44 Eating Half a Cake

44欲食半饼喻

Once there was a man who was so hungry, he ate seven pancakes. By the time he had finished eating six and half pancakes, he was full. Remorseful and upset, he slapped his own hand and said, ”Half a pancake filled me up. The other six were wasted. If I had known that this half a pancake could fill me up, I would have eaten it first.”

Worldly people are like this, too. They have never experienced bliss, and yet they convince themselves with their stupid delusion that there is such a thing as bliss, just like that foolish man who was convinced he got full by eating half a pancake. Worldly ignorant people think that wealth and honor are bliss. And yet the pursuit of wealth and honor entails much suffering. To guard them after having obtained them is also suffering. And, having lost them, pining and fretting over them is even more suffering. Throughout those three periods of time, one is never blissful.

This is also like people who delude themselves into thinking that food and clothing are pleasure. Therefore, the Buddhas says, “The three realms have no peace. They are all suffering.” But because they are upside down, ordinary people cling on to their mistaken notions of bliss.

译文

譬如有人因为饿了，一口气吃了七枚煎饼。吃到六枚半的时候，便觉得饱了。这人懊恼后悔起来，抬手打着自己，说：「我现在已饱足了，都赖这半枚饼的原因。前面那六枚饼，就这么空佬佬地浪费掉了。倘若知道吃了这半个饼就能饱了，应先吃它才是。」

世上的人也是这样，自古以来，就永远没有什么快乐的事情，然而世人痴愚颠倒，横空生出快乐的念头来，就像那个痴人，对半块饼产生会饱的想法。世人实在无知，竟以富贵为乐。那富贵么，追求之际很苦，待到获得了，守护住它也很苦，此后一旦又失去了，忧思念想又是苦，在早中晚三时中，都没有什么快乐。就好比衣食可以遮寒祛饥，便在辛苦营求中横空生出快乐的念头来。诸佛都说：「欲界、色界、无色界这三界中都没有什么安乐，只都是大苦而已。」世上的人颠倒迷惑的缘故，方才横空生出快乐的念头来。

原典

譬如有人，因其饥故，盒七枚煎饼。食六枚半已，便得饱满。其人恚悔，以手自打，而作是言：「我今饱足，由此半饼。然前六饼，唐自捐弃。设知半饼能充足者，应先食之。」

世间之人亦复如是，从本以来，常无有乐，然其痴倒，横生乐想。如彼痴人，于半番饼生于饱想。世人无知，以富贵为乐。夫富贵者，求时甚苦，既获得已，守护亦苦，后还失之，忧念复苦，于三时中，都无有乐。犹如衣食，遮故名乐，于辛苦中横生乐想。诸佛说言：「三界无安，皆是大苦。」凡夫倒惑，横生乐想。