Dhammapada verse #37
遠行與獨行，無形隱深窟。誰能調伏心，解脫魔羅縛。
Drifting far, straying all alone,
formless, recumbent in a cave.
They will be free from Mara’s bonds
who restrain this mind.
☆☆☆
【第37偈的故事】
這一句法句，是佛陀住在祇樹給孤獨園的時，對外甥僧護尊者所說的。
在舍衛城，有一個人，他聽了佛陀的佛法，出了家，取名為僧護， 不久就證得阿羅漢果，僧護的妹妹生了一個兒子，長大後，到僧護座下出家，取法名為外甥僧護。在他結夏安居於某村落的寺院時，曾受信施者兩塊布供養，一塊是七肘長（註一），一塊是八肘長，於是他心中想 著：「我要將八肘長的布供養我的師父，七肘長的留著自己用。」
結夏安居圓滿後，便離開該寺院，心想：「我要去見師父。」於是沿途托缽，到了師父的住所。僧護尊者不在，他便進入寺院裡，幫師父寮房舖好座位，並將師父的洗腳水準備好，然後等師父回來。
不久後，師父回來了，他立刻向前去迎接師父，接過師父手中的缽和僧服，恭敬地說：「師父，請坐。」等師父就座後，便拿來他先前所準備好的水讓師父洗腳，並拿扇子為師父搧涼。接著，他將施者所供養的布送到師父面對說：「師父，請接受這塊布！」。
師父回答說：「我的僧服已經足夠了，這塊布，還是你自己留著用吧！」
「師父，當我得到這塊布的時候，我就只想到要供養您，請您就收下吧！」
「不，外甥僧護，我的僧服已經足夠，還是你自己留著用吧！」
「師父，請不要拒絕，就請您收下吧！」
就如此，一而再再而三地請求，但是師父仍然不接受。這時外甥僧護一邊搧著扇子，心裡一邊想著：「還沒出家前，我是他的外甥，出家後，我是他的弟子，但是他仍然不肯接受我的供養，反而要我自己留著用，如此，我成為一個比丘又有什麼意思呢？我看我還是還俗好了。」
接著，他便在心中盤算著：「如何維持在家的生活呢﹖如果將八肘長的布賣了，買隻母羊，母羊會很快的生下小羊，如此一再地繁殖，就能生下很多小羊，將小羊賣了就可以賺一筆錢，有了錢之後就可娶老婆，娶了老婆，她將會為我生個兒子，我要以舅舅的名字來為他命名，然後帶著兒子和太太駕著牛車去拜訪舅舅。在途中，我向我的太太說：「孩子讓我來抱吧！」太太回答說：「你駕車要專心，怎麼還能抱小孩呢？還是我來抱吧！」就在兩人把孩子拉來拉去時，一個不小心，讓小孩子掉到車下，牛車輾過他的身體，把孩子輾死了。於是我將對她說：「妳既然不讓我帶孩子，又不將他抱緊，就是因為妳，孩子才會失去他的生命！」然後，我將用鞭子鞭打她。
他一邊搧著扇子，一邊幻想著，不知不覺地就將手中扇子朝師父的頭上打了下去，僧護尊者心中想著：「奇怪！他為什麼打我的頭呢﹖」於是他便運用神通力去觀察他的念頭，外甥僧護心中所想的都一一地被僧護尊者知曉了；僧護尊者便開口說道：「你打不到你的太太，你為什麼要打我這個老比丘呢？我坐在這裡又沒什麼過錯！」
外甥僧護聽了心裡一驚，想著：「完了，我剛剛所想的全都被師父知道了，既然這樣，我當個比丘又有什麼用呢？」他丟下扇子便向外狂奔，許多年輕的比丘隨後追著去抓住他，將他帶往佛陀的座前。佛陀見到他們即便問道：「比丘們，你們為什麼來到這裡﹖又為什麼抓一個比丘跟你們來呢﹖」
「世尊，這個年輕比丘不能安住於僧團的生活而要逃跑，所以我們將他帶到你的座前來。」
「真的是這樣嗎﹖」
「是的，世尊。」外甥僧護回答。
「為什麼你犯下如此重大的過錯呢﹖又為何不能依照我的教法好好訓練自己成為眾人所熟知的修行者呢﹖」
「世尊，因為我不能讓自己的心念獲得安住啊。」
「為什麼你的心念無法安住呢﹖」
於是外甥僧護便將事情的始末，一五一十地告知佛陀：「就是這樣，我才要逃跑的。」
「哦，比丘，不要擔心，心放在遙遠的事物上是他攀緣的本能，重要的是你應好好的修持，從貪、瞋、痴中解脫而出。」佛陀接著說了一個偈頌：遠行與獨行，無行隱深窟。誰能調伏心，解脫魔羅縛。
佛陀的這一段教法，讓外甥僧護尊者證得初果須陀洹，其他的人也都分別證得不同的果位，這一教法，讓許多人深獲法益。
While residing at the Jētavana Monastery, the Buddha spoke this verse, with reference to the nephew of the monk Saïgharakkhita.
