有一次，佛陀告訴比丘們：

「從前，有在竹竿上表演特技的師徒兩人，老師以肩膀頂著一根長竹竿，徒弟則在竹竿上作表演。

表演前，老師對徒弟說：

『你在竹竿上頭表演時，要時時向下留意我、護著我，我在下面也會隨時留意你、護著你，這樣，我們上下彼此留意，彼此護著對方，在互相扶持之下，我們的表演必定萬無一失，如此一來，就能財源滾滾而來了。』

但，徒弟卻對老師說：

『老師，這樣不對！老師！你應當專心護著你自己，將您應當作的做好，而我也應當專心護著我自己，做好我應當作的，我們各自做好自己的動作，這樣，表演才能完美，觀眾給的賞錢才會多，我也才能安全地做完表演下來，這樣才有道理。』

老師聽了，覺得也有道理，對徒弟說：

『你說我們應當各自護著自己，我同意，但我的意思也是這樣，因為護著自己，就不會妨礙別人，這就等於護著他人，如果他人都能自護，就不會來妨礙我，也等於是護著我。』

所以，比丘們！要像那位徒弟所說的，應當以『自護』之心來修習四念處，也應以『護他』之心來修習四念處，比丘們！自護的人能夠護他，護他的人也必定自護。

比丘們！怎樣才是做到自護而後護他呢？那是要依著努力修習、多修習去實踐，這樣，自己修得好了，必然不會去傷害別人，這就是自護而能護他。

比丘們！怎樣才是為了護他而實踐自護呢？那是依著忍他人之辱、不傷害他人、慈愛他人、悲憫他人，這樣，為了護著他人，就實踐了自護。

比丘們！為了自護，則應當修四念處，為了護他，也應當修四念處，自護則能護他，護他則能自護。」

On one occasion, the Buddha told the bhikkhus:

“Once in the past, there were an acrobat and an apprentice performing acrobatic shows. The teacher held a long bamboo pole on his shoulders while the apprentice climbed up the bamboo pole to perform acrobatic acts.

Prior to the show, the teacher told the apprentice:

“When you performing on top of the bamboo pole, you should often look downward and pay attention to me, protect me, I will often pay attention to you and protect you, as such, we pay attention to one another on top and bottom of the bamboo pole, guarded by one another, protected by one another, we will display our skill, get down safely from the bamboo pole, collect donations, as such, our source of revenue will keep on coming.”

However, the apprentice told the teacher:

“Teacher, this is not the way to do it! Teacher! Your should concentrate on protecting yourself, perform well on what you should do, and I also should concentrate on protecting myself, perform well on what I should do, we will display our skills respectively, as such, the show will be perfect and pecuniary reward from the audience will be more, I will be able to get down safely from the bamboo pole and complete my show, it is the way should be.

Upon listening, the teacher felt that it was also reasonable and told the apprentice:

“I agree with you that we should protect ourselves respectively, that was exactly what I meant, because protecting oneself, it will not interfere with others, it equals to protecting other, if others can protect themselves, they will not interfere with me, it equals to protecting me.”

Hence, bhikkhus! Just as the pretence said, you should use the mindset of “protecting oneself” to practice the Four Foundations of Mindfulness, and also should use the mindset of “protecting others” to practice the Four foundations of Mindfulness, bhikkhus! Protecting oneself, one protects others; protecting others, one protects oneself. One who is able to protect oneself must be able to protect others, and protecting others will also be able to protect oneself.

And how is it Bhikkhus, that by protecting oneself one protects others? It relies on studying diligently, learn how to put into practice, as such, one put into practice well, will not hurt others, this is by protecting oneself one protects others.

And how is it Bhikkhus, that by protecting others one protects oneself? Bhikkhus, How can one be protecting oneself for the purpose of protecting others? It relies upon forbearance of insults from others, not to hurt others, love others, have compassion on others, It is in such a way that by protecting others one protects oneself.

Bhikkhus! For protecting oneself, the establishment of Four Foundations of Mindfulness should be practiced. For protecting others, the establishment of Four Foundations of Mindfulness should be practiced. Protecting oneself, one protects others; protecting others, one protects oneself.

