有一次，佛陀遊化到故鄉迦毘羅衛城，住在城南的尼拘律園中。

這天，佛陀的堂兄弟摩訶男來禮見佛陀，問佛陀說：

「世尊！我修學佛法已經有好一段時日了，也深知佛陀所教導的法：貪、瞋、癡是內心的染污障礙，應當完全斷除，但有時心中卻還不免會生起貪、瞋、癡來，無法完全根除，不知這是因為還有哪一法尚未斷盡所導致的呢？」

「摩訶男！你心中對來自眼、耳、鼻、舌、身等感官上的五欲之樂還喜歡著，所以還會有貪、瞋、癡的生起。一旦斷除了感觀五欲這一法，你甚且不會再過著在家的欲樂生活。

不過，摩訶男！即使能以正慧如實知『感官五欲是樂少、苦多、失望多、帶有多少危險禍患』的聖弟子，只要還未能經驗到離欲、惡的踊動之喜與溫馨之樂，或者，比這喜樂更寧靜的境界，那麼，還是會喜歡這感官上的五欲之樂的。」

接著，佛陀為摩訶男居士，詳盡地分別說明了這五種來自感官的欲樂，以及其所帶來的危險禍患，例如，佛陀說：

「因為欲的緣故；以欲為根源，所以，國家與國家共諍；族群與族群共諍；家庭與家庭共諍；母子、父子、兄弟、姊妹都不免共諍，乃至因共諍而引起征戰與殘酷的殺戮。」

※ ※ ※

有一次，佛陀來到了憍薩羅國的首都舍衛城遊化，住在城南郊外的祇樹給孤獨園。

那時，佛陀僧團中，有一位出家前以獵禿鷹為生，名叫阿梨吒的比丘常對人說：

「就我所瞭解世尊的教導，世尊雖說性欲是修道的障礙法，但享樂性欲的人，是不會有障礙的。」

對這個錯誤的說法，比丘們紛紛來糾正他，但都無效，所以，大家只好去稟報佛陀，請佛陀處理。

佛陀將阿梨吒比丘找來當面詢問，親耳證實了傳言。於是，佛陀訶斥他道：

「阿梨吒！你從哪兒聽到我那樣說的？你這個愚癡人！不是我，而是你自己這樣說的吧。你這個愚癡人！當聽到比丘們紛紛糾正你時，你就應當要知錯如法改正了。讓我來問問其他比丘們，看他們是怎麼理解的。」

於是，佛陀轉問其他比丘：

「你們也同他一樣聽到我說：享樂性欲的人，不會有障礙嗎？」

「沒有。」其他比丘們回答。

「那你們聽到我怎麼說的？」

「我們聽世尊這樣說：欲是有障礙的，世尊說感官五欲是樂少、苦多、失望多、帶有多少危險禍患啊！又世尊將那感官五欲，譬喻為骨骸、小肉塊、火把、無焰火坑、毒蛇、夢境、借用物、樹果、肉販的刀俎、刀頭上的蠅頭小利，世尊是這樣教導我們的。」

「很好！很好！你們都記得我這樣的教導，但這個愚癡的阿梨吒，逕以自己所好而顛倒我的教說，不但污衊我，也將傷害他自己，使自己長久受苦，你這個愚癡人！知道你錯了嗎？」

聽了佛陀這番訶責，阿梨吒比丘無法辯解，只能默然低頭，若有所思。

接著，佛陀舉了補蛇的譬喻，說明顛倒曲解佛陀教說的害處，用以勉勵大家要善於理解佛陀的說法，並且牢記在心。佛陀說：

「譬如有人想捉蛇，一發現蛇，就迫不及待地以手直接往蛇尾或蛇腰抓，結果蛇頭猛然回擊，抓蛇人的手或腳就要被咬傷了。反之，懂得抓蛇的人，他會用一隻前端開叉的棍棒，去壓制蛇頸，這樣，即使蛇尾如何反擊，抓蛇人也不會受傷了。」

佛陀又說：

「我時常為大家說，應當捨離而不應執著的筏喻法，例如，有人要渡過一條極深且廣、無橋也無船的河流，只好在岸邊收集草木，打造簡便的筏。當他乘筏安穩渡河後，覺得此筏對他很有益，捨不得丟棄，還扛著筏走，這樣做，對他還有什麼益處呢？所以，大家應當從筏喻法中理解到：連對善法的執著都應當捨離了，何況是對非法的執著呢！」

On one occasion, the Buddha was at his hometown Kapilavatthu, living in Nigrodha’s Park located in south of the city for travel and teaching.

