百喻经之四五: 奴守门喻

(45) THE SLAVE GUARDS THE DOOR

譬如有人，将欲远行，敕其奴言：“尔好守门，并看驴索。”

Once there was a man who was about to take a long trip. He gave orders to his slave and said, "Keep a close watch over the door as well as the donkey and the rope".

其主行后，时邻里家有作乐者，此奴欲听，不能自安。寻以索系门，置于驴上，负至戏处，听其作乐。奴去之后，舍中财物，贼尽持去。大家行还，问其奴言：“财物所在?”

After his departure, the neighbor was playing music with drew attention of the slave. He put the rope and the door on the ass' back and went to the neighbor to listen to the music. The house was then ransacked by a thief after he had left it. On his return, the master asked the alive what had happened to his house.

奴便答言：“大家先付门、驴及索，自是以外，非奴所知。”

The slave replied, "You told me to take care of the door, the ass and the rope. I know nothing about the rest."

大家复言：“留尔守门，正为财物。财物既失，用于门为?”

Again the master said, "The whole idea of watching the door is for you to watch the house. Now that the house has been robbed, what's the use in having the door?"

生死愚人为爱奴仆，亦复如是。如来教诫，常护根门，莫著六尘，守无明驴，看于爱索。而诸比丘不奉佛教，贪求利养，诈现清白，静处而坐，心意流驰，贪著五欲，为色、声、香、味之所惑乱，无明覆心，爱索缠缚，正念、觉、意，道品财宝，悉皆散失。

Stupid men in the world cling to birth and death (or transmigration) by their lust for life like the slave to the door. Buddha preaches to control the six sense organs (the door) without attaching to the six objective fields. In addition, he advises to keep watch on human folly (the ass) as well as all desires (the rope). However, most monks do not follow the teachings of Buddhism seeking enviously material offerings from others. Even when practicing meditation, they give an appearance to being pure and clean. But their minds are still unsettled by their attachment to the five desires and deluded by sight, sound, smell, taste etc. When ignorance takes over the mind and attachment to desires comes into being, all lost will be the right thought, the enlightened mind and the monastic grades (Just as the robbed house of the told story).

注释：

①大家：王人。

②正念：能专心忆念佛法，叫做正念，心若是流驰散逸了，就应当摄它回来，使其止于正念上。

③觉意：又作菩提心、无上道心，即求无上菩提之心。

④道品：是达到涅盘境界的道法的品类，有三十七科。

白话：

譬如有人将要出门远行，吩咐仆人道：「你好好守著门，并看管住驴子和绳索。」主人走后，邻村的人家这时正在奏乐，这仆人很想去听，心中动摇，不能自安，随即便用绳索系了门，放在驴上，赶著，到那奏乐的地方，去听音乐。仆人离去之后，屋中的财物都被贼偷去了。主人回来，问仆人道：「财宝哪儿去了?」仆人答道：「主人先前嘱咐看守门、驴及绳子，除了这些以外，我就不知道了。」主人说：「留你守门，正是为了财物。财物丢失了，还要门做什么用?』

流转于生死的愚人，贪恋著爱欲的仆人，也是如此。如来教诫道：要常常护住引出种种烦恼、进入种种妄尘的六根这扇门，不要让色、声、香、味、触、法这六尘之贼进来，守住烦恼这头驴，不要让它随意驰走，看好爱欲这条绳索。然而有些比丘不奉行佛的教诲，贪求利养;装得清白，在幽静处坐禅;其实心意流驰，贪恋五欲，被色声香味迷惑住了。烦恼占据了整个的心，爱索缠缚住了整个的身，使得正念、觉意、道品之类的财宝都散失掉了。

这故事比喻∶如来教导我们，应当常常摄心，守护六根的『门』，不要被六尘的『贼』侵入(眼、耳、鼻、舌、身、意叫作六根，修行就要从摄心觉照，守护六根门头著手;色、声、香、味、触、法叫作六尘，不知六尘的虚妄，执著它们、迷恋它们，就会染污六根，造作种种恶业)。有些人却不听这个教诫，去贪求名利，就是在静坐的时候，还是念念攀缘著名利食色，牢守著无明的驴子和贪爱的绳索，却洞开了六根的大『门』，结果被六尘烦恼的盗『贼』侵入，弄得道品的功德财宝都散失完了