..續本文上一頁Kandata remained silent, for he had been a cruel man. But the World Honored One, with his Buddha Eye, contemplated Kandata”s past. He saw that once when Kandata was walking along a forest path, he had stepped aside to avoid crushing a spider beneath his feet, thinking: ”The spider hasn”t hurt anyone. Why should I step on him
”
看到這裏，佛陀便派一只蜘蛛吐一條長長的絲，垂到無間地獄去。
"Having seen that, the Buddha sent a spider to spin a thread of gossamer down to the Unintermittent Hells.
蜘蛛說：『抓住我的絲爬上來吧！』
"”Take hold of my thread,” the spider said, ”and climb up!”
甘德塔急忙抓住蜘蛛絲開始往上爬。
"Kandata eagerly grabbed the gossamer and started to pull himself up.
這條蜘蛛絲很堅固，所以他很快地越爬越高；忽然他發覺蜘蛛絲在抖動，好像是承受了新的重量。
"The gossamer held fast. He climbed quickly, higher and higher. Suddenly he noticed that the spider”s thread was trembling, as if under a new weight.
甘德塔往下一看，看見其他的地獄衆生也攀著這條絲，跟在他後邊往上爬。這條絲被拉得很長很長，但並沒斷。
"Kandata glanced down. He saw that other hell-beings had grasped hold of the thread and were climbing up after him. The string stretched out, but did not break.
這時愈來愈多的地獄衆生都來抓這條絲，甘德塔不再往上瞻仰佛陀，而是滿懷恐懼地向下看著那些跟在他後面的地獄衆生。他停了下來，心想：『這條蜘蛛絲怎能承載所有的人呢？』
"More and more hell-beings were taking hold of the wispy thread. Kandata no longer looked up at the Buddha; instead, he fearfully watched the hell-beings following him below.
于是便對下邊大叫著：『這條蜘蛛絲是我的！你們全都放手！放手！蜘蛛絲是我的！』
"He stopped climbing. ”How can the gossamer carry everyone
” he thought .”This string is mine!” he shouted downwards. ”Let go, all of you! Let go! It”s mine!”
剎那時，蜘蛛絲突然斷了，甘德塔和所有衆生通通都墮回地獄去了。」
"Immediately the thread broke. Kandata and all the others fell back into the hells.
真心忏悔 安詳而歸
After repenting sincerely,
Mahaduta died in peace.
「甘德塔的忏悔不是真心的！」潘舍卡法師對摩诃都塔說：「他並沒有改過。因爲只要有那麼一念的慈悲心，這條蜘蛛絲的力量就能成爲拯救成千上萬衆生的生命線。但是他的我執和惡習都太重了，加上他又不願幫助其他人，所以就連世尊都沒辦法救他了！」
"Kandata”s repentance wasn”t true," Panthaka said to Mahaduta. "He did not reform. The spider”s gossamer would have held, for even one generous thought has the strength to be a lifeline that saves thousands. But Kandata destroyed the gossamer. He still held onto the illusion of self, and his evil habits were too strong. He was not willing to help anyone else. Even the World Honored One couldn”t save him."
「讓我想一想，來設法找到自己的那條蜘蛛絲。」摩诃都塔叫著：「如果還有什麼好事我可以做的，我絕不會再留給自己獨享。」
"Let me think and find that thread of gossamer!" cried Mahaduta. "If there is some good I can do, I won”t try to keep it to myself."
兩人沈默了一會兒。潘舍卡法師清洗了摩诃都塔的傷口，這個強盜頭子的呼吸也和緩多了。最後他說：「我做過一件『好』事──如果停止不再造更多的惡，可以稱之爲好事的話。」
The two men were silent for a while. Panthaka washed Mahaduta”s wounds. The robber chieftain breathed more peacefully. Finally he said, "There is one ”good” thing that I did once, if you can call stopping from doing more evil good."
「可以的。」潘舍卡法師說。
"You can," said Panthaka.
「好！那是一件我仍持續著的好事。不知道您是否認識潘杜？他是憍賞彌的珠寶富商。」
"Yes, and one good thing I still can do. Would you, by any chance, know Pandu, the rich jeweler from Kaushambi
"
「我來自憍賞彌，而且和他很熟。」潘舍卡法師說：「不過他已不再富有了！」
"I am from Kaushambi, and I know him well," Panthaka said, "though he”s no longer rich."
「是嗎？真遺憾！好奇怪！您或許會以爲我應該很高興，因爲他就是那個教我用高壓手段去壓榨人們的人。當我還是個小奴隸時，他送我去跟摔角師學習打鬥的技巧，所以我才可以做他的保镖。而且每次我欺淩弱小後，他就獎賞我。他的心堅硬得像鐵石一樣。有一次，他拷打我，因此我才跑走，來到這座山裏。不過有人告訴我說他變了，慈悲仁德的名聲遠播。這真令人無法置信！法師，這是真的嗎？」
"Isn”t he
I”m sorry to hear that. Strange, you”d think I”d be glad, for he was the one who taught me to be high-handed with people and to oppress them. When I was a young slave, he sent me to learn fighting skills from a wrestler, so that I could be his bodyguard. Whenever I bullied people, he rewarded me. His heart was as hard as flint. He had me whipped once. It was then that I ran away to the mountains. But people have told me that he has changed, and that he is known far and wide for his kindness and benevolence! Such a thing is hard to conceive of. Is it true,…
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