Dhammapada verse #114
若人壽百歲──不見不死道，不如生一日──得見不死道。
Though one should live a hundred years
not seeing the Deathless State,
yet better is life for a single day
seeing Deathlessness.
☆☆☆
【第114偈的故事】
吉離舍瞿曇彌是舍衛城的人，因為身材苗條，所以人們稱呼她吉離舍瞿曇彌。後來，她嫁給一位年輕的富翁，也生了一個兒子。但她的兒子卻在剛學會走路時因故去世了。她為此痛苦逾恆，就抱著兒子的屍首，到處請求人家，能不能救救她的兒子。人們認為她已經瘋了，但有位智者，看見她可憐的樣子，就決定送她去見佛陀。
這位智者告訴她：「妳應該去見佛陀，他有妳想要的藥，去吧！」她就去請求佛陀給她可以救活兒子的藥。
佛陀知道她心思紊亂，便答應救活她的兒子，但要她先到村子裡，去找從未有親人去世的人家要一些芥子來。她心想有救活兒子的希望，一下子興奮過頭，沒能仔細思量佛陀話中的含意，就挨家挨戶的問。每戶人家都很樂意幫助她，但她就是找不到一戶從沒有親人去世過的人家。天色漸漸向晚時，她才明白不只她有親人過世，而且，她也知道死去的人比活著的人還多。她的態度因此變了，不再執著於兒子的屍首，她也明白佛陀已經教導她最珍貴的道理：有生就有死。
她埋葬完兒子後，就回去告訴佛陀，找不到一戶從沒有親人去世的人家。佛陀說：「瞿曇彌！妳不可以錯誤地以為只有妳的兒子喪生。現在妳已經明白，眾生都會死亡。眾生欲望尚未滿足之前，死亡就奪走人的生命。」
吉離舍瞿曇彌明白生命的變化和無常之後，決定放棄世間的生活，便請求佛陀允許她加入尼僧團。佛陀就送她去尼僧團，並要尼僧團接納她成為比丘尼。
她非常勤奮，經常正念現前，察覺自己的修行職責，並且精進修行，去除煩惱。
一天夜晚，她點燃油燈，並且在距離油燈不遠處坐下，然後集中心念，觀察火燄。她發現火燄明滅不斷，這時她心中如此想到：「一如火燄明滅不斷，世上一切眾生也都如此，生滅不斷(有人生，有人滅)，只有證得涅槃的人才不會生滅。」
這時候，佛陀在祇樹給孤獨園透過神通，明白她的修行進展，就放光，勸誡她繼續觀想諸法無常，並且說：「若長命百歲，但不知無為法的涅槃，不如一日一夜徹底明白涅槃。」聽完佛陀的說法後，她就證得阿羅漢果。
備註：請參考後續故事：「眾生皆會死」
While residing at the Jētavana Monastery, the Buddha spoke this verse, with reference to Kisàgōtami.
Kisàgōtami was the daughter of a rich man from Sàvatthi; she was known as Kisàgōtami because of her slim body. Kisàgōtami was married to a rich young man and a son was born to them. The boy died when he was just a toddler and Kisàgōtami was stricken with grief. Carrying the dead body of her son, she went about asking for medicine that would restore her son to life from everyone she happened to meet. People began to think that she had gone mad. But a wise man seeing her condition thought that he should be of some help to her. So, he said to her, “The Buddha is the person you should approach, he has the medicine you want; go to him.” Thus, she went to the Buddha and asked him to give her the medicine that would restore her dead son to life.
The Buddha told her to get some mustard seeds from a house where there had been no death. Carrying her dead child in her bosom, Kisàgōtami went from house to house, with the request for some mustard seeds. Everyone was willing to help her, but she could not find a single house where death had not occurred. Then, she realized that hers was not the only family that had faced death and that there were more people dead than living. As soon as she realized this, her attitude towards her dead son changed; she was no longer attached to the dead body of her son. She left the corpse in the jungle and returned to the Buddha and reported that she could find no house where death had not occurred. Then the Buddha said, “Did you not get the single pinch of mustard seed?” “No, that did I not, Venerable. In every village the dead are more in number than the living.” Said the Buddha, “Vainly did you imagine that you alone had lost a child. But all living beings are subject to an unchanging law, and it is this: The prince of death, like a raging torrent, sweeps away into the sea of ruin all living beings; with their longings still unfulfilled. Gōtami, you thought that you were the only one who had lost a son. As you have now realized, death comes to all beings; before their desires are fulfilled death takes them away.” On hearing this, Kisàgōtami fully realized the impermanence, unsatisfactoriness and insubstantiality of the aggregates and attained sōtàpatti fruition.
