價值

　　Real Value

　　哈哈！

　　Haha!

　　曾有一個人五年中在上師前聽聞了如海一般的顯密佛法。離開上師一年後，就把所聽聞的一切教言忘得幹幹淨淨，只是牢牢記得供養給上師的500元錢。

　　There was once a man who in five years received numerous exoteric and esoteric teachings from his master. After he left his teacher, however, in a matter of only one year he forgot completely all the instructions he had heard. The only thing he kept firmly in his mind was the 500-yuan he had offered to his master.

　　其實這種現象比較普遍。很多人都不明白，在具德上師前聽聞佛法時供養的功德，凡夫是無法衡量的。爲聽聞佛法，作再大的供養也是值得的。

　　It is quite common to hear stories like this. But ordinary people do not know the vast merit of offerings to an authentic spiritual teacher from whom one is receiving the Dharma. Actually, no amount of gift is too big to offer for the sake of learning the Dharma.

　　我等大師釋迦牟尼佛在因地轉世爲月亮王子時，爲聽聞四句偈子的佛法，供養了4000兩黃金。父王得知後說：“你爲法舍棄的財物太多了吧！”月亮王子說：“佛法是十分珍貴的，就是舍棄王位及國家所有的財産也值得，更何況4000兩黃金！”

　　Lord Buddha Shakyamuni, when once incarnated as Prince Moonlight, offered 4,000 taels of pure gold in order to receive a four-verse Dharma. Upon hearing this, his father king said: “Aren”t you giving away too much for the Dharma

　　” Prince Moonlight replied: “The Dharma is most precious, even giving up the throne and all the fortune in the kingdom would be well worth it, let alone 4,000 taels of gold!”

　　月亮王子所求的只是顯宗的一般法門，若在具德上師前得灌頂、密法，其恩德更是金錢所難以衡量和報答的。在《賢愚經》中也有佛陀爲聽聞四句偈子的佛法，曾在身上點千燈的公案。

　　The teachings Prince Moonlight requested were only the common ones in Sutrayana. Should empowerment or pith instructions in Vajrayana from an authentic master have been involved; the kindness bestowed on him would have been beyond measure and reciprocation. In the Sutra of the Wise and the Foolish, there is a story of how the Buddha, in order to receive a four-verse Dharma, lit one thousand lights in his own body as offerings.

　　即使是世間的智慧，也是以金錢難以衡量的。

　　Even worldly wisdom is beyond appraisal by money.

　　曾有一位叫盡見的大臣，國王給了他500兩黃金，委派他去購買別國最好的東西。他走了很多國家，一直沒有買到。

　　Once a king entrusted 500 taels of gold to his minister Jin Jian and asked him to procure the most valuable thing from other kingdoms. The minister traveled to many countries but found nothing worth buying.

　　一天，他遇見一位老人在街上喊著：“賣智慧了！誰要買智慧？”

　　One day he heard an old man calling out from the street: “Wisdom for sale! Who want to buy wisdom

　　”

　　大臣心想，這個東西我們國家沒有，就問道：“怎麼賣？”

　　The minister thought to himself, that”s what we need in our country. He asked: “How much is it

　　”

　　“五百兩黃金，要先付款。”

　　“500 taels of gold, but you must pay in advance.”

　　大臣交出黃金後，老人字正腔圓地說道：“這可是真正的人生智慧，一共12個字，你務必記住“緩一緩，再生氣。想一想，再行動。””大臣聽後心裏直喊冤枉，後悔不疊，認爲500兩黃金可惜了。

　　The minister handed out the gold, and henceforth the old man articulated clearly and deliberately: “Listen: what I am going to say is the infallible wisdom of life. There are 12 words in it. You must remember them perfectly. Here: “Hold one minute, then get angry. Think once more, then take action.”” Hearing this, the minister thought he had been tricked unjustly; seized with intense remorse, he was sure he had squandered the 500 taels of gold.

　　回到家裏，已是深夜。進到臥室，見妻子身旁躺著一個人，不由得心想：“這個水性楊花的女人，居然敢紅杏出牆，背著我與人通奸！”想到這裏，就氣不打一處來，立即抽出寶劍向妻子刺去。忽然，他想起了那12個字，就一邊念一邊仔細察看，才發現那人竟然是自己的母親。原來，今天妻子生病了，母親是特意來照料她的。

　　When he got home, it was very late at night. He went to his bedroom and there was someone sleeping next to his wife. He couldn”t help but think: “This unfaithful bitch dares to carry on an affair, sleeping with someone behind my back!” Enraged, he pulled out his sword and was about to slay his wife. Suddenly, he recalled the 12 words, so he repeated them while taking another closer look. He discovered that the person lying next to his wife was actually his own mother. It turned out that his wife was ill today, and his mother had made a special trip to come help her.

　　大臣這才醒悟過來，這句話的確是真正的智慧啊！500兩黃金豈能與妻子和母親的性命相比！

　　It dawned on the minister then and there that these words did embody true wisdom! How can 500 taels of gold be compared to the lives of his wife and mother!

　　世間很多令人後悔之事的發生，都是因爲缺乏智慧的緣故，可見不論是世間還是出世間，智慧都是無比珍貴的。

　　In this world, it is exactly the lack of wisdom that causes many regrettable things to happen. Therefore, wisdom is supremely precious, either worldly or spiritual.

　　壬午年二月初九　　

　　2002年3月23日

　　9th of February, Year of RenWu

　　March 23, 2002

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