◎ 受五戒的好處

　　◎ The benefits of receiving the five precepts

　　今生不籠鳥，來生不坐監； 今生不釣魚，來生不討飯； 今生不殺生，來生無災難； 今生不偷盜，來生無搶案； 今生不邪淫，來生無婚變； 今生不妄語，來生無欺騙； 今生不醉酒，來生不狂亂。

　　Not caging birds in this life, we will not be put into the jail in future lives; Not fishing in this life, we will not become beggars in future lives; Not killing in this life, we will not encounter difficulties in future lives; Not stealing in this life, we will not be robbed in future lives; Not engaging in sexual misconduct in this life, we will have good marriages in future lives; Not lying in this life, we will not be cheated in future lives; Not drinking in this life, we will not lose sanity in future lives.

　　「今生不籠鳥，來生不坐監」﹕你想一想，你把鳥關在籠子裏令它不自由；這個國家是講自由的，你讓畜生不自由，這也不合乎這個國家的憲法。你讓鳥在籠子裏，就和在監獄是一樣，這個鳥就在籠子裏念咒了，說﹕「果報、果報…」來生果報就來了，那個鳥念咒說﹕「上帝！你說有果報，爲什麼他把我放在籠子裏頭？這是怎麼回事？」它就到玉皇大帝，也就是天主那裏，左寫一張狀子，右寫一張去告狀去。它寫多了，天主一看﹕「好了！這個人是不公道，來生也叫他受這個果報。」這個人後來就坐到監獄裏去了。所以說「今生不籠鳥，來生不坐監」，因爲那個鳥一天到晚念那個「果報」，念那個因果報應，念那個經給上帝聽，上帝就判這個人來生去坐監獄。

　　“Not caging birds in this life, we will not be put into the jail in future lives.”

　　Think about it. When someone puts a bird in a cage, he takes its freedom away. By doing that, the person is not abiding by the constitution of this country. This country advocates freedom. Caging a bird is the same as putting the bird behind bars. The bird will start chanting the mantra, “retribution, retribution…” In the future, the bird will go before the Jade Emperor, who is the Lord of the Heavens, and file a suit against the person who caged it.

　　The Heavenly Lord will say, “Okay, this person has not been fair. He shall undergo the retribution!” You will then go to jail in future lives. This is because the bird has been chanting the mantra of retribution from morning to night. When the Heavenly Lord hears it, his verdict is that the person who caged the bird should be put behind bars.

　　我記得不是今生，是多少生以前，那時候迷迷糊糊，什麼道理也不懂，看人家釣魚，我也去釣魚，很歡喜釣魚的。看到魚吃魚餌，水就現出一圈圈的波紋，這時把釣魚竿向上一挑，這個魚就釣上來了。你說以後怎麼樣啊？來生就做要飯的，拿個碗向人要飯，因爲沒有東西吃。所以說「今生不釣魚，來生不討飯。」要飯是很苦的，盡向人討飯吃，所以我們信佛的人少釣點魚是好的。

　　I recall it was not in this life but some other lives in the past, I was deluded and didn”t know better. I saw people fishing so I went fishing too. I was quite fond of doing it. When the fish took the bait the water rippled. Then I would swing the fishing pole upward and the fish would be hooked. What happened to me afterward

　　 I became a beggar in the next life. I had to beg for food because I didn”t have anything to eat. Thus, it”s said, “Not fishing in this life, we will not become beggars in future lives.” It”s quite miserable to beg for food. It”s better that we Buddhists do less fishing.

　　有人說﹕「我少釣點魚可以，一年釣一次；我只釣小魚，不釣大魚，這樣好不好呢？」小魚也是一條命，大魚也是一條命；你釣一次也是殺生，你釣多次也是殺生。不過你釣的少，欠的債會少一點；釣的多，欠的債也就多一點﹕也就是你釣半斤，將來要還八兩。

　　Someone may say, “I can do less fishing. I”ll fish just once a year. And I will only fish for small and not big fish. Will that be okay

　　” Well, a small fish is a life, just the same as a big fish. Fishing once a year, you still end up killing, just the same as when you fish many times a year. However, if you fish less, your debt will be less; fish more, and your debt will be more. That is to say, if you catch half a pound of fish, you must pay back eight ounces in the future.

　　「今生不殺生，來生無災難」﹕你今生不殺一切的生靈，等來生就沒有人殺你，也沒有一切的災難，也不會被槍打死，也不會火燒死，也不會被水淹死，因爲你前生沒有殺生，今生也沒有病痛。

　　Not killing in this life, we will not encounter difficulties in future lives. If you refrain from killing any living being, then in future lives you will not be killed and you will be free from all difficulties. You will not be killed by gunshots, burned by fire, or drowned in water. Since you didn”t kill in previous lives, you will also be free from all illnesses in this life.

　　「今生不偷盜，來生無搶案」﹕搶案就是你打劫我，我打劫你。你若不偷盜別人的東西，來生沒有人搶劫你的東西。你爲什麼有人搶你的東西？就因爲你前生偷盜，以爲偷盜是不錯的，把別人的東西偷回來，到今生別人又把它搶回去。所以這…

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