妙法莲华经The Wonderful Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra 16

“World Honored One, when the poor son heard what his father had said, he rejoiced greatly, having obtained what he had never had, and he thought, ‘Originally, I had no thought to seek anything, and now this treasury has come to me of itself.’” “World Honored One, the great and wealthy elder is the Thus Come One. We are all like the Buddha’s sons.”

“The Thus Come One always says that we are his sons.”

“World Honored One, because of the three kinds of suffering, we have suffered much torment in the midst of births and deaths. Deluded and ignorant, we clung to petty dharmas.”

“Today, the World Honored One has caused us to think about getting rid of the dung of frivolous discussions of the Dharma. We increased our vigor to earn one day’s wage of Nirvana. Having attained this, our hearts rejoiced greatly, and we were content, saying to ourselves that, through our diligence and vigor, what we had gained in the Buddhadharma was plentiful.”

“However, the World Honored One, knowing all along that our minds were attached to lowly desires and took delight in petty dharmas, let us go our own way and did not specify to us saying, ‘You are all to have a share in the treasury of the Thus Come One’s knowledge and vision.’”

“The World Honored One, using the power of expedient devices, has spoken of the Thus Come One’s wisdom. Having gained from the Buddha the one day’s wage of Nirvana, we took it to be a great attainment; we had no ambition to seek the Great Vehicle. Besides, the wisdom of the Thus Come One had been set forth for the sake of the Bodhisattvas, and so we held no expectations regarding it. What is the reason? The Buddha knew that our minds took delight in petty dharmas. He used the power of expedients to teach us in the appropriate manner, and we did not know that we were truly the Buddha’s sons.”

世尊，大富长者、则是如来，我等皆似佛子，如来常说、我等为子。世尊，我等以三苦故，于生死中、受诸热恼，迷惑无知，乐著小法。今日世尊，令我等思惟捐除诸法戏论之粪，我等于中勤加精进，得至涅槃一日之价，既得此已，心大欢喜，自以为足，便自谓言：“于佛法中勤精进故，所得宏多。”然世尊先知我等心著敝欲，乐于小法，便见纵舍，不为分别、汝等当有如来知见宝藏之分。世尊以方便力、说如来智慧，我等从佛，得涅槃一日之价，以为大得，于此大乘，无有志求。我等又因如来智慧，为诸菩萨，开示演说，而自于此无有志愿。所以者何。佛知我等心乐小法，以方便力、随我等说，而我等不知真是佛子。

“Now we know that the World Honored One is by no means ungenerous with the Buddha’s wisdom. Why? From of old, we truly have been the Buddha’s sons, and yet we delighted only in petty dharmas. If we had thought to delight in the great, the Buddha would then have spoken for us the Great Vehicle Dharma. This Sutra speaks of only One Vehicle. In the past, in the presence of the Bodhisattvas, the Buddha had belittled the Hearers who delight in lesser dharmas, but he was actually employing the Great Vehicle in teaching and transforming them.”

“Therefore, we say that originally we had not hoped for or sought anything, and yet now these great jewels of the Dharma King have come to us of themselves. That which the Buddha’s sons should attain, we have already attained.” At that time, Mahakashyapa, wishing to restate this meaning, spoke verses, saying,

今我等方知世尊于佛智慧、无所吝惜。所以者何。我等昔来真是佛子，而但乐小法，若我等有乐大之心，佛则为我说大乘法。于此经中、唯说一乘，而昔于菩萨前、毁呰声闻乐小法者，然佛实以大乘教化，是故我等说、本无心有所希求。今法王大宝自然而至，如佛子所应得者、皆已得之。’尔时摩诃迦叶欲重宣此义，而说偈言：

We, on this day,
Hearing the sound of the Buddha’s teaching,
Jump for joy!
Gaining what we never had.
The Buddha says that Hearers,
Shall become Buddhas in the future.
A cluster of supreme gems,
We have gained, without our seeking.

It is like a youth,
Who, young and ignorant,
Ran away from his father
To another distant land,
Roaming from country to country
For fifty years and more.

His father, worried about him,
Sought him in the four directions
Until, tired of the search,
He stopped in a certain city,
Where he built himself a house
And amused himself with the five desires.
His household was large and wealthy,
With much gold and silver,
Mother-of-pearl, carnelian,
Real pearls, and lapis lazuli,
Elephants, horses, cattle, and sheep,
Hand-drawn carts, palanquins, and chariots,
Husbandmen and servants,
And a multitude of subjects.
The profits from his trade
Extended to the other countries.
Traders and merchants
Were present everywhere.
Multitudes in the hundreds of millions
Surrounded him reverently.
And always, by kings,
He was cherished and remembered.
The ministers and noble clans
All honored him.
For those reasons,
Those who came and went were many.
Such was his nobility, wealth,
And his great authority.

But then, as he grew old and decrepit,
He was filled with worry for his son.
Morning and evening, his only thought was,
“My time of death is drawing near.
My foolish son has left me now,
For over fifty years.
The things in my granaries and store-houses,
Whatever shall I do with them?