On this day, his cousin Mahanama went to see the Buddha, after paying homage to the Buddha then asked:

“The World Respected One! I have been studying the Dharma for sometime and understood the Dharma taught by the Buddha: Greed, hate and delusion are imperfections that defile the mind, they should be completely abandoned; yet at times states of greed, hate and delusion invade my mind and remain. I have wondered what state is still unabandoned by me internally, owning to which at times these states of greed, hate and delusion invade my mind and remain?”

“Mahanama! Your mind is still attached to the sensual pleasures of the eye, ear, nose, tongue and body, owning to which at times states of greed, hate, and delusion invade your mind and remain. If that state were already abandoned by you internally, you would not be enjoying the home life and enjoying the sensual pleasures.

Even though a noble disciple has seen clearly as it actually is with proper wisdom “how sensual pleasures provide little gratification, much suffering, and much despair, and how great the danger in them”. As long as he still does not attain to the rapture and pleasure that are apart from sensual pleasures, apart from unwholesome states, or to something more peaceful than that, he may still be attracted to sensual pleasures.”

Continuing, Buddha explained separately and in details to Householder Mananama the five types of sensual pleasures and their inherent despair and dangers, for instance, the Buddha said:

“Owing to desire and using desire as roots, hence, the disputes between countries, the disputes between races; the disputes between families, the disputes between mother and son, father and son, between brothers and sisters are unavoidable, resulting even war and horrible killings.”

***** ***** *****

On one occasion, the Buddha arrived at Savatthi, capital of Kosala for travel and teaching. He was living in Jeta’s Grove, Anathapindika’s Park located in south of the city.

At that time, one bhikkhu named Arittha, formerly of the vulture killers often told people:

“As I understand the Dharma taught by The World Respected One, sexual pleasure called obstructions by The World Respected One are not able to obstruct one who engages in them.”

Toward this erroneous view, bhikkhus one after another came to correct him but to no avail, hence they reported to the Buddha and asked the Buddha to handle the matter.

The Buddha fetched Arittha to question him directly and verified the rumor. Consequently, the Buddha scolded him by saying:

“Arittha! To whom have you ever known me to teach the Dharma in that way? You fool! It was you instead of me said so. You fool, you should have admitted the mistake and corrected the error when the bhikkhus one after another corrected you. Let me ask the bhikkhus to see how they comprehend.”

“Have you, just as he heard what I said: Enjoying sexual pleasures would not cause obstruction?”

“No!” Other bhikkhus answered.

“How did you hear what I said?”

“We heard The World Respected One said: Desire is obstructive, The World Respected One said how the five types of sensual pleasures provide little gratification, much suffering and much despair, and how great the danger in them! Also, The World Respected One, with the similes of the skeleton, the piece of meat, the grass of torch, the pit of coals, poisonous snake, dream, the borrowed goods, abundant fruits on a tree breaking the branch, butcher’s knife and block, and the sword stake, The World Respected One instructed us how the five types of sensual pleasures provide little gratification, much suffering and much despair, and how great the danger in them!”

“Very well! Very well! You all remembered my instruction, but the foolish Arittha has misrepresented us by his wrong grasp and injured himself and stored up much demerit; for this will lead to this foolish man’s harm and suffer for a long time. You fool! Have you realized your mistake?”

After listening to the Buddha’s reprimand, Bhikkhu Arittha was unable to rebut but lowering his head in silence as if lost in thought.

