4 The Wife Plays Dead

Once there was a stupid man who was very much in love with his beautiful wife. She was unfaithful to him; however, and took a lover. Burning with deviant passion, she instructed an old woman, saying, “After I leave, put a dead woman’s corpse in my room and tell my husband I am dead.” The old woman waited until the husband was not at home and then placed a woman’s corpse inside the house. When he returned, she told him his wife was dead.

The husband saw the corpse and believed it to be his wife. He grieved and wept and prepared much firewood and oil for the cremation. He gathered the remains in a bag and carried them with him day and night.

The wife, meanwhile, grew tired of her lover and returned home, saying to her husband, “I am your wife.”

The husband replied, “My wife died long ago. Why do you falsely claim to be my wife?” He refused to believe her even after her repeated explanations.

This is like those of externalist ways who learn deviant teachings and whose minds give rise to delusion and attachment. They claim that the teachings are true and they refuse to change. Afterwards even when they hear the orthodox teaching, they do not believe, accept, or uphold it.

4妇诈称死喻

译文

过去有位愚人，他的妻子生得端正，愚人心内很是爱重她。女人却没有贞洁忠信之情，中途与他人有了私通。邪淫的心意炽盛起来，欲追随情夫而去，舍离自己的丈夫。于是就对一个老太婆密语道：「我离去之后，你可携来一具死女人的尸体，安着于屋中，对我丈夫说我已死。」老太婆此后瞅准那丈夫不在家的时机，将一具死尸放置在他家中。待到那丈夫回家来了，老太婆告诉他道：「你妻子已经死了。」那丈夫即便前去查看，以为真是自己的妻子，便哀哭着，心情很是难受，积集了许多木柴和油，将死尸烧了，拾取了骨灰，用囊盛了，昼夜挟在怀中。女人后来对情夫起了厌倦之心，便回家来了，对她丈夫说：「我是你的妻子。」丈夫答道：「我妻子已死多时了，你是谁呢?乱说是我的妻子。」女人一而再、再而三地说，丈夫依然如故，不肯相信。

就如那些外道，听闻了其他的邪说，心内产生了迷惑，就执着在这点上了，以为是真理，这种心念便永远无法改转过来，虽然后来听闻了佛法正教，也不肯信而受持奉行。

原典

昔有愚人，其妇端正，情甚爱重。妇无贞信，后于中间，共他交往。邪淫心盛，欲逐傍夫，舍离己婿。于是密语一老母言：「我去之后，汝可赍①一死妇女尸安着屋中，语我夫言，云我已死。」老母于后伺其夫主不在之时，以一死尸置其家中。及其夫还，老母语言：「汝妇已死。」夫即往视，信是己妇，哀哭懊恼，大积薪油，烧取其骨，以囊盛之，昼夜怀挟。妇于后时心厌傍夫，便还归家，语其夫言：「我是汝妻。」夫答之言：「我妇久死，汝是阿谁?妄言我妇。」乃至二三，犹故不信。

如彼外道，闻他邪说，心生惑着，谓为真实，永不可改，虽闻正教，不信受持。

注释

①赍：携。

源流

《鸯崛摩罗经》卷二：譬如有愚夫，见雹生妄想，谓是琉璃珠，取已执持归，置之瓶器中，守护如真宝。不久悉融消，空想默然住，于余真琉璃，亦复作空想。(《中华大藏经》第二十三册第五十七页)

解说

假作真时真亦假。