法苑珠林 54.19

54.19

如智度論云。一切諸法皆是虛誑。眾生愚癡不識親疎。瞋罵加害乃至奪命。起此重罪故墮三塗受無量苦。譬如山中有一佛圖。彼中有一別房。房中有鬼來恐惱道人。故諸道人皆捨房去。有一客僧來。維那處分令住此房。而語之言。此房中有鬼神喜惱人。能住中者住。客僧自以持戒力多聞故言。小鬼何所能為。我能伏之。即入房住。暮更有一僧來求此住處。維那亦令在此房住。亦語有鬼惱人。其人亦言。小鬼何所能為。我當伏之。先入者閉戶端坐待鬼。後來者夜闇打門求入。先入者謂為是鬼不為開戶。後來者極力打門。在內道人以力拒之。外者得勝排門得入。內者打之外者亦打。至旦相見乃是故舊同學。識已各相愧謝。眾人雲集笑而怪之。眾生亦復如是。五陰皆虛無我無人。取相鬪諍橫加毒害。若㓟解在地但有骨肉。無人無我。是故菩薩語眾生言。汝等莫於根本空中鬪諍。人身尚不可得。何況值佛。

As the Mahāprajñāpāramitā-śāstra says: All phenomena are illusory and deceptive. Sentient beings in their folly do not recognize who is near and who is distant; they scold, inflict harm, and even take life in their anger. By generating these grave misdeeds, they fall into the three miserable destinies and suffer immeasurable distress. For example, there was a monastery in the mountains. Within it was a separate room where a ghost would come to terrify and harass practitioners of the Way, so all the practitioners abandoned the room and left. A visiting monk arrived, and the karmadāna assigned him to stay in this room, telling him, 'In this room is a ghost who loves to harass people. Stay in it only if you are able.' The visiting monk, relying on the power of his adherence to the precepts and his vast learning, said, 'What can a petty ghost do? I can subdue it.' He then entered the room to stay. At dusk, another monk arrived seeking a lodging, and the karmadāna likewise told him to stay in this room, also telling him that a ghost harassed people there. That man likewise said, 'What can a petty ghost do? I shall subdue it.' The one who had entered first closed the door and sat upright, awaiting the ghost. The later arrival knocked on the door in the dark of night seeking entry. The one inside thought it was the ghost and would not open the door for him. The one outside pounded on the door with all his might, while the practitioner inside resisted him with his strength. The one outside prevailed, forced the door open, and got in. The one inside struck him, and the one outside struck back. When dawn broke and they looked at each other, they were actually old classmates. Having recognized each other, each apologized with shame. The crowd gathered like clouds, laughing at them and finding it strange. Sentient beings are also like this: the five aggregates are entirely empty, with neither self nor person. Grasping at signs, they quarrel and strive, wrongfully inflicting cruel harm. If one is flayed and dissected on the ground, there is only flesh and bone; there is neither person nor self. Therefore, the bodhisattva tells sentient beings: 'Do not quarrel within fundamental emptiness. A human body is hard to obtain, let alone encountering a Buddha.'