Dhammapada verse # 1, 2
諸法意先導，意主意造作。若以染污意，或語或行業，是則苦隨彼，如輪隨獸足。
Mind precedes all knowables,
mind's their chief, mind-made are they.
If with a corrupted mind
one should either speak or act
dukkha follows caused by that,
as does the wheel the ox's hoof.
諸法意先導，意主意造作。若以清淨意，或語或行業，是則樂隨彼，如影不離形。
Mind precedes all knowables,
mind's their chief, mind-made are they.
If with a clear, and confident mind
one should speak and act
as one's shadow ne'er departing.
☆☆☆
【第1偈的故事】
這一句法句是佛陀住在祇樹給孤獨園的時候，對護眼尊者所說的。
舍衛國有一個富翁，非常有錢，但是他沒有兒子，有一天這位富翁到河邊洗澡，回來時在路邊看到一棵大樹，他心想：這棵樹一定有一位樹神，他便把樹週圍的環境打掃乾淨。他跟樹神祈求說：如果讓我有個孩子，我就來酬謝。之後，他便回家了。
後來，他的太太真的懷孕了，十個月之後生了一個兒子，取名字「護」 ，一年後，太太又生了一個兒子，取名「小護」，並將大兒子改名「大護」 。兒子長大各自結婚後，雙親也過世了。
有一天，大護看到了很多人拿了很多的香、花，到舍衛國的給孤獨園，他問那些人：「你們要去那裡﹖」「我們要去聽佛陀說法」，他就跟著大家 去聽佛陀說法，他坐在最後面。當時佛陀說了六種教法，分別是：一、布施－教人們不要貪；二、持戒－為了我們生命的安全；三、如何上天堂－就是要到好的地 方；四、要如何攝收六根－為了內心的平靜；五、在家的煩惱和障礙；六、出家修行的好處。大護聽了之後，內心非常的快樂，他想：如果我死後，我的兒子、財 產、太太，都不能跟我一起死去，甚至連我的身體也不能跟我一起去，那我在家有什麼好處呢﹖我決定要出家。所以，他走到 前面向佛陀頂禮，並請求跟隨佛陀出家修行。佛陀問他：「你需不需要徵詢家人的意見才出家﹖」「我有一個弟弟在家」「那你先去問你弟弟的意見」 佛陀說。大護回家後，告訴弟弟說：「家裡的一切財產都歸你，我要跟隨佛陀去出家」弟弟說：「你要開玩笑了，父母過世後，你就有如我的父母，你怎麼能出家呢﹖等到你老了再出家吧！」大護回答道：「你也不要開玩笑了，等我老了，我的手、腳、眼睛、頭、牙齒……身體的每一部份都不靈了，怎能行如此奧妙的法呢﹖」 由於大護決心要出家，便不顧弟弟的苦苦哀求，逕自到佛陀處出家了。
他跟隨他的師父一起住了五年。有一天，他到佛陀前問：「出家人的責任是什麼﹖」佛陀回答：「年輕時有兩條路可選：一是要讀書、學習，二是要修習禪定。」他說：「我已經老了，不能讀書了，我要修習禪定。」佛陀告訴他一些修習禪定的方法，他便跟著一群比丘到森林裡去修習禪定。他非常精進，甚至不倒單。因為他的不倒單，沒有睡覺，導致眼疾，兩隻眼睛都看不見了。三個月結夏完畢，護眼尊者回到佛陀住處，住在離佛陀不遠的另一寺院裡。
有一次，護眼尊者到祇樹給孤獨園的寺院去禮拜世尊。一天晚上，尊者在慢步經行中，無意間踩死了一群昆蟲，隔天早上，一群比丘去看護眼尊者時，發現了那一些 昆蟲的屍體，他們對護眼尊者很不諒解，就將這事件稟告佛陀。佛陀反問這些比丘，他們在什麼地方看護眼尊者殺了這些昆蟲了﹖比丘們一時啞口無言，世尊說道： 「你們沒有看見他殺生，正如他沒有看見活著的蟲身一樣，況且，尊者已經證得阿羅漢果，不可能故意殺害生靈，甚且是濫殺無辜」。會中有一比丘請問世尊，尊者既已證得阿羅漢果，為何還是瞎著雙眼﹖世尊因此說了以下的故事：
護眼尊者過去世有一世曾經是個醫生，靠醫術謀生，有一次，一個雙目失明的婦人，來請求醫生為她治療眼疾，這位婦人自允，如果尊者能夠為她治療雙眼，她將帶著她的孩子們，一起來尊者家為僕供他使喚，以報答他的恩情。但當她的雙眼漸漸復明之時，婦人唯恐復明後必需履踐諾言，當醫生的奴僕，因此她就向醫生撒謊說，情況變得更糟了，事實上，婦人的隻目已經完全復原，醫生自己心下明白，知道婦人說謊，意圖狡賴，頓時起了一念報復之心，他將計就計，不動聲色地為她換了另一種眼藥，從此，婦人的兩隻眼睛永不復明。由於這一惡行惡業，尊者在他往後的好幾世生命輪迴當中，都失去了眼根的作用，雙目失明。
接著，佛陀便說了一首偈：
「諸法意先導，意主意造作。
若以染污意，或語或行業，
是則苦隨彼，如輪隨獸足。」
佛說此偈已，會中有三千比丘證得阿羅漢道。
While residing at the Jētavana Monastery in Sàvatthi, the Buddha spoke this verse, with reference to Cakkhupàla, a blind monk.