Afterward, the Buddha using the simile of catching a snake to illustrate the harm of misrepresenting the Buddha’s teaching, to encourage everybody to be good at grasping the Buddha’s teachings and remember firmly. The Buddha said:

“Suppose a man needing a snake, saw a large snake and gasped hastily its coils or its tail. It would turn back on him and bite his hand or his arm or one of his limes. To the contrary, a skilled snake catcher would use a cleft stick to press the snake’s head, as such, regardless how the snake strikes back, the snake catcher would not be harmed.”

The Buddha also said:

“I often told everybody the Dharma of Raft Simile to illustrate one should abandon instead of attaching. Suppose a man in the course of a journey saw a deep and great expanse of water, but there was no ferryboat or bridge for crossing. He could only collect grass, twigs, branches and leaves and bound them together into a raft. When he rode the raft across the river safely, he thought the raft was beneficial to him and reluctant to discard and hoisted it on his shoulder. By doing so, what benefit could he gain? Therefore, everybody should come to grasp from the Dharma of Raft Simile: Even the attachment toward wholesome Dharma should be abandoned, much less the attachment of unwholesome Dharma!”

一、本則故事前段取材自《中部第一四苦蘊小經》、《中阿含第一○○苦陰經》，後段取材自《中阿含第二○○阿梨吒經》、《中部第二二蛇喻經》。另，標題參考《增壹阿含第四三品第六經》的「善法猶可捨，何況非法！」

二、「摩訶男！即使能正慧如實知……就還會喜歡著這感官上的五欲之樂。」一段，《中阿含第一○○苦陰經》中無。依菩提比丘英譯本之註釋，離欲、惡的喜、樂，實為初禪與二禪的境界，意即「離生喜樂」的初禪，與「定生喜樂」的第二禪，而「更寧靜的境界」，指的是「離喜受樂」的第三禪、「不苦不樂」的第四禪以上的經驗。據此而論，則即使到二果的聖者，其貪、瞋、癡薄而未斷，所以，有可能可以無初禪經驗，但三果聖者五下分結盡，斷盡貪與瞋，而四果的阿羅漢解脫者，更是貪、瞋、癡永斷，因此，三果與四果的聖者，至少得要有入初禪以上禪定能力才行，這就與〈須深盜法〉故事的《雜阿含第三四七經》，說一類慧解脫阿羅漢不會入初禪的觀點不同。若依彙整說一切有部觀點的《大毘婆沙論》，說「有漏無明漏或依七或依未至滅者，七謂四靜慮及下三無色即七，依未至定謂未至定及靜慮中間」，即指漏盡解脫，可由初禪以上的七種根本定，或近於初禪的「未至定」（另稱「近分定」），或七種根本定中，介於每兩鄰近的根本定之間的六種中間定來達成的（參考大正大藏經第二七冊第三一一頁中），則《雜阿含第三四七經》中，那類不會入初禪慧解脫阿羅漢，或許可理解為是由近於初禪的「未至定」契入的。

三、以「骨骸、肉塊、火把、碳火坑、毒蛇頭、夢境、借用物、果實多者枝折、肉販的刀俎、刀頭上的蠅頭小利」來譬喻解說「欲」，在《阿含經》中經常出現，幾乎成了定型句，譬喻的詳細內容，或可參考拙編《阿含經隨身剪輯》第六九條。

四、在談到不可顛倒曲解佛陀教說時，經文中出現「正經、歌詠、記說、偈他、因緣、撰錄、本起、此說、生處、廣解、未曾有法、說義」（《中阿含第二○○阿梨吒經》）；「經、應頌、解說、諷頌、感興語、如是語、本生、未曾有、有明」（《中部第二二蛇喻經》）等佛法教說的類別，前者稱為「十二分教」，後者為「九分教」。依印順法師在《原始佛教聖典之集成》中的研究，「九分教」的完成時間，大約在《中阿含經》、《長阿含經》集成之後，《增壹阿含經》集成之前，而且，當時已有以「九分教」表示一切佛說的情形（第九頁）。而「十二分教」的完成，約在部派第一、第二階段分化期間，所以是在「九分教」成立之後（第六二一、六二五頁），而南傳赤銅鍱部更不見「十二分教」的名稱（第八四五頁）。由此推斷，經文中出現這麼完整的「九分教」或「十二分教」科目，應是後來補齊的，甚至也有可能是後來加入的。

