THE CHILDLESS RICH MAN

　　無子息的富人

　　During the Yuan dynasty （1279-1368）， when the Mongols under Genghis Khan had conquered China， there was a rich man who had a lot of money but no children. He and his wife were very lonely. They wanted a son， but just couldn't have one.

　　元朝（公元1279－1368），成吉思汗統治中國時期，有一個無子的富人。他和他的妻子非常孤獨。他們想生個兒子，但是總不如愿。

　　The rich man always moped about that. "What good does all my money do without any kids to share it with？"

　　這個富人總是為此悶悶不樂。"沒有孩子們來繼承家業，那么多錢又有什么用呢？"

　　"Why don't you go to the temple and ask the monk there？" a friend suggested. "He can see the past and the future. If anybody can help you， he can."

　　"為什么不去廟里請教那里的師父呢？"他的一個朋友建議道，"他能知過去未來。如果他幫不了你，就沒人可以幫你了。"

　　So the rich man and his wife went to the temple. They paid their respects to the Buddhas. When they saw the monk， they fell on their knees and knocked their foreheads on the floor.

　　于是那個富人和他的妻子一起去了廟里拜佛。當他們見到那個和尚時，馬上跪下來磕頭。

　　"Teacher， Teacher， we beg you， tell us what is wrong. We want a child more than anything else， but we just can't have one."

　　"師父，師父，求求你，告訴我們這是怎么回事。我們只想生個孩子，但是我們一直無子息。"

　　The monk cast their fortunes， and used his powers to look into the past and the future. Then he told the rich man，"You ran up a huge debt in your past life by killing animals. You killed the children of many animals， so in this life， you don't get any children of your own.

　　和尚算了一下他們的命，并且用他的神通察看了一下過去未來，然后對富人說，"你過去生中殺業太重。欠下許多孽債。你殺了很多動物的幼子，所以在這一生，你命中無子。"

　　"This debt is very heavy， and it's not enough just to pay it back. You have to be sorry and repent. If you can save eight million lives， you can balance out your debt. If you kill one more bug or one more worm， even by accident， you have to save one hundred more lives to make up for it.

　　"這個罪孽太深重了，難以償還。你必須感到內疚，進行懺悔。如果你能救助800萬條性命，就可以抵消你的罪過。如果你殺了一只小蟲，哪怕是無意的，你就要多救助100條生命才能抵消。"

　　"This is the best way to change your luck and to get a son."

　　"這就是改變你的命運，得一個孩子的最好方法了。"

　　The rich man was deeply touched. He went to the main shrine of the temple and swore before the Buddhas that he would never kill again. When he and his wife got home， they got to work saving lives， and spent most of their fortune on it.They bought pigs， chickens， and ducks from the market， and arranged for them to live out their natural life spans in temples. They bought fish and crabs and eels and put them back in the water. They were very pious and went to many services in temples， to repent their past mistakes.

　　那個富人觸動很深。他去了廟里的大殿，在佛前發誓他再也不殺生了。當他們回家后，他和妻子開始盡力救助生命，而且把他們的大部分財產都花在上面。他們從市場買下豬、雞、鴨子等，安排它們在寺院里生活直到自然死亡。他們還買回魚蟹，放回水里。他們非常虔誠地參加了廟里的許多法會，懺悔他們過去生中的罪過。

　　They kept it up for several years. Long before they had saved eight million lives， they had a healthy， happy little boy.

　　他們這么堅持了好幾年。遠遠未到他們救滿800萬條性命的時候，就生了一個健康快樂的兒子。

　　Their son was so intelligent that when he grew up， he passed the imperial examinations with ease the very first time.

　　他們的孩子非常聰明，長大后參加科舉考試就一舉得中。

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