On one occasion, Monk Cakkhupàla came to pay homage to the Buddha at the Jētavana Monastery. One night, while pacing up and down in meditation, the monk accidentally stepped on some insects. In the morning, some monks visiting the monk found the dead insects. They thought ill of the monk and reported the matter to the Buddha. The Buddha asked them whether they had seen the monk killing the insects. When they answered in the negative, the Buddha said, “Just as you had not seen him killing, so also he had not seen those living insects. Besides, as the monk had already attained arahatship he could have no intention of killing, so he was innocent.” On being asked why Cakkhupàla was blind although he was an arahat, the Buddha told the following story:
Cakkhupàla was a physician in one of his past existences. Once, he had deliberately made a woman patient blind. That woman had promised to become his slave, together with her children, if her eyes were completely cured. Fearing that she and her children would have to become slaves, she lied to the physician. She told him that her eyes were getting worse when, in fact, they were perfectly cured. The physician knew she was deceiving him, so in revenge, he gave her another ointment, which made her totally blind. As a result of this evil deed the physician lost his eyesight many times in his later existences.
【第2偈的故事】
從前佛陀住在舍衛國給孤獨園時，有一個年輕的婆羅門名叫摩特昆得利 ，他是一個非常可愛的少年。他的爸爸名叫俄丁納布柏各，是一個非常吝嗇的人，雖然十分富有，財產超過十億，卻從來不肯佈施。由於吝嗇小器，這個爸爸在為兒子打造金耳環時，還親自動手以節省工錢。
摩特昆得利十六歲時，得了疾病。俄丁納布柏各捨不得花錢請醫生來診治。等到兒子的病況日趨嚴重，快要死了，爸爸才去問醫生。醫生知道他很吝嗇，就告訴他，用樹葉、樹皮熬汁當藥給兒子吃。於是兒子的病情就更加惡化了。鄰居的人知道少年病重，都來探望。吝嗇的父親怕鄰居看見他的財富，就把兒子搬移到走廊上。
那一天早上，佛陀在定中以慈悲觀，觀照到摩特昆得利病危躺在走廊，想要度他，就帶領比丘們往摩特昆得利他們家的方向去托缽。
這年輕的病人看見佛陀來，雖然不能起身向佛陀禮拜，但是他的內心清淨，非常快樂。佛陀看看少年的臉色，知道他很快樂，對他來說，這樣就夠了。等到佛陀離開他的視線，他就死了。死了以後往生忉利天。
摩特昆得利從忉利天望見他的爸爸每天為了兒子的死亡傷心痛哭，便化身為一個小孩，每逢婆羅門哭，他也在後面大聲哭。
婆羅門俄丁納布柏各聽到有小孩哭，就停下來問他說：「為什麼哭﹖」
小孩子也反問他說：「你為什麼哭﹖」
婆羅門回答說：「我失去了一個像你這麼可愛的孩子，所以我傷心地哭 。」
小孩說：「你這樣哭沒有什麼意思。我也缺少了東西，所以才要哭。」
婆羅門關切地問：「你缺少什麼東西﹖我願意給你，不要哭，快告訴我 ！」
小孩子說：「我做了一輛車子，但是缺少兩個輪子，我想要月亮和太陽 當做輪子，不要別的。我沒有得到的話。我就要每天來跟著你一起哭。」
婆羅門罵他：「你真愚痴！這麼遠的東西怎麼可能拿得到？」
小孩子說：「誰是愚痴﹖看得到的東西都有可能拿不到，更何況看不到的東西又怎麼能得到呢﹖我為了看得到的東西哭，你為了看不到的東西哭，是誰愚痴﹖請告訴我 ！」
婆羅門聽了以後，覺得自己很愚笨，便問道：「你說的這些話是從那裡學的﹖」
小孩子說：「我原是你的兒子，死了以後昇到忉利天，不相信的話，你可以去問佛陀。」
於是婆羅門跑去問佛陀：「摩特昆得利沒有什麼功德，為什麼可以去到忉利天﹖」
佛陀回答說：「最重要的是必須心意清淨無污染，內心有喜悅就可以到忉利天。因為一切法都是以心為主導啊！」
接著，佛陀便說了一首偈：
「諸法意先導，意主意造作。若以清淨意，
或語或行業，是則樂隨波，如影不離形。」
佛陀告訴婆羅門說：「你的兒子死之前，我去探望他，看到我去，他非常高興，心中有喜悅，所以他可以去到忉利天。」
