牛車 Ox Cart

〖牛車〗

假設我們有一輛牛車和一只牛來拉它，車的輪子並不是長的，但輪跡卻是長的。只要這只牛拉動車子，輪跡就會隨著車輪的拉動而延伸；輪子是圓的，輪跡卻是長的，若光看靜止的牛車，是看不到車輪有任何長度的，不過，一旦牛開始拉動車子，我們就可以看到輪跡也在我們後面一直伸長，只要牛不停歇地拉，車輪便會不停地轉動。然而，終有那麼一天的來臨——當牛疲困脫牛軛時，牠走開了，只留下牛車在那兒，輪子也不再轉動了！時間一到，這牛車自然會分崩離析，構成車子的所有部份也將歸回四種元素：地、水、火、風。

跟隨世間法的人們也是一樣！如果有人想在世間法里尋找寧靜，他將無停歇地像車輪所輾出的輪跡一樣，繼續下去。如果我們不斷追隨世間法，我們就沒得停止、沒得歇息。只要我們很單純地停止追隨世間法，車輪便會停止不再轉動。不停地追隨世間法，輪跡就會繼續不斷延伸，制造惡業也是一樣。只要我們再次地重蹈覆轍，一切將永無止期。如果我們停止，一切也將停止。這就是佛法的修習。

Ox Cart

Suppose we had a cart, and an ox to pull it. The wheels of the cart aren’t long, but the tracks are. As long as the ox pulls the cart, the tracks will follow. The wheels are round, yet the tracks are long. Just looking at the stationary cart, one couldn’t see anything long about the wheels, but once the ox starts pulling the cart, we see the tracks stretching out behind. As long as the ox keeps pulling, the wheels keep turning. But there comes a day when the ox gets tired and throws off its yoke. The ox walks off and the cart is left there. The wheels no longer turn. In time the cart falls apart. Its constituent parts go back into the four elements of earth, water, wind and fire. People who follow the world are the same. If one were to look for peace within the world, one would go on and on without end, just like the wheels of a cart. As long as we follow the world, there is no stopping, no rest. If we simply stop following it, the wheels of the cart no longer turn. There is stopping right there. Following the world ceaselessly, the tracks go on. Creating bad kamma is like this. As long as we continue to follow the old ways, there is no stopping. If we stop, then there is stopping. This is the practice of Dhamma.