[color=]§18 就楼磨刀喻
[color=](18) GRIND A KNIFE UPSTAIRS
昔有一人，贫穷困苦，为王作事。日月经久，身体羸瘦。王见怜愍，赐一死驼。贫人得已，即便剥皮，嫌刀钝故，求石欲磨。乃于楼上得一磨石，磨刀令利，来下而剥。
Once upon a time there was a poor man who had to work very hard in the king's service. As time went on, he became emaciated. Out of pity, the king gave him a dead camel. Having received it, the poor man began to flay it. His knife being very blunt, he looked for a whetstone to grind it. At last, he found one upstairs where he sharpened the knife. He then went back downstairs to skin the camel.
如是数数往来磨刀，后转劳苦，惮不能数上，悬驼上楼，就石磨刀。深为众人之所嗤笑。
He ran up and down the stairs doing the sharpening and skinning frantically for a while and finally he felt so tired that he could not go on any longer. Then he had to hang the camel upstairs to be closer to the whetstone. People guffawed at him.
犹如愚人，毁破禁戒，多取钱财，以用修福，望得生天。如悬驼上楼磨刀，用功甚多，所得甚少。
A stupid man who, by breaking the strict commandments gathers plenty of money and uses it on offering in the hope that he will be born in Heaven. This stupid man is just like the poor man who worked hard for little gain in hanging his camel upstairs and sharpening his knife.
注释：
① 怜愍：愍，同悯。怜悯。
② 数上：多次上下楼。
③ 禁戒：佛门戒律，亦即不能违犯的律条。
白话：
从前有一个人，十分贫困，为国王做工，长年累月，身体瘦弱不堪。国王见了以后怜悯他，赏给他一峰死骆驼。穷人把骆驼送回家后，就动手剥骆驼皮。他嫌刀刃不锋利，找磨刀石磨刀。在阁楼上找到了一块磨刀石，将刀刃磨利后，下楼继续剥皮。就这样反复上楼去磨刀刃，弄得疲惫不堪，他担心爬不动楼梯，干脆把骆驼吊上楼阁，挨着磨刀石磨刀。人们都嘲笑他的愚笨。
这就好比愚蠢的修行者破除了律条的约束，贪图财物，为自己谋福利，还渴望能够进入美好、光明的天界。像悬挂死骆驼在楼上磨刀一样的愚蠢。
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