父取儿耳珰喻

§86 父取儿耳珰喻
(86) the father and his son's earrings
昔有父子二人，缘事共行，路贼卒起，欲来剥之。其儿耳中有真金珰，其父见贼卒发，畏失耳珰，即便以手挽之，耳不时决。为耳珰故，便斩儿头。须臾之间，贼便弃去，还以儿头著於身上，不可平复。
once upon a time, there were a man and his son taking a business trip together. on their way, they came across robbers trying to rob the valuable things off them. the son had a pair of pure gold earrings on. when the father saw the robbers approaching, he tried to pull the rings off to hide them. as he did not succeed in doing that in a hurry, he cut his son's head off. when the robbers went away, he tried to put the son's head back on where it had been. no success came out of it.
如是愚人，为世所笑。
such a stupid was laughed at by the people at large.
凡夫之人，亦复如是。为名利故，造作戏论，言无二世，有二世；无中阴，有中阴；无心数法，有心数法；无种种妄想，不得法宝。他人以如法论破其所论，便言我论中都无是说，如是愚人，为小名利，便故妄语，丧沙门道果，身坏命终，堕三恶道。如彼愚人为小利故，斩其儿头。

for fame and gain, people argue with a joking expression on the following subjects:
(1) there is the present life and the hereafter and there is not.
(2) there is the intermediate existence between death and reincarnation and there is not.
(3) there are several qualities of the mind and there are not.
such foolish arguments are not real buddhist teachings. according to the law of buddhism, there are no such sayings in the buddhist doctrine, others refute.
stupid men who tell stories in order to win a little fame and gain, lose the profit resulted from the practices of monks. furthermore, they will fall into the three evil paths of transmigration after the decay of their bodies or at their death's door. this is just like that stupid man who cut his son's head off for a pair of gold earrings.
注释：
　　①中阴：梵语antara-bhava，又译作中有、中蕴、中阴有。指人自死亡至再次受生期间之识身。据《俱舍论》卷十载，「中有」，即前世死之瞬间（死有）至次世受生之刹那（生有）的中间时期。此「中有身」即「识身」之存在，乃由意所生之化生身，非由精血等外缘所成，故又称为意生身；且专食香以资养其身，故称健达缚；又常希求、寻察次世当生之处，故称为求生；又因其为本有坏后，于次生之间暂时而起，故又称为起。中有之身，唯于欲、色二界受生者有之，于无色界受生者则无此身。

　　又据《俱舍论》卷九载，中有身由极微细之物质所构成，其当生之趣由业所引，故其形量与所趣之本有的形状相似。此中，欲界中有之形量，如五、六岁之小儿，然诸根明利；菩萨之中有如盛年时，其形量周圆具诸相好，若入胎时，照百俱胝之四大洲等，色界中有之形量，则圆满如本有，且由惭愧心之故，与衣俱生。菩萨之中有亦与衣俱生。又此中有身因极细微，故仅同类可相见，然若修得极净天眼者，亦能得见。
源流：
　　《三慧经》：山中揭鸟，尾有长毛，毛有所着，便不敢复去，爱之恐拔，覆为猎者所得，身为分散，而为一毛故。（《大正藏》第十七册第七o三页）
白话：
　　从前有父子二人因事同行，拦路抢劫的强盗突然出现了，想来夺取他们的财物。儿子耳中戴着真金耳环，父亲见强盗飙忽而来，怕失了耳环，就用手去牵拉它，耳朵一时拉断不了。为了耳环的缘故，就斩下了儿子的头。须臾之间，强盗离弃而去了。回去把儿子的头重新安到肩上去，但已无法接平复原了。这样的愚人，被世人嗤笑。

　　凡夫之人也是这样，为了名利的缘故，写出一些不能增进善法而无意义的论来，肆口说现世、后世这二世有或二世无；前世死的刹那至再次受生的刹那，这中间时期的有或无；受想思等法有或无，种种妄想的论调，无法探得佛法的真实。别人以按照佛陀所说的教法来破斥他的戏论，便说我论中都没有这等观念。这样的愚人，为了小名利，就特意说妄语，丧失沙门应修证的道果，身坏命终之后，堕于三恶道中。就像那个愚人，为了一点点利，就斩去了儿子的头。