Samyuktagama (Sanskrit fragments) 276.56

276.56

尊者難陀告諸比丘尼：「善哉！善哉！姊妹！汝於此義當如實觀察：『彼彼法緣生彼彼法，彼彼法緣滅，彼彼生法亦復隨滅、息、沒、寂滅、清涼、真實。』諸姊妹！聽我說譬，夫智者因譬得解。譬如善屠牛師、屠牛弟子手執利刀，解剝其牛，乘間而剝，不傷內肉、不傷外皮，解其枝節筋骨，然後還以皮覆其上。若有人言：『此牛皮肉全而不離。』為等說不？」

Venerable Nanda said to the nuns, “Good, good! Nuns, you should observe this subject in this way: ‘This or that thing is a condition that produces this or that other thing. When this or that condition ceases, then this or that thing it produced also would as a result cease, stop, disappear, and cool in truth.’

“Sisters, listen and I will tell a parable. Wise people use parables to understand things. Suppose a skilled cattle butcher or butcher’s apprentice takes a sharp knife in hand and slaughters a cow. He takes the opportunity to skin it without damaging the flesh inside or the skin on the outside. He then cuts apart its limbs, joints, tendons, and bones. Afterward, he covers it with the hide again. Suppose someone says, ‘Both the hide and meat of this cow are whole and not separated.’ Would they be speaking correctly?”