百喻經(jīng)之七三: 詐言馬死喻

　　(73) THE HORSE WAS DEAD

　　昔有一人，騎一黑馬，入陣擊賊，以其怖故，不能戰(zhàn)斗，便以血污涂其面目，詐現(xiàn)死相，臥死人中，其所乘馬為他所奪。軍眾既去，便欲還家，即截他人白馬尾來。既到舍已，有人問言：“汝所乘馬今為所在?何以不乘?”

　　Once upon a time, there was a man who rode on a black horse to a battle. Out of fear, he was incapable to combat. He daubed his face and eyes with blood and dirt. Pretending to be dead, he laid down in the midst of corpses. The horse on which he had rode was taken away. After the battle was through, he went home bringing with him the cut-off tail of a white horse that belonged to another soldier. Back at home, he was asked, "Where is your old horse?"

　　答言：“我馬已死，遂持尾來。”

　　The man replied, "My horse is dead. I have brought back with me its tail."

　　旁人語言：“汝馬本黑，尾何以白?”默然無對，為人所笑。

　　People said, "But your old horse was black. How did its tail turn white?" Speechless, the man was laughed at.

　　世間之人，亦復如是。自言善好，修行慈心，不食酒肉，然殺害眾生，加諸楚毒，妄自稱善，無惡不作。如彼愚人，詐言馬死。

　　So are the people at large. Despite of their pretending to be good, pious, compassionate and restraining themselves to eat meat and drink wine, people indulge themselves in killing and injuring other sentient beings and thus raising to pain and cruelty. Furthermore, they boast that they do good deeds, but there is nothing they will not do to commit sins, just like the stupid man and his horse.

　　白話：

　　從前有一個人騎著一匹黑馬入陣與敵作戰(zhàn)，由于恐懼害怕，不敢戰(zhàn)斗了;便用血污涂在面孔上，裝出死的模樣來，臥在死人中間。所騎的馬便被別人奪走了，軍隊離去后，他便想回家，就截了人家的白馬尾回來。到了家，有人問他：「你騎的那匹馬如今在哪里? 為何不騎呢?」他答道：「我的馬已死了，就拿了尾巴回來。」傍人說道：「你的馬原本是黑的，尾巴怎么是白的呢?』他默然無答，遭到眾人的嗤笑。

　　世上的人也是這樣，說自己積善行好，修行慈心，不食酒肉，然而卻殺害眾生，鞭捶棒打，虛妄地自稱行善，其實無惡不作，就像那個愚人，騙說馬死了。