LOTUS POND AND THE CENTIPEDE

　　蓮池大師和蜈蚣

　　About 400 years ago， there was a great monk called Lianchi， which means Lotus Pond. He hoped all living creatures could be born again in the lotus pond in Amitabha's Pure Land.

　　大約400年前，有一位叫蓮池的高僧，他希望一切眾生都能在阿彌陀佛凈土的蓮池中化生。

　　Once he saw a man with a bunch of centipedes strung out on a sliver of bamboo. They were suffering. Lianchi asked， "Would you be so kind as to free those centipedes？"

　　有一回，他看見有個人拿著攛在竹條上的一串蜈蚣……它們正在苦苦掙扎。蓮池問，"請您行行好，放了這些蜈蚣好嗎？"

　　"No way！ These are poisonous centipedes that make good medicine. I won't let them go， but I might sell them to you， if you paid."

　　"做夢！它們是能做好藥材的毒蜈蚣。我不會放了它們的。但是如果你付錢，我可以賣給你。"

　　"Fine with me. How much do you want？" Even though that man was very rude， Master Lianchi smiled and talked politely to him. He bought all the centipedes， but they were almost dead because they had been skewered on that bamboo spike. Only one was still in good shape. It looked at Lianchi for a long time. Then it ran away on all of its legs.

　　"我同意。你要多少錢？"盡管那個人很粗魯，蓮池大師還是保持微笑，很有禮貌地和他說話。他把所有的蜈蚣都買了下來，可是它們已經奄奄一息，因為它們都被竹釘穿過了。只有一條情況稍好些，它久久看著蓮池。然后才跑了。

　　Some time later， Lianchi and a friend were sitting around talking about Buddhist sutras， or holy books. Suddenly， his friend's face went pale. "Look at the size of that centipede！"

　　不久后，蓮池和一個朋友在這附近坐談佛經，忽然，他的朋友臉色發白。"看那只大蜈蚣！"

　　A huge， hairy， scary centipede was crawling up Master Lianchi's sleeve. His friend ran for a stick to brush it off， but the centipede wouldn't move. Lianchi didn't seem worried.

　　一只很大的、多足的、可怕的蜈蚣正爬在蓮池大師的袖子上。他的朋友跑去拿來一只棍子要把它撥開，但是蜈蚣一動不動。蓮池看起來一點也不擔心。

　　"What if it bites you？"

　　"如果它咬你怎么辦？"

　　Lianchi talked to the centipede. "Could you be that centipede I set free a while back？ If you are， just sit there quietly and I'll teach you about Buddhism."

　　蓮池對那條蜈蚣說，"你是我不久前放走的那條蜈蚣嗎？如果是，就靜靜呆在那里，我來給你講佛法。"

　　The centipede didn't move， so the Master very gently said， "Anyone who wants to thoroughly understand what all the Buddhas know， has to see that the nature of everything in the material universe is a product of our minds.

　　蜈蚣沒動，大師輕輕地說，"任何人，想要了知佛陀所知道的道理，就必須明白，有形世界的所有事物本來都是我們意識的產物。"

　　"All life is made by our minds. A person with a vicious heart becomes a wolf or a tiger. A person with a poisonous mind becomes a snake or a scorpion， or some other poisonous insect.

　　"所有生命都是我們的意識造成的。一個兇惡的人會變成虎狼。一個歹毒的人會變成蛇蝎，或者其他毒蟲。"

　　"You are now a poisonous centipede. Is this just chance？ No， you must have had a poisonous mind in a past life. If you want to leave behind your sufferings， leave behind your poisonous mind， and you will be free. But only you can free yourself.

　　"你現在是一只毒蜈蚣。這是偶然的嗎？不，你過去生中一定是心靈歹毒。如果你要離開這種煎熬，那么就要離開這種歹毒，然后才能解脫。只有你自己才能使自己得到解脫。"

　　"Understand？ That's good. Now， it's time for you to go. Be good！"

　　"明白了嗎？很好。現在你該走了，吉祥如意！"

　　The centipede slowly crawled out the window. The master's friend slowly crawled out from under his seat.

　　蜈蚣緩緩地從窗戶里爬出去了。大師的朋友這時才敢從椅子下慢慢地爬出來。

　　The Master told him， "You may think animals are free， but they live in fear. Worse than that， they live in ignorance. Life is full of suffering. If you want to be free from rebirth， ask Amitabha to take you to live in his Pure Land. There you can study to become a Buddha yourself. You will be free from rebirth， and you can save other living creatures. Isn't that better than living and dying and living and dying？"

　　大師告訴他，"你也許認為動物們是自由的，其實它們生活在恐懼中。更悲慘的是，它們活在無知中。生活中充滿痛苦。如果你想跳出輪回，那就請阿彌陀佛接你到他的凈土去。在那里，你能夠學習怎樣成佛。你會從輪回中解脫出來，還能普渡眾生。那不是比生生死死要好得多嗎？"

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