53 The Master’s Hurting Legs and His Two disciples

53师患脚付二弟子喻

One time a master instructed his two disciples to take care of his hurting legs. Each disciple was told to continuously massage one leg. But each of the two disciples disliked and felt jealousy toward the other. If one disciple went out, the other would use a stone to break the leg the first one had been massaging. When the first one came back, out of anger he would break the leg that the second one had been massaging.

The same is true of Buddhist disciples Scholars of the Vaipulya (Great Vehicle) deprecate scholars of the Theravada, while scholars of the Theravada also deprecate scholars of the Vaipulya. This threatens to bring about the destruction of the scriptures of both schools of the Great Sage.

译文

譬如某位大师有两位弟子。大师脚有病了，就让两个弟子每人一只脚，随时按摩。这两个弟子平常互相憎厌嫉妬，其中一位外出了，另一位就把他应按摩的脚用石头砸折了。他回来之后，见到这般情景，也气忿地把那人按摩的脚立即打断了。

佛门的弟子也是这样，大乘学者攻击排斥小乘，小乘学者也攻击排斥大乘，所以使得大圣的法典在双方的争执中失去了它原初的意义。

原典

譬如一师有二弟子。其师患脚，遣二弟子人当一脚随时按摩。其二弟子常相憎嫉，一弟子行，其一弟子捉其所当按摩之脚以石打折。彼既来已，忿其如是，复捉其人所按之脚寻复打折。

佛法学徒亦复如是，方等①学者非斥小乘，小乘学者复非方等，故使大圣法典二途兼亡。

注释

①方等：是大乘经典的通名，方指方广，等即平等，大乘理论的玄妙观念，放诸四海而皆准，所以说是方广；且又适用于凡夫与圣人，所以说是平等。

源流

昔雪山中有鸟名为共命，一身二头。一头常食美果，欲使身得安稳。一头便生嫉妬之心，而作是言：「彼常云何食好美果，我不曾得。』即取毒果食之，使二头俱死。(《杂宝藏经》卷三，见《大正藏》第四册第四六四页)