百喻經 53 師患腳付二弟子喻 The Master』s Hurting Legs and His Two disciples

53 The Master』s Hurting Legs and His Two disciples

53師患腳付二弟子喻

One time a master instructed his two disciples to take care of his hurting legs. Each disciple was told to continuously massage one leg. But each of the two disciples disliked and felt jealousy toward the other. If one disciple went out, the other would use a stone to break the leg the first one had been massaging. When the first one came back, out of anger he would break the leg that the second one had been massaging.

The same is true of Buddhist disciples Scholars of the Vaipulya (Great Vehicle) deprecate scholars of the Theravada, while scholars of the Theravada also deprecate scholars of the Vaipulya. This threatens to bring about the destruction of the scriptures of both schools of the Great Sage.

譯文

譬如某位大師有兩位弟子。大師腳有病了，就讓兩個弟子每人一只腳，隨時按摩。這兩個弟子平常互相憎厭嫉妬，其中一位外出了，另一位就把他應按摩的腳用石頭砸折了。他回來之後，見到這般情景，也氣忿地把那人按摩的腳立即打斷了。

佛門的弟子也是這樣，大乘學者攻擊排斥小乘，小乘學者也攻擊排斥大乘，所以使得大聖的法典在雙方的爭執中失去了它原初的意義。

原典

譬如一師有二弟子。其師患腳，遣二弟子人當一腳隨時按摩。其二弟子常相憎嫉，一弟子行，其一弟子捉其所當按摩之腳以石打折。彼既來已，忿其如是，復捉其人所按之腳尋複打折。

佛法學徒亦復如是，方等①學者非斥小乘，小乘學者復非方等，故使大聖法典二途兼亡。

注釋

①方等：是大乘經典的通名，方指方廣，等即平等，大乘理論的玄妙觀念，放諸四海而皆準，所以說是方廣；且又適用于凡夫與聖人，所以說是平等。

源流

昔雪山中有鳥名為共命，一身二頭。一頭常食美果，欲使身得安穩。一頭便生嫉妬之心，而作是言：「彼常云何食好美果，我不曾得。』即取毒果食之，使二頭俱死。(《雜寶藏經》卷三，見《大正藏》第四冊第四六四頁)