離貪

　　Banishing Lust

　　欲界衆生除了聖者以外，都有難以對治的貪欲。世上無論男女都對異性的身體十分執著。

　　All beings of the Desire Realm, with the exception of sages, are afflicted with untamable lust. Regardless of whether they are men or women, people in the world are quite attracted to the bodies of the opposite sex.

　　世尊在因地時，爲度化衆生而化現爲一嫖客。第一天，他賜予妓女價值昂貴的珍寶。第二天，他給了妓女黃金做成的飾品。第叁天，卻賞給妓女白銀做成的飾品。妓女不服，告到國王處。世尊說：“她所出賣的身體，本爲充滿過失之物。所謂的嬌軀時刻都在變質，價值當然一跌再跌。如同陳舊凋謝的鮮花，蜜蜂也會舍棄。世間衆生的感情也會變質。清晨韶華之時，肉體可作性欲工具。衰敗老朽後，自然也會廢棄。衆生哪個不是喜新厭舊？一切有爲法均爲刹那生滅。年少翩翩，最終也會被衰老磨蝕。而壽命終會被死亡日日侵奪。萬法說到底盡皆無常。那些不知老病死等痛苦，毀壞自己肉身之愚者，所迷戀之女人身軀，無非筋絡下面一堆骨架而已。對此等骨肉生貪，癡迷不拔，豈非太過愚癡？有智之人哪個不知貪戀女人身體有諸多過失？”聽了這番話，國王贊歎不已，妓女從此也停止了賣笑生涯。

　　The Buddha, in order to tame certain beings, was once reincarnated as a brothel visitor. On the first day, he rewarded the prostitute with valuable precious jewelry. The second day, he offered her ornaments made of gold. The third day, he gave silver accessories instead. The prostitute expressed discontent and appealed to the king. The Buddha”s incarnate responded: “The body she runs her business with is filled with filth. The so-called charming body is decaying every moment; its worth, of course, has to come down accordingly. It is similar to how a withered flower is deserted by the bees. Love and attraction between worldly beings likewise deteriorate. At its prime, the body can be employed as a tool to satisfy sexual desires. As the body ages and decays, of course it will be dumped. Who can be immune to craving for the new and rejecting the old

　　 All composite matters are momentarily arising and disappearing. An exuberant youth is destined to become senile and decrepit; the Lord of Death robs one”s lifespan each day. To say it explicitly, impermanence rules all phenomena. The body, be it of the indulgent fool oblivious of aging, illness, and death, or of the woman he craves, is nothing but sinews and vessels wrapped over a skeleton frame. Isn”t it utterly foolish to be helplessly infatuated with such a collection of bones and flesh

　　 Who can claim himself as wise if he fails to see the ills of being obsessed with the female body

　　 ” Hearing these words, the king was greatly impressed, and the prostitute also decided to give up her brothel life.

　　如今世上也有許多貪欲旺盛之人，若深深思維這些話的涵義，也會有很大利益的。

　　In this world, there are many people who are plagued by severe sexual impulses. If they take time to ponder the meaning of these words, they will be helped greatly.

　　不論男人還是女人，其身體都無非是一堆不淨物，其感情也是倏忽變化，飄搖不定的。沈湎其中，實在愚蠢之至。

　　Male or female, all their bodies are but heaps of filthy components; all their love relationships are flimsy and unreliable. It is really foolish to lust after and indulge in them.

　　壬午年叁月十五日 　

　　2002年4月27日

　　15th of March, Year of RenWu

　　April 27, 2002