§82 比种田喻

(82) THE CULTIVATION OF THE LAND

    昔有野人，来至田里，见好麦苗生长郁茂，问麦主言：“云何能令是麦茂好？”

Once upon a time, there was a peasant who went to another farmer's property to examine his wheat plants. He asked the owner, "How do you make the wheat grow so well?"

    其主答言：“平治其地，兼加粪水，故得如是。”

The owner replied, "First, you have to flatten the field. Then you pour some liquid manure. That's why it has turned out so nicely."

    彼人即便依法用之，即以水粪调和其田。下种于地，畏其自脚蹈地令坚，其麦不生。“我当坐一床上，使人舆之，于上散种，尔乃好耳。”

The peasant then did what the other farmer had told him. He poured liquid manure to blend with the soil and scattered seed in land. Treading the field with his feet, he was afraid that the land would become too hard to be fruitful. He said to himself, "I should sow sitting on a bed carried by others. That'll do."

    即使四人，人擎一脚，至田散种，地坚逾甚，为人嗤笑。恐己二足，更增八足。

He then ordered each of the four men to hold a leg of the bed to scatter seed in land which became all the harder. Initially he was afraid that his own two feet might be too heavy for the land. Then he added still eight of others to do the job. He was laughed at by others.

    凡夫之人，亦复如是。既修戒田，善芽将生，应当师谘，受行教诫，令法芽生。而返违犯，多作诸恶，便使戒芽不生。喻如彼人，畏其二足，倒加其八。

This is also held to be true with the common people. To cultivate the field of commandments and wait the good yield of shoots, people, should consult a master to practice the Buddhist teachings, however, they break the commandments and do evil deeds. Thus the shoots of commandments do not grow, just like the peasant who was afraid of his won two feet and added still eight of others.

白话：

　　从前有位农夫，来到一块田边，只见一片好麦苗，生长郁茂，便问主人道：「怎么能使这麦子长势旺盛?」主人答道：「把地整治得平平松松，又施上粪水，就这样旺了。」这人就依照著方法来用，将粪水均匀地施在田里，要撒下种子，却怕自己的脚蹋在田地里会使它坚硬，而使麦子长不出来，想著，我应坐在坐床上，叫人抬着，我在上面撒种，这才好呢。就让四个人每人擎起坐床的一脚，到田里撒种去。地踩得更板实了，为人嗤笑。怕自己两足把地踩实了，更添上八足以防止坚硬。

　　凡夫俗子也是这样，既修行了禁戒这块田地，善芽即将萌生，应当谘询良师，以便受行他的教诫，让法芽生长旺盛，却反而违犯了禁戒，多作了许多恶行，使得戒芽无法生长。就如那人怕自己的两只脚会把地踩硬，反倒添了八只。