〖口渴的人〗
有一个人走在路上,漫长的旅程使他口渴得想要喝水。他在路边停下来求水喝,供水者对他说:「如果你喜欢的话,就喝吧!这水色、香、味俱佳,不过,如果你喝下它,就会生病,甚至病重而死或濒临死亡。」这位干渴的人并没有听从劝告,他喝得像一个开过刀被禁水一段时间的病人一样,为水苦苦地哀求著:「给我水,不管结果会如何痛苦,请让我喝了再说吧!」于是他舀出一些水来喝,发现味道很不错,便拚命的喝个够,不过也病得几乎要了命。这都缘于他强烈的欲望而无法听从任何的忠告。
这就是为什么人会被感官快乐所系缚一样。佛陀说它们都是毒,但因为他太“渴”了,所以听不进去。他啜饮色、声、香、味、触、法,更何况它们都非常甘美,所以他喝个不停,结果很快地喝上瘾了,一直到死为止。
Thirsty Man
A man comes walking along a road. He is very thirsty from his journey and is craving for a drink of water. He stops at a place beside the road and asks for a drink. The owner of the water says, "You can drink this water if you like. The color is good, the smell is good, the taste is good, too, but if you drink it, you will become ill. It'll make you sick enough to die or nearly die." The thirsty man does not listen. He's as thirsty as a person after an operation who has been denied a good drink of water for a while. He's crying for water! So he dips out a bit of water and swallows it down, finding it very tasty. He drinks his fill and gets so sick that he almost dies. He didn't listen to the warning that was given to him because of his overpowering desire.
This is how it is for a person caught in the pleasures of the senses. The Buddha taught that they are poisonous but he is thirsty and so he doesn't listen. He drinks in sights, sounds, smells, tastes, tactile sensations and mind-objects and they are all delicious. So he drinks without stopping, and there he remains stuck fast until the day he dies.