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牽豕就屠，焉識乃翁之痛？食其子而不知，文王尚爾。啖其親而未識，凡類皆然。當年恩愛，今作怨家。昔日寇仇，今成骨肉。昔為母而今為婦；舊是翁而新作夫。宿命知之，則可羞可恥；天眼視之。則可笑可憐。賣穢叢中，十月包藏難過；膿血道裏。一時倒下可憐。少也何知，東西莫辨；長而有識，貪欲便生。
「牽豕就屠，焉識乃翁之痛」：把豬用繩子綁上，牽到屠宰場去，在被屠的時候，那個很痛苦的樣子。可是這個豬，就是他的爸爸作的豬，他還不知道，就拿去。「你吃得這麼胖嗎？殺了你再說！」可是他父親在那兒痛苦得很。
「食其子而不知，文王尚爾」：這個文王，方才不是說把他圈到監獄裏，有人就說他有未卜先知？那麼這個人就故意試驗他，看看他倒是有沒有未卜先知，就把他兒子的肉給他拿去吃。那麼他看有肉，就吃了。他吃的這個肉是他兒子的肉；他若知道是他兒子的肉，他不會吃的。有人說他知道，他故意把它吃了，表示自己不知道。不是的，他若知道，怎麼樣他也吃不下去的，所以這也都是定業。那麼就因為不知道，所以就做錯了很多事。
我們人不知道，女人追男朋友，想不到那個男朋友是自己的爺爺，或者祖父，或者太爺爺、曾祖父，這都不一定的，或者是父親。可是她看他是這麼年輕英俊，趕快去追、追，追到手裏，結果是個顛倒，就這樣子，所以這都是在那兒胡搞亂撞的。
「文王尚爾」：以文王這種的聰明睿智，這種有聖德的人，尚且不知道。「啖其親而未識，凡類皆然」：那麼我們凡夫俗子，都是吃我們父母的肉，吃我們祖先的肉，吃我們骨肉的肉，還都不知道呢！「凡類皆然」：都是這樣子，沒有一個逃出這種因果的。
「當年恩愛，今作怨家」：以前本來恩恩愛愛，卿卿我我的，互相愛得要命要死，想不到原來他變牛變馬了，就不恩愛了。變牛了，現在又吃牠肉了；吃牠肉，牠也生瞋恨：「好！你這個東西，你現在對我一點也不客氣，吃我的肉，將來我要啃你的骨頭！」所以這就互相結了怨仇了。「昔日寇仇，今成骨肉」：以前那些個賊啊、土匪啊，現在變了六親眷屬，成了骨肉了。
「昔為母而今為婦」：前生是自己的母親，可是今生做自己的太太。你看！就是把這個臭皮囊換一換，靈魂還是那個，可是就不認識了。「舊是翁而新作夫」：過去是她的父親，現在做了她的丈夫，她不以為怪，覺得這是很平常。所以你說，這和畜生又有什麼分別呢？「宿命知之」：宿命就是前生的這種因果；知之，「則可羞可恥。」你若知道這個情形的話，你說這怎麼能抬得起頭來？「天眼視之」：用天眼來觀察。「則可笑可憐」：既可笑又可憐哪！
「糞穢叢中」：小孩子在母親肚裏頭和屎尿都在一起。「十月包藏難過」：十月和那個膿啊、血啊在一起，很難過的在那個地方。「膿血道裏」：在那個膿血道裏。「一時倒下可憐」：小孩生出來都是倒著出來，所以就可憐哪可憐，很可憐的！
「少也何知」：小孩子剛剛一出生，有什麼知識呀？什麼也不知道。「東西莫辨」：東邊也不知道，西邊也不知道。這個「東西」兩個字，又可以說是個物質，什麼也不懂；不是東、西不懂，是什麼東西都不懂。「長而有識」：長大了有一點知覺了，這個識是知覺。「貪欲便生」：就知道什麼呢？他不知道因果報應循環，就知道男貪女愛；女的要追男朋友，男的就要拼命追女朋友。追不到，兩個人有的時候同歸於盡，大家不能結婚，自殺算了。你看！貪欲便生，就是這個；他不知道這裏頭是很沒有意思的。
待續 |
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Essay:
We lead the pig to slaughter: who could know it is our father in agony? We eat our sons without being aware of it. Ordinary people are the same as King Wen, who ate his kinfolk without realizing it. The loved ones of yesteryear are now sworn enemies. Rivals of days past are now our blood relatives. Our mothers of past lives are our wives of the present. Our fathers of old are now our husbands. Those with knowledge of past lives recognize these changes; they feel shame and embarrassment. Those with the Heavenly Eye see these situations; they find them laughable and pathetic. Amid excrement and filth we pass ten difficult months. We emerge from the path of pus and blood in a pitiable state. When young, we know nothing and cannot tell east from west. As adults, we become more aware, but our greed and desire arise.