一、本則故事取材自《雜阿含第六一九經》、《相應部第四七相應第一九經》。

二、為什麼徒弟提出不同的論點呢？徒弟的考量是，如果老想護著對方，導致分心而使自己的動作失誤，結果表演還是不能成功。（參考《根本說一切有部毘奈耶藥事》，大正大藏經第二四冊第三二頁）

三、老師後來對徒弟說的：「如果他人都能自護，就不會來妨礙我，也等於是護著我」，其實還在「自護則護他」的範疇，不是前面所強調「你護我、我護你」的「護他」，有些強辯之嫌，所以，老師後來所說的，其實是同意徒弟的觀點。這段話在《相應部第四七相應第一九經》中無，與《雜阿含經》同屬說一切有部的《根本說一切有部毘奈耶藥事》中亦無。

四、試想，一位佛法修學淺薄的人，我執、我見粗重，不能調伏自己的貪、瞋、癡，如何能真正利益他人呢？就如兩個人吵架，貪、瞋、癡具足，另一人過來勸架調解，如果勸架的人不能善觀因緣，警覺於自己的我執與主宰欲，很可能最後變成三個人吵在一起。所以，個人對印順法師以下的二段話，深表讚歎： 「眾生在生死中，一切都沒有辦法，病根就在妄執真實的自性。若是打破自性的妄執，體達無自性空。那一切就都獲得解決了。緣起的空有無礙，是諸法的真相，但卻是聖者自覺的境界；在我們，只能作為崇高的理想，作為前進的目標！可以意解他，卻不能因觀想圓融得解脫。在自性見毫釐許未破的凡夫，先應該側重透徹一切空，打破這凡聖一關再說。」（《中觀論頌講記》第一九頁） 「菩薩這套長在生死而能廣利眾生的本領，除『堅定信願』，『長養慈悲』而外，主要的是『勝解空性』。觀一切法如幻如化，了無自性，得二諦無礙的正見，是最主要的一著。」（《學佛三要》第一五○頁） 

1.   This story was derived from Samyuktagama 619th Sutra, Samyuktta-nikaya 47th, Nikaya 19th Sutra.

2. Why the apprentice raised different points? His consideration was that if always thinking of protecting others, it could be distracted and caused a mistake in his own movement, resulting in poor performance of the show. (See Taisho Tripitaka Vol 24, p.32 Mulasarvadin, vinaya medical matters.)

3. The teacher told the apprentice afterward: “If others can protect themselves, then will not interfere with me, which equals to protecting me”, it fact, it was still in the domain of “Protecting oneself, protecting others”, instead of emphasizing “protect others” as in the aforementioned “you protect me, I protect you”. It sounds somewhat sophistic; hence, the teacher said afterward was in fact agreeing with the apprentice’s viewpoint. Text in this paragraph was not found in Samyuktta-nikaya 47th, Nikaya 19th Sutra, nor in Samyuktagama and Mulasarvadin, vinaya medical matters that both belong to the School of Sarvastivadins (Followers of the Doctrine That All Is Real).

4. Imagine, one with limited experience in Dharma practice, full of self-attachment and self-view, inability to sooth one’s desire, anger and ignorance, how can such person really benefit others? Just like two people engage in an argument, full of desire, anger and ignorance, then another person attempts to mediate and try to stop them from fighting, if the mediator is unable to observe the causes and conditions, be aware of one’s self-attachment and desire of domination, it is quite possible that the three might finally end up fighting amongst themselves. Hence, personally, I deeply praise the following two paragraphs by the Venerable Yin Shun:

“The sentient beings have no control on life and death, the root cause of the problem lies at their regarding the imagined self-nature which they attached to as real, if one can breakaway from the faulty self-nature attachment, understand the emptiness of non-existence, then everything would be resolved. The dependent origination has no obstruction on coexistences of emptiness and existence are the truth of all dharma, it is the realm of enlightenment of the sages; for us, it can only be served as a lofty ideal, as aspire for progress! It is comprehensible but cannot achieve liberation by means of total contemplation. For an unenlightened person who has yet to breakaway from the view of self-nature, should first emphasize penetrating analysis of the complete emptiness, breaking the passageway between the ordinary people and sage.” (Lectures On The Middle Way, p. 19.)

“The skill that allow the bodhisattva to live through life and death and benefit the sentient beings, in addition to “Steadfast faith” and “always cultivate compassion”, chiefly is “verification the nature of emptiness”. The most important methods to obtain such skill includes observing all phenomena as illusory and transient, understanding that there is no self-nature, and obtaining the right view that there is no obstruction of the absolute and conventional truths. (The Tree Principles of Emulating the Buddha, p.150.)”