§62 病人食雉肉喻

(62) THE PATIENT EATS THE PHEASANT MEAT

    昔有一人，病患委笃。良医占之曰：“须恒食一种雉肉，可得愈病。”而此病者，市得一雉，食之已尽，更不复食。医于后时，见便问之：“汝病愈未？”

Once upon a time, there was a man who was seriously ill. A skillful physician prescribed that he could be cured by eating some pheasant meat. After he finished eating one, the patient did not eat it again. Afterwards, the doctor came to him and asked, "How do you feel now?"

    病者答言：“医先教我恒食雉肉，是故今者食一雉已尽，更不敢食。”

The patient replied, "You have told me to eat some pheasants. Now that I have eaten it, I dare not eat it again."

    医复语言：“若前雉已尽，何不更食？汝今云何止食一雉，望得愈病？”

The physician said, "But why not? How can you expect to be cured with only one pheasant?"

    一切外道，亦复如此。闻佛、菩萨无上良医说言，当解心识。外道等执于常见，便谓过去、未来、现在唯是一识，无有迁谢。犹食一雉，是故不能疗其愚惑烦恼之病。

This is also true with all the heretics. They should understand what the mind means on hearing such wise and skillful doctors as Buddha's and Bodhisattva's preaching. However, they cling to the view of permanence thinking that there is only one mind from the past, present through future, which does not undergo any change. This is just like the patient eating only one pheasant that his illness of ignorance and worries cannot be cured.

      大智诸佛，教诸外道，除其常见，一切诸法念念生灭。何有一识常恒不变。如彼世医，教更食雉，而得病愈。

All Omniscient Buddhas teach the heretics to abandon their prejudiced view of permanence. For all phenomena are subject to change at the time of thought. How can the mind remain unchanged! This is just like the physician's telling the patient to eat more pheasants.

      佛亦如是。教诸众生，令得解诸法，坏故不常，续故不断，即得刬除常见之病。

So is Sakyamuni Buddha's preaching to all men to understand all his teachings. Sakyamuni has it that things which can be ruined or destroyed are called impenitence. Things which can be lasted are called continuity. Once the context is understood, people will eradicate the wrong view of permanence.

白话:

从前有一个人，病得着实厉害。良医诊断了一下，说需经常吃一种雉肉，便可以治愈这病。而这位病人买了一只雉，吃完之后，便不再吃了。医生后来见着了他，便问：「你的病好了没有?」这位病人答道：「大夫您先前教我常吃雉肉，而雉肉都是一样的，所以当时吃完一只之后，便不再吃了。」医生又说：「若是吃完了一只，为什么不继续吃下去呢?你现在只吃了一只雉，如何能希望治愈好呢?」

一切外道也都是这样，听闻佛、菩萨这些无上良医说，应当解悟心是有觉有智的主体，识是了别，是心的作用。外道等执着于常见，便以为过去、现在、未来都只是一个心识，相续不断，没有变迁生灭，精神独立于物质而存在，总是同一个物。就好比雉肉都是同样一种雉肉一样，吃了一只，也就等于吃了全部，所以就无法治愈他们的愚惑烦恼的毛病。具有大智慧的诸佛指导诸外道祛除常见，因为一切事物刹那之间都在生灭变化著，哪有精神能脱离物质而恒常不变的呢?如那世俗的医生教病人继续吃雉肉方才可以治愈毛病一样，佛陀也教示众生，使其悟解一切事物时时都在坏灭，所以不常，又时时相续，所以不断，这样就可以剗除常见之病。