百喻經(jīng)之一: 愚人食鹽喻

　　昔有愚人，至于他家，主人與食，嫌淡無味。主人聞已，更為益鹽。既得鹽美，便自念言：“所以美者，緣有鹽故。少有尚爾，況復(fù)多也?” 愚人無智，便空食鹽。食已口爽，返為其患。

　　Once upon a time there was a stupid man who went to another man's home. The host gave him something to eat. After he complained that the food was insipid, the host added a little salt to it. The stupid guest tried again, found it better, and thought that it was tasteful, because of the salt. To his thinking, the food would be so much better, if he took a great deal of salt. Then this stupid and ignorant man ate it on an empty stomach. Afterwards, he had his palate out of order and fell ill.

　　譬彼外道，聞節(jié)飲食可以得道，即便斷食?；蚪?jīng)七日，或十五日，徒自困餓，無益于道。如彼愚人，以鹽美故，而空食之，至令口爽，此亦復(fù)爾。

　　The heretics, having learned that abstaining from food and drink might lead to the path of Enlightenment, immediately fasted for seven or fifteen days. They merely got fatigued and famished, accomplishing nothing in terms of Enlightenment. Those heretics are just like that stupid man, who, on account of the pleasant flavor that the salt enhanced, ate salt on an empty stomach only to lose all tastes (and get sick afterwards).

　　注釋：

　?、龠@是《百喻經(jīng)》的第一個(gè)故事。實(shí)際上這是一個(gè)聰明人，只是在探索未知的過程中顯得蠢笨。經(jīng)文的本旨是在于外道修持中過分強(qiáng)調(diào)“斷食”而帶來的弊端，而在現(xiàn)實(shí)社會中，這種超過適度的教訓(xùn)實(shí)在太多，太多了。

　　②益：添加。

　?、奂龋阂呀?jīng)。

　?、芩裕鹤g為“……的原因”。

　?、萆袪枺荷星疫@樣。

　?、蘅谒何犊跀?。爽，傷害。

　　白話：

　　從前的時(shí)候，有一個(gè)愚人，到別人家去作客。主人端出食物來，他嫌淡而無味。主人聽罷，便另外為他添了點(diǎn)鹽進(jìn)去。愚人嘗到了鹽的美味，心內(nèi)便想：味道所以這么美，是有鹽的緣故。少少一撮，尚且如此，滿滿一把，豈不更妙?這愚人不懂其中的道理，便單單吃那鹽。吃罷，口顫舌抖，反而得了苦楚。

　　這就譬如那些外道，聽說節(jié)制飲食可以得道，即便斷絕了飲食。或是斷七日，或是斷十五日，空落落地使自己遭一番困餓，卻對修道毫無益處，活像那個(gè)愚人，因?yàn)辂}可調(diào)出美味來，就單是吃它，致使口顫舌抖，外道的斷食也是這樣。

　　源流：

　　與此譬喻相類似的，有《大智度論》卷十八所載的田舍人食鹽：「譬如田舍人初不識鹽，見人以鹽著種種肉菜中而食，問言：『何以故爾?』語言：『此鹽能令諸物味美故?！淮巳吮隳睿捍他}能令諸物美，自味必多。便空抄鹽滿口食之，咸苦傷口，而問言：『汝何以言鹽能作美?』人言：『癡人! 此當(dāng)籌量多少，和之令美，云何純食鹽?』」(《大正藏》第二十五冊第一九四頁)

　　《大智度論》卷五十九：「譬如愚人不識飲食種具，聞醬是眾味主，便純飲醬，失味致患?！?同上第四八O頁)

　　《大智度論》卷六十四：「譬如食雖香美，過噉則病?！?同上第五O九頁)

　　解說：

　　此則譬喻可與本集