Dhammapada verse #116
應急速作善，制止罪惡心。怠慢作善者，心則喜於惡。
Make haste towards the good
and check the mind for evil.
The one who’s is slow to make merit
delights in the evil mind.
☆☆☆
【第116偈的故事】
舍衛城裡有一對夫婦，他們只有一件外套，所以夫婦兩人無法同時外出。因此，太太白天去精舍，先生就利用夜晚前往精舍。有一天晚上，先生聽完佛陀的說法後，整個人法喜充滿，心中強烈地想把這件唯一的外套供養給佛陀。但是他明白，如果供養出去，他們夫婦兩人就沒有任何外套了。他因此猶豫不決而遲疑著，就這樣，初夜和中夜過去了，後夜來臨時，他在心裡告訴自己：「如果我再遲疑下去，就要失去斷除世間苦的機會了。我要立刻供養這件外套。」他於是把外套放在佛陀的腳下，並大聲叫著：「我戰勝自己了！我戰勝自己了！」
憍薩羅國波斯匿王也在聽法的群眾中。當他聽到這些話時，就派人去調查原因。在得知這是那位婆羅門供養佛陀外套時所發出的聲音時，他說這不是平常人可以做得到的事，值得讚賞。國王就要手下送一件布料給這婆羅門，獎賞他虔誠的信仰和慷慨供養。不過，這婆羅門把國王賞賜的布料也供養給佛陀。國王因此又賞賜他兩件布料，這婆羅門也同樣的把它們供養給佛陀，不管國王獎賞幾件布料（每次都是上一次的兩倍），他都全數供養佛陀。最後當國王賞賜他三十二件布料時，他在國王的要求下，留下一件給自己，另一件給太太，其餘的三十件全部供養佛陀。
國王接著說，這婆羅門真正做到難捨能捨的事，應該給予更適當的獎賞。國王就派人回宮中拿來兩件非常昂貴的天鵝絨地毯，將它們賞賜給這婆羅門。他用這些地毯做成兩件覆罩，其中一件供養給佛陀。後來，國王再到祇樹給孤獨園時，看見婆羅門供養佛陀的覆罩時，心裡十分高興，又賞賜這婆羅門一番。
其他比丘知道這婆羅門的事情之後，就問佛陀：
「為什麼這婆羅門所做的善業，現世就立刻得到報應呢？」
「這婆羅門如果初夜時就供養，那麼他所得到的獎賞會更多。但他是在後夜才供養，獎賞就少了。一個人若要布施，應該馬上做，若遲疑，回報既慢且少。更有甚者，可能甚至就不布施了，畢竟人心容易做惡業。」
While residing at the Jētavana. Monastery, the Buddha spoke this verse, with reference to a bràhmin couple by the name of Culla kasàñaka.
There was once a bràhmin couple in Sàvatthi, who had only one outer garment between the two of them. Because of this they were also known as kasàñaka. As they had only one outer garment, both of them could not go out at the same time. So, the wife would go to listen to the discourse given by the Buddha during the day and the husband would go at night. One night, as the bràhmin listened to the Buddha, his whole body came to be suffused with delightful satisfaction and he felt a strong desire to offer the outer garment he was wearing to the Buddha. But he realized that if he were to give away the only outer garment he had, there would be none left for him and his wife. So he wavered and hesitated. Thus, the first and the second watches of the night passed. Came the third watch and he said to himself, “If I am so miserly and hesitant, I will miss the opportunity of ending worldly suffering. I shall now offer my outer garment to the Buddha.” So saying, he placed the piece of cloth at the feet of the Buddha and cried out “I have won” three times. King Pasēnadi of Kōsala, who was among the audience, heard those words and ordered a courtier to investigate.
Learning about the bràhmin’s offering to the Buddha, the king commented that the bràhmin had done something which was not easy to do and so should be rewarded. The king ordered his men to give the bràhmin a piece of cloth as a reward for his faith and generosity. The bràhmin offered that piece of cloth also to the Buddha and he was rewarded by the king with two pieces of cloth. Again, the bràhmin offered the two pieces of cloth to the Buddha and he was rewarded with four. Thus, he offered to the Buddha whatever was given him by the king, and each time the king doubled his reward. When finally the reward came up to thirty-two pieces of cloth, the bràhmin kept one piece for himself and another for his wife, and offered the remaining thirty pieces to the Buddha.
Then, the king again commented that the bràhmin had truly performed a very difficult task and so must be rewarded fittingly. The king sent a messenger to the palace to bring two pieces of velvet cloth, each of which was worth one hundred thousand, and gave them to the bràhmin. The bràhmin made these two pieces of valuable cloth into two canopies and kept one in the perfumed chamber where the Buddha slept and the other in his own house above the place where a monk was regularly offered alms-food. When the king next went to the Jētavana Monastery to pay homage to the Buddha, he saw the velvet canopy and recognized it as the offering made by the bràhmin and he was very pleased. This time, he made a reward of seven kinds in fours (sabbacatukka), viz., four elephants, four horses, four female slaves, four male slaves, four errand boys, four villages and four thousands in cash. When the monks heard about this, they asked the Buddha, “How is it that, in the case of this bràhmin, a good deed done at present bears fruit immediately?” To them the Buddha replied, “If the bràhmin had offered his outer garment in the first watch of the night, he would have been rewarded with sixteen of each kind; if he had made his offering during the middle watch, he would have been rewarded with eight of each kind; since he had made his offering only during the last watch of the night, he was rewarded with only four of each kind. So, when one wants to give in charity, one should do so quickly; if one procrastinates, the reward comes slowly and only sparingly. Also, if one is too slow in doing good deeds, one may not be able to do it at all, for the mind tends to take delight in evil.”
