英文:

Once upon a time, a man was boiling black rock-honey syrup, when a rich man came to his house. he thought he would give the syrup to the rich man. he poured a little water into it and put it on a slow fire. he then fanned it with a fan in the hope of cooling it.

A bystander addressed to him, "if you don't put out the fire below, how can you cool it even though you keep on fanning?"

People began to laugh at him.

This is like the heretics who will practice a little mortification by sleeping on thorny brambles without putting out the flames of annoyance. as the five passions are still blazing within them, there is no way for such people to become cool and quiet. as a result, they sardonically laughed at by the wise. moreover, they will suffer affliction in their present lives and transmigration in the future.

古文:

昔有愚人煮黑石蜜,有一富人来至其家。时此愚人便作是念:“我今当取黑石蜜浆,与此富人。”即著少水,用置火中,即于火上,以扇扇之,望得使冷。

傍人语言:“下不止火,扇之不已,云何得冷?”

尔时人众,悉皆嗤笑。

其犹外道,不灭烦恼炽燃之火,少作苦行,卧棘刺上,五热炙身,而望清凉寂静之道,终无是处。徒为智者之所怪笑。受苦现在,殃流来劫。

译文:

从前有一个愚蠢的人正在家里烧制黑石蜜的蜂糖。这时有一个富人来到他家中。愚人心里便想:“我应当取蜂糖来招待富人。”于是在熬的蜂糖里加上一些水,放到火上,用扇子去扇蜜糖,希望使糖很快冷却。旁边的人说:“蜜糖下面不把火熄灭,再扇又怎能使糖冷却呢?”人们听到这件事后,都觉得十分可笑。

这就好比不信佛教的其他教派,不能够消除人生欲望的火焰,只是通过修苦行,躺在荆棘丛中。还有的在烈焰中熬煎苦炼而希望得到清静凉爽的超凡脱俗境界,这是绝对做不到的,只能让得到人生真谛的人们耻笑。不仅在现在的生活中承受苦难,还会使灾难延续到未来的岁月中。