁戒，如護明珠，不使缺落。汝今云何違犯所受，欲不懺悔？”犯戒者言：“茍須懺者，
更就犯之，然后當出。”遂便破戒，多作不善，爾乃頓出。如彼愚人，一子既死，又殺一子。
今此比丘，亦復如是。
a monk, who secretly broke one commandment, felt afraid to confess it. he would pretend that he had scrupulously kept all commandments and led a life free from evil and defilement.
some wise men might then tell him, "a monk should keep the commandments just like brilliant pearls should be protected from being damaged. how can you break what you have accepted? now you are reluctant to confess them."
the offender would answer, "now that i have to confess, i might as well do more breakings. then i'll confess all my sins at once."
consequently, he broke more commandments by doing many evil things before his confession. this monk is just like that stupid man who kills another son when one dies.
注釋：
①莊嚴：此處指慎重入殮、安葬。
②勝致：勝，順利；致，到達、送到。
③情憚：害怕。情憚改悔，心里害怕改正悔過。
④清凈：指遠離罪惡行為，離開世俗煩惱的狀態，通常包括身、語、意三個方面。
⑤破戒：破壞戒律、規定。大小乘戒律也有所區別。通常有五戒、八戒、十戒、具足戒等。
白話：
從前有個愚蠢的人，養育了七個兒子，有一個兒子死了。這個愚人就想將他的尸體留在家里而自己離去。周圍的人就對他說：“生與死是截然不同的，應該盡快慎重地將尸體送到遠處安葬。為什么把尸體留在家里，自己遠離呢？”愚人聽了這些話，心里思量道：“如果不能將兒子的尸體留下來，而應當安葬的話，就要再殺死一個兒子，安放在擔子的兩頭，保持平衡，這樣才能順利送到墓地。”于是，他又殺死了一個兒子，用擔子的兩頭各擔一具死尸，埋葬在遠處林中的野地里。人們見到這種行為，都強烈地譏笑他，從未見過這種愚蠢的人。
好比修行的佛教徒，自己犯了戒律中的一條，又怕公開承認錯誤，悄悄地掩蓋起來，自己表白在行為、語言、思想上遠離了罪惡。如有知情的人，對他說：“出家修行的人，應當自覺遵守戒律，就像愛護明珠一樣，不讓它受到損壞。你現在為什么違犯了受持的戒律，還不悔過！”犯了戒律的人說：“如果一定要悔過，那就再去犯戒律，然后一起悔過。”接著就又破戒，做了許多壞事，從而被趕出了佛門。這正如愚蠢的人，一個兒子死了，又殺了一個兒子。這位被趕出佛門的人，也同樣如此。
解說：
不善的事，不可一不做，二不休。
辨析：
這個比喻是比喻釋門弟子不依戒行事，隱瞞過失，以致貽誤自身。這至少給了我們一點有益的啟示：防微杜漸，免成大患。認識錯誤是走向正確的前提。如果知錯不改，文過飾非，是難以有所建樹的。
智慧的人與愚蠢的人最大的區別正是在于能夠常常反省自身，知錯就改。古往今來，幾乎所有能夠改造社會的人，恰恰都是能把握自身，首先改造自己的人。李斯在秦國當客卿時，在被驅逐出秦國時寫了一篇上書。對這篇批評的文章，秦始皇讀后不僅接受了言辭犀利的指責，而且立即改錯，下令急速追回李斯，井任命他擔任了全國的司法首長廷尉的職務。因此聰明人正是能很快地發現和改正錯誤的人；愚蠢的人就是知錯不改、執迷不悟，甚至變本加厲、錯上加錯的人。
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