§66 口诵乘船法而不解用喻

(66) READING THE SAILING METHODS

    昔有大长者子，共诸商人入海采宝。此长者子善诵入海捉船方法，若入海水漩洑洄流矶激之处，当如是捉，如是正，如是住。语众人言：“入海方法，我悉知之。”

Once upon a time, there was a young man from a respectable family who went to the sea with some merchants to look for pearls. He had read all about sailing such as to know how to steer the boat, how to take the right direction and how to hold in good position when they had to face whirlpools, countercurrents, or rocks during the, journey. To everybody aboard, he said, "I know all about sailing."

    众人闻已，深信其语。既至海中，未经几时，船师遇病，忽然便死。时长者子即便代处。至洄洑驶流之中，唱言当如是捉，如是正。船盘回旋转，不能前进，至于宝所。举船商人没水而死。

Everyone believed him. It was not long before the captain of the boat fell ill and died soon after. He then took charge of the boat. When they came to whirlpools and rapid currents, he recited what he had read without knowing how to put those instructions into practice. The boat that was strolling and going round could not advance to the pearls place. Then they all drowned.

    凡夫之人，亦复如是。少习禅法，安般数息，及不净观，虽诵其文，不解其义。种种方法，实无所晓，自言善解，妄授禅法，使前人迷乱失心，倒错法相，终年累岁，空无所获。如彼愚人使他没海。

So are the common people. They have little knowledge of quiet sitting, of counting the breathings and of contemplating on the uncleanness of human body for the practice of meditation. Although they can read the scriptures, they do not grasp the meaning. In fact, they know really nothing about all the methods of meditation. They preach the wrong ways, pretending to be well acquainted with the right ways. Bewildered and diffident, the followers turn the characteristics of things upside down, getting nothing in return over the whole year or a number of years. They are just like those who drowned at sea by the stupid man in this story.

注释：

　　①安般数息：安般，梵文Anapana，或译安那般那，安是呼出气息，般是吸入气息，一心点数那气息，勿令忘失，就叫做数息观。

白话：

曾有一位长者的儿子与一帮商人入海去采宝。这位长者的儿子对入海驾船的方法可琅琅上口，譬如到了大海的漩涡、洄流、礁矶激溅之处，应当这样把、这样整、这样停之类。他对大家说：「入海方法，我全知道。」众人听了，完全相信他的话。到得海中，没过多时，船师得了病，忽然之间，死去了。长者的儿子就接替了他，航至漩洄的急流之中，大叫着：「应这样把、这样整。」船盘回旋转，不能前进到宝渚去，没多久，全船商人都没水而死。

世人也是这样，稍微修习了一下禅法、安般数息观和不净观，虽是记诵住了文词，却不通其中的意思，也不了解修行的种种方法，妄自张扬说已深透地理解了，便胡乱传授禅法，使得一意精进的人迷乱了，失了自性清净心，颠倒错乱了诸法的殊别之相，经年累月都毫无收获，就像那位愚人，使得他人没于海中。