聽了佛陀這一番話，婆羅門非常感動，以前吝嗇的習氣全都改了，變成歡喜、肯佈施的人，並盡力護持佛法。從此以後，他的日子過得非常快樂。」
While residing at the Jētavana Monastery in Sàvatthi, the Buddha spoke this verse, with reference to Maññakuõdali, a young Bràhmin.
Maññakuõdali was a young Bràhmin, whose father, Adinnapubbaka, was very miserly and never gave anything in charity. Even the gold ornaments for his only son were made by himself to save payment for workmanship. When his son fell ill, no physician was consulted, until it was too late. When he realized that his son was dying, he had the youth carried outside on to the verandah, so that people coming to see his son would not see his possessions in his house.
On that morning, the Buddha arising early from his deep meditation of compassion saw, in his Net of Knowledge, Maññakuõdali lying on the verandah. So when entering Sàvatthi for almsfood with his disciples, the Buddha stood near the door of the Bràhmin Adinnapubbaka. The Buddha sent forth a ray of light to attract the attention of the youth, who was facing the interior of the house. The youth saw the Buddha; and as he was very weak he could only profess his faith mentally. But that was enough. When he passed away with his heart in devotion to the Buddha he was reborn in the Tàvatiüsa celestial world.
From his celestial abode the young Maññakuõdali, seeing his father mourning over him at the cemetery, appeared to the old man in the likeness of his old self. He told his father about his rebirth in the Tàvatiüsa world and also urged him to approach and invite the Buddha to a meal. At the house of Adinnapubbaka the question of whether one could or could not be reborn in a celestial world simply by mentally professing profound faith in the Buddha, without giving in charity or observing the moral precepts, was brought up. So the Buddha invited Maññakuõdali to appear in person; Maññakuõdali then appeared in his celestial ornaments and told them about his rebirth in the Tàvatiüsa realm. Only then, the listeners became convinced that the son of the Bràhmin Adinnapubbaka, by simply devoting his mind to the Buddha, had attained much glory.
☆☆☆
English source: "Treasury of Truth: Illustrated Dhammapada" by Ven. Weragoda Sarada Maha Thero
中文法句出處：《南傳法句經》 了參法師譯
中文故事出處：《法句經的故事》 護法法師譯
