石崇富贵范丹穷，
运晚甘罗太公早；
彭祖寿高颜命短，
六人都在五行中。

自古以来，富有的人，最有名的就是石崇，他是晋朝人，家产富可敌国。有一次，他和朋友宴饮时，朋友说：“我有一棵珊瑚树高二尺八寸。”特意从库房中搬出来，请石崇参观。

Now we will discuss some of the richest, the noblest, the poorest, and the lowliest figures in Chinese history.

Shi Chong was wealthy,
 and Fan Dan, poor;
Gan Luo's fate was to be late,
 while Tai Gong was early.
Peng Zu was long-lived,
 but Yan's life was short.
These six people are all within
 the five elements.

Shi Chong, who lived in the Jin Dynasty, was one of the wealthiest and most famous people in Chinese history. His fortune was comparable to the national treasury. Once Shi Chong went to a banquet at a friend's house. His friend told him how he had obtained a coral "tree" two feet eight inches high and then brought the piece out to show Shi Chong.

石崇见到这棵珊瑚树，就说：“这算个什么！”一脚就把它踢碎了，他的朋友感叹地说：“哎啊！我不知在什么地方才找到这棵珍贵的珊瑚树，现在你这么样就把它踢碎了，这太可惜了！”

Shi Chong took a look and scoffed, "What's so great about that?" He then stomped on the coral tree and smashed it to bits.

"Oh no!" his friend cried ruefully. "It was so hard to find in the first place, and now you've ruined it. How awful!"

石崇说：“你可惜什么？这算个什么？哼！我家里垃圾桶里也不知有多少这一类的东西，你到我家里去看看。”

Shi Chong retorted, "What's the big deal? I've got zillions like this in the storerooms at home. Come see for yourself."

朋友就到他家去看。一看，原来石崇家里，三尺多高的珊瑚树有几百棵。石崇说：“你随便拿，你愿意拿哪一棵就拿吧！”所以他朋友视为宝贝之物，在石崇家不算一回事。这就是说石崇富贵财宝不知有多少。

The friend went to Shi Chong's house where he saw several hundred coral clusters over three feet tall.

Shi Chong said, "Go ahead! Take one! Choose whichever one you like!" What his friend had prized as a treasure was a dime a dozen in Shi Chong's house. This shows how tremendously wealthy Shi Chong was. No one knew the true extent of his fortune.

范丹是个要饭的，他到处为家，什么也没有，天天出去讨饭，要了多少就吃多少，也不出外做工，吃完了再出去要，也就是所谓的：

Fan Dan was a beggar who had nothing of his own. Each day he would go out and beg for his food, and then he would eat however much he got. He didn't work at all. When he ran out of food, he would go and beg for more. His situation was such that:

家无隔宿之粮，
身无立锥之地。

Barely getting by on a day's scraps,
He was on the verge of homelessness.

范丹虽然穷，时常出外要饭，但以后大概也有一点积蓄，存了一点粮食。有一次孔夫子带着弟子，在陈国绝粮，他们没有东西吃，所以孔夫子派子路到范丹那儿去借米。你看看，孔夫子有很多人，而竟向一个要饭的借米去，这岂不是笑话？当子路到了范丹那儿，就表达来意说：“我的老师因为在陈国绝粮，现在没有饭吃，所以我特意到你这儿来借点米，回去用用。”

Every place was home to him. Although it was true that Fan Dan was poor and always had to beg for food, he probably started saving up some food. Confucius and his disciples ran out of food when they were travelling through the state of Chen. Since they had nothing to eat, Confucius told his disciple Zi Lu to go and borrow some rice from Fan Dan. Confucius had so many followers, and yet he needed to borrow rice from a beggar－strange how things work, isn't it? Zi Lu went to Fan Dan and explained, "My teacher has run out of food in the state of Chen, and I've come to borrow rice from you."

范丹说：“你要借米可以，但我先有个问题要你答复，答对了就借给你；答不对，就不借。”子路信心充足地说：“你尽管问吧！”

Fan Dan said, "If you want to borrow rice, that's fine, but first you must answer my question. If you give the right answer, I'll lend you the rice. If you don't, I won't lend it to you."

Zi Lu confidently replied, "Ask away!"

范丹就问了：“你告诉我，世界上，天地间，什么多？什么少？什么欢喜？什么恼？你能答对了，我就毫无条件借米给你，要借多少都可以。你如果答不对，那我就不借给你，这点要先说清楚了。”

Fan Dan said, "Tell me, in this world, what is numerous and what is few? What makes people happy and what makes them sad? If you tell me the right answer, I'll lend you the rice with no strings attached. You can borrow as much as you want. If you answer wrongly, however, I won't lend the rice to you. I have to make that clear first."

子路说：“你这问题太容易了，很浅的嘛！这世界上，天地间，星星多，月亮少；娶媳妇欢喜，死人恼。”

Zi Lu said, "Your question is way too easy! In this world, there are many stars and few moons. Weddings are happy and deaths are sad."

范丹听了就直摆手说：“不对！不对！”

When Fan Dan heard Zi Lu's answer, he waved his hand and said, "Wrong!"

