为恶贼所劫失的故事

时间:2021-08-31

  英文:

  Once upon a time, two friends were walking in the wilderness. on the way, one of them wearing a woolen coat was robbed of it by a thief. the other successfully escaped into a thicket. the loser of the coat had a piece of gold concealed in the collar. to the thief, he said, "this coat is worth one piece of gold. now i beg you to let me redeem it at that value."

  The thief asked, "where's the gold?" opening up the collar, the man showed it to him and said, "here's the pure gold. if you don't trust my words, you can go and ask a goldsmith who is hiding in the thicket now?"

  After seeing the second man, the thief also took his clothing from him. such a stupid man thus lost his woolen coat, gold and everything. not only had he lost his own belongings, he also made his friend lose them.

  This is also held to be true with the common people. pious, having monastic grades and possessing other merits, people are robbed by the thief of temptation. they lose their good teachings and their merit as well. they lose not only the gain of their own, but also make others lose their karma leading to buddhahood. they will fall into the three evil paths of transmigration on the dissolution of the body after death, like the two losing everything they had.

  古文:

  昔有二人为伴,共行旷野。一人被一领氎,中路为贼所剥,一人逃避,走入草中。其失氎者先于氎头裹一金钱,便语贼言:“此衣适可直一枚金钱,我今求以一枚金钱而用赎之。”

  贼言:“金钱今在何处?”即便氎头解取示之,而语贼言:“此是真金,若不信我语,今此草中有好金师,可往闻之。”

  贼既见之,复取其衣。如是愚人氎与金钱一切都失。自失其利,复使彼失。

  凡夫之人,亦复如是。修行品德,作诸功德,为烦恼贼之所劫掠,失其善法,丧诸功德。不但自失其利,复使余人失其道业,身坏命终,堕三恶道。如彼愚人,彼此俱失。

  译文:

  曾有两人结伴共行于旷野之中。一人穿着一件木棉布衣,途中被劫贼抢剥掉了,另一人逃开,躲入了草丛中。那被抢者先前曾在衣领里裹藏了一枚金钱,便对贼说:“这衣裳恰好值一枚金钱,我现在想用一枚金钱来赎回去。”贼问:“金钱在哪儿?”这人就从衣领中解取出来给他看,并说:“这是真金,你若是不信我说的,如今这草中有位好金匠,可去问他。”贼见了草丛中的人,也把那人的衣裳抢去了。这种愚人,衣裳和金钱都失却了,还让别人也遭劫。

  凡夫之人也是这样,修行各类道法,作种种功德,一旦遭到烦恼贼的劫掠,丧失了善法和种种功德,不但自身失掉了功德利益,还使他人也失掉了道业,身坏命终后堕于三恶道中,如那愚人一样,使得大家都遭致劫掠。