五、在蛇喻與筏喻法之後，經文還說到重要的「六處見」，也就是在「色」、「受」、「想」、「行」，「所見、所聽、所感覺、所認識、所遭遇、所尋求、所沈思處」（即「識」），「世界是大我，而人死後有常住、不朽、永恆、不變易的我」等六個地方所生起「我所、我慢、身見」的邪見，這是造成自己內心擾動不安的主要因素，因為不論是來自個己或外界的生活經驗，常會觸動這事實上不存在「永恆」幻想的破滅，乃至於可能又引發「斷滅」的恐懼。佛法教說的核心──「無我」，正是要破除這種邪見，這也是解脫的關鍵。深徹的「無我」之法，一般人乃至於帝釋、梵天等天眾，都難以體證，所以，一般人常要誤以為佛法主張的「無我」，是「虛無論」或「斷滅論」了。然而，佛陀是教導人們知苦、息苦的，如果遇到這樣的誤解與誹謗，佛陀說，不必為此動怒不滿而生起苦來。反之，如果有人能夠體會、受用而恭敬讚歎，也不必為此感到歡喜踊動，只要想：「他已能完全瞭解佛法」就好了。末後，佛陀還教導我們，五蘊等所有的一切都不屬我的，應當捨離，如果能這樣的捨離，則能享有福利與幸福，正如有人在不屬於自己的地方，例如祇樹給孤獨園，拿走任何東西，自己也不會在意而起煩惱一樣。以上經義，與本則故事要表達的主題距離稍遠而刪去，僅於此略記補充。  

The first portion of this story was derived from Majjhima Nikaya 14th Sutra and Madhyamagama100th Sutra. Latter portion of this story was derived from Madhyamagama 200th Sutra and Majjhima Nikaya 22th Sutra. Title reference could be found in Ekottarikagama 6th Sutra, Chapter 43 “Even wholesome Dharma can be abandoned, much less the Non-Dharma!”

2. The paragraph “Mananama! Even possess right wisdom of seeing things as they really are . . . would still attach to the five sensual pleasures.” was not found in Madhyamagama 100th Sutra. According to notes in the English edition translated by Bhikkhu Bodhi, the joy and rapture derived from abandoning desire and dislike exist in the form realm between the First and Second Meditative Concentration; which means experiencing “the joy and pleasure of abandoning coarse desire” in the First Meditative Concentration and “dwells solely in the joy and pleasure produced by meditation” of the Second Meditation Concentration. The “realm of greater tranquility” means the experience of “attaining sublime pleasure that transcends ordinary joy” in the Third Meditative Concentration and “dwells in a state of mental stability free from various sensations of pain and pleasure” in the Fourth Meditative Concentration and beyond. Accordingly, even the sage who attained the Second Fruition, his desire, hate and delusion are diminished but unabandoned; hence it is possible that they have no experience in the First Meditative Concentration. However, the Third Fruition sage who severed the Five Low Fetters, detached from the desire, and anger; and those liberated arhats who attained Fourth Fruition also detached forever from desire, hate and delusion; hence the Third and Four Fruition sages would possess at least the concentration power of the First Meditative Meditation and above. However, this is deviated from the view of Samyuktagama 347th Sutra, which indicates that those arhats liberated through wisdom would not enter the First Meditative Concentration, as seen in the story “Susima Stole the Dharma”. In accordance with text in Mahavibhasa Sutra, which summarizes the viewpoints of The Sarvastivada School: “Having outflow and the outflow of ignorance or rely on Seven or rely on Prior Cessation; Seven means four concentration heaven in the form realm and the lower three concentrations in the formless realm. Rely on Prior Concentration means positioning in the middle of Prior Concentration and Concentration.” That is, liberation without outflow can be achieved through the seven original concentration acquired through the First Meditative Concentration, or Prior Concentration which close to the First Meditative Concentration (Also called “Near Boarder Concentration”), or through the six Mid-concentration exist between each of the adjacent seven Original Concentration. (See Taiso Tripitaka Vol. 27 p. 311b). In such case, those liberated arhats through wisdom yet to enter the First Meditative Concentration could be comprehended as entering through “Prior Concentration” which is in the close proximity of the First Meditative Concentration.

