Sutras

[20] The Parable Of A Person Saying A King Is Recklessly Brutal From The Sūtra Of A Hundred Parables《百喻经》之人说王纵暴喻

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《百喻经》
[The] Sūtra [Of A] Hundred Parables

(二〇)人说王纵暴喻
(20) Parable [Of A] Person Saying [A] King [Is] Recklessly Brutal


昔有一人说王过罪,而作是言:「王什暴虐治政无理。」

[In the] past, [there] was [a] person [who] spoke [of a] King’s faults [and] transgressions, then making this statement, ‘[The] King [is] extremely brutal, [with his] governance unreasonable.’

王闻是语即大瞋恚,竟不究悉谁作此语,信傍佞人捉一贤臣,仰使剥脊取百两肉。

[The] King, hearing these words, immediately [had] great anger, going so far as to, without examining all [for] who said these words, believing [a] nearby flattering person, seized a virtuous official, [and] ordered peeling [from his] spine, [to] take [a] hundred liǎngs [i.e. five kilograms] [of] flesh.

有人证明此无是语,王心便悔,索千两肉用为补脊,夜中呻唤甚大苦恼。

[When there] was [a] person [who] proved this [person to be] without these words, [the] King’s mind then regretted, [and] demanded [for a] thousand liǎngs [i.e. 50 kilograms] [of] flesh, [to] use [them] for patching [his] spine. [However], within [the] night, [he] groaned [and] cried out [with] extremely great suffering [and] afflictions.

王闻其声,问言:「何以苦恼?取汝百两,十倍与汝,意不足耶?何故苦恼?」

[The] King, hearing his voice, asked, saying, ‘Why [are you] with suffering [and] afflictions? [Having] taken your hundred liǎngs, [but with] ten times [of that] given [to] you, [is your] mind not contented? [For] what reason [are you with] suffering [and] afflictions?’

傍人答言:「大王!如截子头,虽得千头不免子死,虽十倍得肉,不免苦痛。」

[A] bystander replied, saying, ‘Great King! Like cutting off [a] child’s head, although getting [a] thousand heads, unavoidably, [the] child [will] die. Although [with] ten times [more] getting flesh, unavoidably, [there will be] suffering [and] pain.’

愚人亦尔,不畏后世贪渴现乐,苦切众生,调发百姓多得财物,望得灭罪而得福报。

Foolish persons [are] likewise thus, not fearing future lives, greedily yearning [for] present life’s joys, [with] suffering cutting [from] sentient beings, requisitioning [from] common people [to] get much wealth [and] property, hoping [to] attain elimination [of] transgressions and [to] attain blessed rewards.

譬如彼王割人之脊取人之肉,以余肉补望使不痛,无有是处。

For example, like that King [who] cut [from the] spine of [the] person [to] take [the] flesh of [the] person, with extra flesh patching, hoping [it will] cause painlessness, [this] is without possibility.

[Note: The very foolish continue to prove their foolishness, even after their foolishness has been pointed out to them. They might also be easily angry due to readiness to deny their faults. They might also repeatedly make grave mistakes, and deludedly think they can easily undo them, even when there was great harm done, that is difficult to remedy. If they were truly repentant in the first place, they would not repeat such mistakes.

The foolish also tend to be spiritually shortsighted, caring only about momentary worldly joys, to the extent of creating evil karmas (恶业) by causing others to suffer for their benefits. They might also create more new evil karmas to get ill-gotten gains, then with these, deludedly attempt to ‘make amends’ for past evil karmas. Not only are they not putting out the ‘fires’ of future suffering, they are also adding ‘fuel’ to them, creating and feeding more ‘fires’ too.]

Namo Amituofo : Translation and notes by Shen Shi’an

上个喻
Previous Parable:

乘船失釪喻
[19] The Parable Of Riding A Ship And Losing An Alms Bowl
https://purelanders.com/2023/08/03/19-the-parable-of-riding-a-ship-and-losing-an-alms-bowl-from-the-sutra-of-a-hundred-parables

下个喻
Next Parable:

妇女欲更求子喻
[21] The Parable Of The Woman Desiring Again To Seek A Child
https://purelanders.com/2023/08/04/21-the-parable-of-the-woman-desiring-again-to-seek-a-child-from-the-sutra-of-a-hundred-parables

全百喻
All Hundred Parables:

https://purelanders.com/baiyu

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