Commentary:
We lead the pig to slaughter: Who could know that it is our father in agony? The pig is tied up and sent to the slaughterhouse. When it is slaughtered, it feels pain and outrage. The butcher, unaware that the pig was his father in a past life, says: "You are so fat, it's time for you to be slaughtered," but the father is undergoing severe pain.
We eat our sons without being aware of it. Ordinary people are the same as King Wen: King Wen was a sagely ruler whom the people wanted to trap and cause to fall into hell. They killed one of his sons, cooked the flesh, and served it to the King as a test of his wisdom. They thought that if he really was a sage, he would be able to recognize his own son on the plate and not eat him. Although he was a sage, the King didn't always contemplate everything in detail or check into every situation with his spiritual powers. Unaware, he ate the meal. If he had known that it was his son's flesh, he would definitely not have eaten it. This was fixed karma. Unbeknownst to him, he committed quite a few offenses.
We as humans also are unaware of these matters; for instance, when a girl pursues her boyfriend, that boyfriend could be her own grandfather, great grandfather, or perhaps even her own father—it's not for sure. Seeing how young and handsome he is, she goes in hot pursuit of him. When she gets him, she ends up confused and blundering about blindly. King Wen was such a highly intelligent person, a sagely virtuous one, yet he
ate his kinfolk without realizing it. We, too, eat the flesh of our own parents, grandparents and children without realizing it; we don't recognize them. All ordinary people are like this. Thus, it is difficult to escape the consequences.
The loved ones of yesteryear are now sworn enemies. Previously we were so close and affectionate with them. We were deeply in love with them. It never occurred to us that they would turn into cows and horses. When they become cows and we eat their flesh, they harbor hatred and think, "What an ingrate you are, eating my flesh like this! hi the future I will gnaw on your bones!" Therefore, we become sworn enemies. Rivals of days past are now our blood relatives: Those who were formerly thieves and robbers are now our relatives.
Our mothers of past lives are wives of the present. Previously she was my mother; in this life she is my wife. The spirit remains the same, but it has just changed to a different stinking skin-bag, so you can't recognize her.
Our fathers of old are now our husbands. Previously he was her father in a past life; now he is her husband. She considers this to be perfectly normal, so would you say we are any different from animals?
Those with knowledge of past lives recognize these changes. If they have the spiritual penetration of the knowledge of past lives,
they feel shame and embarrassment. If you are aware of the situation, will you be able to raise your head?
Those with the Heavenly Eye see these situations: With their Heavenly Eye, they see such workings of cause and effect, and
they find them laughable and pathetic.
Amid excrement and filth: The fetus lies in its mother's womb next to feces and urine.
We pass ten months while the embryo develops.
We emerge—are born—from the path of pus and blood in a pitiable state: we emerge upside-down, with the head first. It is truly pitiful!
When young we know nothing and cannot tell east from west: When we are born we know nothing. We do not know east or west. We understand nothing at all.
As adults we become more aware but our greed and desire arise. When we are grown up, we have some awareness, but greedy desire, love, and emotions arise. We are not aware of the law of cause and effect, but only think about romance. Girls chase after boyfriends, and boys also want to find girlfriends. When they can't be together or get married, they decide that they might as well commit suicide. When greed and desire arise, they don't realize that the outcome of it all is quite meaningless.
To be continued |