Then the poor son,
Seeking clothing and food,
Went from city to city,
From country to country,
Sometimes getting something,
Sometimes getting nothing.
Starving, emaciated,
Covered with scabs,
He went on his way until eventually,
He arrived in the city where his father lived.

Hiring himself out along the way,
He finally reached his father’s house.

我等今日、 闻佛音教， 欢喜踊跃， 得未曾有。

佛说声闻， 当得作佛， 无上宝聚， 不求自得。

譬如童子， 幼稚无识， 舍父逃逝， 远到他土，

周流诸国、 五十余年。 其父忧念， 四方推求，

求之既疲， 顿止一城， 造立舍宅， 五欲自娱。

其家巨富， 多诸金银、 砗磲玛瑙、 真珠琉璃、

象马牛羊、 辇舆车乘、 田业僮仆， 人民众多，

出入息利、 乃遍他国， 商估贾人、 无处不有，

千万亿众、 围绕恭敬， 常为王者 　之所爱念，

群臣豪族， 皆共宗重。 以诸缘故， 往来者众，

豪富如是， 有大力势。 而年朽迈， 益忧念子，

夙夜惟念， 死时将至， 痴子舍我， 五十余年，

库藏诸物、 当如之何。 尔时穷子， 求索衣食，

从邑至邑、 从国至国， 或有所得， 或无所得，

饥饿羸瘦， 体生疮癣， 渐次经历， 到父住城，

佣赁展转， 遂至父舍。

At that time, the elder,
Within his gateway,
Was covered by a large canopy,
And seated on a Lion-throne,
Surrounded by his retinue,
And various attendants.
Some of them were counting up
His gold, silver, and other valuables.
His income and expenses were
Recorded there on ledgers.
When the poor son saw his father,
Of such nobility and wealth,
He said, “This must be a king,
Or the equal of a king.”
In fright, he reproved himself,
“Why have I come here?”
And further to himself, he said,
“If I stay here long,
I may be oppressed
And forced to go to work.”
Having had this thought,
He hurriedly ran off
To a poor village, asking
To be hired to work.

Just then, the elder,
Seated on the lion-throne,
Saw his son at a distance,
And silently recognized him.

He then commanded his attendants
To seize him and bring him back.
The poor son cried out in alarm,
And fainted, falling to the ground.
“These people have caught me!
I shall certainly be killed!
Why, for food and clothing’s sake
Did I come to this place?”
The elder knew that his son
Was foolish and lowly.
“He wouldn’t believe me if I told him
He wouldn’t believe that I am his father.

Then he used an expedient,
And sent some other men,
One-eyed, squat, and ugly,
Lacking awesome virtue.
“Speak to him,” he said,
“And tell him, ‘You will work with us
Getting rid of dung and filth
At twice your normal wages.”
When the poor son heard this,
He happily followed them back
And swept out the dung and filth,
Cleaning all the dwellings.

From his window, the elder
Would often watch his son,
Remembering that he was foolish and lowly
And enjoyed menial work.
Then the elder
Put on a worn and dirty robe,
And, holding a dung shovel,
Went to where his son was.
Expediently drawing near to him,
He said, “Work with diligence,
For I have increased your wages,
And shall give you oil for your feet,
And your fill of food and drink,
And thick, warm bedding.”
Thus he spoke sharply saying,
“You must work hard!”
And then in gentler tones, he added,
“You are like my own son.

The elder, in his wisdom,
Eventually allowed him to come and go.
For a period of twenty years,
He was put in charge of household business.
He showed him his gold, silver,
Real pearls and crystal.
The income and expense of all these things,
He was caused to know.
And yet the son still lived outside the gate,
Dwelling in a grass hut
Thinking of his poverty:
“None of these things are mine.

尔时长者， 于其门内、

施大宝帐， 处师子座， 眷属围绕， 诸人侍卫，

或有计算， 金银宝物， 出内财产， 注记券疏。

穷子见父 　豪贵尊严， 谓是国王、 若国王等，

惊怖自怪， 何故至此。 覆自念言， 我若久住，

或见逼迫， 强驱使作。 思惟是已， 驰走而去，

借问贫里， 欲往佣作。 长者是时、 在师子座，

遥见其子， 默而识之， 即敕使者、 追捉将来。

穷子惊唤， 迷闷躄地， 是人执我， 必当见杀，

何用衣食、 使我至此。 长者知子， 愚痴狭劣，

不信我言， 不信是父。 即以方便， 更遣余人，

眇目矬陋、 无威德者， 汝可语之， 云当相雇，

除诸粪秽， 倍与汝价。 穷子闻之， 欢喜随来，

为除粪秽， 净诸房舍。 长者于牖、 常见其子，

念子愚劣， 乐为鄙事。 于是长者 　著敝垢衣，

执除粪器， 往到子所， 方便附近， 语令勤作。

既益汝价， 并涂足油， 饮食充足， 荐席厚暖，

如是苦言、 汝当勤作， 又以软语、 若如我子。

长者有智， 渐令入出， 经二十年， 执作家事，

示其金银、 真珠玻璃、 诸物出入， 皆使令知。

犹处门外， 止宿草庵， 自念贫事， 我无此物。