百喻经之三七：杀群牛喻

　　英文：

　　Once upon a time, there was a man who owned two hundred fifty cows. he often took them to the pastureland for grazing. by accident, one day a cow was killed by a tiger. the cattle owner said to himself, "now that a cow is lost, it's no longer an even number. what's the use of having them at all?"

　　He then drove the cattle to a high cliff and killed them all by pushing them down the cliff.

　　So are the vulgar people in the world. one who observes all of buddha's commandments breaks one commandment without any sense of shame or repentance. on the contrary, he says to himself: "now that one commandment is broken, i'm no longer perfect. what's the use of keeping any of the others?" all commandments are broken as a result of his ill logic. he is just like the stupid man killing all his cattle.

　　古文：

　　昔有一人，有二百五十头牛，常驱逐水草，随时喂食。时有一虎，啖食一牛。尔时牛主即作念言：鈥溡咽б慌＃�俱不全足，用是牛为！鈥�

　　即便驱至深坑高岸，排著坑底，尽皆杀之。

　　凡夫愚人，亦复如是。受持如来具足之戒，若犯一戒，不生惭愧，清净忏悔，便作念言：鈥溛乙哑埔唤洌�既不具足，何用持为？鈥澮磺卸计疲�无一在者。如彼愚人，尽杀群牛，无一在者。

　　译文：

　　从前有一个人，养著二百五十头牛，常驱逐它们至水草丰美的地方，让它们随时可吃。这时一只老虎吃掉了一头牛。牛主人便想：已经去掉了一头，破了我的整数，还要这牛作什么呢？就把牛驱赶至深坑的高岸边，都推排到坑底去杀死了。

　　世上的愚人也是这样，受持如来二百五十条具足圆满的戒律，倘破了其中的一条，没有产生惭愧之情，去脱掉恶行的垢染，去真诚地忏悔，反而这样想：我已破了一戒，既已不具足完整了，还要受持下去吗？就把一切戒都破掉了，无一存留。就像那个愚人，把牛群全杀尽了，无一存留。