法苑珠林 21.57

21.57

故知。凡夫為惡雖少。後世深苦獲無邊報。如毒在心人意不同。白衣營生不知顧死。然生不可保死必奄至。尋此危命非朝則夕。俄頃之間凶變無常。徒修田宅愛戀妻兒。法句喻經云。佛在舍衛國時。城中有婆羅門。年向八十。財富無數。為人難化。不識道德不計無常。更作好舍。前庌後堂涼臺溫室。東西兩廂廡數十梁。唯後堂前距陽未訖。時婆羅門常自經營指授眾事。佛以道眼見此老公。命不終日當就後世。不能自知。而方忪忪繕治。精神無福甚可憐愍。佛將阿難往到其門。慰問老公得無勞倦。今作此舍何所為安。公言。前庌待客後堂自處。東西二廂當安兒息財物僕使。夏上涼臺冬入溫室。佛語老公。久聞宿德思遲談講。佛有要偈。存亡有益。欲以相贈不審可不。願小廢事共坐論說不耶老公答言。今正大遽不容坐語。後日更來當共善敘。所云要偈便可說之。於是世尊即說偈言。

Therefore we know: though the evils done by ordinary beings be few, in future lives they experience profound suffering and harvest boundless retribution. Just as poison in the mind differs from person to person, laypeople manage their livelihood without considering death. Yet life cannot be safeguarded, and death will surely arrive abruptly. Looking at this precarious life, it is a matter of morning or evening; in an instant, catastrophic impermanence strikes. In vain do they cultivate fields and mansions, attached to wives and children. The Fajuyu jing states: When the Buddha was in Śrāvastī, there was a brāhmaṇa in the city approaching eighty years of age. His wealth was boundless, yet he was difficult to convert; he knew nothing of morality and did not consider impermanence. He was constructing another fine mansion, with a front hall, a rear hall, a cool pavilion, a warm chamber, and eastern and western side corridors with dozens of crossbeams; only the sunshade before the rear hall was not yet completed. At that time, the brāhmaṇa constantly directed and supervised the various affairs himself. With his divine eye, the Buddha saw that this old man's life would not last out the day and that he was about to depart for the next life; unable to know this himself, he was just then busily engaged in construction, his spirit destitute of merit and truly pitiable. The Buddha, taking Ānanda with him, went to his gate and consoled the old man: "Are you not tired? For what purpose are you building this house?" The old man said, "The front hall is to receive guests, the rear hall for my own dwelling, the eastern and western corridors will accommodate my children, wealth, and servants; in summer I will ascend the cool pavilion, and in winter enter the warm chamber." The Buddha said to the old man, "I have long heard of your venerable virtue and have longed to converse with you. The Buddha has essential verses that benefit both the living and the dead; I wish to present them to you, but I do not know if you would permit it. Would you be willing to set aside your affairs for a short while to sit and converse?" The old man answered, "Right now I am extremely pressed for time and have no leisure to sit and talk. Come again another day, and we shall have a good talk together. As for the essential verses you mentioned, you may just recite them now." Thereupon the World-Honoured One recited these verses: