A pdf file of a Dhamma article with 2 very meaningful stories for our reflection to grow in mind development in our quest for wisdom. Beneficial for the adult young and old. The texts are in English and Chinese.

1. 1
两个发人深省的故事〜反思

2. 2
Our body is subjected to age, sickness, decay and ultimately
death. This fact of impermanence many do not see or realize.
They spend so much time, money and energy ‘pampering’ the
body at eating places, beauty salons, physical fitness centers,
entertainment outlets, shopping complexes and so on. I do not
mean to imply that we should not take care of the body – we
must of course look after our physical health, but the point is
that many seem to go beyond the limit and are not spending
enough time to develop the mind, something that will follow
us upon death.
We find many people who are in a way ‘obsessed’ with
multiplying their material possessions and wealth and chasing
for power and status. Little do they realize that all these things
are truly transient – they will be separated from their ‘owners’
at any time with no bargaining option.
我们的身体会遭受衰老、疾病、腐烂并最终死亡。 许多
人没有看到或意识到这个无常的事实。 他们花费大量的
时间、金钱和精力去餐饮场所、美容院、健身中心、娱
乐场所、购物中心等“呵护”身体。 我并不是说我们不
应该照顾身体——我们当然必须照顾我们的身体健康，
但问题是，许多人似乎超出了限度，没有花足够的时间
来发展心灵，某些东西。 它将在我们死后跟随我们。
我们发现许多人在某种程度上“沉迷于”增加自己的物
质财产和财富，并追逐权力和地位。 他们几乎没有意识
到，所有这些东西都是短暂的——他们随时都会与“主
人 ” 分 离 ， 没 有 讨 价 还 价 的 选 择 。
Transient 无常

3. 3
The wise realize that more important than all these things are
our true wealth and inheritance – our Kamma and Dhamma.
These follow us from life to life until we are enlightened.
The greater our attachment to our family, relatives and friends,
the greater the dukkha (suffering, pain) we will experience
when the time comes for us to leave everything behind. The
first two verses of the Metta Sutta (Discourse on Loving-
Kindness) have important points for reflection:
He who is skilled in good, and wishes to attain that state of
Peace, should act thus: he should be able, upright, perfectly
upright, amenable to corrections, gentle and humble.
He should be contented, easy to support, not busy, simple in
livelihood, with senses controlled, discreet, not impudent, and
not greedily attached to families.
智者认识到，比所有这些事情更重要的是我们真正的财
富和遗产——我们的业和法。 它们一生一世地跟随我
们，直到我们开悟。
我们对家人、亲戚和朋友的依恋越深，当我们把一切抛
在脑后的时候，我们所经历的苦（dukkha）就会越大。
《慈经》的前两偈有值得反思的要点：
善巧者，欲得寂静者，应如是行：能正，正正，能正，
温顺，谦卑。
应当知足、容易供养、不忙碌、生活简单、控制感官、
谨慎、不放肆、不贪恋家庭。

4. 4
I remember a Dhamma friend who was a little perturbed by the
words ‘not greedily attached to families’ during our reading of
the English translation after chanting the Metta Sutta. He asked,
“Isn’t it natural that we should love and be attached to our
family? Wouldn’t one be highly irresponsible not to take care
of the family?” I think this friend failed to see the suffering that
will come when there is ‘greedy attachment.’ Of course, one
loves the family – but it should be love that is unconditional,
love that has understanding and wisdom. Such a person takes
care of the family with responsibility but at the same time he
still gives time and puts in effort to practice the Dhamma and
develop his mind spiritually for he knows that ultimately only
this will count.
There is a good Dhammapada story with points for reflection
on the foolishness and danger of attachment to possessions and
people.
我记得一位法友在念诵《慈经》后阅读英文译本时，对“不
贪恋家庭”这句话感到有点不安。 他问道：“我们应该爱护
我们的家人，这不是很自然的事吗？ 不照顾家庭不是一种极
不负责任的行为吗？” 我想这位朋友没有看到“贪爱”所带
来的痛苦。当然，一个人爱家庭，但应该是无条件的爱，有
理解和智慧的爱。 这样的人以责任照顾家庭，但同时他仍然
投入时间和精力修习佛法，并在灵性上发展自己的心，因为
他知道最终只有这样才是最重要的。
有一个很好的《法句经》故事，其中的要点让我们反思对财
产和人的执着是愚蠢和危险的。
The root of
Suffering is
Craving and
Attachment.
痛苦的根源是
贪爱和执着。
法句经