Soon afterwards, Kisàgōtami became a nun. One day, as she was lighting the lamps she saw the flames flaring up and dying out, and suddenly she clearly perceived the arising and the perishing of beings. The Buddha, through supernormal power, saw her from his monastery, and sent forth his radiance and appeared to her in person. Kisàgōtami was told to continue meditating on the impermanent nature of all beings and to strive hard to realize Nibbàna. She reached higher stages of spiritual awakening.
這位智者告訴她：「妳應該去見佛陀，他有妳想要的藥，去吧！」她就去請求佛陀給她可以救活兒子的藥。
佛陀知道她心思紊亂，便答應救活她的兒子，但要她先到村子裡，去找從未有親人去世的人家要一些芥子來。她心想有救活兒子的希望，一下子興奮過頭，沒能仔細思量佛陀話中的含意，就挨家挨戶的問。每戶人家都很樂意幫助她，但她就是找不到一戶從沒有親人去世過的人家。天色漸漸向晚時，她才明白不只她有親人過世，而且，她也知道死去的人比活著的人還多。她的態度因此變了，不再執著於兒子的屍首，她也明白佛陀已經教導她最珍貴的道理：有生就有死。
她埋葬完兒子後，就回去告訴佛陀，找不到一戶從沒有親人去世的人家。佛陀說：「瞿曇彌！妳不可以錯誤地以為只有妳的兒子喪生。現在妳已經明白，眾生都會死亡。眾生欲望尚未滿足之前，死亡就奪走人的生命。」
吉離舍瞿曇彌明白生命的變化和無常之後，決定放棄世間的生活，便請求佛陀允許她加入尼僧團。佛陀就送她去尼僧團，並要尼僧團接納她成為比丘尼。
她非常勤奮，經常正念現前，察覺自己的修行職責，並且精進修行，去除煩惱。
一天夜晚，她點燃油燈，並且在距離油燈不遠處坐下，然後集中心念，觀察火燄。她發現火燄明滅不斷，這時她心中如此想到：「一如火燄明滅不斷，世上一切眾生也都如此，生滅不斷(有人生，有人滅)，只有證得涅槃的人才不會生滅。」
這時候，佛陀在祇樹給孤獨園透過神通，明白她的修行進展，就放光，勸誡她繼續觀想諸法無常，並且說：「若長命百歲，但不知無為法的涅槃，不如一日一夜徹底明白涅槃。」聽完佛陀的說法後，她就證得阿羅漢果。
備註：請參考後續故事：「眾生皆會死」
While residing at the Jētavana Monastery, the Buddha spoke this verse, with reference to Kisàgōtami.
Kisàgōtami was the daughter of a rich man from Sàvatthi; she was known as Kisàgōtami because of her slim body. Kisàgōtami was married to a rich young man and a son was born to them. The boy died when he was just a toddler and Kisàgōtami was stricken with grief. Carrying the dead body of her son, she went about asking for medicine that would restore her son to life from everyone she happened to meet. People began to think that she had gone mad. But a wise man seeing her condition thought that he should be of some help to her. So, he said to her, “The Buddha is the person you should approach, he has the medicine you want; go to him.” Thus, she went to the Buddha and asked him to give her the medicine that would restore her dead son to life.
The Buddha told her to get some mustard seeds from a house where there had been no death. Carrying her dead child in her bosom, Kisàgōtami went from house to house, with the request for some mustard seeds. Everyone was willing to help her, but she could not find a single house where death had not occurred. Then, she realized that hers was not the only family that had faced death and that there were more people dead than living. As soon as she realized this, her attitude towards her dead son changed; she was no longer attached to the dead body of her son. She left the corpse in the jungle and returned to the Buddha and reported that she could find no house where death had not occurred. Then the Buddha said, “Did you not get the single pinch of mustard seed?” “No, that did I not, Venerable. In every village the dead are more in number than the living.” Said the Buddha, “Vainly did you imagine that you alone had lost a child. But all living beings are subject to an unchanging law, and it is this: The prince of death, like a raging torrent, sweeps away into the sea of ruin all living beings; with their longings still unfulfilled. Gōtami, you thought that you were the only one who had lost a son. As you have now realized, death comes to all beings; before their desires are fulfilled death takes them away.” On hearing this, Kisàgōtami fully realized the impermanence, unsatisfactoriness and insubstantiality of the aggregates and attained sōtàpatti fruition.
Soon afterwards, Kisàgōtami became a nun. One day, as she was lighting the lamps she saw the flames flaring up and dying out, and suddenly she clearly perceived the arising and the perishing of beings. The Buddha, through supernormal power, saw her from his monastery, and sent forth his radiance and appeared to her in person. Kisàgōtami was told to continue meditating on the impermanent nature of all beings and to strive hard to realize Nibbàna. She reached higher stages of spiritual awakening.
☆☆☆
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
