悬命的蜘蛛丝

　　Spider Thread

　　◎佛经翻译委员会编辑‧翻译

　　Translated & Published by the Buddhist Text Translation Society

　　富商邀行　得闻法音

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

　　从前，在古印度有一位富有的珠宝商，名叫潘杜。有一次，他坐着马车赶路去波罗奈做生意。

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

　　这一天午后，刚下了一阵雷雨，天气变得很凉爽，潘杜不禁暗自庆幸遇着了宜人的天气，并盘算着明天在波罗奈市场的珠宝交易中，可以赚到的财富。

　　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.

　　正当他自鸣得意时，他留意到一位比丘从前面的路边缓缓地走来；这位比丘的步伐稳健，背脊挺直，浑身散发出一股宁静与沉着的气息。潘杜心想：「如果这位比丘也要到波罗奈，我可以请他与我同行。他看起来像是一位圣者，我听说与圣者同行，会带来好运。」他便吩咐奴隶──强壮的摩诃都塔──停下马来。

　　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.

　　「尊贵的法师！」潘杜打开车门问：「您要到波罗奈吗？能否邀请您同车而行呢？」「我愿意与你同行。」这位比丘回答：「不过你要了解，我无任何世间的财物可付车资，只能以佛法作为回馈。」

　　"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."

　　「我接受您的条件！」这位珠宝商把世上任何一件事都看成是交易，所以他这么回答。然后就腾出一个座位，请这位比丘坐。

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

　　这位名叫那拉达的比丘，在旅程中，沿途讲说着因果的定律：「人们的命运是由自己造出来的。善有善报，恶有恶报；不是不报，只是时候未到。」

　　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."

　　潘杜非常满意有这样一位旅伴。他喜欢听为人处事的道理，因为他是个脚踏实地的人，而且也很有善根，只是自己不晓得罢了！

　　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.

　　推翻马车　师谏不悟

　　The jeweler ordered his slave to tilt

　　the cart loaded with rice, and the Dharma Master

　　admonished him without success.

　　但是，在这途中，不过途中马车突然紧急煞车时，他却很无礼地打断了那拉达法师的话。「怎么搞的？」他对奴隶摩诃都塔愤怒地大叫：「我们没有时间在这儿浪费！到波罗奈还有十哩路，再不走，太阳就要下山了！」

　　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.

　　「一个笨农夫的车子挡在路中央！」奴隶在驾驶座上怒吼着。

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

　　比丘和珠宝商打开车门探头一看，原来是一辆载米的马车挡住了公路。这辆马车右边的车轮陷在水沟里，而农夫正坐在旁边，卖力地修理脱落的车轴控制楔子。

　　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！去把他的货车推开！」潘杜喊着。农夫急忙跳起来想要抗议，那拉达法师也转身向潘杜，想要请他另想法子；可是谁都还来不及说半个字，摩诃都塔已经从座位上一跃而下，用力地去推马车，使得车更深陷沟内，其中有好几袋米也滑落到泥土中。这位农夫边叫边跑向摩诃都塔，但当他一发觉对方是位比他壮两倍多的高大奴隶时，立刻吓得不敢再吭一声。摩诃都塔举起拳头，脸上浮现出不怀好意的笑容，很明显地可以看出，只要主人给他时间的话，他会痛痛快快地揍农夫一顿。

　　"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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