昔者有王有一亲信，于军阵中没命救王使得安全，王大欢喜与其所愿，即便问言：「汝何所求？恣汝所欲。」
In the past, there was a King who had a close and trusted minister, within a battle formation risking losing of his life to save the King, causing him to attain safety. The King with great joy, wanting to give him that he wished, immediately asked, ‘[Do] you have what that you seek? Without restraint, you can have that desired.’
臣便答言：「王剃须时，愿听我剃。」
The minister then replied, saying, ‘When the King is shaving his beard, may you allow me to shave it.’
王言：「此事若适汝意，听汝所愿。」
The King said, ‘Of this matter, if it fits your desire, I will allow you to do that as wished.’
如此愚人世人所笑，半国之治、大臣辅相悉皆可得，乃求贱业。
Like this, that foolish person was by the world’s people laughed at, as ruling of half of the country, becoming a great minister or prime minister, all could be attained, but he only sought a lowly occupation.
愚人亦尔，诸佛于无量劫，难行苦行自致成佛，若得遇佛及值遗法，人身难得譬如盲龟值浮木孔，此二难值今已遭遇，然其意劣，奉持少戒，便以为足，不求涅槃胜妙法也，无心进求，自行邪事，便以为足。
The foolish person is likewise thus. All Buddhas in immeasurable kalpas, with difficult practices and ascetic practices personally attained accomplishment of Buddhahood. If attaining meeting with a Buddha, and encountering his bequeathed Dharma, with this human body, this is difficult to attain. For example, like a blind turtle encountering a piece of driftwood’s hole, these two are difficult to encounter. Now having already met, however, their desires are inferior, with upholding of a few precepts, then assuming this is enough, not seeking Nirvāṇa’s supremely wonderful Dharma, without the intention to advance for seeking it, personally doing evil matters, then assuming this is enough.
[Note 1: Being with this short and precious human rebirth, and having encountered the Buddha’s even more precious teachings, all humans should swiftly, sincerely and diligently learn and practise them accordingly, as much as possible. There should not be settling for just minimum learning and practice, or doing the slightest of that opposite to them.]
[Note 2: In the Parable Of The Blind Turtle Encountering The Driftwood’s Hole《盲龟值浮木孔喻》in the Connected [Saṃyukta] Āgama Sūtra《杂阿含经》, there is a blind turtle who lives in the great ocean for immeasurable kalpas. On its surface is a piece of driftwood with a hole in it, going wherever the waves and winds push it to. The turtle only surfaces once in a hundred years. The difficulty of his head being able to go through the hole is that of attaining a human rebirth, especially if there was no observation of the Five Precepts (五戒) in the previous life, as they are the criteria for getting a human life.]
全百喻
All Hundred Parables:
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