Dhammapada verse #31
樂不放逸比丘，或者懼見放逸，猶如猛火炎炎，燒去大結、小結。
The bhikkhu liking heedfulness,
seeing fear in heedlessness,
advances as a conflagration
burning fetters great and small.
☆☆☆
【第31偈的故事】
有一位比丘得到佛陀給他的觀想題目後，就到森林裡去禪修。雖然努力修持，但卻只有非常小的進展。他感到沮喪、挫折而返回祇樹給孤獨園，希望佛陀能給他進一步的指引。路上，他遇見熊熊大火，於是就跑到山上去觀察火勢。正當火勢漫延時，他突然領悟到，就像火燒毀一切東西，究竟智慧也會解除生命中大大小小小的束縛。
這時候，佛陀明瞭這比丘的意念，就放光，出現在比丘面前，告訴他：「你現在的思考方向是正確的，繼續努力吧！就如大火燒毀一切障礙，繫念在前的比丘解除所有的結 (註)。」這比丘聽完佛陀的說法後，正念現前，思考佛陀的告誡，不久之後，就證得阿羅漢果。
備註：
有十種結（束縛）：身見、疑、戒禁取、貪、瞋、色愛、無色愛、慢、掉舉和無明。前五項稱為五下分結，較輕微，後五項則稱為五上分結，較嚴重，一旦證得預流果，則解脫五下分結中的前三項，其餘二項則在證得一來果時，會減輕，但證得不還果時，才會滌除殆盡。
五上分結則只有證得阿羅漢果後，才能予以滌除。
While residing at the Jētavana Monastery, the Buddha spoke this verse, with reference to a certain monk.
The story goes that this monk obtained from the Teacher a meditation topic leading to arahatship and retired to the forest. Although he strove and struggled with might and main, he was unable to attain arahatship. Thereupon he said to himself, I will ask the Buddha to give me a meditation topic better suited to my needs.” So he departed from his place of residence and set out to return to the Buddha. On the way he saw a great forest fire raging. Accordingly he climbed up to the top of a bald mountain and sat down. As he watched the fire consume the forest, he concentrated his mind on the following thought, “Even as this fire advances, consuming all obstacles both great and small, so also ought I to advance, consuming all obstacles both great and small by the fire of knowledge of the noble path.”
The Buddha, even as he sat in his Perfumed Chamber, became aware of the course of his thoughts and spoke as follows, “Monk, this is precisely true. Even as fire consumes all obstacles both great and small, so also is it necessary with the fire of knowledge to consume and utterly destroy all attachments both small and great which arise within these living beings.” And sending forth a luminous image of himself, present, as it were, sitting face to face with that monk, he gave a stanza.
At the conclusion of the stanza that monk, even as he sat there, consumed all the attachments and attained Arahatship, together with the Supernormal Faculties. And straightway, soaring through the air, he approached the Buddha, praising and glorifying the golden body of the Buddha. And when he had done him homage, he departed.
While residing at the Jētavana Monastery, the Buddha spoke this verse, with reference to a certain monk.
The story goes that this monk obtained from the Teacher a meditation topic leading to arahatship and retired to the forest. Although he strove and struggled with might and main, he was unable to attain arahatship. Thereupon he said to himself, I will ask the Buddha to give me a meditation topic better suited to my needs.” So he departed from his place of residence and set out to return to the Buddha. On the way he saw a great forest fire raging. Accordingly he climbed up to the top of a bald mountain and sat down. As he watched the fire consume the forest, he concentrated his mind on the following thought, “Even as this fire advances, consuming all obstacles both great and small, so also ought I to advance, consuming all obstacles both great and small by the fire of knowledge of the noble path.”
The Buddha, even as he sat in his Perfumed Chamber, became aware of the course of his thoughts and spoke as follows, “Monk, this is precisely true. Even as fire consumes all obstacles both great and small, so also is it necessary with the fire of knowledge to consume and utterly destroy all attachments both small and great which arise within these living beings.” And sending forth a luminous image of himself, present, as it were, sitting face to face with that monk, he gave a stanza.
At the conclusion of the stanza that monk, even as he sat there, consumed all the attachments and attained Arahatship, together with the Supernormal Faculties. And straightway, soaring through the air, he approached the Buddha, praising and glorifying the golden body of the Buddha. And when he had done him homage, he departed.
☆☆☆
中文法句出處：《南傳法句經》 了參法師譯
中文故事出處：《法句經故事集》 達摩難陀長老著 周金言譯
