昔有大长者子，共诸商人入海采宝。
In the past, there was a great elder’s son, together with many merchants entering the ocean to gather treasures.
此长者子善诵入海捉船方法，若入海水漩澓洄流矶激之处，当如是捉、如是正、如是住，语众人言：「入海方法我悉知之。」
This elder’s son was good at reciting entering of the ocean’s ship-steering methods, if entering the ocean water’s places of whirlpools, eddies, submerged rocks and splashes, it should be thus rowed, thus adjusted, thus stopped. He spoke to all the people, saying, ‘Of entering the ocean’s methods, I know them all.’
众人闻已深信其语，既至海中未经几时，船师遇病忽然便死。
All people, hearing this already, deeply believed in his words. Already arriving within the ocean, yet to pass much time, with the captain meeting sickness, he suddenly then died.
时长者子即便代处，至洄澓驶流之中唱言：「当如是捉、如是正。」
Then, the elder’s son immediately replaced his position, saying, ‘It should be thus rowed, thus adjusted.’
船盘回旋转不能前进至于宝所，举船商人没水而死。
With the ship winding and spinning, not able to go forward to reach the treasure’s place, all the ship’s merchants sunk into the water and died.
凡夫之人亦复如是，少习禅法安般数息及不净观，虽诵其文不解其义，种种方法实无所晓自言善解，妄授禅法使前人迷乱失心，倒错法相，终年累岁空无所获，如彼愚人使他没海。
Of ordinary beings’ people, they are likewise thus, with little practice of meditation methods, ānāpāna’s counting of breaths and impurity’s contemplation, although reciting their texts, not understanding their meanings. With all kinds of methods, truly without those known, personally saying they are well understood. Falsely teaching meditation methods, causing the previous persons to be confused and lose their minds. With inverted and wrong Dharma characteristics, for an entire year and accumulating years, empty without that obtained, they are like that foolish person causing others to sink into the ocean.
[Note 1: ‘Ānāpāna’ (安般) means ‘breathing in and out’, referring to ‘mindfulness of breathing’ (Ānāpānasati) meditation, with or without counting of breaths (数息) as a ‘clutch’ to help stay focused, so as to train in single-pointedness.]
[Note 2: Impurity’s contemplation (不净观) refers to meditation with sight or visualisation of the body’s parts being foul, so as to train in becoming unattached to the body.]
[Note 3: Those who talk of principles only, without having actual and proficient practices, have yet to know the true meanings of both the principles and practices. Good teachers are those who know both the principles and practices well. With the many intricate problems of different minds, even ‘basic’ meditation, if learnt from the inexperienced without proper knowledge can be dangerous.]
全百喻
All Hundred Parables:
https://purelanders.com/baiyu
