百喻經(jīng)之六六: 口誦乘船法而不解用喻

(66) READING THE SAILING METHODS

昔有大長者子，共諸商人入海采寶。此長者子善誦入海捉船方法，若入海水漩洑洄流磯激之處，當如是捉，如是正，如是住。語眾人言：“入海方法，我悉知之。”

Once upon a time, there was a young man from a respectable family who went to the sea with some merchants to look for pearls. He had read all about sailing such as to know how to steer the boat, how to take the right direction and how to hold in good position when they had to face whirlpools, countercurrents, or rocks during the, journey. To everybody aboard, he said, "I know all about sailing."

眾人聞已，深信其語。既至海中，未經(jīng)幾時，船師遇病，忽然便死。時長者子即便代處。至洄洑駛流之中，唱言當如是捉，如是正。船盤回旋轉(zhuǎn)，不能前進，至于寶所。舉船商人沒水而死。

Everyone believed him. It was not long before the captain of the boat fell ill and died soon after. He then took charge of the boat. When they came to whirlpools and rapid currents, he recited what he had read without knowing how to put those instructions into practice. The boat that was strolling and going round could not advance to the pearls place. Then they all drowned.

凡夫之人，亦復(fù)如是。少習(xí)禪法，安般數(shù)息，及不凈觀，雖誦其文，不解其義。種種方法，實無所曉，自言善解，妄授禪法，使前人迷亂失心，倒錯法相，終年累歲，空無所獲。如彼愚人使他沒海。

So are the common people. They have little knowledge of quiet sitting, of counting the breathings and of contemplating on the uncleanness of human body for the practice of meditation. Although they can read the scriptures, they do not grasp the meaning. In fact, they know really nothing about all the methods of meditation. They preach the wrong ways, pretending to be well acquainted with the right ways. Bewildered and diffident, the followers turn the characteristics of things upside down, getting nothing in return over the whole year or a number of years. They are just like those who drowned at sea by the stupid man in this story.

注釋：

①安般數(shù)息：安般，梵文Anapana，或譯安那般那，安是呼出氣息，般是吸入氣息，一心點數(shù)那氣息，勿令忘失，就叫做數(shù)息觀。

白話：

曾有一位長者的兒子與一幫商人入海去采寶。這位長者的兒子對入海駕船的方法可瑯瑯上口，譬如到了大海的漩渦、洄流、礁磯激濺之處，應(yīng)當這樣把、這樣整、這樣停之類。他對大家說：「入海方法，我全知道?！贡娙寺犃耍耆嘈潘脑?。到得海中，沒過多時，船師得了病，忽然之間，死去了。長者的兒子就接替了他，航至漩洄的急流之中，大叫著：「應(yīng)這樣把、這樣整。」船盤回旋轉(zhuǎn)，不能前進到寶渚去，沒多久，全船商人都沒水而死。

世人也是這樣，稍微修習(xí)了一下禪法、安般數(shù)息觀和不凈觀，雖是記誦住了文詞，卻不通其中的意思，也不了解修行的種種方法，妄自張揚說已深透地理解了，便胡亂傳授禪法，使得一意精進的人迷亂了，失了自性清凈心，顛倒錯亂了諸法的殊別之相，經(jīng)年累月都毫無收獲，就像那位愚人，使得他人沒于海中。