Dhammapada verse #75
一（道）引世利，一（道）向涅槃。佛弟子比丘，當如是了知，莫貪著世利，專注於遠離。
One is the way to worldly gain,
another to Nibbana goes.
Clearly comprehending this
the bhikkhu, Buddha’s follower
should wallow not in proffered gifts,
surrendering instead to solitude.
☆☆☆
【第75偈的故事】
提沙的父親是舍衛城中名聲顯赫的人，也經常在家中供養舍利弗。所以，提沙很小的時候，就見過舍利弗很多次。七歲時，他就出家，在舍利弗的座下為沙彌。當他停留在祇樹給孤獨園時，很多親朋好友都攜帶很多的禮物和供養品來探望他，他卻覺得這些探視十分累人。所以，得到佛陀給他的觀想題目後，他就到森林裡的一處精舍去。在那裡，如果有村民要供養他任何東西，他只說：「願你幸福，早日解脫生命的苦痛！」然後，就繼續精進禪修觀想，也因此，三個月後，就證得聖果。
結夏安居結束後，舍利弗、大目犍連和長老比丘多人來探視他。村民也趁機請舍利弗說法，舍利弗予以婉拒，但指定提沙代為說法，村民則說：「提沙只會說：『願你幸福，早日解脫生命的苦痛！』」所以他們要求舍利弗另外派別人。但舍利弗堅持指定由提沙說法，提沙於是開始說法。
提沙說完法時，晨曦已經初起，舍利弗擊掌讚嘆提沙精彩的說法，村民也深受感動。提沙對佛法深入的了解讓他們感到驚訝，他們因此慶幸提沙能住在他們村子裡。有些人則對提沙不早些出來說法感到遺憾。
這時候，佛陀在給孤獨園裡，透過神通，明白村民不同的感受，就現身來化解村民的誤解。佛陀到達村子的時候，村民正在準備供養的食物，村民就趁機供養佛陀。供養後，佛陀告訴村民：「各位都很幸運，提沙能住在你們村子裡。也由於提沙在此的緣故，我、舍利弗、大目犍連、長老比丘和其他眾多比丘才會在此與各位相見。」佛陀的這番話，使村民們明白他們是何其幸運，便不再浪費時間去回想提沙尚未說法前的往事。
備註：遠離有三層意義：
1. 出離群眾;
2. 心靈上遠離貪愛;
3. 遠離緣起法，趣向涅槃。
While residing at the Jētavana Monastery, the Buddha spoke this verse, with reference to Tissa, a novice monk, who dwelt in a forest monastery.
Tissa was the son of a rich man from Sàvatthi. His father used to offer alms-food to the chief disciple Sàriputta in their house and so Tissa even as a child had met the chief disciple on many occasions. At the age of seven he became a novice under the chief disciple Sàriputta. While he was staying at the Jētavana Monastery, many of his friends and relatives came to see him, bringing presents and offerings. The novice monk found these visits to be very tiresome; so after taking a subject of meditation from the Buddha, he left for a forest monastery. Whenever a villager offered him anything, Tissa would just say ‘May you be happy, may you be liberated from the ills of life,’ (“Sukhità hōtha, dukkhà muccatha”), and would go on his own way. While he stayed at the forest monastery, he ardently and diligently practiced meditation, and at the end of three months he attained arahatship.
After the vassa (the rainy season), the Venerable Sàriputta, accompanied by the Venerable Mahà Moggallàna and other senior disciples, paid a visit to novice monk Tissa, with the permission of the Buddha. All the villagers came out to welcome the Venerable Sàriputta and his company of many monks. They also requested the Venerable Sàriputta to favour them with a discourse, but the chief disciple declined; instead, he directed his pupil Tissa to deliver a discourse to the villagers.
The villagers, however, said that their teacher Tissa could only say “May you be happy, may you be liberated from the ills of life,” and asked the chief disciple to assign another monk in his place. But the Venerable Sàriputta insisted that Tissa should deliver a discourse on the Dhamma, and said to Tissa, “Tissa, talk to them about the Dhamma and show them how to gain happiness and how to be liberated from the ills of life.”
Thus, in obedience to his teacher, Novice Monk Tissa went up the platform to deliver his discourse. He explained to the audience the meaning of the aggregates (khandhàs), sense bases and sense objects (àyatanas), elements of the perpetuation of the Teaching (Bōdhipakkhiya), the path leading to arahatship and Nibbàna, etc. Finally he concluded, “And thus, those who attain arahatship are liberated from all the ills of life and have perfect peace; all the rest will still wander about in the round of rebirths.