3. Employing “the skeleton, the piece of meat, the grass of torch, the pit of coals, poisonous snake, dream, the borrowed goods, abundant fruits on a tree breaking the branch, butcher’s knife and block, and the sword stake” as similes to explain “Desire” often appear in the Agama Sutra, and almost falls into a patter. Reader may refer to my book “Agama Sutra, Pocketbook Edition” Item 69 for more details.

4. In discussing not to misrepresent the Buddha’s teachings, text in the sutra included such Dharma teaching categories as “Sutra, Geya, Getha, Nidana, Itivttaka, Jataka, Abdhuta-dharma, Avadana, Upadesa, Udana, Vaiuaplya, and Viakara.” (Madhyamagama 200th Sutra); and “Sutra, Geya, Getha, Nidana, Udana, Itivttaka, Jataka, Vaiuaplya and Vidaa” (Majjhima-nikaya 22th Alagaddupama Sutra), the former was called “Twelve Sutras” the latter was called “Nine Sutras”. According to research in the Venerable Yin Shun’s “Assemble of Original Buddhism Cannon”, completion of “Nine Sutras” was approximately after completion of Madhyamagama Sutra, Dirghagama Sutra and before completion of Ekottarikagama Sutra; also there had been using “Nine Sutras” at that time to express the circumstance of “all uttered by the Buddha” (p. 9). The Completion of “Twelve Sutras” was approximately during the first and the second division of the Buddhist Sects. The term “Twelve Sutras” was not found in the Tamrasatiya Sect of the Southern Transmission Buddhism (p.845). Thus, inference could be drawn that such complete subjects of “Twelve Sutras” and “Nine Sutras” should have been amended in a later date, even possibly having been put together afterward.

5. After the similes of sneak and the rafts, the sutra also mentioned the important “Six Loci View”, i.e., the wrong views of “Self-possession, self-pride, and the view of self in the body” arisen from the six areas of “Form”, “Sensation”, “Perception”, “Volition”, “That which is viewed, that which is heard, that which is felt, that which is known, that which is encountered, that which is sought and locus of contemplation.” (Same as Consciousness); and “The world is a great self, there is existence of everlasting, immortal, eternal and permanent self after one passing away”. These are the main factors of disturbance and uneasiness of the mind, because the experience in life, regardless derived from the individual or from others, often triggers the destruction of the “Eternity” illusion--which is nonexistence--even triggers again the dreadfulness of “Cessation”. The core of teachings of Buddhism—“Selfless” is to destroy such wrong view, which is the key to liberation. The profound dharma of “Selfless” is difficult to verify for the ordinary people as well as the Heavenly Beings of Indra and Brahman Heaven, hence, the ordinary people often mistaking the “Selfless” as “Nihilism” or “Cessation”. However, the Buddha was teaching people to be familiar with suffering and to extinguish suffering. When encountering such misunderstand and slander, the Buddha said: It is unnecessary to give rise to suffering through anger and dissatisfaction. To the contrary, if someone is respectful and praising because of comprehension and benefited from it, one should not feel joy and rapture, thinking instead “He is able to understand the Dharma completely.” is sufficient. Finally, the Buddha also taught us that everything including the Five Skandhas is not ours, it should be annihilated, if such annihilation can be accomplished, one can enjoy the benefit and happiness--just like one wouldn’t mind if someone picks up something from a public place like the Jeta’s Grove in Anathapindada’s Park, and wouldn’t arise vexation. Postscript: The above viewpoints of the sutra had been deleted from the story because they had drifted somewhat from the gist of the article.