百喻经之十九: 乘船失釪喻
§19 乘船失釪喻
(19) loss of a silver bowl by boat
昔有人乘船渡海，失一银釪，堕于水中。即便思念：“我今画水作记，舍之而去，后当取之。”
once upon a time there was a man who dropped a silver bowl into the sea while crossing it. he pondered, "i'm going to make a mark on the water. i'm carrying on my journey now. but i'll come back for it later."
行经二月，到师子诸国，见一河水，便入其中，觅本失釪。
after two months' travel during which he visited ceylon and many other countries. on seeing a river, he jumped into the water looking for the bowl he had lost before.
诸人问言：“欲何所作？”
"what are you doing there?" people asked.
答言：“我先失釪，今欲觅取。”
he replied, "i have lost my bowl. now i would like to get it back."
问言：“于何处失？”
people went on, "when did you lose it?"
答言：“初入海失。”
he answered, "i lost it crossing the sea."
又复问言：“失经几时？”
again people asked, "how long ago did you lose it?"
言：“失来二月。”
he answered, "i lost it two months ago."
问言：“失来二月，云何此觅？”
people asked, "since you lost it two months ago in the sea, why are you looking for it here in the river?"
答言：“我失釪时，画水作记。本所画水，与此无异，是故觅之。”
he answered, "i made a mark on the water where i lost the bowl. this water looks the same as the other. there seems no difference. that's why i'm doing this."
又复问言：“水虽不别。汝昔失时，乃在于彼；今在此觅，何由可得？”
people went on, "though all waters are identical, the place that you have lost it is there. how can you find it here?"
尔时众人，无不大笑。
everybody jeered at him.
亦如外道，不修正行，相似善中，横计苦因，以求解脱，状如愚人，失釪于彼，而于此觅。
the heretics, who do not practice the right religious belief, but a fallacious one, suffer from their useless mortification in seeking deliverance. those men are just like the stupid man who has lost his bowl in the sea and looked for it in the river.
注释：
①釪：同盂，食器。
②画水：随划随合，无法作记认，所以愚人说本所画水，与此无异。
③师子诸国：即僧伽罗国（俗语simghala音译），梵文simhala，巴利文sihala，意思是执师子国、师子国，宋以后的著作如《诸蕃志》作细兰（系译自阿拉伯语silan）。一九七二年改名为斯里兰卡(srilanka）。关于此国的由来，《大唐西域记》卷十一的记载很是详细，且多有滋味，现将季羡林等的今译文抄录于下，以供赏览。
此国本来就是个宝岛，珍宝很多，居住著鬼神。后来，南印度有个国王的女儿和邻国订了婚，选定良辰吉日出嫁，途中碰到狮子，侍卫们丢下公主四散逃奔，只有她在车子里，心想这下没命了! 这时狮子王就背著她走了，进入深山，把她安置在幽邃的山谷里，捕鹿采果，按时供给她。几年后，她生下一男一女，形貌与人一样，而性情和血统却是野兽的。男的渐渐成长，力大无穷，能击毙猛兽，二十岁时，开始具有人的智慧，就向母亲说：「我算什么呢?父亲是野兽，母亲却是人，既然不是同类，怎么会成夫妻?」母亲就把过去的事情告诉了儿子。儿子回答：「人和兽是两样，应该快快离开。」母亲说：「我从前逃走过，没有成功。」
后来儿子就跟著狮子父亲，登山越岭，侦查它的行踪，以便逃离。等到父亲走远了，儿子便担负著母亲和妹妹下山，跑到有人烟的所在。母亲告诫他们说：「各人都要谨慎地严守秘密，不能讲出我们的由来。人们如果知道了，会轻视我们的。」于是，他们到了本国，可是这个国家已不属于这一家族统治了，宗祀已经灭绝，他们只好投身寄住在这里的村邑人家。人们问道：「你们是哪一国的人?」回答说：「我本是这个国的人，因为流离在外国，现在携带子女来归故乡。」人们无不怜悯他们的遭遇，相互供应他们的生活所需。
狮子王回到山谷，一看什么也没有了，回忆过去的情景，眷恋著亲生的儿女，既痛且恨，就走出山谷，往来村邑间，咆哮震吼，凶暴地伤害人畜，残忍地祸害生灵，村邑有人外出，就被扑灭吞噬。大家只好击鼓吹贝，背负弓弩，手持长矛，成群结队地行走，才能免害。
国王害怕他的统治不能安定，就派遣猎人，希望捕获狮子。国王亲自统率数以万计的象、马、车、步四种兵卒，埋伏在森林、水泽中，跨越山谷。而狮子猛吼一声，如同晴天霹雳，人马惊退。既然擒获不到，便重新招募勇士，下令说如有人能捉到狮子为国除掉大患的，当酬重赏，并旌表他的功绩。
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