Dhammapada verse #101
雖誦千句偈，若無義理者，不如一句偈，聞已得寂靜。
Though a thousand verses be
composed of meaningless lines,
better the single line of verse
one hears, then comes to calm.
☆☆☆
【第101偈的故事】
一群商人共同搭船出海，不幸發生海難，除了一人以外，所有人都喪生了。這唯一活命的人抓住一片木板，最後漂流到輸帕羅卡港。上岸後，他用一片樹皮遮住身子，坐在人們可以看得見的地方。有些過往的行人給他食物，有些人則以為他是聖者，而向他致敬。另外有人給他衣服穿，但他卻不接受，因為他害怕穿上衣服以後，人們會降低對他的敬意。同時，有些人認為他是阿羅漢，他也就自以為是阿羅漢。因此，人們稱呼他「婆醯迦達如斯亞」。
大約在這時候，大梵天曾是他某一世的朋友看見婆醯迦誤入歧途，覺得引導他回正道是自己的責任，所以在晚上時候，大梵天就去找婆醯迦，並告訴他：「婆醯迦！你還不是阿羅漢，更重要的是，你還沒有成為阿羅漢的德行。」婆醯迦聽完大梵天的話，抬起頭來：「是啊！我必須承認，正如你所說的，我不是阿羅漢。我現在明白自己犯了大錯。但是，究竟在這世間上，誰是阿羅漢？」大梵天就勸告他去舍衛城，請佛陀助他一臂之力。
婆醯迦明白自己犯了大錯，非常沮喪，就直接到舍衛城去見佛陀。後來，他看見佛陀和比丘們正在化緣，就很恭敬地跟上去，請求佛陀教他佛法，佛陀告訴他，現在正在化緣，不是說法的時間。
「尊者！沒有人瞭解你我生命中的危險，所以請教我佛法吧！」婆醯迦繼續懇求。
佛陀知道婆醯迦剛才長途跋涉，驟然得遇佛陀，內心正雀躍不已，所以無法立刻接受佛法。佛陀不願在這種情況下立即向他說法，而希望等他內心平靜下來時，再向他說法，他也才能心領神會。但婆醯迦仍契而不捨地懇請，佛陀只好站在路上對他說：
「婆醯迦！當你看東西的時候，就只看見那件東西；聽聲音的時候，就只聽見那聲音；聞、嚐、觸任何東西時，就只是聞、嚐和觸那東西；想事情時，就全神想那件事情。」
婆醯迦如法奉行，同時因為全神貫注，他的過去善業現前，而證得阿羅漢果。他於是懇請佛陀允許他加入僧伽，佛陀要他先準備三衣、缽和比丘必備的東西。但當他出去籌備的時候，卻被一隻動物攻擊致死。後來，佛陀和比丘進食完畢後，在路上發現婆醯迦的屍體。佛陀要比丘們把他的屍體火化，把遺物供養在浮圖中。
回到祇樹給孤獨園時，佛陀說婆醯迦已經證入涅槃。佛陀並且說婆醯迦是最快證得神通的人。比丘對佛陀的說法感到困惑，就問佛陀，婆醯迦在何時、如何證得阿羅漢果。佛陀說：「婆醯迦在路上聽我說法時，就證得阿羅漢果。」比丘卻懷疑怎麼可能只聽幾句法語就能證得阿羅漢果。佛陀說：「法句或說法時間的長短與證果快慢無關。」
While residing at the Jētavana Monastery, the Buddha spoke this verse, with reference to Bàhiyadàrucãriya.
A group of merchants went out to sea in a boat; their boat was wrecked at sea and all, except one, died. The only survivor got hold of a plank and eventually came to land at the port of Suppàraka. As he was naked, he tied a piece of bark to his body, got hold of a bowl, and sat in a place where people could see him. Passers-by gave him rice and gruel; some thought that he was a holy man and paid respects to him. Some brought clothes for him to wear but he refused, fearing that by wearing clothes, people would give less respect to him. Besides, because some said that he was an arahat, he mistakenly came to think that he realy was one. Thus, because he was a man of wrong views who was wearing a piece of bark as his clothing, he came to be known as Bàhiyadàrucãriya. Mahàbrahma came to him in the night and said to him, “Bàhiya, you are not an arahat yet, and what is more, you do not have the qualities that make one an arahat.” Bàhiya looked up at Mahàbrahma and said, “Yes, I must admit that I am not an arahat, as you have said. I now realize that I have done a great wrong. But is there anyone else in this world now who is an arahat (a perfected person)?” Mahàbrahma then told him that there lived in Sàvatthi a Teacher, Gōtama Buddha, an arahat, who was perfectly self-enlightened.
