昔有一人，欲得王意，问余人言：「云何得之？」
In the past, there was a person, desiring to get the King’s agreeability, asked other people, saying, ‘How can I get it?’
有人语言：「若欲得王意者，王之形相汝当效之。」
There was a person who said, ‘If desiring to get that King’s agreeability, with the appearance of the King, you should imitate it.’
此人即便后至王所，见王眼瞤便效王瞤。
This person immediately, after arriving at the King’s place, seeing the King’s eyes twitching, then imitated the King’s twitching.
王问之言：「汝为病耶？为着风耶？何以眼瞤？」
The King asked him, saying, ‘Are you sick? Is it because of having caught the wind? Why are you with your eyes twitching?‘
其人答王：「我不病眼，亦不着风，欲得王意，见王眼瞤故效王也。」
That person answered the King, ‘I am not with sickness of the eyes, also not having caught the wind. Desiring to get the King’s agreeability, seeing the King’s eyes twitching, thus imitating the King too.’
王闻是语即大瞋恚，即便使人种种加害摈令出国。
The King, having heard this said, was immediately with great anger, immediately ordering the person to be with all kinds of harm [i.e. punishments], expelling him out the country.
世人亦尔，于佛法王欲得亲近，求其善法以自增长。既得亲近，不解如来法王为众生故，种种方便现其阙短，或闻其法见有字句不正，便生讥毁，效其不是。
The world’s people are likewise thus, of the Buddha, the Dharma King, they desire to get close to him, to seek his good Dharma teachings, with them for personal growth. Having gotten close already, not understanding that the Thus Come One, the Dharma King, for sentient beings thus, is with all kinds of skilful means, then appearing to be with their ‘faults’ and ‘shortcomings’, perhaps hearing these Dharma teachings, seeing them to have words and lines that are not right, then giving rise to slander, imitating those that are not right.
由是之故，于佛法中永失其善堕于三恶，如彼效王，亦复如是。
Because of this thus, of the Buddha’s Dharma teachings within, for a long time losing those good, falling into the three evil paths, like that person imitating the King, they are likewise thus.
[Note: There should not be blind following of others’ words and deeds, even if they are ‘revered’ by ‘many’. There should be proper learning, perhaps with enquiry too, to understand what is sensible and worthy first. Otherwise, there might be mere copying of unskilful words and deeds, or copying of skilful words and deeds unskilfully, out of proper context.
This might not only be not useful to oneself and others, it might be harmful too. With misunderstanding of the Dharma, there can be misrepresenting of the Dharma to others too, thus slandering the Dharma (谤法) and creating evil karma (恶业).]
全百喻
All Hundred Parables:
https://purelanders.com/baiyu
