菩薩從兜術天降神母胎說廣普經 3.12

3.12

佛告迦葉：「吾今與汝說識想受一一分別。過去九十一劫有王名智慧，專行十善以法治化，無有煩惱，察眾生意行，知彼眾生所念不同，即遣侍臣案行國界，諸有盲人盡仰來集宮庭，臣受王教，即出巡行國界，得五百盲人將詣庭內。王復以五百白象羅列殿前，一一令諸盲人自在捉象。是時盲人，或捉象鼻，或捉象耳，或捉象頭，或捉象脚，或捉象腹，或捉象尾。王問諸盲人曰：『象何所像類？』盲人答白，捉鼻者言：『如角。』捉頭者言：『如甕。』捉耳者言：『如簸箕。』捉腹者言：『如簞。』捉脚者言：『如柱。』捉尾者言：『如橛。』時傍觀有目之士，笑彼盲者不得象具相。盲人屏處自共論說，各言己是而共諍競。此眾生類亦復如是，識、想、受法各各不同。」

The Buddha told Kāśyapa: "I will now explain to you the distinct analysis of consciousness, ideation, and sensation. Ninety-one kalpas ago, there was a king named Wisdom, who devoted himself to practicing the ten virtues and governed with the Dharma without defilements. Observing the movements of the minds of beings, he knew that the thoughts of those beings were not identical. He then sent attendant ministers to tour the realm, summoning all who were blind to gather in the palace courtyard. The ministers received the king's order, went out and toured the realm, obtained five hundred blind persons, and brought them into the courtyard. The king then arranged five hundred white elephants in rows before the palace hall, instructing the blind persons to grasp the elephants as they wished. At that time, the blind persons grasped either the elephant's trunk, or the elephant's ears, or the elephant's head, or the elephant's feet, or the elephant's belly, or the elephant's tail. The king asked the blind persons: 'What is the elephant like?' The blind persons replied: the one grasping the trunk said, 'Like a horn'; the one grasping the head said, 'Like a jar'; the one grasping the ears said, 'Like a winnowing basket'; the one grasping the belly said, 'Like a round basket'; the one grasping the feet said, 'Like a pillar'; the one grasping the tail said, 'Like a peg.' At that time, sighted onlookers laughed at those blind persons for failing to grasp the complete form of the elephant. In a private place, the blind persons debated among themselves, each claiming to be right and quarreling with one another. This class of sentient beings is also like this: the dharmas of consciousness, ideation, and sensation are each different."