Bàhiya found the Buddha going on an alms-round with other monks and respectfully followed him. He pleaded with the Buddha to teach him the Dhamma, but the Buddha replied that since they were on an alms-round it was not yet time for a religious discourse. And again, Bàhiya pleaded, “Venerable, one cannot know the danger to your life or to my life, so please talk to me about the Dhamma.” The Buddha knew that Bàhiya had made the journey of one hundred and twenty yōjanas in one night, and also that he was overwhelmed with joy at seeing the Buddha. That was why the Buddha did not want to talk about the Dhamma immediately but wanted him to calm down to enable him to take in the Dhamma properly. Still, Bàhiya persistently pleaded. So, while standing on the road, the Buddha said to Bàhiya, “Bàhiya, when you see an object, be conscious of just the visible object; when you hear a sound, be conscious of just the sound; when you smell or taste or touch something, be conscious of just the smell, the taste or the touch; and when you think of anything, be conscious of just the mind-object.”
After hearing the above discourse, Bàhiya attained arahatship and he asked permission from the Buddha to join the Sangha. The Buddha told him to get the robes, the bowl and other requisites of a monk. On his way to get them, he was gored to death by a cow which was, in fact, a female evil spirit in the likeness of a cow. When the Buddha and the other monks came out after having had their meal, they found Bàhiya lying dead on a rubbish heap. As instructed by the Buddha, the monks cremated the body of Bàhiya and had his bones enshrined in a ståpa. Back at the Jētavana Monastery, the Buddha told the monks that Bàhiya had realized Nibbàna. He also told them that as far as speed was concerned in attaining Magga Insight (abhinnà) Bàhiya was the fastest, the best (ētadaggaü). The monks were puzzled by the statement made by the Buddha and they asked him why and when Bàhiya became an Arahat. To this, the Buddha replied, “Bàhiya attained arahatship while he listened to my instructions given to him on the road when we were on the alms-round.” The monks wondered how one could attain arahatship after listening to just a few sentences of the Dhamma. So, the Buddha told them that the number of words or the length of a speech did not matter if it was beneficial to someone.
大約在這時候，大梵天曾是他某一世的朋友看見婆醯迦誤入歧途，覺得引導他回正道是自己的責任，所以在晚上時候，大梵天就去找婆醯迦，並告訴他：「婆醯迦！你還不是阿羅漢，更重要的是，你還沒有成為阿羅漢的德行。」婆醯迦聽完大梵天的話，抬起頭來：「是啊！我必須承認，正如你所說的，我不是阿羅漢。我現在明白自己犯了大錯。但是，究竟在這世間上，誰是阿羅漢？」大梵天就勸告他去舍衛城，請佛陀助他一臂之力。
婆醯迦明白自己犯了大錯，非常沮喪，就直接到舍衛城去見佛陀。後來，他看見佛陀和比丘們正在化緣，就很恭敬地跟上去，請求佛陀教他佛法，佛陀告訴他，現在正在化緣，不是說法的時間。
「尊者！沒有人瞭解你我生命中的危險，所以請教我佛法吧！」婆醯迦繼續懇求。
佛陀知道婆醯迦剛才長途跋涉，驟然得遇佛陀，內心正雀躍不已，所以無法立刻接受佛法。佛陀不願在這種情況下立即向他說法，而希望等他內心平靜下來時，再向他說法，他也才能心領神會。但婆醯迦仍契而不捨地懇請，佛陀只好站在路上對他說：
「婆醯迦！當你看東西的時候，就只看見那件東西；聽聲音的時候，就只聽見那聲音；聞、嚐、觸任何東西時，就只是聞、嚐和觸那東西；想事情時，就全神想那件事情。」
婆醯迦如法奉行，同時因為全神貫注，他的過去善業現前，而證得阿羅漢果。他於是懇請佛陀允許他加入僧伽，佛陀要他先準備三衣、缽和比丘必備的東西。但當他出去籌備的時候，卻被一隻動物攻擊致死。後來，佛陀和比丘進食完畢後，在路上發現婆醯迦的屍體。佛陀要比丘們把他的屍體火化，把遺物供養在浮圖中。
回到祇樹給孤獨園時，佛陀說婆醯迦已經證入涅槃。佛陀並且說婆醯迦是最快證得神通的人。比丘對佛陀的說法感到困惑，就問佛陀，婆醯迦在何時、如何證得阿羅漢果。佛陀說：「婆醯迦在路上聽我說法時，就證得阿羅漢果。」比丘卻懷疑怎麼可能只聽幾句法語就能證得阿羅漢果。佛陀說：「法句或說法時間的長短與證果快慢無關。」
While residing at the Jētavana Monastery, the Buddha spoke this verse, with reference to Bàhiyadàrucãriya.
