51 A Maid Servant and Five Masters

51五人买婢共使作喻

Once there were five men who together bought one maid. One of them said to her, “Wash my clothes for me.” Another told her to do the same thing. The maid said, “I will wash for whoever gave the the clothes first.”

The second man broke out in anger and said, “I bought you with the others. Why should you wash only for the first person?” thereupon he whipped her with ten strokes. The rest of her five masters did the same, each whipping her ten strokes.

The five skandhas are this way, too. They are the causes and conditions of afflictions and combine to make up this body. And yet the five skandhas constantly whip living beings with the limitless suffering of birth, old age, sickness, and death.

译文

譬如五个人合买了一个婢女，其中一人吩咐这婢女道：「给我洗衣裳。」另有一人也说要洗衣裳。婢女就对他说，先给前面那位洗。后说者怒道：「我与他一道买了你的，为何独独他能这样?」就鞭打她十下。其他四人也想为何他独独可以这样，于是也就各鞭打她十下。

色、受、想、行、识这五阴也是这样。以种种烦恼为因缘合成了人这个身体，而这身体中的五阴常常用生老病死无穷无尽的苦恼来鞭笞折磨众生。

原典

譬如五人共买一婢，其中一人语此婢言：「与我浣衣。」次有一人复语浣衣。婢语次者，先与其浣。后者恚曰：「我共前人同买于汝，云何独尔?」即鞭十下。如是五人各打十下。

五阴亦尔。烦恼因缘合成此身，而此五阴恒以生老病死无量苦恼搒①笞众生。

注释

①搒：击打。