..续本文上一页ll not forget your words, Dharma Master. I will have a monastery established in my hometown, Kaushambi, so that the people there will have the opportunity to hear the wonderful Dharma. I only hope that the Dharma Master will compassionately help me fulfill my vow."
虽建道场 未真修行
Although Pandu established the monastery,
he did not truly practice the teachings.
几年过去了，珠宝商潘杜愈来愈发达。潘杜皈依那拉达尊者之后，一直带头做供养，并护持着他帮那拉达尊者所建立的道场。只要生意不忙，他就去听潘舍卡比丘讲经；这位比丘是这间寺庙的住持，也是那拉达尊者的老弟子。此外，潘杜总是盼望着老法师的来临，以便能接受师父明智的教诲。不过他从来没有把所听到的教诲加以实践，总认为修行是出家人的职务，而自己俗务缠身，实在是分身乏术。
Years passed, and Pandu the jeweler prospered. He took refuge with and became a disciple of Narada, and was a leading donor and protector of the monastery at Kaushambi he had helped Narada to found. Whenever his business allowed, he went to listen to Sutra lectures given by the Bhikshu Panthaka, the abbot of the monastery and a senior disciple of Narada. Pandu always looked forward to receiving Narada”s instructions whenever he visited town, but he never put the teachings he heard into practice. He told himself that cultivation was the duty of monks and that his own worldly business kept him too busy.
王冠惹祸 因果难逃
The crown brought disaster upon Pandu,
and he had difficulty escaping his retribution.
从他在波罗奈的路上，初识那拉达尊者算起，至今已过六、七年。有一天，潘杜的店里接到一张不寻常的订单。山另一端的邻国国王听说潘杜手工精美，于是向他订作一顶新王冠；这顶王冠必须以纯金打造，四周还要镶上印度各种最昂贵的宝石。印度的国王们，一向有喜欢珍奇宝石的毛病；而潘杜也一直梦想着自己能成为王室的珠宝供货商。他确信那时自己不但会有名望，也会十分富有。现在机运来临了。
One day, six or seven years after his first meeting with the Venerable Narada on the road to Varanasi, Pandu”s workshop received an unusual order. The king of the neighboring country across the mountains desired a new royal crown. He had heard of the beauty of Pandu”s jewel work. The crown was to be wrought in gold and set about with the costliest gems to be found in all of India. Indian kings had always had a weakness for precious stones, and Pandu had often dreamed of becoming the supplier of jewelry to a royal house. Then he would be assured not simply of prosperity, but of great riches. Now his chance had arrived.
潘杜立即四处采购，他投资了大部分的积蓄，尽可能找到最上等的蓝宝石、红宝石和钻石；并且亲自设计、制作这顶王冠。为了确保运送途中的安全，潘杜召集一批强壮的武装护卫，来抗拒山上的强盗；然后就出发到邻国了。
Pandu immediately sent out orders for the finest sapphires, rubies, and diamonds that could be had. He invested the greater part of his wealth in them. He designed and worked the crown himself. Then, gathering together a strong escort of armed men to ensure his safety against robbers in the mountains, he set out for the neighboring kingdom.
这一路上都平安顺利，可是等到他们抵达山峰的一处隘口时。突然一群强盗带着凶悍地喊叫声，由高处冲下来。虽然潘杜的护卫队比较多人数，但是受到惊吓马匹，加上山壁陡斜的隘口，阻挠了防卫的工作。
All was well until they reached a narrow pass at the mountains” summit. There, a troop of fiercely yelling brigands descended from the heights. Pandu”s escort was greater in number, but the shying horses and steep sides of the mountain pass hampered the defenders in battle.
没一会儿的功夫，潘杜的队伍已经溃散，全被缴械了。两个满脸胡子、脏兮兮的强盗冲上前去，一脚踢开车门，把潘杜拉出来摔到地上，拿着棍子对他又打又踢。潘杜默默忍受这些攻击，一心只想着那个藏在衣袍内的钱袋，他将它紧紧地抱在怀中；那里面藏着那顶王冠，和他打算巴结王后和公主的珠宝。
In a matter of minutes Pandu”s men were disarmed. Two unshaven and dirty men threw open the door to the jeweler”s carriage, pulled him out, flung him to the ground, and began kicking him and beating him with sticks. Pandu bore the blows, thinking only of the purse that was concealed in his robes, clutching it against his chest. In it lay the crown and a store of other jewels with which he had planned to tempt the king”s daughter and the queen.
强盗头子 索讨债务
The robber chieftain
demanded payment of the debt.
「等一等，兄弟们！」有个声音在耳边响起。好熟悉的声音！但是潘杜一时想不起是谁。「我说不要打他了！」
"Stop a moment, my boys!" a voice called out, a voice that Pandu had heard before, though at first he could not recall whose it was. "Stop beating him, I said!"
潘杜睁开眼睛一看，站在他面前的人，身穿皮衣，长发上绑着一条红丝巾，竟然是多年前挨过他鞭的奴隶摩诃都塔。潘杜曾听…
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