法苑珠林 34.30

34.30

爾時世尊告諸比丘。譬如士夫游空宅中得六種眾生。一者得狗即執其狗繫著一處。次得其鳥。次得毒蛇。次得野干。次得失收摩羅。次得獼猴。得斯眾生悉縛一處。其狗者樂欲入村。其鳥者常欲飛空。其蛇者常欲入穴。其野干者樂向[塚-豖+(一/豖)]間。失收摩羅者長欲入海。獼猴者欲入山林。此六眾生悉縛一處。各各嗜欲到所安處。各不相樂於他處所而繫縛故。各用其力向所樂方而不能脫。如是六根種種境界。各各自求所樂境界。不樂餘境界。眼常求可愛之色。不可意色則生其厭。耳鼻舌身意亦復如是。此六種根種種行處。各各不求異根境界。其有力者堪能自在隨覺境界。如彼士夫繫六眾生。是故當勤修習身念觀。爾時世尊告諸比丘。譬如有四蚖蛇凶惡毒熾盛一篋中。時有士夫聰明求樂厭苦求生厭死。時有一士夫語向士夫言。汝今取此篋蛇摩拭洗浴。恩親養食出內以時。若四毒蛇脫有惱者。或能殺汝或令近死。汝當防護。爾時士夫畏四毒蛇。及五拔刀怨驅馳而走。人復語言。士夫內有六賊。隨逐伺汝。得便當殺。汝當防護爾時士夫畏四毒蛇五拔刀怨及內六賊。恐悑馳走還入空村。見彼空舍危朽腐毀。有諸惡物促皆危脆無有堅固。人復語言。士夫是空聚落。當有六賊來必掩汝。爾時士夫畏毒蛇五拔刀賊內六惡賊空村群賊。而復馳走。忽爾道路臨一大河。其水復急。但見此岸有諸悑畏。而見彼岸安隱快樂。清淨無畏。而無橋䑪可度得至彼岸。作是思惟。我取草木縛束成筏。手足方便度至彼岸。作是念已。即拾草木依於岸傍。縛束成筏。手足方便截流橫度。如是士夫免四毒蛇五拔刀怨六內惡賊。復得脫於空村群賊。度於澓流離於此岸種種悑畏。得至彼岸安隱快樂。我說此譬。當解其義。比丘篋者譬此身色麁四大。四大所造精血之體。穢食長養。沐浴衣服。無常變壞危脆之法。毒蛇者譬如四大。地界水界火界風界。地界若諍能令身死及以近死。水火風諍亦復如是。五拔刀怨者譬五受陰。內六賊者譬六愛喜。空村者譬六內入。觀察眼入之處。是無常變壞虛偽之法。耳鼻舌身意亦復如是。空村群賊者譬外六入處。眼為可意不可意色所害。耳聲鼻香舌味身觸意法亦如是。澓流者譬如四流。欲流有流見流無明流。河譬三愛。欲愛色愛無色愛。此岸多恐悑者譬有身。彼岸清涼安樂者譬無餘涅槃。栰者譬八正道。手足方便截流度者。譬精進勇猛得到彼岸。婆羅門住處者譬如來應等正覺。

