百喻經(jīng)之六三: 伎兒著戲羅剎服共相驚怖喻

(63) AN ACTOR WEARING A DEMON'S GARMENT

昔乾陀衛(wèi)國有諸伎兒，因時(shí)饑儉，逐食他土。經(jīng)婆羅新山，而此山中，素饒惡鬼、食人羅剎。時(shí)諸伎兒會宿山中，山中風(fēng)寒，然火而臥。伎人之中有患寒者，著彼戲衣羅剎之服，向火而座。時(shí)行伴中從睡寤者，卒見火邊有一羅剎，竟不諦觀，舍之而走。遂相驚動，一切伴侶悉皆逃奔。時(shí)彼伴中著羅剎衣者，亦復(fù)尋逐，奔馳絕走。

Once upon a time, there was a troupe of actors from Cadhara Kingdom, rambling in different parts of the country giving performances due to a famine. They passed the Pala New Mountain where evil demons and men-eater Raksas had been found. The troupe had to lodge in the mountain where it was windy and cold. They slept with the fire on. One of them who were chilly wore Raksa demon's costume and sat near the fire when another actor awoke and saw him. He ran away without looking closely at him. In general panic, the whole troupe got up and ran away. The one who wore the Raksa garment, not realizing what was happening, followed them.

諸同行者見其在後，謂欲加害，倍增惶怖，越度山河，投赴溝壑，身體傷破，疲極委頓，乃至天明，方知非鬼。

Seeing he was behind them, all the actors got more frightened to do them harm. They crossed rivers and mountains, and jumped into ditches and gullies. All got wounded in addition to the great fear they suffered. They did not realize that he was not a demon until daybreak.

一切凡夫，亦復(fù)如是。處于煩惱饑儉善法，而欲遠(yuǎn)求常樂我凈無上法食，便于五陰之中橫計(jì)于我，以我見故，流馳生死，煩惱所逐，不得自在，墜墮三途惡趣溝壑，至天明者，喻生死夜盡，智慧明曉，方知五陰無有真我。

So are all the common people. Those who happen to be in the midst of the misfortune of famine, do not spare themselves trouble to go far away to seek for the sublime teaching of the Four Transcendental Realities of Nirvana, namely eternity, bliss, personality and purity. However, they cling to their egos which are nothing more than five components of a human being. Because of this, they are flowing back again and again through transmigration. Pursued by temptation, they are out of sorts in falling into the ditch of the Three Evil Paths. Only when the night of transmigration is ended, does the wisdom appear once again. Also only at this moment can one perceive the five components of a human being have no real ego.

注釋：

①乾陀衛(wèi)國：梵文Gandhavat的音譯，意為香遍國，因?yàn)樘幪幱邢銡怵ビ舻幕?。在中國文獻(xiàn)中，尚稱小月氏、乾陀(《魏書·西域傳》)、月氏國(《高僧傳·曇無竭傳》)、犍陀羅、建陀羅(慧超《往五天竺國傳》)、健陀羅(《吳船錄》)、犍陀衛(wèi)(《法顯傳》)、犍陀越(《水經(jīng)注》引釋氏《西域志》)，位于斯瓦脫河最下游的東岸、喀布爾河的北岸，即現(xiàn)今的白沙瓦(Peshawar)和拉瓦爾品第(Rawalpindi)地區(qū)。乾陀衛(wèi)國是亞洲古代史上著名大國。公元前四世紀(jì)末，馬其頓亞歷山大入侵南亞，乾陀衛(wèi)文化藝術(shù)曾受希臘影響。公元前三世紀(jì)時(shí)，摩竭國(孔雀王朝)阿育王遣佛教徒來此傳教，遂形成舉世聞名的乾陀衛(wèi)式佛教藝術(shù)。

②羅剎：梵文Raksasa，意為惡鬼，食人血肉，或飛空，或地行，很是捷疾可畏。