百喻經 32 估客偷金喻 A Trader Steals Gold

32 A Trader Steals Gold

32估客偷金喻

Once upon a time, two traders ran some business together. One was a seller of genuine gold, while the other, Tula cotton. A buyer of gold came along and asked for a fire test before buying it. The cotton trader stole the burnt gold and wrapped it with his Tula cotton, which got all burnt up by the red-hot gold.

Thus the stealing was revealed. Consequently, he lost both gold and Tula cotton.

Like them are the heretics, who steal from Buddhism and write in their own religion. They wrongfully claim Buddhism to be their own teaching and deny copying from it. For this reason, they burn and destroy their heretic scripture, which is disappeared from the world.

This is just like the story of the disclosure of the stealing of gold.

譯文

從前有兩個商人一起做買賣。一個是賣真金，另一個是賣兜羅綿。有位顧客來買真金，放在火上燒了，來試測金子的純度。那另一個商人就立即偷了這塊試燒的金子，拿兜羅綿裹著。當時金子熾熱的緣故，綿都燒盡了。事情敗露，兩樣東西都失卻了

這就好像那些外道，偷取了佛教的學說，安裝進自己的學說中，謊說是自己原本就有的，並不是佛教的學說。因為不相融合的緣故，反而毀滅燒壞了外道的典籍，使它湮沒于世，沒有流傳下來。就如那個偷金的人，事情全敗露了，金綿都失卻一樣。

原典

昔有二賈客，共行商賈。一賣真金，其第二者賣兜羅綿①。有他買真金者，燒而試之。第二估客即便偷他被燒之金，用兜羅綿裹。時金熱故，燒綿都盡。情事既露，二事俱失。

如彼外道，偷取佛法，著己法中，妄稱已有，非是佛法。由是之故，燒滅外典，不行于世。如彼偷金，事情都現，亦復如是。

注釋

①兜羅綿：兜羅，梵文Tula，是樹的名稱，綿從樹果中生出來，亦即木綿。另外野蠶繭也叫兜羅綿。

解說

外道的典籍，從現存情況來看，確是不流傳于世，許多材料由于佛典對之作述評而留存著。如《長阿含經》的引述即為一例。