百喻經 39 見他人涂舍喻 Plastering the Walls

39 Plastering the Walls

39見他人涂舍喻

Once there was a man who visited another man whose house had just had its walls plastered so they were made even and looked nice and neat. The man asked his host, 「With what did you plaster the walls so that they look so nice?」

The host replied, 「I used a mixture of rice bran, water, and clay to achieve such a fine result.」

The foolish man thought to himself, 「It would be better if he had used rice grain instead of rice bran. The walls would be even more smooth, white, and clean.」

Thereupon he mixed rice grain together with clay and plastered the walls of his own house, hoping for a smooth and tidy effect. But the walls became cracked and uneven. He had wasted the rice grain to no avail. He would have done better if he had used the grain to practice giving and thereby accrued some merit and virtue.

Common people are this way, too. They hear the sages preach Dharma, which says that if people cultivate good acts, after they die they will be born in the heavens and attain liberation. Then these people kill themselves, thinking they can be reborn in the heavens or attain liberation this way. They merely lost their lives and obtain nothing. They are like the stupid man with the plaster.

譯文

從前有一個人，到別人家去，見那屋舍的牆壁涂治得平平正正，清淨美觀，便問道：「用什麼和混了涂，竟然這麼好?」主人答道：「將碎稻谷殼浸在水中，使它軟和了，再和泥涂壁，就成這個樣子了。」愚人就想：倘若純粹用稻殼，不如與稻米和合著一起用，壁可白淨，也可涂得平正好看。便用稻谷和著泥來涂壁，祈望著更平正一些，不料反而是高高低低的，牆壁都坼裂開來，白白地耗費了稻谷，一點益處都沒有，還不如惠施，倒是件功德事。

世上的人也是這樣，聽聖人說法，講修行種種善業，到這命終了，便可以生到天上去，得到解脫，于是就自殺了，祈望能生到天上，得到解脫。徒然地使自己喪失了生命，一無所獲，就如那愚人一樣。

原典

昔有一人，往至他舍。見他屋舍，牆壁涂治，其地平正，清淨甚好，便問之言：「用何涂壁，得如是好?」主人答言：「用稻谷(麥＋弋)①水浸令熟，和泥涂壁，故得如是。」愚人即便而作念言：若純以稻(麥＋弋)「不如合稻而用作之，壁可白淨，泥治平好。便用稻谷和泥，用涂其壁，望得平正，反更高下，壁都坼裂，虛棄稻谷，都無利益，不如惠施，可得功德。

凡夫之人，亦復如是，聞聖人之說法，修行諸善，舍此身已，可得生天及以解脫，便自殺身，望得生天及以解脫。徒自虛喪，空無所獲，如彼愚人。

注釋

①(麥＋弋)：音弋，碎麥殼或稻殼。