Ekottaragama (Sanskrit fragments) 50.8.21

50.8.21

爾時，世尊重告諸比丘曰：「汝等當知，若有愚人習於法行，所謂契經、祇夜、偈、授決、因緣、本末、譬喻、生、方等、未曾有、說、廣普；雖誦斯法，不解其義；以不觀察其義，亦不順從其法，所應順法終不從其行。所以誦斯法者，從欲與人共競諍，意計勝負，亦不自為己有所濟及，彼誦法已，則犯制限。猶如有人出彼村落欲求惡蛇，彼若見極大之蛇，到已，以左手摩抆其尾，然彼蛇迴頭螫蜇其手，由此緣報，便致命終，此亦如是，若有愚人翫習其法，十二部經靡不斟酌，亦不觀察其義。所以然者，由不究竟正法義故。

The Bhagavān then addressed the monks gravely, “All of you should know this: Suppose there’s a foolish person cultivating the practice of this teaching, which means the sūtras that are songs, verses, assurances, circumstances, records, legends, births, extensive discourses, unprecedented things, lectures, and explanations, and they don’t understand their meaning even though they recite these teachings. By not examining their meaning and not following their principles, this person never practices the teachings as they should be followed. They recite these teachings wanting to argue with others, devising ways of victory and defeat, but they haven’t crossed over [to the other shore] themselves. After they recite the teachings, then they violate the rules.

“It’s like someone who leaves a village in search of a dangerous snake. If they see an enormous snake, they grab its tail with their left hand, but that snake’s head twists around to bite them. As a result of that, their life may well end. This person is likewise. Suppose a foolish person studies the teachings in the twelvefold sūtras and doesn’t do it adequately for any one of them or examine their meaning. The reason is that they make use what’s not the ultimate meaning of the correct teaching.