Chapter Four: LEARNING TO BE CAREFUL

朝起早，夜眠迟，老易至，惜此时。
晨必盥，兼漱口，便溺回，辄净手。
冠必正，纽必结，袜与履，俱紧切。
置冠服，有定位，勿乱顿，致污秽。
衣贵洁，不贵华，上循分，下称家。
对饮食，勿拣择，食适可，勿过则。
年方少，勿饮酒，饮酒醉，最为丑。
步从容，立端正，揖深圆，拜恭敬。
勿践阈，勿跛倚，勿箕踞，勿摇髀。
缓揭帘，勿有声，宽转弯，勿触棱。
执虚器，如执盈，入虚室，如有人。
事勿忙，忙多错，勿畏难，勿轻略。
斗闹场，绝毋近，邪僻事，绝勿问。
将入门，问谁存，将上堂，声必扬。
人问谁，对以名，吾与我，不分明。
用人物，须明求，倘不问，即为偷。
借人物，及时还，人借物，有勿悭。

这一章讲的，是饮食该注意的事项。挑精拣肥、暴饮暴食，不但形象不雅，有碍观瞻，亦且是贪婪之源，终究会令我们伤身败命，沉沦苦海。《地藏经》上说﹕地藏菩萨化身千百亿，在各处辛苦地教化众生，若遇饮食无度者，就和他们说说宿殃短命的果报，以期警诫他们；可是众生难调难服，总是像游鱼似的，才救得牠出网，牠又因贪婪而入了网。鱼饵之所以能奏效，就因为众生有贪念；因为贪，也就短视了。所以说众生愚痴 ，甚可怜悯！

This section discusses what we should pay attention to in our diet. If we choose only the most delicious and rich foods and eat and drink like gluttons, not only does it make us look bad, but our reputations will be ruined by our greed and we will sink in the sea of suffering. The Earth Store Sutra says: "Earth Store Bodhisattva has millions of transformation bodies that arduously teach living beings everywhere. If he sees someone eating and drinking excessively, he will warn them about the retribution of a short life." However, living beings are very difficult to tame. They are like fish which, after being freed from the net, get entangled again due to greed. Bait is effective because living beings are greedy, and their greed makes them short-sighted. Thus it’s said that living beings are pitiful in their ignorance.

我们教育子弟，无不希望他往好的运途走；可是，什么才是好的运途呢？高官厚禄？名成利就？婢美妾娇？或者子孙满堂？若说是高官厚禄，可是伴君如伴虎，哪一日身首异处时，又有何乐趣可言？若说是名成利就，可是欲心难止，哪一日家败名裂时，又有何乐趣可言？若说是婢美妾娇，可是人心好嫉，哪一日闺房生衅时，又有何乐趣可言？若说是子孙满堂，可是人多口杂，哪一日祸起萧墙时，又有何乐趣可言？所以不如趁早好好教育子弟有正知正见，小则个人后福无尽，中者家庭平安，大者社会安定，天下太平。而教育子弟，首要戒贪；一念贪，念念贪。

When we educate our children, we want them to walk on the right path. But what is the right path? Is it high official position and a good salary’? Fame and riches? Beautiful maids and charming mistresses? Or many children? You may say it’s high official position and a good salary, but serving the king is like accompanying a tiger; if one day you are sentenced to death, what fun is there in that? You may say it’s being famous and wealthy, but it’s difficult to stop your desires; if your reputation is totally ruined one day, what fun will that be? You may want to enjoy beautiful maids and charming mistresses, but it’s human nature to be jealous; when they fight amongst themselves in the bed-room, how will that be enjoyable? You may want to have many children, but when there are many people there are bound to be disagreements; if there’s a tragedy in the family, what is the fun? Thus it’s better to teach children the right ideas from the beginning. Then they themselves will enjoy endless blessings and their families will be harmonious. Ultimately, the society will be stable and the world will be at peace. The first thing to teach children is not to be greedy. A single thought of greed leads to endless greed.

古人说﹕「食者天也；色者性也。」又说﹕「民以食为天。」足见饮食本是众生最原始的欲望，所以说，贪食正是贪财贪色之本；岂能以为是饮食小事，率而轻忽了它呢！至于饮酒，本来小饮两杯，既不犯杀生，也不致损伤健康，或危害他人，应该没什么关系吧？问题是世上能自制的人太少了！

There’s an old saying: "Food is all-important; lust is part of human nature." Another saying goes; "To people, food is all-important." This goes to show that eating and drinking are basic human desires. Thus there’s another saying: "Greed for wealth and sex stems from greed for food." How can we overlook the matters of eating and drinking and think they are unimportant? As for drinking alcohol, one might think that having a couple of drinks won’t matter, since it doesn’t violate the precept against killing, damage the health, or hurt anyone else. The problem is, very few people are able to control themselves!

有个修行人自己住着，一天晚上，正在小饮两杯之际，忽然跑进来一只小鸡；他一看，这可不正是下酒菜？于是也顾不了犯杀戒、盗戒，就把鸡杀来吃了。愈吃，酒也愈灌得多；酒愈灌得多，也愈性起。邻家少妇跑来问鸡，他顺口扯谎﹕「没看见！」醉眼蒙眬之际，看那女人长得也不错，就又把她强奸了！年轻子弟血气未刚者，戒之在色；血气方刚者，戒之在斗；而酒能乱性，血气难伏，一但失去自制，就杀、盗、邪淫、妄语，什么都做得出来了！

Once there was a cultivator who lived by himself .One night when he has having a couple of drinks, a chicken wandered in. Seeing it, he thought, "Wouldn’t it be nice to have some chicken to go with the wine?" Forgetting about the precepts against killing and stealing, he slaughtered and cooked the chicken. Then he ate it and had some more wine. The more he drank, the more excited he got. When his neighbor, a young woman, came looking for her chicken, he lied, "I haven’t seen it." Seeing the woman through his blurred drunkenness, he found her quite attractive and raped her. Young people are not yet physically mature and should refrain from indulging in lust. When they are in the prime of life, they should refrain from fighting. Intoxicants confuse the nature, making it difficult to subdue energy. Once a person loses self-control, he is liable to do anything, including killing, stealing, acting promiscuously, and lying.

本来佛当初制戒时，饮酒并不在戒中。后来，一位修习有神通的弟子，因为勇伏毒龙，居士很感谢地献酒供养；他一高兴，竟饮酒失度，最后醉卧街头，有如烂泥。佛看平日这么一位威武的行者，酒后竟是如此脆弱不堪，丑态百出，从此才把这不饮酒，与不杀、不盗、不邪淫、不妄语，同列在基本五戒之中。

When the Buddha first set up the precepts, he didn’t prohibit intoxicants. Later on, a disciple who had spiritual powers bravely tamed a poisonous dragon. When the grateful laypeople offered him some liquor, he drank it joyfully, lost control of himself, and lay about in the streets in a drunken stupor, like a piece of trash. Seeing that awe-some cultivator become so weak and disgraceful when he was drunk, the Buddha added no intoxicants to the other precepts of no killing, no stealing, no lust, and no lying, to make the five basic precepts.

想想看﹕一位修到那么高境界的出世者，尚且逃不过酒的考验，我们凡夫俗子，又怎敢自命不凡地说﹕「没关系！我就喝两口罢了！」

Think about it: If such an accomplished cultivator failed the test of intoxicants, how could we ordinary people brag: "I’ll only take a couple of sips; there’s no harm in that."