懸命的蜘蛛絲

　　Spider Thread

　　◎佛經翻譯委員會編輯‧翻譯

　　Translated & Published by the Buddhist Text Translation Society

　　富商邀行　得聞法音

　　A wealthy jeweler invited a monk to ride with him and got a chance to hear the Dharma.

　　從前，在古印度有一位富有的珠寶商，名叫潘杜。有一次，他坐著馬車趕路去波羅奈做生意。

　　Once in ancient India a wealthy jeweler was hurrying in his carriage a long the highway to Varanasi. Pandu was his name.

　　這一天午後，剛下了一陣雷雨，天氣變得很涼爽，潘杜不禁暗自慶幸遇著了宜人的天氣，並盤算著明天在波羅奈市場的珠寶交易中，可以賺到的財富。

　　There had been a thunderstorm to cool the afternoon, and Pandu was congratulating himself on the excellent weather and on the money he would make the next day from dealing in jewels.

　　正當他自鳴得意時，他留意到一位比丘從前面的路邊緩緩地走來；這位比丘的步伐穩健，背脊挺直，渾身散發出一股甯靜與沈著的氣息。潘杜心想：「如果這位比丘也要到波羅奈，我可以請他與我同行。他看起來像是一位聖者，我聽說與聖者同行，會帶來好運。」他便吩咐奴隸──強壯的摩诃都塔──停下馬來。

　　Looking up for a minute, he noticed a Bhikshu walking slowly ahead on the side of the road. The Bhikshu”s steps were firm, his back was straight; there was an air about him of peace and inner strength. Pandu thought to himself, "If that Bhikshu is going to Varanasi, I”ll ask him if he”ll ride with me. He looks like a saintly man, and I have heard that the companionship of saintly men always brings people good luck." He told his burly slave Mahaduta to rein in the horses.

　　「尊貴的法師！」潘杜打開車門問：「您要到波羅奈嗎？能否邀請您同車而行呢？」「我願意與你同行。」這位比丘回答：「不過你要了解，我無任何世間的財物可付車資，只能以佛法作爲回饋。」

　　"Venerable Dharma Master," said Pandu, opening the door to his carriage,

　　"May I offer you transportation to Varanasi

　　"

　　"I will travel with you," the Bhikshu replied, "if you understand that I cannot pay you, for I have no worldly possessions. I can only offer the gift of the Dharma."

　　「我接受您的條件！」這位珠寶商把世上任何一件事都看成是交易，所以他這麼回答。然後就騰出一個座位，請這位比丘坐。

　　"I accept your terms," replied the jeweler, who thought of everything as bargains and deals. He made room for the Bhikshu in his carriage.

　　這位名叫那拉達的比丘，在旅程中，沿途講說著因果的定律：「人們的命運是由自己造出來的。善有善報，惡有惡報；不是不報，只是時候未到。」

　　As they traveled, the Bhikshu─whose name was Narada─spoke of the law of cause and effect. "People create their own destinies," he said, "out of what they themselves do. Good deeds naturally bring good fortune, while people who do evil will pay for it sooner or later."

　　潘杜非常滿意有這樣一位旅伴。他喜歡聽爲人處事的道理，因爲他是個腳踏實地的人，而且也很有善根，只是自己不曉得罷了！

　　Pandu was pleased with his companion. He liked to hear good common sense, for he was a practical man, and he also had deep good roots in the Dharma, though he did not know it.

　　推翻馬車　師谏不悟

　　The jeweler ordered his slave to tilt

　　the cart loaded with rice, and the Dharma Master

　　admonished him without success.

　　但是，在這途中，不過途中馬車突然緊急煞車時，他卻很無禮地打斷了那拉達法師的話。「怎麼搞的？」他對奴隸摩诃都塔憤怒地大叫：「我們沒有時間在這兒浪費！到波羅奈還有十哩路，再不走，太陽就要下山了！」

　　But he interrupted Narada rudely when the carriage suddenly jolted to a stop in the middle of the road. "What”s this

　　" he called out in irritation to his slave Mahaduta. "We”ve no time to waste!" Varanasi was still ten miles distant, and the sun was already sinking in the west.

　　「一個笨農夫的車子擋在路中央！」奴隸在駕駛座上怒吼著。

　　"A stupid farmer”s cart in the road," the slave growled from the coachman”s seat.

　　比丘和珠寶商打開車門探頭一看，原來是一輛載米的馬車擋住了公路。這輛馬車右邊的車輪陷在水溝裏，而農夫正坐在旁邊，賣力地修理脫落的車軸控製楔子。

　　The Bhikshu and the jeweler opened the carriage doors and leaned out to look. There blocking the highway was a horse cart loaded with rice. Its right wheel was lying useless in the ditch. The farmer was sitting beside it struggling to repair a broken linchpin.

　　「我可不能再等了！摩诃都塔！去把他的貨車推開！」潘杜喊著。農夫急忙跳起來想要抗議，那拉達法師也轉身向潘杜，想要請他另想法子；可是誰都還來不及說半個字，摩诃都塔已經從座位上一躍而下，用力地去推馬車，使得車更深陷溝內，其中有好幾袋米也滑落到泥土中。這位農夫邊叫邊跑向摩诃都塔，但當他一發覺對方是位比他壯兩倍多的高大奴隸時，立刻嚇得不敢再吭一聲。摩诃都塔舉起拳頭，臉上浮現出不懷好意的笑容，很明顯地可以看出，只要主人給他時間的話，他會痛痛快快地揍農夫一頓。

　　"I can”t wait! Push his cart off the road, Mahaduta!" Pandu shouted. The farmer leapt up to protest, and Narada turned to Pandu to ask him to think of some other way, but before either could say a word the burly Mah…

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