百喻經之六二: 病人食雉肉喻

(62) THE PATIENT EATS THE PHEASANT MEAT

昔有一人，病患委篤。良醫(yī)占之曰：“須恒食一種雉肉，可得愈病。”而此病者，市得一雉，食之已盡，更不復食。醫(yī)于后時，見便問之：“汝病愈未?”

Once upon a time, there was a man who was seriously ill. A skillful physician prescribed that he could be cured by eating some pheasant meat. After he finished eating one, the patient did not eat it again. Afterwards, the doctor came to him and asked, "How do you feel now?"

病者答言：“醫(yī)先教我恒食雉肉，是故今者食一雉已盡，更不敢食。”

The patient replied, "You have told me to eat some pheasants. Now that I have eaten it, I dare not eat it again."

醫(yī)復語言：“若前雉已盡，何不更食?汝今云何止食一雉，望得愈病?”

The physician said, "But why not? How can you expect to be cured with only one pheasant?"

一切外道，亦復如此。聞佛、菩薩無上良醫(yī)說言，當解心識。外道等執(zhí)于常見，便謂過去、未來、現在唯是一識，無有遷謝。猶食一雉，是故不能療其愚惑煩惱之病。

This is also true with all the heretics. They should understand what the mind means on hearing such wise and skillful doctors as Buddha's and Bodhisattva's preaching. However, they cling to the view of permanence thinking that there is only one mind from the past, present through future, which does not undergo any change. This is just like the patient eating only one pheasant that his illness of ignorance and worries cannot be cured.

大智諸佛，教諸外道，除其常見，一切諸法念念生滅。何有一識常恒不變。如彼世醫(yī)，教更食雉，而得病愈。

All Omniscient Buddhas teach the heretics to abandon their prejudiced view of permanence. For all phenomena are subject to change at the time of thought. How can the mind remain unchanged! This is just like the physician's telling the patient to eat more pheasants.

佛亦如是。教諸眾生，令得解諸法，壞故不常，續(xù)故不斷，即得刬除常見之病。

So is Sakyamuni Buddha's preaching to all men to understand all his teachings. Sakyamuni has it that things which can be ruined or destroyed are called impenitence. Things which can be lasted are called continuity. Once the context is understood, people will eradicate the wrong view of permanence.

白話:

從前有一個人，病得著實厲害。良醫(yī)診斷了一下，說需經常吃一種雉肉，便可以治愈這病。而這位病人買了一只雉，吃完之后，便不再吃了。醫(yī)生后來見著了他，便問：「你的病好了沒有?」這位病人答道：「大夫您先前教我常吃雉肉，而雉肉都是一樣的，所以當時吃完一只之后，便不再吃了。」醫(yī)生又說：「若是吃完了一只，為什么不繼續(xù)吃下去呢?你現在只吃了一只雉，如何能希望治愈好呢?」

一切外道也都是這樣，聽聞佛、菩薩這些無上良醫(yī)說，應當解悟心是有覺有智的主體，識是了別，是心的作用。外道等執(zhí)著于常見，便以為過去、現在、未來都只是一個心識，相續(xù)不斷，沒有變遷生滅，精神獨立于物質而存在，總是同一個物。就好比雉肉都是同樣一種雉肉一樣，吃了一只，也就等于吃了全部，所以就無法治愈他們的愚惑煩惱的毛病。具有大智慧的諸佛指導諸外道祛除常見，因為一切事物剎那之間都在生滅變化著，哪有精神能脫離物質而恒常不變的呢?如那世俗的醫(yī)生教病人繼續(xù)吃雉肉方才可以治愈毛病一樣，佛陀也教示眾生，使其悟解一切事物時時都在壞滅，所以不常，又時時相續(xù)，所以不斷，這樣就可以剗除常見之病。