价值

Real Value

哈哈！

Haha!

曾有一个人五年中在上师前听闻了如海一般的显密佛法。离开上师一年后，就把所听闻的一切教言忘得干干净净，只是牢牢记得供养给上师的500元钱。

There was once a man who in five years received numerous exoteric and esoteric teachings from his master. After he left his teacher, however, in a matter of only one year he forgot completely all the instructions he had heard. The only thing he kept firmly in his mind was the 500-yuan he had offered to his master.

其实这种现象比较普遍。很多人都不明白，在具德上师前听闻佛法时供养的功德，凡夫是无法衡量的。为听闻佛法，作再大的供养也是值得的。

It is quite common to hear stories like this. But ordinary people do not know the vast merit of offerings to an authentic spiritual teacher from whom one is receiving the Dharma. Actually, no amount of gift is too big to offer for the sake of learning the Dharma.

我等大师释迦牟尼佛在因地转世为月亮王子时，为听闻四句偈子的佛法，供养了4000两黄金。父王得知后说：“你为法舍弃的财物太多了吧！”月亮王子说：“佛法是十分珍贵的，就是舍弃王位及国家所有的财产也值得，更何况4000两黄金！”

Lord Buddha Shakyamuni, when once incarnated as Prince Moonlight, offered 4,000 taels of pure gold in order to receive a four-verse Dharma. Upon hearing this, his father king said: “Aren’t you giving away too much for the Dharma?” Prince Moonlight replied: “The Dharma is most precious, even giving up the throne and all the fortune in the kingdom would be well worth it, let alone 4,000 taels of gold!”

月亮王子所求的只是显宗的一般法门，若在具德上师前得灌顶、密法，其恩德更是金钱所难以衡量和报答的。在《贤愚经》中也有佛陀为听闻四句偈子的佛法，曾在身上点千灯的公案。

The teachings Prince Moonlight requested were only the common ones in Sutrayana. Should empowerment or pith instructions in Vajrayana from an authentic master have been involved; the kindness bestowed on him would have been beyond measure and reciprocation. In the Sutra of the Wise and the Foolish, there is a story of how the Buddha, in order to receive a four-verse Dharma, lit one thousand lights in his own body as offerings.

即使是世间的智慧，也是以金钱难以衡量的。

Even worldly wisdom is beyond appraisal by money.

曾有一位叫尽见的大臣，国王给了他500两黄金，委派他去购买别国最好的东西。他走了很多国家，一直没有买到。

Once a king entrusted 500 taels of gold to his minister Jin Jian and asked him to procure the most valuable thing from other kingdoms. The minister traveled to many countries but found nothing worth buying.

一天，他遇见一位老人在街上喊着：“卖智慧了！谁要买智慧？”

One day he heard an old man calling out from the street: “Wisdom for sale! Who want to buy wisdom?”

大臣心想，这个东西我们国家没有，就问道：“怎么卖？”

The minister thought to himself, that’s what we need in our country. He asked: “How much is it?”

“五百两黄金，要先付款。”

“500 taels of gold, but you must pay in advance.”

大臣交出黄金后，老人字正腔圆地说道：“这可是真正的人生智慧，一共12个字，你务必记住‘缓一缓，再生气。想一想，再行动。’”大臣听后心里直喊冤枉，后悔不迭，认为500两黄金可惜了。

The minister handed out the gold, and henceforth the old man articulated clearly and deliberately: “Listen: what I am going to say is the infallible wisdom of life. There are 12 words in it. You must remember them perfectly. Here: ‘Hold one minute, then get angry. Think once more, then take action.’” Hearing this, the minister thought he had been tricked unjustly; seized with intense remorse, he was sure he had squandered the 500 taels of gold.

回到家里，已是深夜。进到卧室，见妻子身旁躺着一个人，不由得心想：“这个水性杨花的女人，居然敢红杏出墙，背着我与人通奸！”想到这里，就气不打一处来，立即抽出宝剑向妻子刺去。忽然，他想起了那12个字，就一边念一边仔细察看，才发现那人竟然是自己的母亲。原来，今天妻子生病了，母亲是特意来照料她的。

When he got home, it was very late at night. He went to his bedroom and there was someone sleeping next to his wife. He couldn’t help but think: “This unfaithful bitch dares to carry on an affair, sleeping with someone behind my back!” Enraged, he pulled out his sword and was about to slay his wife. Suddenly, he recalled the 12 words, so he repeated them while taking another closer look. He discovered that the person lying next to his wife was actually his own mother. It turned out that his wife was ill today, and his mother had made a special trip to come help her.

大臣这才醒悟过来，这句话的确是真正的智慧啊！500两黄金岂能与妻子和母亲的性命相比！

It dawned on the minister then and there that these words did embody true wisdom! How can 500 taels of gold be compared to the lives of his wife and mother!

世间很多令人后悔之事的发生，都是因为缺乏智慧的缘故，可见不论是世间还是出世间，智慧都是无比珍贵的。

In this world, it is exactly the lack of wisdom that causes many regrettable things to happen. Therefore, wisdom is supremely precious, either worldly or spiritual.

壬午年二月初九　　
2002年3月23日

9th of February, Year of RenWu
March 23, 2002