三條魚的故事 . . 大河中有一對魚兄弟…

三條魚的故事
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大河中有一對魚兄弟,一條名字叫想太多,一條名叫想太少,牠倆是情同手足的兄弟,另外還有一條魚叫_想剛好。魚兄弟倆想從森林大河游到人類居住的環境裡遊玩,想剛好覺得不妥,就對兄弟倆說:『這裡環境很危險,漁夫會用魚網捕捉我們,大家還是回森林去吧!』
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然而,想太多和想太少這一對兄弟,因為懈怠猶豫,又對食物貪執,遲遲不肯動身。『 好吧!明天就走 。』但明天到來時,他們又說隔天,就這樣一天拖一天,日子過去了三個月,最後他們還是不肯走。
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一天,想太多和想太少為了吃魚餌,鑽進魚網內竟出不來了,想剛好看見,便咬破網線,救出兩兄弟。
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兄弟倆萬分感激想剛好,但他倆懶散怠惰、只顧享樂的習性並不曾悔改。後來幾經轉世,想太多和想太少,成為同門師兄弟的出家人,他們懈怠懶惰的習性仍然深重。
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有一次,他們要來參見佛陀。便把旅途中的糧食都準備好,卻依然只說著:『明天再走吧!明天再走吧!』一個月時光過去了。好不容易他們才真正出發了,來見佛陀時已經遲到許久了。
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佛陀見到兩人時,便斥責他們不該蹉跎時光,無常緊追在後,一個人究竟有多少生命可以浪費?佛陀為他們說法。他們深切懺悔,並將過去陋習斬斷殆盡,順利脫離了輪迴苦海,悟道得證。
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原來,當初咬破漁網拯救兄弟倆的那條魚(想剛好),正是釋迦牟尼佛的前身。而森林代表彼岸,魚網就代表世俗的享樂陷阱。
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這故事告訴我們,怠惰和偷懶的習性,是障礙前進的最大阻力。人們總說著我今天忙,我明天再開始修行,或今天累了讓我休息一下…
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要知道,無常是緊隨左右,一日不精進就是一日的損失,世俗享樂就像漁網,眾生被困在其中還不自知呢!慎哉!
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今天是5月1日勞動節,動起來吧!
六度中,唯有勤奮能戰勝懈怠, 戰勝自己多年的陋習!
祝福大家,身體健康,健康快樂!!
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#佛教故事、#根除怠惰習性、#不找藉口、#即刻修行rnrnThe Story of Three Fishes

Once upon a time, there was a pair of fishes who were brothers and lived in the river. One of them was called Think Too Much, and the other was called Think Too Little. There was another fish called Think Just Right who lived in the same river. One day, the brothers decided to swim from the river in the jungle to the place where the humans lived. Think Just Right had a bad feeling about the place and warned the brothers: “This is a dangerous place. The fishermen will try to capture us with their baits and nets. Let us return to the jungle!”

Think Too Much and Think Too Little however, hesitated. They were complacent and were greedy for the abundant food found there. “Ok! We shall go back tomorrow.” But when tomorrow arrived, they would procrastinate the return by another day. Before they knew it, three months had passed.

One day, the brothers got lured into a fisherman’s net by the baits. They panicked when they realized that they were trapped. Fortunately, Think Just Right saw what happened and managed to bite through the nets to release them.

The brothers were grateful to Think Just Right for the rescue but they did not change their ways. They were still as complacent, lazy, and as enamored of the worldly pleasures as before. A few lifetimes passed. Eventually, Think Too Much and Think Too Little reincarnated to be dharma brothers in the same monastery. Even as monks, they were still as complacent and lazy.

One day, the dharma brothers decided to make a trip to pay their respects to Buddha. They finished their preparations and were ready to start the trip, but they kept telling themselves “Let’s begin the journey tomorrow!” One month passed before they finally began on their journey.

The moment Buddha saw them, he reprimanded them for the procrastination and for wasting their time. Knowing that life is unpredictable, how can you continue to waste the days of your lives? As they listened to Buddha, the dharma brothers repented deeply and finally resolved to change the bad ways of their past. At that moment, they attained enlightenment and were liberated from the sufferings of reincarnation.

Remember the fish Think Just Right who rescued the brothers from the net? That was Buddha in his previous life. The jungle is akin to the shores of liberation while the fishing net represents the traps of the pleasures in the secular world.

Moral of the story: complacency and laziness are the biggest obstacles to our growth. We always have plenty of excuses to justify our laziness – we would claim to be too busy today, promise to practice the next day, or simply claim to be too tired.

We ought to remember that life is unpredictable. A day spent without diligent practice is a day lost. Secular pleasures are like the fishing net that traps all sentient beings! This is something we need to be aware of, and be cautious about!

Today is Labor Day. Let it be a day of action for us!
In the Six Perfections, only diligence can overcome complacency, overcome the years, we have been held back by our bad habit of complacency.

May all of you be blessed with good health and happiness!!

#BuddhistStory, #UprootComplacency, #NoExcuses, #StartPracticingNow


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