百喻經(jīng)之七二: 唵米決口喻

　　(72) AN OPERATION ON THE MOUTH

　　昔有一人，至婦家舍，見其搗米，便往其所，偷米唵之。婦來見夫，欲共其語，滿口中米，都不應和。羞其婦故，不肯棄之，是以不語。

　　Once upon a time, there was a man who went to his wife's home where he saw people removing the husk from rice. He stole some rice and hid it in his mouth. When the wife came to talk to him, he could not answer her with his mouth full. He disliked to leave it lest he would put her to shame. So he stood speechless.

　　婦怪不語，以手摸看，謂其口腫，語其父言：“我夫始來，卒得口腫，都不能語。”

　　That aroused her curiosity all the more. Looking at him and feeling him with her hands, she found his mouth swollen. Thereupon she said to her father, "On his way over, my husband suddenly got a swollen mouth and is unable to speak."

　　其父即便喚醫(yī)治之。時醫(yī)言曰：“此病最重，以刀決之，可得差耳!”

　　Immediately her father sent for a doctor who said, "Very serious is your illness. It will be cured by an operation."

　　即便以刀決破其口，米從口出，其事彰露。

　　Then an operation on his mouth was done and his act of theft was exposed.

　　世間之人，亦復如是。作諸惡行，犯于凈戒，覆藏其過，不肯發(fā)露，墮于地獄、畜生、餓鬼。如彼愚人，以小羞故，不肯吐米，以刀決口，乃顯其過。

　　This is also held to be true with the people at large. In doing evil deeds to break the pure commandments and hiding sins, people descend to the Three Evil Ways of hells, beats and hungry ghosts. This is just like the stupid man, being reluctant to let out rice, on account of a trifling shame matter, and undergoing an operation on his mouth to reveal his sins.

　　白話：

　　曾有一人到丈母娘家去，見她在家搗米，就去那兒偷了一把米含在嘴里。妻子來見丈夫，想跟他說話，而他滿口含著米，唔唔地不應答，因為在妻子面前怕難為情，不肯吐棄出來，也就不說話了。妻子見他不說話，奇怪了，抬手摸看，以為他口腫了，便對父親說：「我丈夫剛來，忽然患了口腫，都不能說話了。」她父親隨即叫來醫(yī)生替他治療。醫(yī)生說：「這病極重，開了刀，方可治好。」就用刀決破了他的口，米從中瀉了出來，事情敗露了。

　　世上的人也是這樣，做了種種惡行，毀犯了清凈的戒律，就把過錯覆藏起來，不肯發(fā)露，墮入于地獄、畜生、餓鬼這類惡道中。就好比那個愚人，出于小小的難為情，不肯吐出米來，以刀決口，方顯露出他的過失來。