6 The Dead Son Remains in the House

6子死欲停置家中喻

Once there was a stupid man who had seven children. One child died young. Seeing this, the man wished to leave the corpse in the house and move out himself.

Observing this, a bystander said, “Birth and death are separate paths. You should quickly conduct a proper funeral and bury the corpse in a far away place. How can you leave the corpse here and move out yourself?”

Hearing this, the stupid man thought to himself, “If I’m not going to leave the corpse here, but bury it instead, I should kill another child to hang at the other end of a long pole. Then I can carry them both off to be buried.” And so he proceeded to kill another child. Then he put both corpses on the ends of along pole and took them off to be buried in the forest. People who saw this were shocked at such a strange occurrence.

This is like a Bhikshu who secretly breaks one precept and is afraid to repent. He keeps silent about it and hides his mistake, insisting to himself that he is pure. Then someone discovers his misdeed and says, “Those who have left home should keep the precepts flawlessly like guarding precious pearls. Why do you now, having broken a precept, wish not to repent?”

The violator says, “As long as I am going to repent, I might as well break some more precepts and then confess them all at once.” Then he casually breaks the precepts and does many bad deeds. That Bhikshu is like the stupid man who, since one of his children had died, killed yet another.

译文

从前有位愚人，养育了七个儿子，其中一个先死掉了。愚人这时见儿子已经死了，便想将他停置在家中，自己弃家到别处去。傍人见了，就对他说：「生与死的境地不同，应当速速入殓了，运至远处去埋葬吧，怎么能停放在家里，自己却欲弃家而去?」愚人当时听了这话，便想：倘若不可停放，定要葬掉的话，还须再杀掉一个儿子，担子两头，各放一个，这样才可稳顺地担到那儿去。于是便再杀了一个儿子，挑着，到远处的林野之地葬掉了。当时人们见了，不禁愕然，竟有这般闻所未闻的事情，大大地嗤笑了他。

就譬如比丘私底下违犯了一条戒律，心内害怕改悔，便默然覆藏住了，自己骗说自己是清净的。或有知情者对他说：「出家人守持禁戒，就如守护明珠一样，不使它们有所缺漏。你现在违犯了所受的戒律，为什么不想忏悔?」犯戒者答道：「倘若须忏悔的话，要再犯一戒，然后才表出罪过，以求改悔。」

于是便继续破戒，多作不善的事情，这样才一下子发露自己的罪过。如那愚人一样，一子已死了，又杀一子。如今这比丘也是如此。

原典

昔有愚人，养育七子，一子先死。时此愚人见于既死，便欲停置于其家中，自欲弃去。傍人见已，而语之言：「生死道异，当速庄严，致于远处而殡葬之。云何得留，自欲弃去?」尔时愚人闻此语已，即自思念：若不得留，要当葬者，须更杀一子，停担两头，乃可胜致。于是便更杀其一子而担负之，远葬林野。时人见之，深生嗤笑，怪未曾有。

譬如比丘私犯一戒，情惮改悔，默然覆藏，自说清净。或有知者，即语之言：「出家之人，守持禁戒，如护明珠，不使缺落。汝今云何违犯所受，欲不忏悔?」犯戒者言：「苟须忏者，更就犯之，然后当出。」

遂便破戒，多作不善，尔乃顿出。如彼愚人，一子既死，又杀一子。今此比丘，亦复如是。

解说

不善的事，不可一不做，二不休。