(10) THREE - STORIED HOUSE
往昔之世,有富愚人,癡無所知。到余富家,見三重樓,高廣嚴(yán)麗,軒敞疏朗,心生渴仰,即作是念:“我有財錢,不減于彼,云何頃來而不造作如是之樓?”
Once there was an ignorant rich man who, one day, went to another rich man's three-storied house. Struck with admiration by the imposing, spacious, airy and well - lighted building, he said to himself, "I'm no less rich than he. Why don't I have the same house built as this one?"
即喚木匠而問言曰:“解作彼家端正舍不?”
Thereupon, he sent for a carpenter and said, "Can you construct an imposing house exactly like that one?"
木匠答言:“是我所作。”
That carpenter replied, "It's I who built that one."
即便語言:“今可為我造樓如彼。”
He went on, "Now you may build a house like that one for me."
是時木匠即便經(jīng)地壘墼作樓。
The carpenter began first to level the ground, afterward laid the foundation stones and then drove in piles for walls.
愚人見其壘墼作舍,猶懷疑惑,不能了知,而問之言:“欲作何等?”
The stupid man could not make it out when he saw the worker doing all these. He asked,"What are you doing now?"
木匠答言:“作三重屋。”
The carpenter replied, "I'm building three floors."
愚人復(fù)言:“我不欲下二重之屋,先可為我作最上屋。”
The stupid man went on, "I don't want the two floors below. You had better start building from the third floor for me."
木匠答言:“無有是事!何有不作最下重屋,而得造彼第二之屋?不造第二,云何得造第三重屋?”
The carpenter answered, "It's impossible. If I don't begin with the ground floor, how can I build the second? If I don't build the two below, how can I build the third floor?"
愚人固言:“我今不用下二重屋,必可為我作最上者。”
The stupid man persisted saying, "But I don't need the two floors below, only the top."
時人聞已,便生怪笑,咸作此言:“何有不造第一屋而得最上者!”
Hearing those words, his contemporaries sardonically laughed at him. They all said how could one have the top floor done without building the lower floors?
譬如世尊四輩弟子,不能精勤修敬三寶,懶惰懈怠,欲求道果,而作是言:“我今不用
余下三果,唯求得彼阿羅漢果。”亦為時人之所嗤笑,如彼愚者,等無有異。
Sakyamuni's four degrees of disciples who are unable to practice earnestly Buddhism and respect the Three Precious Ones, wanted to attain the path of deliverance by leading an idle life. They said, "We don't need the first three degrees below, but seek only that of Arahant's."
There was no difference between the stupid rich man and those disciples who were also laughed at by their contemporaries.
注釋:
?、?這是《百喻經(jīng)》第10個故事,好高騖遠(yuǎn)的人總想一步登天,而實際是不可能的。任何事情,都必須腳踏實地,萬丈高樓從地而起。
?、?三重:重,層;三重,三層。
?、?軒敞疏朗:軒敞,高大寬敞;疏朗,空氣流通而明亮。
?、?渴仰:渴望羨慕。
?、?解作彼家:會建造像那一家的房子。
⑹ 經(jīng)地壘墼(jī ):經(jīng)地,丈量地基;壘墼,堆砌磚塊、磚坯。
?、?固:固執(zhí),堅持的意思。
?、?四輩弟子:佛教用語。亦稱“四眾”、“四部弟子”等。即比丘、比丘尼、優(yōu)婆塞、優(yōu)婆夷等信眾。
?、?三寶:佛教稱佛、法、僧為三寶。佛指釋迦牟尼;法指教義、原理;僧指信眾。
?、?道果:通過修行,脫離世俗,斷滅一切煩惱、自我,達(dá)到解脫的“涅槃”境界。
?、?三果:小乘佛教關(guān)于修道的幾個階段。共分四果。須陀洹,漢譯為“入流”等,意為初入圣道,是第一果;斯陀含,漢譯為“一來”,意為意念未脫盡,還有一往來,是第二果;阿那含,漢譯為“不還”等,意為欲望煩惱已經(jīng)斷絕,不再回到欲界,是第三果;阿羅漢,小乘佛教把佛弟子修行達(dá)到的最高境地稱“阿羅漢”,是第四果。
白話:
從前有個富翁,愚蠢無知。有一次,他到另一個富翁的家里,看見一座三層的樓房,樓又高又大,富麗堂皇,寬敞明朗,他十分羨慕,心里想:“我的錢財并不比他少,為什么以前沒想到造一座這樣的樓呢?”他立刻喚來木匠,問道:“你能不能照著那家的樣子造一座漂亮的樓?”木匠回答說:“那座樓就是我造的。”富翁便說:“那你現(xiàn)在就為我造一座像那樣的樓。”
于是木匠便開始量地基,疊磚,造樓。富翁看見木匠疊磚,心生疑惑,不曉得是怎么一回事,就問木匠:“你這是打算造什么?”木匠回答道:“造三層的樓呀!”富翁又說:“我不要下面二層,你先給我造最上一層。”
木匠答道:“沒這樣的事!哪有不造最下一層樓而造第二層樓的?不造第二層樓又怎么談得上造第三層樓呢?”
這個愚蠢的富翁固執(zhí)地說:“我就是不要下面二層樓,你一定得給我造最上一層樓!”
其他的人聽到了這件事,都笑話他。
偈曰:無基不為樓,事無僥幸成。
欲證如來果,當(dāng)把根本修。
源流:
《菩薩善戒經(jīng)》載:譬如重樓四級次第,不由初級至二級者,無有是處,不由二級至于三級,不由三級至四級者,亦無是處。(《大正藏》第三十冊第一O一三至一O一四頁)
解說:
大抵有基方筑室,未聞無址忽成岑。
此則可與第四十四則<欲食半餅喻>比看。
供您思考:
末法眾生見海市蜃樓而自我陶醉,不斷煩惱謂能得道,不知佛法謂但憑一句即能圓滿,實與空中造樓的幻想沒有兩樣。
能海上師說過:不修解脫道,不以出離乘為基礎(chǔ)實是“輕毛菩薩”也。又說:早上吃晚飯,仍叫早飯。
圣法法師說:一棵樹最初必由一粒種子,下土發(fā)芽生根慢慢長大而成。一個人的知識學(xué)問也由從小一字一句地讀書,慢慢累積而成,樹有根水有源。知識由學(xué)問而學(xué)成,房屋也由基礎(chǔ)而建起,怎能在空中建樓閣呢?可是世間就有很多不要基礎(chǔ)而空中建樓閣的事情。
學(xué)佛的人只認(rèn)識幾個佛學(xué)名詞,就以大法師大居士自居。學(xué)三天靜坐就開悟、得道、神通等等。不愿從基本佛學(xué)學(xué)起,就要當(dāng)大法師講經(jīng)說法。不要初果、二果、三果,就想馬上證阿羅漢果。這不是和空中造樓閣一樣嗎?
還有世間上的愚人,講實在話,講真理不愛聽,講神話、講鬼話、講小說——《封神榜》《西游記》《游天堂》《游地獄》等話,偏偏愛聽。也認(rèn)為事實,這不是和空中樓閣一樣是什么?