40 On Curing Baldness

40治秃喻

Once there was a man who was completely bald. In the winter he felt very cold and in the summer he felt very hot. He was bitten by mosquitoes and gnats so that he felt afflicted day and night. One day, the bald man went to consult a physician skilled in medical practice. He said to the physician, “Great master, please cure my baldness!”

The physician took off his hat, showed the man that he was also bald, and said, “I am vexed by the same problem. If I could cure this problem, I would have done so for myself a long time ago.”

People of this world are the same. Attacked by the disease of birth, old age, sickness, and death, they seek for immortality. Hearing about shramanas and Brahmans who are good physicians of the world skilled in curing these diseases, they seek one out and say to such a Brahman, “Please release me from this disease of the impermanence of birth and death, so that I can forever dwell in comfort and joy.”

The Brahman then says to them, “I myself also suffer from the disease of the impermanence of birth and death. I have made many attempts at seeking immortality, but I still haven’t found it. If I could help you attain it, I would first attain it myself and then help you attain it.”

Thus is like the bald man who tired himself out pursuing a cure in vain.

译文

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：「我亦遭受着无常、生老病死的痛苦，到处寻觅着安乐长存的地方，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。

原典

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。」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。」

世间之人，亦复如是，为生老病死之所侵恼，欲求长生不死之处，闻有沙门、婆罗门等世之良医善疗众患，便往其所而语之言：「唯愿为我除此无常生死之患，常处安乐，长存不变。」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。