Dhammapada verse #115
若人壽百歲──不見最上法，不如生一日──得見最上法。
Though one should live a hundred years
not seeing Dhamma Supreme,
yet better is life for a single day
seeing Dhamma Supreme.
☆☆☆
【第115偈的故事】
舍衛城中有對夫婦，生育有幾位兒女。這些兒女都結婚了而且一家和樂。後來，丈夫去世了，他的妻子巴戶普提卡沒有分財產給兒女。他的兒女想要分財產，就告訴她：「母親，現在父親已經過世了，妳擁有家產有什麼用呢？我們難道無法照顧妳嗎？」他們一再地向母親如此表示，巴戶普提卡也相信他們會照顧她，就把所有的財產分給兒女，一絲一毫也沒留給自己。
分完財產後，她先到大兒子家去，但不久，大媳婦就抱怨：「妳就知道到我們家住，好像分給我們兩份財產似的。」她就到二兒子家去，但同樣的事情也發生了，她只好一個兒子接著一個兒子，一個女兒接著一個女兒的家到處去，但沒有任何一位兒女願意長期照顧她，也沒有任何一位兒女尊重她。
她也因為對兒女十分失望，而出家為比丘尼。她明白自己晚年才出家，不能放逸，必須利用生命中剩餘的時光好好修行，所以，她日夜修習、禪修。佛陀從祇樹給孤獨園透過神通，明白她的修行情況，就放光，勸誡她：「即使長命百歲，但若不修習、奉行佛法，則生命毫無意義。」後來，她正念現前，如法奉行佛陀的教誨，而證得阿羅漢果。
While residing at the Jētavana Monastery, the Buddha spoke this verse, with reference to Bahåputtika, a mother of many children.
Once in Sàvatthi, there lived a couple, with their seven sons and seven daughters. All the children got married and the family was doing quite well. Then, the father died and the mother kept all the property without giving anything to the children. Her sons and daughters wanted the inheritance, so they said to their mother, “What benefit do we get from our property? Can’t we make it multiply? Can’t we look after our mother?” They said such things again and again so their mother thought that her children would look after her, and she finally divided up the property without leaving anything for herself.
After a few days had passed, the wife of her oldest son said to her, “Apparently this is the only house our excellent mother visits; she acts as though she had given both parts of her estate to her oldest son.” In like manner did the wives of her other sons address her. So likewise did her daughters address her whenever she entered their houses, from the oldest to the youngest. With such disrespect was she treated that finally she said to herself, “Why should I live with them any longer? I will enter the Sangha and live the life of a nun.” So she went to the nuns’ convent and asked to be admitted to the Sangha. They received her into the Sangha, and when she had made it her full profession she went by the name of Bahåputtika the nun because she was the mother of many children.
“Since I have entered the Sangha in old age,” thought she, as she performed the major and minor duties assigned to nuns, “it behoves me to be heedful; I will therefore spend the whole night in meditation.” On the lower terrace, putting her hand on a pillar, she guided her steps thereby and meditated. Even as she walked along, fearful that in the dark places she might strike her head against a tree or against some other object, she put her hand on a tree and guided her steps thereby, and meditated. Resolved to observe only the Dhamma taught by the Buddha, she considered the Dhamma and pondered the Dhamma and meditated.
The Buddha, seated in the perfumed chamber, sent forth a radiant image of himself, and sitting as it were face to face with her, talked with her, saying, “Bahåputtika, it is better that one lives only for a moment seeing the Dhamma I have taught than to live a hundred years without seeing what I taught.”
分完財產後，她先到大兒子家去，但不久，大媳婦就抱怨：「妳就知道到我們家住，好像分給我們兩份財產似的。」她就到二兒子家去，但同樣的事情也發生了，她只好一個兒子接著一個兒子，一個女兒接著一個女兒的家到處去，但沒有任何一位兒女願意長期照顧她，也沒有任何一位兒女尊重她。
她也因為對兒女十分失望，而出家為比丘尼。她明白自己晚年才出家，不能放逸，必須利用生命中剩餘的時光好好修行，所以，她日夜修習、禪修。佛陀從祇樹給孤獨園透過神通，明白她的修行情況，就放光，勸誡她：「即使長命百歲，但若不修習、奉行佛法，則生命毫無意義。」後來，她正念現前，如法奉行佛陀的教誨，而證得阿羅漢果。
While residing at the Jētavana Monastery, the Buddha spoke this verse, with reference to Bahåputtika, a mother of many children.
Once in Sàvatthi, there lived a couple, with their seven sons and seven daughters. All the children got married and the family was doing quite well. Then, the father died and the mother kept all the property without giving anything to the children. Her sons and daughters wanted the inheritance, so they said to their mother, “What benefit do we get from our property? Can’t we make it multiply? Can’t we look after our mother?” They said such things again and again so their mother thought that her children would look after her, and she finally divided up the property without leaving anything for herself.
After a few days had passed, the wife of her oldest son said to her, “Apparently this is the only house our excellent mother visits; she acts as though she had given both parts of her estate to her oldest son.” In like manner did the wives of her other sons address her. So likewise did her daughters address her whenever she entered their houses, from the oldest to the youngest. With such disrespect was she treated that finally she said to herself, “Why should I live with them any longer? I will enter the Sangha and live the life of a nun.” So she went to the nuns’ convent and asked to be admitted to the Sangha. They received her into the Sangha, and when she had made it her full profession she went by the name of Bahåputtika the nun because she was the mother of many children.
“Since I have entered the Sangha in old age,” thought she, as she performed the major and minor duties assigned to nuns, “it behoves me to be heedful; I will therefore spend the whole night in meditation.” On the lower terrace, putting her hand on a pillar, she guided her steps thereby and meditated. Even as she walked along, fearful that in the dark places she might strike her head against a tree or against some other object, she put her hand on a tree and guided her steps thereby, and meditated. Resolved to observe only the Dhamma taught by the Buddha, she considered the Dhamma and pondered the Dhamma and meditated.
The Buddha, seated in the perfumed chamber, sent forth a radiant image of himself, and sitting as it were face to face with her, talked with her, saying, “Bahåputtika, it is better that one lives only for a moment seeing the Dhamma I have taught than to live a hundred years without seeing what I taught.”
☆☆☆
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
中文故事出處：《法句經的故事》 護法法師譯