Once there lived in Sàvatthi a senior monk by the name of Saïgharakkhita. When his sister gave birth to a son, she named the child after the monk and he came to be known as Saïgharakkhita Bhàgineyya. The nephew Saïgharakkhita, in due course, was admitted into the Sangha. While the young monk was staying in a village monastery he was offered two sets of robes, and he intended to offer one to his uncle, monk Saïgharakkhita. At the end of the rainy season he went to his uncle to pay respect to him and offered the robe to the monk. But, the uncle declined to accept the robe, saying that he had enough. Although he repeated his request, the monk would not accept it. The young monk felt disheartened and thought that since his uncle was so unwilling to share the requisites with him, it would be better for him to leave the Saïgha and live the life of a layman.
From that point, his mind wandered and a train of thoughts followed. He thought that after leaving the Sangha he would sell the robe and buy a she-goat; that the she-goat would breed quickly and soon he would make enough money to enable him to marry; his wife would give birth to a son. He would take his wife and child in a small cart to visit his uncle at the monastery. On the way, he would say that he would carry the child; she would tell him to drive the cart and not to bother about the child. He would insist and grab the child from her; between them the child would fall on the cart-track and the wheel would pass over the child. He would get so furious with his wife that he would strike her with the goading-stick.
At that time he was fanning the monk with a palmyrah fan and he absent-mindedly struck the head of the monk with the fan. The monk, knowing the thoughts of the young monk, said, “You were unable to beat your wife; why have you beaten an old monk?” Young Saïgharakkhita was very much surprised and embarrassed at the words of the old monk; he also became extremely frightened. So he fled. Young monks and novices of the monastery chased after him, caught him, and finally brought him to the presence of the Buddha.
When told about the experience, the Buddha said that the mind has the ability to think of an object even though it might be far away, and that one should strive hard for liberation from the bondage of passion, ill will and ignorance. After the Buddha recited the stanza near the end of the discourse, the young monk attained sōtàpatti fruition.
在舍衛城，有一個人，他聽了佛陀的佛法，出了家，取名為僧護， 不久就證得阿羅漢果，僧護的妹妹生了一個兒子，長大後，到僧護座下出家，取法名為外甥僧護。在他結夏安居於某村落的寺院時，曾受信施者兩塊布供養，一塊是七肘長（註一），一塊是八肘長，於是他心中想 著：「我要將八肘長的布供養我的師父，七肘長的留著自己用。」
結夏安居圓滿後，便離開該寺院，心想：「我要去見師父。」於是沿途托缽，到了師父的住所。僧護尊者不在，他便進入寺院裡，幫師父寮房舖好座位，並將師父的洗腳水準備好，然後等師父回來。
不久後，師父回來了，他立刻向前去迎接師父，接過師父手中的缽和僧服，恭敬地說：「師父，請坐。」等師父就座後，便拿來他先前所準備好的水讓師父洗腳，並拿扇子為師父搧涼。接著，他將施者所供養的布送到師父面對說：「師父，請接受這塊布！」。
師父回答說：「我的僧服已經足夠了，這塊布，還是你自己留著用吧！」
「師父，當我得到這塊布的時候，我就只想到要供養您，請您就收下吧！」
「不，外甥僧護，我的僧服已經足夠，還是你自己留著用吧！」
「師父，請不要拒絕，就請您收下吧！」
就如此，一而再再而三地請求，但是師父仍然不接受。這時外甥僧護一邊搧著扇子，心裡一邊想著：「還沒出家前，我是他的外甥，出家後，我是他的弟子，但是他仍然不肯接受我的供養，反而要我自己留著用，如此，我成為一個比丘又有什麼意思呢？我看我還是還俗好了。」
接著，他便在心中盤算著：「如何維持在家的生活呢﹖如果將八肘長的布賣了，買隻母羊，母羊會很快的生下小羊，如此一再地繁殖，就能生下很多小羊，將小羊賣了就可以賺一筆錢，有了錢之後就可娶老婆，娶了老婆，她將會為我生個兒子，我要以舅舅的名字來為他命名，然後帶著兒子和太太駕著牛車去拜訪舅舅。在途中，我向我的太太說：「孩子讓我來抱吧！」太太回答說：「你駕車要專心，怎麼還能抱小孩呢？還是我來抱吧！」就在兩人把孩子拉來拉去時，一個不小心，讓小孩子掉到車下，牛車輾過他的身體，把孩子輾死了。於是我將對她說：「妳既然不讓我帶孩子，又不將他抱緊，就是因為妳，孩子才會失去他的生命！」然後，我將用鞭子鞭打她。