At that time, the World-Honoured One addressed the bhikṣus: "Suppose a man roaming in an empty house captured six kinds of living beings: first, he caught a dog and immediately bound it fast in one place; next, he caught a bird; next, a venomous snake; next, a jackal; next, a śiśumāra; next, a monkey. Having caught these living beings, he bound them all in one place. The dog wished to enter the village; the bird always wanted to fly into the sky; the snake always wanted to enter a hole; the jackal delighted in heading toward the charnel ground; the śiśumāra constantly wished to enter the sea; and the monkey wished to enter the mountain forest. These six living beings were all bound in one place, each desiring to go to its own place of ease, each taking no pleasure in the places of the others. Because they were bound, each exerted its strength toward its preferred direction, yet none could break free. In this way, the six sense faculties with their various spheres each seek their own preferred spheres and take no pleasure in the remaining spheres: the eye constantly seeks pleasing sights, and feels revulsion toward unpleasing sights; the ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind are also like this. These six sense faculties, with their various fields of activity, do not seek the spheres of different faculties. Whichever is strongest is able to follow its sensed objects at will, just like that man binding the six living beings. Therefore, you should diligently cultivate mindfulness of the body.
At that time, the World-Honoured One addressed the bhikṣus: "Suppose there were four vipers, vicious and fiercely poisonous, inside a single basket. At that time, there was a man, intelligent, seeking pleasure, detesting suffering, seeking life, and detesting death. Then another man spoke to him, saying: 'Take this basket of snakes now, rub and bathe them, nourish and feed them with love and affection, letting them out and putting them in at proper times. If these four poisonous snakes should happen to be vexed, they may kill you or bring you close to death. You must guard against them.' At that time, the man, fearing the four poisonous snakes and five enemies with drawn swords, ran away in flight. Someone spoke to him again, saying: 'Man, inside you are six thieves following and lying in wait for you. If they find vulnerability, they will kill you. You must guard against them.' At that time, the man, terrified of the four poisonous snakes, the five enemies with drawn swords, and the six internal thieves, ran in fear and entered an abandoned village. Seeing those empty houses dilapidated, rotten, ruined, and collapsed, containing all kinds of foul things that were fragile and unstable, someone spoke to him again, saying: 'Man, this is an empty village; when the six thieves come, they will surely overrun you.' At that time, the man, fearing the poisonous snakes, the five enemies with drawn swords, the six internal evil thieves, and the band of thieves in the empty village, fled once more. Suddenly, on the road, he came upon a great river whose waters were rushing swiftly. He saw only terrors on this shore, while on that shore he saw peace, happiness, purity, and fearlessness; yet there was neither bridge nor boat to cross to that shore. He reflected: 'I will take grass and wood, bind them into a raft, and by the effort of my hands and feet cross over to that shore.' Having thought this, he gathered grass and wood by the riverbank, bound them into a raft, and by the effort of his hands and feet crossed the torrent laterally. In this way, the man escaped the four poisonous snakes, the five enemies with drawn swords, the six internal evil thieves, and was further freed from the band of thieves in the empty village, crossed the rushing torrent, abandoned all kinds of terrors on this shore, and reached the peace and happiness of that shore.
I have spoken this parable; you should understand its meaning. Bhikṣus, the 'basket' is an analogy for this physical form of coarse four great elements, a body of semen and blood made of the four elements, nourished by impure food, bathed, and clothed—a phenomenon of impermanence, decay, and fragility. The 'poisonous snakes' are an analogy for the four great elements: the earth element, the water element, the fire element, and the wind element. If the earth element falls into conflict, it can cause the body to die or come close to death; the conflict of water, fire, and wind is also like this. The 'five enemies with drawn swords' are an analogy for the five aggregates of grasping. The 'six internal thieves' are an analogy for the six forms of craving and delight. The 'empty village' is an analogy for the six internal sense spheres: observing the eye sense sphere reveals it to be an impermanent, decaying, and deceptive phenomenon; the ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind are also like this. The 'band of thieves in the empty village' is an analogy for the six external sense spheres: the eye is harmed by pleasing and unpleasing sights; the ear and sounds, the nose and scents, the tongue and flavours, the body and tangibles, and the mind and phenomena are also like this. The 'rushing torrent' is an analogy for the four floods: the flood of sensual desire, the flood of existence, the flood of views, and the flood of ignorance. The 'river' is an analogy for the three cravings: craving for sensual pleasure, craving for form, and craving for formlessness. 'This shore of many terrors' is an analogy for the individual bodily existence. 'That shore of coolness, peace, and happiness' is an analogy for nirvāṇa without remainder. The 'raft' is an analogy for the Noble Eightfold Path. 'Crossing the torrent by the effort of hands and feet' is an analogy for reaching the other shore through vigorous and courageous effort. The 'abode of the brāhmaṇa' is an analogy for the Tathāgata, the Arhat, the Perfectly Awakened One."