英語故事:蜘蛛之絲 The Spider's Thread (上)
One day, the Buddha was strolling alone along the edge of a lotus pond in Paradise. The blooming lotus flowers in the pond were each pure white like jewels, and the place was filled with the indescribably wondrous fragrance continually emitted from each flower's golden center. It was just Morning in Paradise.
一天，佛世尊獨自在極樂淨土的寶蓮池畔閒步。池中蓮花盛開，朵朵都晶白如玉。花心之中金蕊送香，其香勝妙殊絕，普薰十方。極樂世界大約時當清晨。
After a time, the Buddha paused at the edge of the pond and from between the lotus leaves that covered it saw a glimpse of the state of things below. Now this celestial pond just happened to lie directly over Hell, and peering through that crystal-clear water was like looking through a magnifying glass at the River of Death and the Mountain of Needles and such.
俄頃，世尊佇立池畔，從覆蓋水面的蓮葉間，偶見池下的情景。極樂蓮池之下，正是十八地獄的最底層。透過澄清晶瑩的池水，宛如戴上透視鏡一般，把三惡道上之冥河與刀山劍樹的諸般景象，盡收眼底。
The Buddha saw there, in the depths of Hell, a single man writhing along with the other sinners. This man was named Kandata, and he had been a notorious thief who had performed murder and arson and other acts of evil. In his past, however, he had performed just one good deed: one day, when walking through the deep forest, he saw a spider crawling along the road. At first he raised his foot to crush it, but suddenly he changed his mind and stopped, saying, "No, small though it may be, a spider, too, has life. It would be a pity to meaninglessly end it," and so did not kill it.
這時，一名叫犍陀多的男子，同其他罪人在地獄底層掙扎的情景，映入世尊的慧眼。世尊記得，這犍陀多雖是個殺人放火、無惡不作的大盜，倒也有過一項善舉。話說大盜犍陀多有一回走在密林中，見到路旁爬行一隻小蜘蛛，擡起腳來，便要將蜘蛛踩死。忽轉念一想：“不可，不可，蜘蛛雖小，到底也是一條性命。隨便害死，無論如何，總怪可憐的。”犍陀多終究沒踩下去，放了蜘蛛一條生路。
Looking down upon the captives in Hell the Buddha recalled this kind act that Kandata had performed, and thought to use his good deed as a way to save him from his fate. Looking aside, there on a jade-colored lotus leaf he saw a single spider, spinning out a web of silver thread. The Buddha carefully took the spider's thread into his hand, and lowered it straight down between the jewel-like white lotuses into the depths of Hell.
世尊看着地獄中的景象，想起犍陀多放蜘蛛生路這件善舉。雖然微末如斯，世尊亦擬施以善報，儘量把他救出地獄。側頭一望，說來也巧，淨土裏有隻蜘蛛，正在翠綠的蓮葉上，攀牽美麗的銀絲。世尊輕輕取來一縷蛛絲，從瑩潔如玉的白蓮間，徑直垂向香渺幽邃的地獄底層。
（一九一八年四月） 艾蓮 譯