他一邊搧著扇子，一邊幻想著，不知不覺地就將手中扇子朝師父的頭上打了下去，僧護尊者心中想著：「奇怪！他為什麼打我的頭呢﹖」於是他便運用神通力去觀察他的念頭，外甥僧護心中所想的都一一地被僧護尊者知曉了；僧護尊者便開口說道：「你打不到你的太太，你為什麼要打我這個老比丘呢？我坐在這裡又沒什麼過錯！」
外甥僧護聽了心裡一驚，想著：「完了，我剛剛所想的全都被師父知道了，既然這樣，我當個比丘又有什麼用呢？」他丟下扇子便向外狂奔，許多年輕的比丘隨後追著去抓住他，將他帶往佛陀的座前。佛陀見到他們即便問道：「比丘們，你們為什麼來到這裡﹖又為什麼抓一個比丘跟你們來呢﹖」
「世尊，這個年輕比丘不能安住於僧團的生活而要逃跑，所以我們將他帶到你的座前來。」
「真的是這樣嗎﹖」
「是的，世尊。」外甥僧護回答。
「為什麼你犯下如此重大的過錯呢﹖又為何不能依照我的教法好好訓練自己成為眾人所熟知的修行者呢﹖」
「世尊，因為我不能讓自己的心念獲得安住啊。」
「為什麼你的心念無法安住呢﹖」
於是外甥僧護便將事情的始末，一五一十地告知佛陀：「就是這樣，我才要逃跑的。」
「哦，比丘，不要擔心，心放在遙遠的事物上是他攀緣的本能，重要的是你應好好的修持，從貪、瞋、痴中解脫而出。」佛陀接著說了一個偈頌：遠行與獨行，無行隱深窟。誰能調伏心，解脫魔羅縛。
佛陀的這一段教法，讓外甥僧護尊者證得初果須陀洹，其他的人也都分別證得不同的果位，這一教法，讓許多人深獲法益。
While residing at the Jētavana Monastery, the Buddha spoke this verse, with reference to the nephew of the monk Saïgharakkhita.
Once there lived in Sàvatthi a senior monk by the name of Saïgharakkhita. When his sister gave birth to a son, she named the child after the monk and he came to be known as Saïgharakkhita Bhàgineyya. The nephew Saïgharakkhita, in due course, was admitted into the Sangha. While the young monk was staying in a village monastery he was offered two sets of robes, and he intended to offer one to his uncle, monk Saïgharakkhita. At the end of the rainy season he went to his uncle to pay respect to him and offered the robe to the monk. But, the uncle declined to accept the robe, saying that he had enough. Although he repeated his request, the monk would not accept it. The young monk felt disheartened and thought that since his uncle was so unwilling to share the requisites with him, it would be better for him to leave the Saïgha and live the life of a layman.
From that point, his mind wandered and a train of thoughts followed. He thought that after leaving the Sangha he would sell the robe and buy a she-goat; that the she-goat would breed quickly and soon he would make enough money to enable him to marry; his wife would give birth to a son. He would take his wife and child in a small cart to visit his uncle at the monastery. On the way, he would say that he would carry the child; she would tell him to drive the cart and not to bother about the child. He would insist and grab the child from her; between them the child would fall on the cart-track and the wheel would pass over the child. He would get so furious with his wife that he would strike her with the goading-stick.
At that time he was fanning the monk with a palmyrah fan and he absent-mindedly struck the head of the monk with the fan. The monk, knowing the thoughts of the young monk, said, “You were unable to beat your wife; why have you beaten an old monk?” Young Saïgharakkhita was very much surprised and embarrassed at the words of the old monk; he also became extremely frightened. So he fled. Young monks and novices of the monastery chased after him, caught him, and finally brought him to the presence of the Buddha.
When told about the experience, the Buddha said that the mind has the ability to think of an object even though it might be far away, and that one should strive hard for liberation from the bondage of passion, ill will and ignorance. After the Buddha recited the stanza near the end of the discourse, the young monk attained sōtàpatti fruition.
☆☆☆
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
