§40 治秃喻
(40) TO CURE BALDNESS
昔有一人，头上无毛，冬则大寒，夏则患热，兼为蚊虻之所唼食。昼夜受恼，甚以为苦。有一医师，多诸方术。时彼秃人，往至其所，语其医言：“唯愿大师，为我治之。”
Once upon a time, there was a man who was completely bald. He felt very cold in winter and hot in summer. He was stung by gadflies and mosquitoes. He suffered from his baldness day and night. One day, he went to see a specialist well known for his medical and surgical practice and said, "Great Master! Would you cure my baldness?"
时彼医师，亦复头秃，即便脱帽示之，而语之言：“我亦患之，以为痛苦。若令我治能得差者，应先自治以除其患。”
Taking off his hat, the doctor revealed to him that he too was bald and said, "I have the same trouble as you. If I could cure it, I would have done so with myself long time ago."
世间之人，亦复如是。为生、老、病、死之所侵扰，欲求长生不老之处，闻有沙门婆罗门等，世之良医，善疗众患，便往其所而与之言：“唯愿为我除此无常生死之患，常处安乐，长存不变。”
So are the people at large. Suffering from the agonies of birth, old age, sickness and death, people seek for immortality. They hear Sramanas, Brahmans etc, are the best doctors in the world who know now to cure all kinds of diseases. They go to a Brahman and say, "Would you release us from the pain of impenitence and transmigration and help us live in happiness and immortality?"
时婆罗门等即便报言：“我亦患此无常生、老、病、死，种种求觅长存之处，终不能得。今我若能使汝得者，我亦应先自得，令汝亦得。”如彼患秃之人，徒自疲劳，不能得差。
The Brahman tells them, "I also suffer from those agonies that you feel. So I'm looking for immortality, which I can't find. If I was able to make you get it, I would get it first for myself and then for you too." The Brahman is just like the bald man getting weary in vain for his healing.
白话：
从前有个人，头上没有毛发，冬天则大受寒冷，夏天则患晒热之苦，加上蚊叮虻咬，昼夜不得安宁，苦恼不堪。有一位医生，医道懂得很多。这秃子便到医生那儿去，说：「希望您替我治好它。」而那医生也是个秃子，这时就脱下帽来给他看，说：「我也有这个病，痛苦不堪。倘若我能医得好的话，应先把自己治好了，除去这般苦恼。」
世上的人也是这样，受到了生老病死的侵害，很是苦恼，想要求得长生不死的地方，听说沙门、婆罗门等是世间的良医，善于疗治种种苦患，就跑到他们那里，说：「希望能替我除去这生命易逝的忧患，永远处于安乐的状态，长存不变。」这时婆罗门等就回答道：「我亦遭受著无常、生老病死的痛苦，到处寻觅著安乐长存的地方，然而终究是得不到的。如今我若是能让你得到，我自己也是应先得到的，然后令你也得到。」世上的人也像那苦于秃头的人一样，徒然地自寻疲劳，却无法治愈。
这故事比喻∶世上的人，因为有生老病死的苦恼，欲求长生不死之道，不知向已了生死 已证圣因的佛菩萨出世圣人们求学，却盲目地向外道婆罗门之流问道，那里知道他们自己也是在生死轮回中无法解脱的人啊！
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