昔有一人，夜语儿言：「明当共汝至彼聚落有所取索。」
In the past, there was a person, at night speaking to his son, saying, ‘Tomorrow, I will together with you, reach that village. It has that we have to obtain, what we are searching for.’
儿闻语已至明旦，竟不问父独往诣彼。
The son, having heard this already, reaching dawn tomorrow, completely without asking his father, went alone to visit that place.
既至彼已，身体疲极空无所获，又不得食饥渴欲死，寻复回来来见其父。
Thereupon, reaching that place already, with his body’s weariness extreme, empty without that obtained, also not getting food, with hunger and thirst almost dying, he immediately again returned, coming to see his father.
父见子来深责之言：「汝大愚痴无有智慧，何不待我？空自往来，徒受其苦，为一切世人之所嗤笑。」
The father, seeing his son coming, deeply reproached him, saying, ‘You are with great ignorance, without having wisdom. Why did you not wait for me? For nothing coming and going, in vain receiving that suffering, by all the world’s people, you are that sneered at.’
凡夫之人亦复如是，设得出家即剃须发服三法衣，不求明师咨受道法，失诸禅定道品功德，沙门妙果一切都失，如彼愚人虚作往返徒自疲劳，形似沙门实无所得。
Of ordinary beings’ people, they are likewise thus. If attaining leaving of the household life, then shaving their beards and hair, wearing the Three Dharma Robes, not seeking wise teachers to inquire on and receive the path’s Dharma teachings, losing all meditative concentration and path factors’ meritorious virtues, with Śramaṇas’ wonderful fruits all lost. They are like that foolish person emptily doing that of going and returning, in vain fatigued, with forms resembling Śramaṇas, truly without that attained.
[Note 1: The Three Dharma Robes (三法衣) are named Antarvāsa (安陀会) (i.e. inner robe), Uttarāsaṃga (优多罗僧) (i.e. upper robe) and Saṃghāṭī (僧伽梨) (i.e. monastic robe).]
[Note 2: Monastics and laypersons alike should constantly seek teachers and seniors (师长) more qualified than them in Dharma learning and practice, so as to be their students. This is so because as long as we are still non-Buddhas, we still have to be Dharma students.
There are those, when clearly far from any form of enlightenment, assuming that they are already well-learned and practised, thus not further learning and practising. With such delusion, arrogance and complacence, not only do they not have spiritual progress, they might even backslide when they create evil karmas (恶业) with their poor examples, false claims and wrong teachings.]
[Note 3: Monastics especially, whose support come from laypersons should be wary of wasting their material offerings in cash and kind, which are meant for furthering their spiritual lives, not for creating spiritual complacence and worldly indulgence in pleasures. Abusing of offerings can be likened to a kind of ‘theft’, as this is ‘stealing’ of good will in the name of the Dharma for dishonourable purposes. The evil karmas created from this will be very great, thus extremely difficult to calculate and repay.]
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