5. 5
It is the story of Ananda, The Rich Man (Verse 62 of Dhammapada):
While residing at the Jetavana monastery, the Buddha uttered Verse
(62) of this book, with reference to a miserly rich man, named Ananda.
There was once a very wealthy man named Ananda in Savatthi.
Although he possessed eighty crores, he was very reluctant to give
anything in charity. To his son, Mulasiri, he used to say, "Don't think
the wealth we have now is very much. Do not give away anything from
what you have, for you must make it grow. Otherwise, your wealth will
dwindle away."
This rich man had five pots of gold buried in his house and he died
without revealing their location to his son.
Ananda, the rich man, was reborn in a village of beggars, not far from
Savatthi. From the time his mother was pregnant, the income of the
beggars decreased; the villagers thought there must be a wicked and
unlucky one amongst them.
这是财主阿难的故事（第 62 节）：
佛陀住在只园寺时，说了此书的偈（62），提到一位名叫阿难的
吝啬富翁。
从前，舍卫城有一位非常富有的人，名叫阿难。 尽管他拥有八亿
卢比，但他却非常不愿意捐出任何东西用于慈善事业。 他常常对
他的儿子穆拉西里说：“不要认为我们现在拥有的财富很多。不
要放弃你所拥有的任何东西，因为你必须让它增长。否则，你的
财富将会减少。” ”
这位富翁在他的房子里埋了五罐金子，他去世时没有向他的儿子
透露这些金子的位置。
富翁阿难陀转生到离舍卫城不远的一个乞丐村。 自从他母亲怀孕
后，乞丐的收入就减少了； 村民们认为他们当中一定有一个邪恶
而不幸的人。
Village of Beggars

6. 6
By dividing themselves up into groups and by the process of
elimination, they came to the conclusion that the pregnant beggar
woman must be the unfortunate one. Thus, she was driven out of the
village. When her son was born, the son proved to be extremely ugly
and repulsive. If she went out begging by herself, she would get as
before, but if she went out with her son, she would get nothing. So,
when the boy could go out by himself, his mother placed a small
plate in his hand and left him. As he wandered about in Savatthi, he
remembered his old house and his past existence. So, he went into
the house. When the sons of his son Mulasiri saw him, they were
frightened by his ugly looks and began to cry. The servants then
beat him and threw him out of the house.
The Buddha who was on his alms-round, saw the incident and asked
the Venerable Ananda to fetch Mulasiri.
通过分组和淘汰的过程，他们得出结论：怀孕的乞丐一定是
不幸的人。 就这样，她被赶出了村子。 当她的儿子出生时，
发现这个儿子极其丑陋且令人厌恶。 如果她一个人出去乞
讨，她还能得到像以前一样的东西，但如果她和儿子出去乞
讨，她就什么也得不到了。 所以，当男孩可以自己出去的时
候，他的妈妈就放了一个小
盘子在他手里，就离开了他。 当他在沙瓦提城闲逛时，他想
起了他的老房子和他的前世。 于是，他进了屋。 当他的儿子
穆拉西里的儿子们看到他时，他们被他丑陋的外表吓坏了，
开始哭泣。 仆人们随后殴打了他，并将他赶出了家门。
正在托钵的佛陀看到了这一幕，就请阿难尊者去接穆拉西
里。

