Dhammapada verse #107
若人一百年──事火於林中，不如須臾間，供養修己者，彼如是供養，勝祭祀百年。
One might tend for a hundred years
the forest’s sacred fire,
but if for only a moment one
might honour the self-developed,
such honour were better by far
than centuries of sacrifice.
☆☆☆
【第107偈的故事】
舍利弗的侄子是一位婆羅門。有一次，舍利弗問他，有沒有做過任何的功德。他的侄子回答說，他每個月都在火祭中犧牲一隻羊，期望將來能往生梵天。舍利弗告訴他說，他的老師們一直給他錯誤的教法，他的老師們根本不知如何往生梵天。
然後，舍利弗引領侄子去見佛陀，佛陀就教他確實可以往生梵天的佛法，並告訴他說：「頃刻之間，頂禮真正的聖人比火祭犧牲一百年好。」
註：「火祭」在當時的伊朗和印度相當流行。部份人認為火是神祇之一。有些人認為透過火祭，他們可以討好神祇，而得到賜福和保護。另外，動物祭祀和在恆河中沐浴也很普遍。佛陀是當時唯一指出這些方法都是無益的宗教師 。
While residing at the Vēluvana Monastery, the Buddha spoke this verse, with reference to Venerable Sàriputta’s nephew.
For the Venerable went to his nephew also and said, “Bràhmin, do you ever do a single good deed?” “Yes, Venerable.”
“What do you do?” “Month after month, I slay a single beast and tend the sacrificial fire.”
“For what purpose do you do that?” “That, they say, is the way to the World of Brahma.”
“Who told you so?” “My teachers, Venerable.”
“Neither you nor your teachers know the way to the World of Brahma. Come, let us go to the Buddha.”
So Venerable Sàriputta conducted his nephew to the Buddha, informed the Buddha of the incident, and said to him, “Venerable, tell this man the way to the world of the Brahma.”
Said the Buddha, “Bràhmin, are you correctly reported?” “Yes, Venerable.”
“Bràhmin, though you should thus tend the sacrificial fire for a hundred years, yet would the merit of your performance not attain the worth of honour done to my disciple for even a single instant.”
然後，舍利弗引領侄子去見佛陀，佛陀就教他確實可以往生梵天的佛法，並告訴他說：「頃刻之間，頂禮真正的聖人比火祭犧牲一百年好。」
註：「火祭」在當時的伊朗和印度相當流行。部份人認為火是神祇之一。有些人認為透過火祭，他們可以討好神祇，而得到賜福和保護。另外，動物祭祀和在恆河中沐浴也很普遍。佛陀是當時唯一指出這些方法都是無益的宗教師 。
While residing at the Vēluvana Monastery, the Buddha spoke this verse, with reference to Venerable Sàriputta’s nephew.
For the Venerable went to his nephew also and said, “Bràhmin, do you ever do a single good deed?” “Yes, Venerable.”
“What do you do?” “Month after month, I slay a single beast and tend the sacrificial fire.”
“For what purpose do you do that?” “That, they say, is the way to the World of Brahma.”
“Who told you so?” “My teachers, Venerable.”
“Neither you nor your teachers know the way to the World of Brahma. Come, let us go to the Buddha.”
So Venerable Sàriputta conducted his nephew to the Buddha, informed the Buddha of the incident, and said to him, “Venerable, tell this man the way to the world of the Brahma.”
Said the Buddha, “Bràhmin, are you correctly reported?” “Yes, Venerable.”
“Bràhmin, though you should thus tend the sacrificial fire for a hundred years, yet would the merit of your performance not attain the worth of honour done to my disciple for even a single instant.”
☆☆☆
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
