百喻經(jīng)之六四: 人謂故屋中有惡鬼喻

(64) AN EVIL DEMON IN THE OLD HOUSE

昔有故屋，人謂此室常有惡鬼，皆悉怖畏，不敢寢息。時有一人，自謂大膽，而作是言：“我欲入此室中寄臥一宿。”即入宿止。

Once upon a time, there was an old house where the rumors had it that an evil demon often appeared. People were so frightened that no one would dare to be in it. A man claiming himself dauntless said: "I would like to spend a night in this house." So he did.

后有一人，自謂膽勇勝于前人，復聞旁人言，此室中恒有惡鬼，即欲入中，排門將前。

Upon hearing from the bystander that the house was frequently haunted by an evil demon, another man also wanted to do the same proving himself to be more intrepid than the first one. He tried to enter by pushing the door.

時先入者謂其是鬼，即復推門，遮不聽前。在后來者復謂有鬼。二人斗爭，遂至天明。既相睹已，方知非鬼。

The one who had got into the house first thought the second one to be the demon and blocked the door to his entrance. The second, unable to open the door, thought the first one to be the demon. They first argued and then began to fight until dawn. When finally coming face to face, they realized that they were both mistaken.

一切世人，亦復如是。因緣暫會，無有宰主，一一推析，誰是我者?然諸眾生橫計是非，強生諍訟，如彼二人等無差別。

So are the people at large. Our ego is subject to the law of impermanence and cause-effect, and therefore there is no mastering power in our body. Considering and analyzing all in all, one can only ask who the ego is. However, human beings indulge in ill-natured gossip everywhere, and fight each other like those men in this told story.

白話：

從前有一間老屋，人人都說房內(nèi)常有惡鬼，就都害怕，不敢進去住。這時有一個人，自認為大膽，說：「我想進這屋中去睡一夜?！咕瓦M去住下了。后來另有一個人，自以為膽勇要勝過前面那個人，又聽傍人說這屋中常有惡鬼，就想進去，一把推開門來。先進入的那位以為他是鬼，也就一把擋住門，不讓他上來。后來的這位也以為有鬼。于是兩人抗衡著，直到天明，你看看我，我看看你，方知都不是鬼。

世上的人也都是這樣。人都是由四大元素借著互為條件的因緣暫時會聚起來，構(gòu)成一個身體，并沒有一個主宰作用的元素存在，一一推析起來，誰是我呢? 然而世人硬是執(zhí)著于我是你非，強生爭訟，如那兩個人的爭斗，毫無差別。