7. 7
When Mulasiri came, the Buddha told him that the young
beggar was his own father in his previous existence. But
Mulasiri could not believe it. So, the Buddha directed the
beggar boy to show where he had buried his five pots of gold.
Then only, Mulasiri accepted the truth and from that time he
became a devoted lay disciple of the Buddha.
Then the Buddha spoke in verse as follows:
"I have sons, I have wealth"; with this (feeling of
attachment) the fool is afflicted.
Indeed, he himself is not his own, how can sons and wealth
be his? (Verse 62)
当穆拉西里到来时，佛陀告诉他，这个年轻的乞丐是他
前世的亲生父亲。 但穆拉西里无法相信。 于是，佛陀指
示乞丐把他的五罐金子埋在哪里。 直到那时，穆拉西里
接受了真理，从那时起他就成为了佛陀的虔诚在家弟
子。
尔时，佛陀以偈颂说如下：
“我有儿子，我有财富”； 愚人因有此（执着感）而受
苦。确实，他自己都不是他自己的，儿子和财富怎么可
能是他的呢？ （第 62 节）
Some years ago, there was a very good story circulated over
the Internet. It contained very good Dhamma points for
reflection. It was the story of The Four Wives:
几年前，网络上流传着一个非常精彩的故事。 它包含了
非常好的佛法要点供反思。 这是《四个妻子》的故事：

8. 8
There was a rich merchant who had four wives. He loved the 4th
wife the most. He adorned her with rich robes and treated her to
delicacies. He took great care of her and gave her nothing but the
best.
He also loved the 3rd wife very much. He was very proud of her and
always wanted to show her off to his many friends.
However, the merchant was always in great fear that she might run
away with some other men.
He too, loved his 2nd wife. She was a very considerate person,
always patient and in fact was the merchant's confidante. Whenever
the merchant faced some problems, he always turned to his 2nd wife,
and she would always help him out and tide him through difficult
times.
Now, the merchant's 1st wife was a very loyal partner and had made
great contributions in maintaining his wealth and business as well
as taking care of the household.
从前有一个富商，他有四个妻子。 他最爱的是第四任妻子。 他给
她穿上华丽的衣袍，并用美味佳肴招待她。 他无微不至地照顾
她，给了她最好的一切。
他也非常爱第三任妻子。 他为她感到非常自豪，总是想向他的许
多朋友炫耀她。
然而，商人总是很担心她会和其他男人私奔。
他也爱他的第二任妻子。 她是一个非常体贴的人，总是很有耐
心，实际上是商人的红颜知己。 每当商人遇到困难时，他总是向
他的第二任妻子寻求帮助，她总是帮助他度过难关。
现在，商人的第一任妻子是一位非常忠诚的合作伙伴，为维持他
的 财 富 和 生 意 以 及 照 顾 家 庭 做 出 了 巨 大 的 贡 献 。

9. 9
However, the merchant did not love the first wife and although
she loved him deeply, he hardly took notice of her.
One day the merchant fell ill. Before long, he knew that he was
going to die soon. He thought of his luxurious life, and he
thought to himself, “Now, I have 4 wives with me, but when I
die, I’ll be alone. How lonely I’ll be.” Thus, he asked the 4th
wife, "I loved you most, endowed you with the finest clothing
and showered great care over you. Now that I'm dying, will
you follow me and keep me company?" "No way!" replied the
4th wife and she walked away without another word. The
answer cut like a sharp knife right into the merchant's heart.
The sad merchant then asked the 3rd wife, "I have loved you
so much for all my life. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me
and keep me company?" "No!" replied the 3rd wife. "Life is so
good over here! I'm going to remarry when you die!"
然而，商人并不爱第一任妻子，尽管她深爱着他，但他却很
少注意到她。有一天，商人病倒了。 不久之后，他就知道自
己快要死了。 他想起自己奢华的生活，心想：“现在，我身
边有四个妻子，但当我死后，
我会一个人。 我会多么孤独啊。” 于是，他问第四任妻子：
“我最爱你，给你最好的衣服，对你无微不至的照顾。现在
我快要死了，你愿意跟随我，陪伴我吗？” “决不！” 第四
任妻子回答道，然后二话不说就走开了。 这个答案就像一把
锋利的刀子，直刺商人的心。
悲伤的商人问第三个妻子：“我一生都爱你，现在我快要死
了，你会跟随我，陪伴我吗？” “不！” 第三任妻子回答
道 。 “ 这 里 的 生 活 真 好 ！ 你 死 后 我 就 再 婚 ！ ”

