英文:

Once upon a time, there was a man who was having an affair with a married woman. they were together when her husband came back. he found out their affair and stopped outside the door waiting for the man to come out to kill him. to the lover the woman said: "my husband knows what is going on. there is no way out but the mani." she wanted the man to escape by means of the sewer.

The man misunderstood her to mean looking for the mani pearls. he looked everywhere but in vain. he said to himself: "i'll not leave here, if can't find the mani pearls." he was then killed by her husband.

古文:

昔有一人,与他妇通,交通未竟,夫从外来,即便觉之。住于门外,伺其出时,便欲杀害。妇语人言,“我夫已觉,更无出处,唯有摩尼,可以得出。”胡以水窦名为“摩尼”,欲令其人,从水窦出。

其人错解,谓摩尼珠,所在求觅,而不知处。即作是言:“不见摩尼珠,我终不去。”须臾之间,为其所害。

凡夫之人,亦复如是。有人语言:“生死之中,无常、苦、空、无我,离断、常二边,处于中道,于此中过,可得解脱。”凡夫错解,便求世界有边、无边,及众生有我、无我,竟不能观中道之理,忽然命终,为于无常之所杀害,堕三恶道。如彼愚人,推求摩尼,为他所害。

译文:

曾有一人,与他人妻子私通。奸事未毕,丈夫从外面回来,随即察觉了,便停在门外,准备候他出来之际,一下杀了他。妇人便对他说:“我丈夫已察觉了,再没有别的出处好走,只有摩尼才可以出得去。”这是叫他从水洞中钻出去。这人误解为摩尼珠,就到处寻觅,却毫无踪影。就说:“找不到摩尼珠,我终究无法离去的。”不一会儿,就被那丈夫杀了。

凡夫之人也是这样,有人说:“生死轮回之中,没有永恒的实体存在。身心遭受烦恼的缠缚,一切事物都依赖于因缘而存在,自身并没有本质的恒常性,因而人也没有起着主宰作用的自我或灵魂。也就是说,无常是苦,而苦是空、无我的,所以应离弃绝对断灭不续、绝对永恒不变这两种片面性,处于不断不常的中道。在这中道中,就能得到解脱,不受生死的缠缚。”凡夫误解了这话,便推求世界有边际还是无边际,众生有我还是无我,始终不能系念思察中道之理,忽然命终了,遭了无常的杀害,堕于三恶道中,就像那个愚人,四处推求摩尼珠,被他人杀害一样。