將軍的杯子 The general's cup
古時有位很勇敢的將軍，戰鬥時出生入死，可說萬夫莫敵。這位將軍在國家沒有戰事，世局安定的時候也有一些愛好，他喜歡陶器，也有不少收集品，一有空就拿出來把玩欣賞。
There was once a very brave general who had gone through many dangerous, death-cheating missions with unmatched valor.  In peace times, he liked to collect pottery which he took out and admire from time to time.

有一天，他把一個心愛的杯子拿在手中欣賞時，心裏正高興，忽然手一鬆，杯子差點滑落在地，還好他動作很快，又把杯子捧住。東西險些滑落時，我們的心會猛嚇一跳，甚至會嚇出一身汗，這種經驗，我想應該人人都有過。
One day, while he was cheerfully holding his most favourite cup, his hand slipped.  The cup would have dropped onto the ground but for his quick reaction which caught it in time. 

這位將軍也是這樣，尤其那是他最喜愛的一個杯子。事後他就想：為什麼我平時身經百戰，刀、槍都不怕，竟為了這個杯子而嚇出一身汗？他一直在心裡自問：為什麼？
We all have the experience of skipping a heart beat or even sweat breaking out when things nearly fell.  So had that general with his favourite cup.  After that incident, he looked back and wondered why he sweated for a cup when he was not scared of death on the battlefield.  Why?

忽然有個念頭在他腦海裡閃動──這都是為了「貪愛」，有這分貪愛，就會有恐懼！於是他把手中這個很喜愛的杯子重重地摔破了。當下覺得一身輕鬆，沒有掛慮，不必再為了這個杯子的圓缺而掛心。
The thought of greed and affection suddenly crossed his mind.  He feared because of greed and affection!  To remove that fear, he threw down and broke the cup.  Without that concern, he felt relieved and did not have to worry any more about imperfections on the cup.

這是一種啟示，我們平時可能會覺得自己很強，沒有惶恐，其實人人都有弱點。修行的人也一樣會有弱點，平時以為自己有了一些修為，一切都能為他人，不為自己；一旦到了利害關頭，可能又會興起要如何保護自己、勝過他人的心態，這就是人性的弱點。
While we might think we are strong and fear of nothing, this reveals that there is actually weak spot in all of us.  Even religion practitioners have weak spots.  In normal times, we might think that, because of religious teachings, we are selfless and care for others.  But when critical times come, the thought of self-protection, competition against others might come up.  This is human weakness.


Translated by Harry So, Sydney, Australia