§88 猕猴把豆喻

(88) THE FEMALE MONKEY AND A HANDFUL OF BEANS

    昔有一猕猴持一把豆，误落一豆在地，便舍手中豆，欲觅其一。未得一豆，先所舍者，鸡鸭食尽。

Once upon a time, there was a female monkey holding a handful of beans. After dropping to the ground a grain of bean, she dropped all the beans in her hands by looking for the first one. All beans were then eaten by chicken and ducks before long.

    凡夫出家，亦复如是。初毁一戒，而不能悔。以不悔故，放逸滋蔓，一切都舍。如彼猕猴，失其一豆，一切都弃。

This is held to be true with the common monks. Those who break one commandment usually do not like to confess. Later, they break other commandments to such an extent that they end up breaking all of them. This is just like the female monkey who loses all beans by looking for a grain of bean.

源流：

　　《旧杂譬喻经》卷上：昔有妇人，富有金银，与男子交通，尽取金银衣物相遂俱去。到一急水河边，男子语言：「汝持财物来，我先度之，当还迎汝。」男子度已，便走不还。妇人独住水边，忧苦无人可救。唯见一野狐，捕得一鹰，复见河鱼，舍鹰拾鱼。鱼既不得，复失本鹰。妇语狐曰：「汝何太痴，贪捕其两，不得其一。」狐言：「我痴尚可，汝痴剧我也。」（《大正藏》第四册第五一四页）

白话：

　　曾有一只猕猴，手持一把豆，误落一豆在地，便舍下手中豆，想找到失落的那一粒豆。那一粒豆没找到，先前舍下的，都被鸡鸭吃光了。

　　凡夫出家也有相类似的情形，初先破毁了一戒，却不加以忏悔，因不忏悔的缘故，便放逸了，破毁就滋蔓开来，一切戒律都舍弃了，就像那只猕猴一样，失了一粒豆，便舍弃了一把。