The Venerable Sàriputta praised Tissa for having expounded the Dhamma so well. Dawn was approaching when he finished his exposition, and all the villagers were very much impressed. Some of them were surprised that novice monk Tissa knew the Dhamma so well, but formerly he had talked so little about the Dhamma to them; the others were happy and contented to find the novice monk to be so learned and felt that they were very lucky to have him amongst them.
結夏安居結束後，舍利弗、大目犍連和長老比丘多人來探視他。村民也趁機請舍利弗說法，舍利弗予以婉拒，但指定提沙代為說法，村民則說：「提沙只會說：『願你幸福，早日解脫生命的苦痛！』」所以他們要求舍利弗另外派別人。但舍利弗堅持指定由提沙說法，提沙於是開始說法。
提沙說完法時，晨曦已經初起，舍利弗擊掌讚嘆提沙精彩的說法，村民也深受感動。提沙對佛法深入的了解讓他們感到驚訝，他們因此慶幸提沙能住在他們村子裡。有些人則對提沙不早些出來說法感到遺憾。
這時候，佛陀在給孤獨園裡，透過神通，明白村民不同的感受，就現身來化解村民的誤解。佛陀到達村子的時候，村民正在準備供養的食物，村民就趁機供養佛陀。供養後，佛陀告訴村民：「各位都很幸運，提沙能住在你們村子裡。也由於提沙在此的緣故，我、舍利弗、大目犍連、長老比丘和其他眾多比丘才會在此與各位相見。」佛陀的這番話，使村民們明白他們是何其幸運，便不再浪費時間去回想提沙尚未說法前的往事。
備註：遠離有三層意義：
1. 出離群眾;
2. 心靈上遠離貪愛;
3. 遠離緣起法，趣向涅槃。
While residing at the Jētavana Monastery, the Buddha spoke this verse, with reference to Tissa, a novice monk, who dwelt in a forest monastery.
Tissa was the son of a rich man from Sàvatthi. His father used to offer alms-food to the chief disciple Sàriputta in their house and so Tissa even as a child had met the chief disciple on many occasions. At the age of seven he became a novice under the chief disciple Sàriputta. While he was staying at the Jētavana Monastery, many of his friends and relatives came to see him, bringing presents and offerings. The novice monk found these visits to be very tiresome; so after taking a subject of meditation from the Buddha, he left for a forest monastery. Whenever a villager offered him anything, Tissa would just say ‘May you be happy, may you be liberated from the ills of life,’ (“Sukhità hōtha, dukkhà muccatha”), and would go on his own way. While he stayed at the forest monastery, he ardently and diligently practiced meditation, and at the end of three months he attained arahatship.
After the vassa (the rainy season), the Venerable Sàriputta, accompanied by the Venerable Mahà Moggallàna and other senior disciples, paid a visit to novice monk Tissa, with the permission of the Buddha. All the villagers came out to welcome the Venerable Sàriputta and his company of many monks. They also requested the Venerable Sàriputta to favour them with a discourse, but the chief disciple declined; instead, he directed his pupil Tissa to deliver a discourse to the villagers.
The villagers, however, said that their teacher Tissa could only say “May you be happy, may you be liberated from the ills of life,” and asked the chief disciple to assign another monk in his place. But the Venerable Sàriputta insisted that Tissa should deliver a discourse on the Dhamma, and said to Tissa, “Tissa, talk to them about the Dhamma and show them how to gain happiness and how to be liberated from the ills of life.”
Thus, in obedience to his teacher, Novice Monk Tissa went up the platform to deliver his discourse. He explained to the audience the meaning of the aggregates (khandhàs), sense bases and sense objects (àyatanas), elements of the perpetuation of the Teaching (Bōdhipakkhiya), the path leading to arahatship and Nibbàna, etc. Finally he concluded, “And thus, those who attain arahatship are liberated from all the ills of life and have perfect peace; all the rest will still wander about in the round of rebirths.
The Venerable Sàriputta praised Tissa for having expounded the Dhamma so well. Dawn was approaching when he finished his exposition, and all the villagers were very much impressed. Some of them were surprised that novice monk Tissa knew the Dhamma so well, but formerly he had talked so little about the Dhamma to them; the others were happy and contented to find the novice monk to be so learned and felt that they were very lucky to have him amongst them.
☆☆☆
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
