百喻經 51 五人買婢共使作喻 A Maid Servant and Five Masters

51 A Maid Servant and Five Masters

51五人買婢共使作喻

Once there were five men who together bought one maid. One of them said to her, 「Wash my clothes for me.」 Another told her to do the same thing. The maid said, 「I will wash for whoever gave the the clothes first.」

The second man broke out in anger and said, 「I bought you with the others. Why should you wash only for the first person?」 thereupon he whipped her with ten strokes. The rest of her five masters did the same, each whipping her ten strokes.

The five skandhas are this way, too. They are the causes and conditions of afflictions and combine to make up this body. And yet the five skandhas constantly whip living beings with the limitless suffering of birth, old age, sickness, and death.

譯文

譬如五個人合買了一個婢女，其中一人吩咐這婢女道：「給我洗衣裳。」另有一人也說要洗衣裳。婢女就對他說，先給前面那位洗。後說者怒道：「我與他一道買了你的，為何獨獨他能這樣?」就鞭打她十下。其他四人也想為何他獨獨可以這樣，于是也就各鞭打她十下。

色、受、想、行、識這五陰也是這樣。以種種煩惱為因緣合成了人這個身體，而這身體中的五陰常常用生老病死無窮無盡的苦惱來鞭笞折磨眾生。

原典

譬如五人共買一婢，其中一人語此婢言：「與我浣衣。」次有一人復語浣衣。婢語次者，先與其浣。後者恚曰：「我共前人同買于汝，云何獨爾?」即鞭十下。如是五人各打十下。

五陰亦爾。煩惱因緣合成此身，而此五陰恆以生老病死無量苦惱搒①笞眾生。

注釋

①搒：擊打。