Dhammapada 85 - 86

Posted by nottibeans on 17-02-2013, 10:42 PM :


My signature quote.
Quote:

http://simple-dharma.blogspot.sg/201...they_6354.html

Dhammapada verse #85 ~ 86

於此人群中，達彼岸者少。其餘諸人等，徘徊於此岸。

Among folk they are few
who go to the Further Shore,
most among humanity
scurry on this hither shore.


善能說法者，及依正法行，彼能達彼岸，度難度魔境。

But they who practise Dhamma
according to Dhamma well-told,
from Death’s Domain hard to leave
they’ll cross to the Further Shore.

☆☆☆

【第85, 86偈的故事】

有一次，舍衛城有一群人集體供養眾多比丘，並安排其中一些比丘們徹夜說法。但聽法的觀眾中有些人無法熬夜，早早就走了，有些人雖然整夜坐著聽法，但大部份的時間，卻無法集中精神，只是半醒半睡的度過。只有少數的人專心聞法。

第二天，比丘們告訴佛陀昨天的事，佛陀說：「大多數的人都執著世間，只有少數的人能到達彼岸（證得涅槃）。」

佛陀接著提醒比丘們要時時警覺，正念現前，只有自覺精進學佛法的人才能究竟解脫煩惱，證入究竟喜悅的涅槃。

While residing at the Jētavana Monastery, the Buddha spoke these verses, with reference to a congregation of people who had come to listen to a religious discourse in Sāvatthi.

On one occasion, a group of people from Sāvatthi made special offerings to the monks collectively and they arranged for some monks to deliver discourses throughout the night, in their locality. Many in the audience could not sit up the whole night and they returned to their homes early; some sat through the night, but most of the time they were drowsy and half-asleep.

There were only a few who listened attentively to the discourse. At dawn, when the monks told the Buddha about what happened the previous night, he replied, “Most people are attached to this world; only a very few reach the other shore (nibbāna).”