百喻经之四: 妇诈称死喻
§4 妇诈称死喻
(4) the wife pretends to be dead
时有愚人，其妇端正，情甚爱重。妇无直信，后于中间共他交往，邪淫心盛，欲逐旁夫，舍离己婿。於是密语一老母言：“我去之后，汝可赍一死妇女尸，安著屋中。语我夫言，云我已死。”
once upon a time there was a stupid man who loved very much his beautiful wife. however, she had no true love for him. in the meantime, she associated herself surreptitiously with another man. burning with lecherous passions, she wanted to leave her husband to be with her lover. she secretly told an old woman, "after my departure, i would like you to place a woman's corpse in my house. you then tell my husband that i'm dead."
老母于后伺其夫主不在之时，以一死尸置其家中。及其夫还，老母语言：“汝妇已死。” 夫即往视，信是己妇。哀哭懊恼。大积薪油，烧取其骨，以囊盛之，昼夜怀挟。
the old woman did what she was told. she told the husband shortly after his return that his wife passed away. he went to see the corpse and believed it was that of his own wife. he grieved and wept bitterly. he gathered a great deal of wood and oil together for the cremation. then he put the ashes into a bag and had it with him day and night.
妇于后时，心厌旁夫，便还妇家，语其夫言：“我是汝妻。”
shortly after, the wife got tired of her lover. she came back and told her husband, "i'm your wife."
夫答之言：“我妇已死，汝是阿谁？妄言我妇。”乃至二三，犹故不信。
the husband answered, "my wife died a long time ago. who are you to lie to me that you are my wife?" the husband refused to believe her, in spite of her repeated explanations.
如彼外道，闻他邪说，心生惑著，谓为真实，永不可改。虽闻正教，不信受持。
so are the heretics who, having learned the heretical doctrine, confusedly stick to it with all their soul and take the doctrine to be the right one without altering their mind forever. thus they will be unable to believe, accept or keep any other creed even it is an orthodox one.
注释：
①直信：坦白诚实。
②欲逐傍夫：急欲追随情夫。
③赍（jī）：送去，本文可当找来讲。
④怀挟：放在怀里。
⑤受持：受，佛教名词。指客体对主体即客观对人在生理和心理等各方面的影响。持，把握、控制。
白话：
从前有一位愚蠢的人，他的妻子长得端庄大方，他很喜爱和敬重她。但妻子不坦白诚实，在以后和别的男子有来往，欲火中烧，急欲追随情夫，抛弃自己的丈夫。在离家前，她偷偷地托付一位老太婆说：“我走后，你送去一具妇女的尸体放在我屋里，告诉我丈夫，说我已经死了。”老太婆后来趁她丈夫不在时，把一具女尸放在屋里。那丈夫回来后，老太婆就对他说：“你妻子已经死了。”他过去看了后，认为是自己的妻子，哀伤哭泣，十分痛苦。他堆起木材，浇上油，将尸体烧成骨灰，用袋子盛起来，日夜都揣在怀里。后来这个妻子厌倦了她的情夫，便回家对丈夫说：“我是你的妻子啊！”丈夫回答说：“我妻子已死去很久了，你是什么人，竟胡说是我妻子。”尽管她再三说明，她丈夫都不信。
这就像接受了其他教派一样，听到了异端邪说，心中产生了疑惑，并认为是真理，永远也不改变。虽然以后听到正确的东西，也不能相信并从内心把握和接受它。
源流：
《鸯崛摩罗经》卷二：譬如有愚夫，见雹生妄想，谓是琉璃珠，取已执持归，置之瓶器中，守护如真宝。不久悉融消，空想默然住，于余真琉璃，亦复作空想。（《中华大藏经》第二十三册第五十七页）
解说：
假作真时真亦假。
辨析：
本文有深刻的社会生活内容，涉及到家庭、感情、人际关系，这三条线索贯穿始终，而且每一个线索都展现了一幅生活画面。这些内容体现了佛教高僧潜移默化的教化方式和对社会生活的深刻认识。在这三条线索之后推出了一个用明喻修辞方法表现的寓意，寓意中又含有一层曲喻，使人读来如海上行一小船，虽碧海蓝天 风平浪静，却有水深莫测 险象潜行之感。
丈夫因妻子的“死”而情痴，情夫最终被抛弃，而妻子悔悟后回家被丈夫拒绝。由此用已经不辨真假的愚人比喻在思想上已经误入歧途的人是很难判断正确与错误的，从而又曲折地喻示出“外道”的力量是不容忽视的。
本文地址：http://www.dioenglish.com/writing/story/1511.html
