百喻經 5 渴見水喻 Seeing Water and Getting Thristy

5 Seeing Water and Getting Thristy

5渴見水喻

Long ago there was a stupid, unwise man who was extremely thirsty and in need of water. Seeing a mirage, he mistook it for water and ran after it. He followed it all the way to the Indus River. Then he just stood by the river and stared at it, without drinking.

A bystander said, 「You were so thirsty and desperate for water. Now you have found water, why don』t you drink it?」

The stupid man replied, 「If I could drink it all, I would drink it. But there is so much of it I could never drink it all. Therefore, I』m not going to drink any of it.」

Hearing this, the crowd laughed loudly. This is like those of outside ways who stubbornly hold to their views and think themselves, incapable of keeping all the Buddha』s precepts. They therefore refuse to receive any of them. Because of this, they have no share in future enlightenment, but turn and flow in birth and death. They are like the man who was laughed at because he saw the water but refused to drink.

譯文

過去有一個人，愚痴無智慧，渴極了須要飲水，見炎熱時遠處野地里騰升的水氣，以為是水，即便追尋而去，直逐至印度河邊。既已到了河邊，卻定定地看著不飲。傍人說道：「你這麼渴，望著水氣而奔逐，如今到了水邊，為何不飲呢?」愚人答道：「倘若可以飲盡的話，我便飲了。而今這水極多，完全不可飲盡，所以就不飲了。」眾人當時聽了這話，都哄然地嗤笑他。

這就好比那些外道，執著于事理的某一端，認為自己不能完全受持佛法的戒律，于是便索性一戒也不受持了，致使將來毫無得道的緣分，流轉于生死苦海之中，不得出離。就如那個愚人見了水，卻不飲，為當時人所笑，道理正是一致的。

原典

過去有人，痴無智慧，極渴須水，見熱時焰，謂為是水，即便逐走，至辛頭河①。既至河所，封視不飲。傍人語言：「汝患渴逐水，今至水所，何故不飲?」愚人答言：「若②可飲盡，我當飲之。此水極多，俱不可盡，是故不飲。」爾時眾人聞其此語，皆大嗤笑。

譬如外道，僻取于③理，以己不能具持佛戒，遂便不受，致使將來無得道分，流轉生死。若彼愚人見水不飲，為時所笑，亦復如是。

注釋

①辛頭河：即印度河，系俗語Simdhu的音譯，玄奘《大唐西域記》作信度河，系梵文Sindhu的音譯。

②「若」，《麗藏》作「君」，形似有誤，今從宋、元、明三藏改。

③「于」，《麗藏》作「其」，今從宋、元、明三藏改。

源流

《中阿含經》卷三十二：譬如有人以渴入池而反渴還。(見《中華大藏經》第三十一冊第六八四頁)

解說

佛經中多有受持一戒而得道的記載。世間眾生于浩瀚之法海，取其一瓢而飲，受持而行，也可祛除生死煩惱。《法句譬喻經》卷二載：有位大商賈，名叫波利，與五百估客入海求寶。當時海神掬著一捧水問波利道：「海水多呢，還是這一掬水多?」他答道：「這一掬水為多。海水雖多，無益于應急時用，不能救那飢渴之人：這一掬水雖少，恰碰上渴者，便可持用與他，以救性命。」(可參見《大正藏》第四冊第五八五頁)