10. 10
The merchant's heart sank and turned cold.
He then asked the 2nd wife, "I always turned to you for help
and you've always helped me out. Now I need your help again.
When I die, will you follow me and keep me company?" "I'm
sorry, I can't help you out this time!" replied the 2nd wife. "At
the very most, I can only send you to your grave." The answer
came like a bolt of thunder and the merchant was devastated.
Then a voice called out: "I'll leave with you. I'll follow you no
matter where you go." The merchant looked up and there was
his 1st wife. She was so skinny, almost like she suffered from
malnutrition. Greatly grieved, the merchant said, "I should
have taken much better care of you while I could have!"
商人的心一沉，变冷了。
然后他问第二个妻子：“我一直向你求助，你也一直帮
助我。现在我又需要你的帮助。当我死的时候，你会跟
随我，陪伴我吗？” “抱歉，这次我帮不了你了！” 第
二位妻子回答道。 “我顶多只能送你进坟墓。” 答案犹
如晴天霹雳，商人彻底崩溃了。
然后一个声音喊道：“我和你一起走，无论你去哪里，
我都会跟着你。” 商人抬头一看，是他的第一任妻子。
她瘦得像营养不良一样。 商人非常伤心地说：“如果我
可以的话，我应该更好地照顾你！”
Husband,
I’ll leave
with you.
老公，我陪
你一起走。

11. 11
Actually, we all have 4 wives in our lives…
The 4th wife is our body. No matter how much time and effort we
lavish in making it look good, it’ll leave us when we die.
Our 3rd
wife is our possessions, status and wealth.
When we die, they all go to others.
The 2nd wife is our family and friends. No matter how close
they had been there for us when we’re alive, the furthest they can
stay by us is up to the grave.
The 1st
wife – It is something intangible, something you can’t see
- our mind.
The 1st
wife is often neglected in our pursuit of material wealth
and sensual pleasure. It is actually the only thing that follows us
wherever we go.
Perhaps it is a good idea to cultivate and strengthen it now rather
than to wait until we’re on our deathbed when it is too late; we
will then regret, cry and lament.
事实上，我们一生中都有 4 个妻子……
第四个妻子是我们的身体。 无论我们花费多少时间和精力让它看
起来漂亮，当我们死时它都会离开我们。
我们的第三任妻子是我们的财产、地位和财富。
当我们死后，它们都会归于他人。
第二任妻子是我们的家人和朋友。 无论我们活着的时候他们离我
们有多近，他们能陪伴我们最远的距离就是到坟墓为止。
第一个妻子——它是无形的、你看不到的东西——我们的心灵。
在我们追求物质财富和感官享受的过程中，第一任妻子常常被忽
视。 事实上，无论我们走到哪里，它都是唯一跟随我们的东西。
也许现在就培养和加强它是个好主意，而不是等到我们临终时才
为时已晚； 到时候我们就会后悔、哭泣、哀叹。

12. 12
“Even the king’s chariots, so
splendidly adorned, decay.
Alas the body too decays.
But the Dhamma of the good
does not age.”
“即使是国王的战车，装饰
得如此华丽，也会腐烂。
唉，身体也腐烂了。 但善法
不会老化。”
The best of paths is The Noble Eightfold Path.
Strive on diligently, walk The Path with heart.
最好的道是八圣道。
努力前行，用心走路。
May you be well, happy
and peaceful.
愿你一切安好，
幸福快乐
With Metta,
Bro. Oh Teik Bin