Sutras

[62] The Parable Of The Sick Person Eating Pheasant Meat From The Sūtra Of A Hundred Parables《百喻经》之病人食雉肉喻

yellow and orange bird on green plant
Photo by Jeffry Surianto on Pexels.com

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

(六二)病人食雉肉喻
[62] Parable [Of The] Sick Person Eating Pheasant Meat


昔有一人病患委笃,良医占之云:「须恒食一种雉肉可得愈病。」

[In the] past, [there] was a person [from a] sickness suffering, [becoming] critically ill. [A] good doctor observed him [and] said, ‘[You] should constantly eat a kind [of] pheasant meat, [so that you] can get healed [from your] sickness.’

而此病者市得一雉,食之已尽更不复食。

Then, this sick person [from the] market got one pheasant. [Having] eaten it completely already, [did] not further again eat [more].

医于后时见,便问之:「汝病愈未?」

[The] doctor at [a] later time seeing [him], then asked him, ‘[Is] your sickness healed yet?’

病者答言:「医先教我恒食雉肉,是故今者食一雉已尽更不敢食。」

[The] sick person replied, saying, ‘[You], doctor first taught me [to] constantly eat pheasant meat, therefore now [having] eaten one pheasant completely already, further, [I do] not dare [to] eat [more].’

医复语言:「若前雉已尽,何不更食?汝今云何正食一雉望得愈病?」

[The] doctor again spoke, saying, ‘If [the] previous pheasant [was] completely [eaten] already, why not further eat [more]? Why [are] you now, just [having] eaten [only] one pheasant, hoping [to] get healed [from your] sickness?’

一切外道亦复如是,闻佛菩萨无上良医说言,当解心识,外道等执于常见,便谓过去未来现在唯是一识无有迁谢,犹食一雉,是故不能疗其愚惑烦恼之病。

All external paths [are] likewise thus, hearing [the] Buddhas [and] Bodhisattvas [are] unsurpassable good doctors say, [that there] should [be] understanding [of the] mind’s consciousness, external paths [and] others [become] attached to [the] eternalist view, then saying [that in the] past, future [and] present, [there] is are only one consciousness, without having changing [and] declining. Like eating [only] one pheasant, [they are] therefore not able [to] heal [their] sickness of foolish confusions [and] afflictions.

[Note 1: To be attached to the impermanent as permanent is a spiritual sickness, for if one’s consciousness is believed to be unchangeable, how will one be willing to better oneself? It is with consciousness that can change, that we can evolve to become better, to realise purity. That constant is our Buddha-nature (佛性), the potential to become pure.]

大智诸佛教诸外道除其常见,一切诸法念念生灭,何有一识常恒不变?

[With] great wisdom, all Buddhas teach all external paths [to] eliminate their eternalist view. [As] all dharmas [from] thought [to] thought arise [and] cease, how [can there] be one consciousness [that is] always constant [and does] not change?

[Note 2: All dharmas (诸法) are all phenomena of mind and matter.]

如彼世医教更食雉而得病愈,佛亦如是,教诸众生令得解,诸法坏故不常,续故不断,即得刬除常见之病。

Like that worldly doctor teaching [to] further eat pheasants, [to] then get [the] sickness healed, [the] Buddha likewise thus, teaches all sentient beings, [to] lead [them to] attain understanding, [that as] all dharmas [will be] destroyed, [they are] thus not constant, [and as they are] continuous, [they are] thus not ceasing, then getting elimination [of the] sickness of [their] eternalist view.

[Note 3: All dharmas are constantly changing, thus with apparent ‘arising’ and ‘ceasing’. However, they do not ‘arise’ from nothing or ‘cease’ to become nothing. There is nothing actually arising or arisen, ceasing or ceased, but there is constant (i.e. continuous) changing of everything, from one thing to another.

As taught by Śākyamuni Buddha (释迦牟尼佛) in the Brahmā Net Sūtra《梵网经》, ‘All dharmas’ (i.e. phenomena of mind and matter) true form, does not arise, likewise does not cease; is not constant, likewise does not end; is not one, likewise not different; does not come, likewise does not go (due to beginningless and endless continuous change).’ (诸法真实相:不生亦不灭;不常亦不断;不一亦不异;不来亦不去。) This presents the Middle Path (中道) between the eternalistic view (常见) and the nihilstic view (断见).]

Namo Amituofo : Translation and notes by Shen Shi’an

上个喻
Previous Parable:

梵天弟子造物因喻
[61] The Parable Of Brāhma’s Disciple’s Created Things’ Cause
https://purelanders.com/2023/09/29/61-the-parable-of-brahmas-disciples-created-things-cause-from-the-sutra-of-a-hundred-parables

下个喻
Next Parable:

伎儿着戏罗刹服共相惊怖喻
[63] The Parable Of The Singing And Dancing Performer Wearing Rākṣasa’s Costume Together With One Another Alarmed
https://purelanders.com/2023/10/01/63-the-parable-of-the-singing-and-dancing-performer-wearing-rak%e1%b9%a3asas-costume-together-with-one-another-alarmed-from-the-sutra-of-a-hundred-parables

全百喻
All Hundred Parables:

https://purelanders.com/baiyu

Please be mindful of your speech, Amituofo!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.