A group of merchants went out to sea in a boat; their boat was wrecked at sea and all, except one, died. The only survivor got hold of a plank and eventually came to land at the port of Suppàraka. As he was naked, he tied a piece of bark to his body, got hold of a bowl, and sat in a place where people could see him. Passers-by gave him rice and gruel; some thought that he was a holy man and paid respects to him. Some brought clothes for him to wear but he refused, fearing that by wearing clothes, people would give less respect to him. Besides, because some said that he was an arahat, he mistakenly came to think that he realy was one. Thus, because he was a man of wrong views who was wearing a piece of bark as his clothing, he came to be known as Bàhiyadàrucãriya. Mahàbrahma came to him in the night and said to him, “Bàhiya, you are not an arahat yet, and what is more, you do not have the qualities that make one an arahat.” Bàhiya looked up at Mahàbrahma and said, “Yes, I must admit that I am not an arahat, as you have said. I now realize that I have done a great wrong. But is there anyone else in this world now who is an arahat (a perfected person)?” Mahàbrahma then told him that there lived in Sàvatthi a Teacher, Gōtama Buddha, an arahat, who was perfectly self-enlightened.
Bàhiya found the Buddha going on an alms-round with other monks and respectfully followed him. He pleaded with the Buddha to teach him the Dhamma, but the Buddha replied that since they were on an alms-round it was not yet time for a religious discourse. And again, Bàhiya pleaded, “Venerable, one cannot know the danger to your life or to my life, so please talk to me about the Dhamma.” The Buddha knew that Bàhiya had made the journey of one hundred and twenty yōjanas in one night, and also that he was overwhelmed with joy at seeing the Buddha. That was why the Buddha did not want to talk about the Dhamma immediately but wanted him to calm down to enable him to take in the Dhamma properly. Still, Bàhiya persistently pleaded. So, while standing on the road, the Buddha said to Bàhiya, “Bàhiya, when you see an object, be conscious of just the visible object; when you hear a sound, be conscious of just the sound; when you smell or taste or touch something, be conscious of just the smell, the taste or the touch; and when you think of anything, be conscious of just the mind-object.”
After hearing the above discourse, Bàhiya attained arahatship and he asked permission from the Buddha to join the Sangha. The Buddha told him to get the robes, the bowl and other requisites of a monk. On his way to get them, he was gored to death by a cow which was, in fact, a female evil spirit in the likeness of a cow. When the Buddha and the other monks came out after having had their meal, they found Bàhiya lying dead on a rubbish heap. As instructed by the Buddha, the monks cremated the body of Bàhiya and had his bones enshrined in a ståpa. Back at the Jētavana Monastery, the Buddha told the monks that Bàhiya had realized Nibbàna. He also told them that as far as speed was concerned in attaining Magga Insight (abhinnà) Bàhiya was the fastest, the best (ētadaggaü). The monks were puzzled by the statement made by the Buddha and they asked him why and when Bàhiya became an Arahat. To this, the Buddha replied, “Bàhiya attained arahatship while he listened to my instructions given to him on the road when we were on the alms-round.” The monks wondered how one could attain arahatship after listening to just a few sentences of the Dhamma. So, the Buddha told them that the number of words or the length of a speech did not matter if it was beneficial to someone.
☆☆☆
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