憍薩羅國波斯匿王也在聽法的群眾中。當他聽到這些話時，就派人去調查原因。在得知這是那位婆羅門供養佛陀外套時所發出的聲音時，他說這不是平常人可以做得到的事，值得讚賞。國王就要手下送一件布料給這婆羅門，獎賞他虔誠的信仰和慷慨供養。不過，這婆羅門把國王賞賜的布料也供養給佛陀。國王因此又賞賜他兩件布料，這婆羅門也同樣的把它們供養給佛陀，不管國王獎賞幾件布料（每次都是上一次的兩倍），他都全數供養佛陀。最後當國王賞賜他三十二件布料時，他在國王的要求下，留下一件給自己，另一件給太太，其餘的三十件全部供養佛陀。
國王接著說，這婆羅門真正做到難捨能捨的事，應該給予更適當的獎賞。國王就派人回宮中拿來兩件非常昂貴的天鵝絨地毯，將它們賞賜給這婆羅門。他用這些地毯做成兩件覆罩，其中一件供養給佛陀。後來，國王再到祇樹給孤獨園時，看見婆羅門供養佛陀的覆罩時，心裡十分高興，又賞賜這婆羅門一番。
其他比丘知道這婆羅門的事情之後，就問佛陀：
「為什麼這婆羅門所做的善業，現世就立刻得到報應呢？」
「這婆羅門如果初夜時就供養，那麼他所得到的獎賞會更多。但他是在後夜才供養，獎賞就少了。一個人若要布施，應該馬上做，若遲疑，回報既慢且少。更有甚者，可能甚至就不布施了，畢竟人心容易做惡業。」
While residing at the Jētavana. Monastery, the Buddha spoke this verse, with reference to a bràhmin couple by the name of Culla kasàñaka.
There was once a bràhmin couple in Sàvatthi, who had only one outer garment between the two of them. Because of this they were also known as kasàñaka. As they had only one outer garment, both of them could not go out at the same time. So, the wife would go to listen to the discourse given by the Buddha during the day and the husband would go at night. One night, as the bràhmin listened to the Buddha, his whole body came to be suffused with delightful satisfaction and he felt a strong desire to offer the outer garment he was wearing to the Buddha. But he realized that if he were to give away the only outer garment he had, there would be none left for him and his wife. So he wavered and hesitated. Thus, the first and the second watches of the night passed. Came the third watch and he said to himself, “If I am so miserly and hesitant, I will miss the opportunity of ending worldly suffering. I shall now offer my outer garment to the Buddha.” So saying, he placed the piece of cloth at the feet of the Buddha and cried out “I have won” three times. King Pasēnadi of Kōsala, who was among the audience, heard those words and ordered a courtier to investigate.
Learning about the bràhmin’s offering to the Buddha, the king commented that the bràhmin had done something which was not easy to do and so should be rewarded. The king ordered his men to give the bràhmin a piece of cloth as a reward for his faith and generosity. The bràhmin offered that piece of cloth also to the Buddha and he was rewarded by the king with two pieces of cloth. Again, the bràhmin offered the two pieces of cloth to the Buddha and he was rewarded with four. Thus, he offered to the Buddha whatever was given him by the king, and each time the king doubled his reward. When finally the reward came up to thirty-two pieces of cloth, the bràhmin kept one piece for himself and another for his wife, and offered the remaining thirty pieces to the Buddha.
Then, the king again commented that the bràhmin had truly performed a very difficult task and so must be rewarded fittingly. The king sent a messenger to the palace to bring two pieces of velvet cloth, each of which was worth one hundred thousand, and gave them to the bràhmin. The bràhmin made these two pieces of valuable cloth into two canopies and kept one in the perfumed chamber where the Buddha slept and the other in his own house above the place where a monk was regularly offered alms-food. When the king next went to the Jētavana Monastery to pay homage to the Buddha, he saw the velvet canopy and recognized it as the offering made by the bràhmin and he was very pleased. This time, he made a reward of seven kinds in fours (sabbacatukka), viz., four elephants, four horses, four female slaves, four male slaves, four errand boys, four villages and four thousands in cash. When the monks heard about this, they asked the Buddha, “How is it that, in the case of this bràhmin, a good deed done at present bears fruit immediately?” To them the Buddha replied, “If the bràhmin had offered his outer garment in the first watch of the night, he would have been rewarded with sixteen of each kind; if he had made his offering during the middle watch, he would have been rewarded with eight of each kind; since he had made his offering only during the last watch of the night, he was rewarded with only four of each kind. So, when one wants to give in charity, one should do so quickly; if one procrastinates, the reward comes slowly and only sparingly. Also, if one is too slow in doing good deeds, one may not be able to do it at all, for the mind tends to take delight in evil.”
☆☆☆
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
