百喻经之九三: 老母捉熊喻

　　(93) THE OLD WOMAN CAUGHT A BEAR

　　昔有一老母，在树下卧。熊欲来搏，尔时老母，绕树走避，熊寻后逐，一手抱树，欲捉老母。老母得急，即时合树，捺熊两手，熊不得动。更有异人来至其所，老母语言：“汝共我捉，杀分其肉。”

　　Once upon a time, there was an old woman who was resting under a tree when a bear came to attack her. She ran around the tree trying to get away, while the bear held the tree with one hand and tried to grasp her with the other. Thus hard pressed, the woman quickly hugged the tree and held fast the bear's two claws so that the bear could not move. Then a stranger came up to the spot. The old woman called out, "Let's catch and kill the bear together. We'll share its meat."

　　时彼人者，信老母语，即时共捉。既捉之已，老母即便舍熊而走。其人后为熊所困。如是愚人，为世所笑。

　　The stranger believed the old woman's words and began to help capture the bear. After seizing it, the old woman gave it up and ran away. Then he was leaving in the lurch and got injured by its claws. As a result, he was sardonically laughed at.

　　凡夫之人，亦复如是。作诸异论，既不善好，文辞繁重，多有诸病，竟不成迄，便舍终亡，后人捉之，欲为解释，不达其意，反为其困。如彼愚人，代他捉熊，反自被害。

　　This is also held to be true with the common people. People progress heresy whose theories are far from good and whose phrases are tangled, complicated and full of errors. The successors want to continue and give an interpretation to them. However, they are unable to grasp the meaning. There for they are enmeshed in trouble just like that stupid man catching the bear for another person and getting hurt instead.

　　白话：

　　曾有一位老妇在树下卧息，一头熊想来抓搏她。这时老妇绕树逃避，熊随即在后面追逐，并且一手抱住树，另一手去捉老妇。老妇急了，赶忙缘树揿住那只伸过来的手，与原先抱著的那只一道都按捺在树上，熊就这样合抱着树，动弹不了。又有另外一个人来到这儿，老妇说道：「你帮我一道捉住它，杀了，肉大家平分。」那人信了老妇的话，就上来帮着捉住。待捉定了，老妇即刻舍熊而走，那人后来就被熊困住了。这样的愚人，遭到世人的嗤笑。

　　凡夫之人也是这样，作了一些不合正理的论说，并不完善周密，文辞也繁冗重赘，有着诸多毛病，还没写完杀青，便舍下死去了。后人阅读了，想替它作解释，却无法明达它的意旨，反而被这论说困住了，就如那个愚人代别人捉熊，自己反被殃害一样。