The Dead Son Remains in the House 6子死欲停置家中喻

“千佛名蓝、中兴百年”南京栖霞古寺

"The Dead Son Remains in the House6子死欲停置家中喻Once there was a stupid man who had seven children. One child died young. Seeing this, the man wished to leave the corpse in the house and move out himself.Observing this, a bystander said, “Birth and death are separate paths. You should quickly conduct a proper funeral and bury the corpse in a far away place. How can you leave the corpse here and move out yourself?”Hearing this, the stupid man thought to himself, “If I’m not going to leave the corpse here, but bury it instead, I should kill another child to hang at the other end of a long pole. Then I can carry them both off to be buried.” And so he proceeded to kill another child. Then he put both corpses on the ends of along pole and took them off to be buried in the forest. People who saw this were shocked at such a strange occurrence.This is like a Bhikshu who secretly breaks one precept and is afraid to repent. He keeps silent about it and hides his mistake, insisting to himself that he is pure. Then someone discovers his misdeed and says, “Those who have left home should keep the precepts flawlessly like guarding precious pearls. Why do you now, having broken a precept, wish not to repent?”The violator says, “As long as I am going to repent, I might as well break some more precepts and then confess them all at once.” Then he casually breaks the precepts and does many bad deeds. That Bhikshu is like the stupid man who, since one of his children had died, killed yet another.译文从前有位愚人，养育了七个儿子，其中一个先死掉了。愚人这时见儿子已经死了，便想将他停置在家中，自己弃家到别处去。傍人见了，就对他说：「生与死的境地不同，应当速速入殓了，运至远处去埋葬吧，怎么能停放在家里，自己却欲弃家而去?」愚人当时听了这话，便想：倘若不可停放，定要葬掉的话，还须再杀掉一个儿子，担子两头，各放一个，这样才可稳顺地担到那儿去。于是便再杀了一个儿子，挑着，到远处的林野之地葬掉了。当时人们见了，不禁愕然，竟有这般闻所未闻的事情，大大地嗤笑了他。就譬如比丘私底下违犯了一条戒律，心内害怕改悔，便默然覆藏住了，自己骗说自己是清净的。或有知情者对他说：「出家人守持禁戒，就如守护明珠一样，不使它们有所缺漏。你现在违犯了所受的戒律，为什么不想忏悔?」犯戒者答道：「倘若须忏悔的话，要再犯一戒，然后才表出罪过，以求改悔。」于是便继续破戒，多作不善的事情，这样才一下子发露自己的罪过。如那愚人一样，一子已死了，又杀一子。如今这比丘也是如此。原典昔有愚人，养育七子，一子先死。时此愚人见于既死，便欲停置于其家中，自欲弃去。傍人见已，而语之言：「生死道异，当速庄严，致于远处而殡葬之。云何得留，自欲弃去?」尔时愚人闻此语已，即自思念：若不得留，要当葬者，须更杀一子，停担两头，乃可胜致。于是便更杀其一子而担负之，远葬林野。时人见之，深生嗤笑，怪未曾有。譬如比丘私犯一戒，情惮改悔，默然覆藏，自说清净。或有知者，即语之言：「出家之人，守持禁戒，如护明珠，不使缺落。汝今云何违犯所受，欲不忏悔?」犯戒者言：「苟须忏者，更就犯之，然后当出。」遂便破戒，多作不善，尔乃顿出。如彼愚人，一子既死，又杀一子。今此比丘，亦复如是。解说不善的事，不可一不做，二不休。

原典昔外国法，节①庆之日，一切妇女尽持优钵罗华②，以为鬘③饰。有一贫人，其妇语言：“尔若能得优钵罗华来用与我，为尔作妻;若不能得，我舍尔去。”其夫先来常善能作鸳鸯之鸣，即入王池，作鸳鸯鸣，偷优钵罗华。时守池者而作是问：“池中者谁？”而此贫人失口答言：“我是鸳鸯。”守者捉得，将诣王所，而于中道复更和声作鸳鸯鸣。守池者言：“尔先不作，今作何益？”世间愚人亦复如是，终身残害，作众恶业，不习④心行⑤，使令调善，临命终时，方言：“今我欲得修善。”狱卒将去，付阎罗王⑥。虽欲修善，亦无所及已。如彼愚人，欲到王所，作鸳鸯鸣。注释①「法节」：《丽藏》作「节法」，误，今据宋、元、明三藏改。②优钵罗华：梵文 Utpala，就是青莲华，叶子狭长，近下处稍圆，向上渐渐尖起来，很像佛眼。③鬘：梵文  Soma译音的简称，将花朵贯串起来，作为装饰，佩戴在头上或身上。④习：调节。⑤心行：心，念念迁流不已，或念善，或念恶，所以叫做心行。⑥阎罗王：梵文Yama-rājā，主管生死罪福之业，役使鬼卒追摄罪人，捶拷治罚，决断善恶。译文从前外国的习俗，在节庆之日里，所有妇女都佩戴优钵罗华作为装饰。有一个穷人，妻子对他说：“你若是能得来优钵罗华与我佩戴，就做你的妻子；若是不能得到，我便离开你了。”她丈夫先前很能摹仿鸳鸯的叫声，便跨进国王的池沼，一边作鸳鸯的鸣声，一边偷优钵罗华。这时守池人问道：“池中的是谁？”这穷人失口答道：“我是鸳鸯。”守池人将他捉牢了，带到国王处去，走到半道上，穷人又抑扬有致地作起鸳鸯的鸣声来。守池人说：“你先前不叫，现在叫有什么用？”世上的愚人也是这样，终身杀生害命，作种种恶业，不调节心行，以使它朝善的方向发展，待到命终时，方说：“如今我想修行善业。”狱卒依然把他带去，付与阎罗王处治。虽是想修行善业，也已经晚了。就好像那个愚人，快到国王那儿了，才作起鸳鸯叫来。

“千佛名蓝、中兴百年”南京栖霞古寺