子路认为他的答复是绝妙好辞，天衣无缝，再也没有什么答复比他的更好了，所以就以为范丹根本就不想借米给他，而是借故刁难。子路仍不认输，但范丹不借，子路也没法子，所以就气冲冲地跑回去见孔夫子了，说：“老师！老师！这个范丹真可恶，毫不讲道理。”他一一把两人的对答向孔夫子具实报告，孔夫子听了之后，就说道：“你答错了！”子路这时惊讶万分，说：“范丹说我不对，是因为他站在他的立场上，而老师您现在应该站在我的立场上，怎么您也说我答错了？”

Zi Lu felt that his answer was perfect, that none could be better. He was sure that Fan Dan hadn't planned to lend him the rice to begin with and had just been teasing. So, he refused to admit defeat. But Fan Dan still wouldn't lend him the rice. Since there was nothing he could do about it, he left in exasperation and went to see Confucius.

"Teacher! Teacher! That Fan Dan is truly abominable! He wasn't reasonable at all." Zi Lu faithfully reported the entire conversation to Confucius. Confucius said, "You did give the wrong answer!"

Zi Lu was completely taken aback and protested, "Fan Dan said I was wrong, because he was arguing for himself. But Teacher, you should be on my side! Why do you say that I'm wrong as well?"

孔夫子说：“你听听我的答复：‘世界上，天地间，小人多，君子少；借时欢喜，要时就恼。’你去向范丹这样答复。”于是子路又回到范丹那里，对他说孔夫子的答复。范丹认为这回答对了，一点也没错，所以就借米给子路。他用一个竹筒子装满了米，给子路拿回去。但是这个竹筒子是个宝贝，米怎么吃也吃不完，用多少就有多少，所以穷人也有穷宝贝。

Confucius said, "Listen to my answer: 'In this world, there are many petty people and few noble people. People are happy when they borrow things but sad when asked to return them.' Go give Fan Dan that answer." Zi Lu went back to Fan Dan and repeated Confucius' answer to him. Fan Dan considered this answer to be completely correct, so he lent the rice to Zi Lu. He filled a bamboo tube with rice and gave it to Zi Lu to take back. This bamboo tube was actually a magic treasure that provided an endless supply of rice. No matter how much rice one wanted to use, the tube could provide that amount. You see, poor men also have their poor men's treasures.

秦始皇时代有个甘罗，十二岁就做了宰相，但是还晚了三年，他在九岁时就应该做宰相的。姜太公八十岁才遇到文王，可是早了三年。甘罗很年轻就做了宰相，而姜太公到了晚年才遇见文王。

During the reign of the First Emperor of the Qin Dynasty, a boy named Gan Luo was made prime minister when he was only twelve. He should have become prime minister at the age of nine, but he was late by three years. Jiang Tai Gong [a sage who lived during the time of King Wen of the Zhou Dynasty] didn't meet King Wen until he was eighty. Even so, he was early by three years. Gan Luo became the prime minister at a very young age, but Jiang Tai Gong didn't meet King Wen until late in life.

彭祖活到八百多岁，所以叫寿高。颜渊是孔子的学生，活到三十岁就死了，所以叫命短。颜渊虽然命短，但他在孔夫子的门徒里，是最聪明，也是最好学的。他“闻一知十”；子贡是“闻一知二”。当颜渊死去时，孔夫子就悲叹地说：“天丧予！天丧予！”意思就是天令我这个道丧亡了！天令我这个道丧亡了！

Peng Zu lived for over eight hundred years, so he is considered to have been long-lived. Confucius' disciple, Yan Yuan, on the other hand, died at age thirty, so he's said to have been short-lived. Even so, he was the most intelli-gent of Confucius' disciples, and the most avid learner. Upon learning one principle, he could deduce ten others. When Zi Gong (another disciple) heard one principle, he could only deduce two. At Yan Yuan's death, Confucius lamented, "Heaven is destroying me! Heaven is destroying me!" What he meant was, "Heaven has doomed my teach-ing! Heaven has doomed my teaching!"

这六个人，有的最富，有的最穷；有的寿命最长，有的命短，但这六个人都没有超出五行的命运，都在这里头转来转去，仍在轮回中跑。所以人生如梦幻泡影，如露亦如电，应作如是观。不要有所 执著，就没有一切烦烦恼恼，能看破放下来修行，那是更好。若是不能完全放下，也应该一点一点放下，不要再留恋在六道轮回中了。

These six people include some of the richest, poorest, most noble, and most long-lived people, and also one whose life was rather short. However, none of them was able to transcend his fate, which was determined by the five elements. None of them could escape the endless cycle of transmigration. Life is just like a dream, an illusion, a bubble, a shadow, a dewdrop, or a lightning flash; that's how we ought to contemplate. Be attached to nothing and you will have no affliction. If you can see through every-thing, put it all down, and come here to cultivate, that's even better. If you can't put everything down right away, then let go of things little by little. Don't hanker after this transient existence in the six paths.

一九八二年六月六日开示于万佛圣城