(77) TO MILK A DONKEY
昔邊國人,不識于驢,聞他說言,驢乳甚美,都無識者。爾時(shí)諸人,得一父驢,欲搆其乳,爭共捉之。
Once upon a time, there was a group of frontiersmen who had never seen a monkey before. Thus they could not identify it. They were told that its milk was delicious. It happened that they found a male donkey and they tried to milk it. They began their wrangling about apprehending it.
其中有捉頭者,有捉耳者,有捉尾者,有捉腳者,復(fù)有捉器者,各欲先得,于前飲之。中捉驢根,謂呼是乳,即便搆之,望得其乳。眾人疲厭,都無所得,徒自勞苦,空無所獲,為一切世人之所嗤笑。
One seized its head: another, its ears; the third, its tail; the fourth, its feet; and finally the fifth, its penis. All wanted to be the first to drink its milk. The one who grasped the donkey's penis called out that he could get milk there from. Then he began to extract. Finally, this group of people felt tired and bored, for they could not get what they had wanted. They got nothing in return, despite of their effort. They were all laughed at by the people at large.
外道凡夫,亦復(fù)如是。聞?wù)f于道不應(yīng)求處,妄生想念,起種種邪見,裸形自餓,投巖赴火,以是邪見,墮于惡道。如彼愚人,妄求于乳。
This is also held to be true with the common heretics. The heretics who learn their religious faith from some inadequate sources, might lead to illusions giving rise to all kinds of heterodox views such as to go naked, to fast, to jump into precipice or go through fire. With all these kinds of heterodox views, they fall to the evil paths, like those stupid men seeking in vain for milk from a male donkey.
白話:
從前,邊遠(yuǎn)國家的人不認(rèn)得驢,聽說驢乳甚美,也都沒有嘗到過。當(dāng)時(shí)一些人得了一頭公驢,想捋擠它的乳來嘗嘗,便爭著將它捉住。其中有捉頭的,有捉耳的,有捉尾的,有捉腳的,又有捉生殖器的,各人都想先得,就上前去,吮吸了一番。其中有捉住驢鞭的,叫道,啊哈!這是乳了,隨即捋擠起來,祈望得到乳汁。眾人一無所得,疲厭了。徒然地勞苦了一番,毫無結(jié)果,遭到世人的嗤笑。
外道凡夫也是這樣,耳聞了修道的方法,卻不知道怎樣實(shí)行,在不應(yīng)修求的地方,妄生出迷念來,形成種種邪見。于是裸露身體,自忍饑餓,投身懸崖,赴于火中,以為可以得道,由于這種邪見,便墮落于三惡道之中,如那些在公驢身上妄求乳汁的愚人一樣。