百喻經 44 欲食半餅喻 Eating Half a Cake

44 Eating Half a Cake

44欲食半餅喻

Once there was a man who was so hungry, he ate seven pancakes. By the time he had finished eating six and half pancakes, he was full. Remorseful and upset, he slapped his own hand and said, 」Half a pancake filled me up. The other six were wasted. If I had known that this half a pancake could fill me up, I would have eaten it first.」

Worldly people are like this, too. They have never experienced bliss, and yet they convince themselves with their stupid delusion that there is such a thing as bliss, just like that foolish man who was convinced he got full by eating half a pancake. Worldly ignorant people think that wealth and honor are bliss. And yet the pursuit of wealth and honor entails much suffering. To guard them after having obtained them is also suffering. And, having lost them, pining and fretting over them is even more suffering. Throughout those three periods of time, one is never blissful.

This is also like people who delude themselves into thinking that food and clothing are pleasure. Therefore, the Buddhas says, 「The three realms have no peace. They are all suffering.」 But because they are upside down, ordinary people cling on to their mistaken notions of bliss.

譯文

譬如有人因為餓了，一口氣吃了七枚煎餅。吃到六枚半的時候，便覺得飽了。這人懊惱後悔起來，抬手打著自己，說：「我現在已飽足了，都賴這半枚餅的原因。前面那六枚餅，就這麼空佬佬地浪費掉了。倘若知道吃了這半個餅就能飽了，應先吃它才是。」

世上的人也是這樣，自古以來，就永遠沒有什麼快樂的事情，然而世人癡愚顛倒，橫空生出快樂的念頭來，就像那個癡人，對半塊餅產生會飽的想法。世人實在無知，竟以富貴為樂。那富貴麼，追求之際很苦，待到獲得了，守護住它也很苦，此後一旦又失去了，憂思念想又是苦，在早中晚三時中，都沒有什麼快樂。就好比衣食可以遮寒祛飢，便在辛苦營求中橫空生出快樂的念頭來。諸佛都說：「欲界、色界、無色界這三界中都沒有什麼安樂，只都是大苦而已。」世上的人顛倒迷惑的緣故，方才橫空生出快樂的念頭來。

原典

譬如有人，因其饑故，盒七枚煎餅。食六枚半已，便得飽滿。其人恚悔，以手自打，而作是言：「我今飽足，由此半餅。然前六餅，唐自捐棄。設知半餅能充足者，應先食之。」

世間之人亦復如是，從本以來，常無有樂，然其痴倒，橫生樂想。如彼癡人，于半番餅生于飽想。世人無知，以富貴為樂。夫富貴者，求時甚苦，既獲得已，守護亦苦，後還失之，憂念復苦，于三時中，都無有樂。猶如衣食，遮故名樂，于辛苦中橫生樂想。諸佛說言：「三界無安，皆是大苦。」凡夫倒惑，橫生樂想。