飲食
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教育子弟，首要戒貪；一念貪，念念貪。
The first thing to teach children is not to be greedy. A single thought of greed leads to endless greed. |
這一章講的是飲食該注意的事項。挑精揀肥、暴飲暴食，不但形象不雅，有礙觀瞻，亦且是貪婪之源，終究會令我們傷身敗命，沉淪苦海。《地藏經》上說：地藏菩薩化身千百億，在各處辛苦地教化眾生，若遇飲食無度者，就和他們說說宿殃短命的果報，以期警戒他們；可是眾生難調難服，總是像游魚似的，才救得牠出網，牠又因貪婪而入了網。魚餌之所以能奏效，就因為眾生有貪念；因為貪，也就短視了。所以說眾生愚癡，甚可憐憫！
我們教育子弟，無不希望他往好的運途走；可是，什麼才是好的運途呢？高官厚祿？名成利就？婢美妾嬌？或者子孫滿堂？若說是高官厚祿，可是伴君如伴虎，哪一日身首異處時，又有何樂趣可言？若說是名成利就，可是慾心難止，哪一日家敗名裂時，又有何樂趣可言？若說是婢美妾嬌，可是人心好嫉，哪一日閨房生釁時，又有何樂趣可言？若說是子孫滿堂，可是人多口雜，哪一日禍起蕭牆時，又有何樂趣可言？所以不如趁早好好教育子弟有正知正見，小則個人後福無盡，中者家庭平安，大者社會安定、天下太平。而教育子弟，首要戒貪；一念貪，念念貪。
古人說：「食者天也；色者性也。」又說：「民以食為天。」足見飲食本是眾生最原始的慾望，所以說：貪食正是貪財、貪色之本；豈能以為是飲食小事，率而輕忽了它呢！
至於飲酒，本來小飲兩杯，既不犯殺生，也不致損傷健康，或危害他人，應該沒什麼關係吧？問題是世上能自制的人太少了！
有個修行人自己住著，一天晚上，正在小飲兩杯之際，忽然跑進來一隻小雞；他一看，這可不正是下酒菜？於是也顧不了會犯殺戒、盜戒，就把雞煮來吃了。愈吃，酒也愈灌得多；酒愈灌得多，也愈性起。鄰家少婦跑來問雞，他順口扯謊：「沒看見！」醉眼矇矓之際，看那女人長得也不錯，就又把她強姦了！年輕子弟血氣未剛者，戒之在色；血氣方剛者，戒之在鬥；而酒能亂性，血氣難伏，一但失去自制，就殺、盜、邪淫、妄語，什麼都做得出來了！
本來佛初初制戒時，飲酒並不在戒中。後來，一位修習有神通的弟子，因為勇伏毒龍，居士很感謝地獻酒供養；他一高興，竟飲酒失度，最後醉臥街頭，有如爛泥。佛看平日這麼一位威武的行者，酒後竟是如此脆弱不堪、醜態百出，從此才把這不飲酒，與不殺、不盜、不邪淫、不妄語，同列在基本五戒之中。
想想看：一位修到那麼高境界的出世者，尚且逃不過酒的考驗，我們凡夫俗子，又怎敢自命不凡地說：「沒關係！我就喝兩口罷了！」呢？ |
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Food and Drink
This section discusses what we should pay attention to in our diet. If we choose only the most delicious and rich foods and eat and drink like gluttons, not only does it make us look bad, but our reputations will be ruined by our greed and we will sink in the sea of suffering. The Earth Store Sutra says: "Earth Store Bodhisattva has millions of transformation bodies that arduously teach living beings everywhere. If he sees someone eating and drinking excessively, he will warn them about the retribution of a short life." However, living beings are very difficult to tame. They are like fish which, after being freed from the net, get entangled again due to greed. Bait is effective because living beings are greedy, and their greed makes them short-sighted. Thus it's said that living beings are pitiful in their ignorance.
When we educate our children, we want them to walk on the right path. But what is the right path? Is it high official position and a good salary? Fame and riches? Beautiful maids and charming mistresses? Or many children?You may say it's high official position and a good salary, but serving the king is like accompanying a tiger; if one day you are sentenced to death, what fun is there in that? You may say it's being famous and wealthy, but it's difficult to stop your desires; if your reputation is totally ruined one day, what fun will that be? You may want to enjoy beautiful maids and charming mistresses, but it's human nature to be jealous; when they fight amongst themselves in the bedroom, how will that be enjoyable? You may want to have many children, but when there are many people there are bound to be disagreements; if there's a tragedy in the family, what is the fun?
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趁早好好教育子弟有正知正見。
It's better to teach children the right ideas from the beginning. |
Thus it's better to teach children the right ideas from the beginning. Then they themselves will enjoy endless blessings and their families will be harmonious. Ultimately, the society will be stable and the world will be at peace. The first thing to teach children is not to be greedy. A single thought of greed leads to endless greed.
There's an old saying: "Food is all-important; lust is part of human nature." Another saying goes: "To people, food is all-important." This goes to show that eating and drinking are basic human desires. Thus there's another saying: "Greed for wealth and sex stems from greed for food." How can we overlook the matters of eating and drinking and think they are unimportant?
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民以食為天
To people, food is all-important. |
As for drinking alcohol, one might think that having a couple of drinks won't matter, since it doesn't violate the precept against killing, damage the health, or hurt anyone else. The problem is, very few people are able to control themselves! Once there was a cultivator who lived by himself. One night when he has having a couple of drinks, a chicken wandered in. Seeing it, he thought, "Wouldn't it be nice to have some chicken to go with the wine?" Forgetting about the precepts against killing and stealing, he slaughtered and cooked the chicken. Then he ate it and had some more wine. The more he drank, the more excited he got. When his neighbor, a young woman, came looking for her chicken, he lied, "I haven't seen it." Seeing the woman through his blurred drunkenness, he found her quite attractive and raped her.
Young people are not yet physically mature and should refrain from indulging in lust. When they are in the prime of life, they should refrain from fighting. Intoxicants confuse the nature, making it difficult to subdue energy. Once a person loses self-control, he is liable to do anything, including killing, stealing, acting promiscuously, and lying.
When the Buddha first set up the precepts, he didn't prohibit intoxicants. Later on, a disciple who had spiritual powers bravely tamed a poisonous dragon. When the grateful laypeople offered him some liquor, he drank it joyfully, lost control of himself, and lay about in the streets in a drunken stupor, like a piece of trash. Seeing that awesome cultivator become so weak and disgraceful when he was drunk, the Buddha added no intoxicants to the other precepts of no killing, no stealing, no lust, and no lying, to make the five basic precepts. Think about it: If such an accomplished cultivator failed the test of intoxicants, how could we ordinary people brag: “I’ll only take a couple of sips; there’s no harm in that." |
