經律異相 18.64

18.64

佛在世時。有一道人。在於河邊樹下學道。貪想不除。走心散意但念六欲。身靜意遊曾無寧息。十二年中不能得道。佛知可度。化作沙門。往至其所。樹下共宿。須臾月明。有龜從河中出。來至樹下。復有水狗飢行求食。與龜相逢。便欲噉龜。龜縮頭尾及其四脚。藏於甲中不能得噉。水狗小遠。復出頭足行步如故。遂便得免。時化沙門語言比丘。吾念世人不如此龜。有護命之鎧。能令水狗不得其便。世人無智放恣六情。天魔得便殺形壞神去。生死無端輪轉五道。苦惱百千。即為說偈而勸勉之。比丘聞偈貪斷望止。得羅漢道。知化沙門是佛世尊。敬肅正服稽首佛足（出法句經譬喻第二卷）。

When the Buddha was in the world, there was a man of the Way practicing the Way under a tree beside a river. Unable to eliminate greedy thoughts, his mind ran wild and his thoughts were scattered, thinking only of the six desires. Though his body was still, his mind roamed, never finding peace. In twelve years, he was unable to attain the Way. Knowing he was ready for deliverance, the Buddha transformed himself into a śramaṇa and went to his location, lodging with him under the tree. After a short while, the moon shone brightly. A turtle came out of the river and arrived beneath the tree. An otter, hungry and roaming in search of food, encountered the turtle and wished to eat it. The turtle drew in its head, tail, and four legs, concealing them inside its shell, so that [the otter] could not eat it. When the otter moved slightly away, it stuck out its head and feet again and walked along as before, and thus managed to escape. At that time, the transformed śramaṇa said to the monk: "I reflect that the people of the world are not equal to this turtle. It has armor to protect its life, so that the otter could find no vantage over it. The people of the world lack wisdom and give free rein to the six passions; the heavenly Māra gains a vantage over them, destroying their forms, ruining their spirits, and dragging them away. Birth and death have no beginning, as they cycle through the five destinies with hundreds of thousands of sufferings." He then spoke a verse to admonish and encourage him. Hearing the verse, the monk severed his greed and put an end to cravings, attaining the path of an arhat. Knowing that the transformed śramaṇa was the Buddha, the Bhagavat, he reverently adjusted his robes and bowed his head to the Buddha's feet. (Extracted from the Dharmapada Avadāna, fascicle 2).