百喻經 40 治禿喻 On Curing Baldness

40 On Curing Baldness

40治禿喻

Once there was a man who was completely bald. In the winter he felt very cold and in the summer he felt very hot. He was bitten by mosquitoes and gnats so that he felt afflicted day and night. One day, the bald man went to consult a physician skilled in medical practice. He said to the physician, 「Great master, please cure my baldness!」

The physician took off his hat, showed the man that he was also bald, and said, 「I am vexed by the same problem. If I could cure this problem, I would have done so for myself a long time ago.」

People of this world are the same. Attacked by the disease of birth, old age, sickness, and death, they seek for immortality. Hearing about shramanas and Brahmans who are good physicians of the world skilled in curing these diseases, they seek one out and say to such a Brahman, 「Please release me from this disease of the impermanence of birth and death, so that I can forever dwell in comfort and joy.」

The Brahman then says to them, 「I myself also suffer from the disease of the impermanence of birth and death. I have made many attempts at seeking immortality, but I still haven』t found it. If I could help you attain it, I would first attain it myself and then help you attain it.」

Thus is like the bald man who tired himself out pursuing a cure in vain.

譯文

從前有個人，頭上沒有毛髮，冬天則大受寒冷，夏天則患曬熱之苦，加上蚊叮虻咬，晝夜不得安寧，苦惱不堪。有一位醫生，醫道懂得很多。這禿子便到醫生那兒去，說：「希望您替我治好它。」而那醫生也是個禿子，這時就脫下帽來給他看，說：「我也有這個病，痛苦不堪。倘若我能醫得好的話，應先把自己治好了，除去這般苦惱。」

世上的人也是這樣，受到了生老病死的侵害，很是苦惱，想要求得長生不死的地方，聽說沙門、婆羅門等是世間的良醫，善于療治種種苦患，就跑到他們那里，說：「希望能替我除去這生命易逝的憂患，永遠處于安樂的狀態，長存不變。」這時婆羅門等就回答道：「我亦遭受著無常、生老病死的痛苦，到處尋覓著安樂長存的地方，然而終究是得不到的。如今我若是能讓你得到，我自己也是應先得到的，然後令你也得到。」世上的人也像那苦于禿頭的人一樣，徒然地自尋疲勞，卻無法治愈。

原典

昔有一人，頭上無毛，冬則大寒，夏則患熱，兼為蚊虻之所唼食，晝夜受惱，甚以為苦。有一醫師，多諸方術。時彼禿人往至其所，語其醫言：「唯願大師為我治之。」時彼醫師亦復頭禿，即便脫帽示之，而語之言：「我亦患之，以為痛苦。若令我治能得差者，應先自治，以除其患。」

世間之人，亦復如是，為生老病死之所侵惱，欲求長生不死之處，聞有沙門、婆羅門等世之良醫善療眾患，便往其所而語之言：「唯願為我除此無常生死之患，常處安樂，長存不變。」時婆羅門等即便報言：「我亦患此無常生老病死，種種求覓長存之處，終不能得。今我若能使汝得者，我亦應先自得，令汝亦得。」如彼患禿之人，徒自疲勞，不能得差。