百喻經之七十: 嘗庵婆羅果喻
§70 嘗庵婆羅果喻
(70) to taste apples
昔有一長者，遣人持錢至他園中買庵婆羅果而欲食之，而敕之言：“好甜美者，汝當買來。”
once upon a time, there was an elderly man who sent a servant to buy him some apples. he gave him orders as follows, "you'll buy some good and sweet apples for me."
即便持錢往買其果。果主言：“我此樹果，悉皆美好，無一惡者。汝嘗一果，足以知之。”
the servant then went on an errand with money. the owner of the apple orchard said to him, "all my apples are good and sweet: there is not a single bad one. you'll know it when you taste one."
買果者言：“我今當一一嘗之，然后當取。若但嘗一，何以可知？”尋即取果一一皆嘗。持來歸家，長者見已，惡而不食，便一切都棄。
the servant said, "i'll buy some after i taste every single one of them. how do i know about the rest. if i only taste one?" after tasting them one by one, he bought the apples. the master did not like the sight of all these half-eaten apples and he threw them all out.
世間之人亦復如是。聞持戒施得大富樂，身常安穩，無有諸患。不肯信之，便作是言：“布施得福，我自得時，然后可信。”
this is also held to be true with the people at large. seeing that all those who keep almsgiving commandment, can acquire great wealth and happiness, physically at ease and mentally stable. people still remark in disbelief, "we'll believe it if we can get them for ourselves."
目睹現世貴賤貧窮，皆是先業所獲果報，不知推一以求因果，方懷不信，須己自經。一旦命終，財物喪失，如彼嘗果，一切都棄。
to see for yourself in noble and base, rich and poor of this world, you would attribute those people to retribution of the previous lives. but they hardly know to deduce the law of cause and effect, which they are reluctant to draw a general rule from particular instances. it is to be regretted for their disbelief. for once death approaches them, they have to leave their worldly possessions just like the elderly man throwing out all the half-eaten apples.
注釋：
①庵婆羅果：梵文amra，即芒果。花多而結子甚少，有兩個品種，小的一種生時青色，熟時轉黃，大的卻始終是青色。
白話：
曾有一位長者，想吃庵婆羅果，便派人拿了錢到他人果園中去買，吩咐道：「很甜美的，你就買來。」這個人就拿錢去買果了。果園主說：「我這樹的果都很好，沒有一個壞的。你嘗一個，就知道了。」買果人說：「我要一個一個都嘗了，才買。若是只嘗了一個，怎知好壞呢?」隨即取果一一嘗了，拿回家來。長者見了，覺得厭惡，便都扔了。
世上的人也是這樣，聽說受持戒律、進行布施可以得到大富極樂，身體會覺得安穩怡愜，沒有煩悶狂躁之類的毛病，世人不肯相信，說：「布施得福，我真的得了，然后才可相信。」放眼望去，現世的貴賤貧富，都是先世業行所獲的果報，卻不知推一想十，以果求因，總懷著不信的心理，需自己親身經歷了方信。一旦命終了，就喪失了一切財物，如那個愚人，將果一一嘗了，只好把一切的果都丟棄了。
解說：
實踐是非常必要且有效的，然而絕對的實踐主義不僅時時碰壁，而且不可能做到。也可參見本書（引言），佛對梵志「若未泥洹，云何得知泥洹常樂?」的回答。
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