百喻经: 引言
§0 引言
0.prologue
闻如是：一时佛住王舍城，在鹊封竹园，与诸大比丘、菩萨摩诃萨及诸八部三万六千人俱。
thus have i heard. once upon a time sakyamuni, the enlightened one, was staying in a park called karanda bamboo grove, near rajagriha city. he held a meeting with thirty six thousand men including great monks, bodhisattvas, mahasattvas and the eight groups of supernatural beings.
是时会中有异学梵志五百人俱，从座而起，白佛言“吾闻佛道洪深，无能及者，故来归问。唯愿说之。”
on that occasion, there were five hundred brahmans in the assembly. one of them rose from his seat and said to sakyamuni, the buddha: "we have learned that buddhism is so profound that there is no parallel to it. so we have come to ask you to explain it to us."
佛言：“善哉！”
very well, the enlightened one said.
问曰：“天下为有为无？”
is the universe existent or non-existent? the brahman asked.
答曰：“亦有亦无。”
it is both existent and non-existent, the enlightened one replied.
梵志曰：“如今有者，云何言无？如今无者，云何言有？”
the brahman said, "how can you say non-existent of what is now existent? how can you say existent of what is now non-existent?"
答曰：“生者言有，死者言无。故说‘或有或无’。”
the enlightened one replied, "the living say it is existent, but the dead say it is non-existent. consequently, i say it is both existent and non-existent."
问曰：“人从何生？”
he asked, "what does man live on?"
答曰：“人从谷而生。”
the enlightened one replied, "man lives on cereals."
问曰：“五谷从何而生？”
he asked, "where do the five cereals come from?"
答曰：“五谷从四大火风而生。”
they come from the four elements, fire, wind, water and earth, the enlightened one replied.
问曰：“四大火风从何而生？”
where do the four elements come from? the brahman asked.
答曰：“四大火风从空而生。”
they come from void. the enlightened one replied.
问曰：“空从何生？”
where does the void come from? he asked.
答曰：“从无所有生。”
it comes from nothingness. the enlightened one replied.
问曰：“无所有从何而生？”
where does nothingness come from? he asked.
答曰：“从自然生。”
from the nature. the enlightened one replied.
问曰：“自然从何而生？”
where does nature come from? he asked.
答曰：“从泥洹而生。”
from nirvana. the enlightened one replied.
问曰：“泥洹从何而生？”
where does nirvana come from? he asked.
佛曰：“汝今问事何以尔深？泥洹者是不生不死法。”
why do you ask about such profound things. nirvana is the law of non-birth and immortality. the enlightened one replied.
问曰：“佛泥洹未？”
have you attained nirvana? he asked.
答曰：“我未泥洹。”
i haven't reached nirvana yet. the enlightened one replied.
“若未泥洹，云何得知泥洹常乐？”
if you haven't reached nirvana yet, how do you know nirvana is an eternal bliss? he asked.
佛言：“我今问汝，天下众生为苦为乐？”
now let me ask you whether the life of the sentient beings in the world is happy or miserable, the enlightened one said.
答曰：“众生甚苦。”
i view it as very miserable. he replied.
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