..续本文上一页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
”
看到这里，佛陀便派一只蜘蛛吐一条长长的丝，垂到无间地狱去。
"Having seen that, the Buddha sent a spider to spin a thread of gossamer down to the Unintermittent Hells.
蜘蛛说：『抓住我的丝爬上来吧！』
"”Take hold of my thread,” the spider said, ”and climb up!”
甘德塔急忙抓住蜘蛛丝开始往上爬。
"Kandata eagerly grabbed the gossamer and started to pull himself up.
这条蜘蛛丝很坚固，所以他很快地越爬越高；忽然他发觉蜘蛛丝在抖动，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，看见其他的地狱众生也攀着这条丝，跟在他后边往上爬。这条丝被拉得很长很长，但并没断。
"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.
这时愈来愈多的地狱众生都来抓这条丝，甘德塔不再往上瞻仰佛陀，而是满怀恐惧地向下看着那些跟在他后面的地狱众生。他停了下来，心想：『这条蜘蛛丝怎能承载所有的人呢？』
"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.
于是便对下边大叫着：『这条蜘蛛丝是我的！你们全都放手！放手！蜘蛛丝是我的！』
"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!”
剎那时，蜘蛛丝突然断了，甘德塔和所有众生通通都堕回地狱去了。」
"Immediately the thread broke. Kandata and all the others fell back into the hells.
真心忏悔 安详而归
After repenting sincerely,
Mahaduta died in peace.
「甘德塔的忏悔不是真心的！」潘舍卡法师对摩诃都塔说：「他并没有改过。因为只要有那么一念的慈悲心，这条蜘蛛丝的力量就能成为拯救成千上万众生的生命线。但是他的我执和恶习都太重了，加上他又不愿帮助其他人，所以就连世尊都没办法救他了！」
"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."
「让我想一想，来设法找到自己的那条蜘蛛丝。」摩诃都塔叫着：「如果还有什么好事我可以做的，我绝不会再留给自己独享。」
"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."
两人沉默了一会儿。潘舍卡法师清洗了摩诃都塔的伤口，这个强盗头子的呼吸也和缓多了。最后他说：「我做过一件『好』事──如果停止不再造更多的恶，可以称之为好事的话。」
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。」潘舍卡法师说。
"You can," said Panthaka.
「好！那是一件我仍持续着的好事。不知道您是否认识潘杜？他是憍赏弥的珠宝富商。」
"Yes, and one good thing I still can do. Would you, by any chance, know Pandu, the rich jeweler from Kaushambi
"
「我来自憍赏弥，而且和他很熟。」潘舍卡法师说：「不过他已不再富有了！」
"I am from Kaushambi, and I know him well," Panthaka said, "though he”s no longer rich."
「是吗？真遗憾！好奇怪！您或许会以为我应该很高兴，因为他就是那个教我用高压手段去压榨人们的人。当我还是个小奴隶时，他送我去跟摔角师学习打斗的技巧，所以我才可以做他的保镖。而且每次我欺凌弱小后，他就奖赏我。他的心坚硬得像铁石一样。有一次，他拷打我，因此我才跑走，来到这座山里。不过有人告诉我说他变了，慈悲仁德的名声远播。这真令人无法置信！法师，这是真的吗？」
"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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