§80 倒灌喻

(80) TO TAKE AN ENEMA

    昔有一人患下部病，医言：“当须倒灌，乃可瘥耳。”便集灌具，欲以灌之。医未至顷，便取服之，腹胀欲死，不能自胜。医既来至，怪其所以，即便问之：“何故如是？”即答医言：“向时灌药，我取服之，是故欲死。”

Once upon a time, there was a man who had a pain in his rear. The doctor said it would be healed by giving an enema. He immediately went to fetch the instruments for that purpose. The patient took the drug before the physician came back. His belly became inflated beyond description. After his return, the doctor wondered what had happened to the patient and asked him the cause of it. To the physician, he replied, "I've just taken the drug for enema. That's why I'm dying."

    医闻是语，深责之言：“汝大愚人，不解方便。”即更以余药服之，方得吐下，尔乃得瘥。”如此愚人，为世所笑。

After hearing these words, the doctor scolded him in following words, "You are the most stupid man I've ever met. You are acting against all senses." Then he gave him other drugs. The patient vomited and was cured. Such a stupid man was laughed at by the people at large.

    凡夫之人，亦复如是。欲修学禅观种种方法，应观不净，反观数息；应数息者，反观六界。颠倒上下，无有根本，徒丧身命，为其所困。不谘良师，颠倒禅法，如彼愚人饮服不净。

This is also held to be true with the common people. The contemplation in meditation comprises many methods. Those who practice meditating on the uncleanness of the human bodies are not appropriate to practice on the counting of the breathings, whereas those who practice the counting of the breathings should not practice the meditating on the six parts of a human body. To turn it upside down without following a fundamental principle will cause life itself. Those who bluntly practice the contemplation in meditation without consulting a good master are just like that stupid man taking the wrong thing for his illness.

注释：

　　①「更」，《丽藏》作「便」，今据宋、元、明三藏改。

　　②六界：又叫六大，地（骨肉）、水（血）、火（暖热）、风（呼吸）、空（耳鼻之孔空）、识（苦、乐）这六大假合起来，构成身体。

白话：

　　曾有一个人腹部患病了。医生说：「需灌一下肠，才会好。」便去把各种灌具拿拢来，准备给他洗肠。医生离去的那会儿，这人取药吃了下去，结果腹胀得要命，无法忍受。医生回来一见，奇怪了，就问：「为什么会这样?」他答道：「刚才的灌药，我吃下去了，所以难受得要死。」医生听罢，狠狠责备道：「你这大愚人，不懂用法，从肛门灌的，哪是口服的!」随即又用另外的药给他吃了下去，方才吐了出来，病才好。这样的愚人，遭世人的嗤笑。

　　凡夫俗子也是这样，想修学禅观的种种方法，应观不净的，反而观数息，应观数息的，反而观地水火风空识等六界的不净和假合。这样颠倒了上下，不了解其中的根本意义，就白白地把生命的大好时光无谓地耗费掉了，到头来还要被它困扰住。不谘询良师，颠倒了禅法，盲修瞎练，就像那个愚人饮服灌药一样。