本篇與《中阿含經》之《伽彌尼經》相同，唯一不同之處就是佛陀在本經中說法的對象是一位村長，而《中阿含經》說法的對象則是一位天神。

    本經的主旨是說明佛陀並不是主宰眾生命運禍福的神，而眾生是自己業力的繼承者，決定眾生死後投生的關鍵因素是其業力的善與惡。

    在金庸小說《倚天屠龍記》第四冊第四十章《不識張郎是張郎》中記載了一段男主角張無忌與少林空聞大師的精彩對話。當時張無忌問空聞大師有關超度的意義，他問道：「然則方丈何以虔誠行法，超度幽魂？」空聞答道：「善哉，善哉！幽魂不須超度。人死業在，善有善報，惡有惡報。佛家行法，乃在求生人心之所安，超度的乃是活人。」張無忌登時領悟，拱手道：「多謝指點。在下深夜滋擾，至為不安，萬望方丈恕罪。」

    真是善哉斯言啊!金庸果然睿智，他藉由小說中虛擬的空聞大師的一番話點出人世間各派宗教的超度法會，其背後真正的意義或許並不是在超度死者，而是在超度活人哦!

選譯自巴利《SN42.6(相應部)》

譚尼沙羅尊者英譯

喬正一中譯於西元2015/1/5農曆十五日八關齋戒日

    有一次，佛陀住在古印度那爛陀的波婆離迦芒果園林中。該村的村長綁刀氏之子前往該園林頂禮世尊，當他頂禮後，便坐在一旁。

    他坐下後，便對世尊說:「世尊，西方的婆羅門，他們手持水瓶、佩帶水生植物的花環、並以水來淨化魂魄。他們都能夠取出並指引死者(的靈魂)，把他們給送上天界淨土。既然如此，世尊、阿羅漢、等正覺者應該也能使全世界的眾生在死後都投生於淨土天界吧?」

    佛陀說:「村長，我先請教你一些問題，請您照您的意思回答。村長，你覺得如何?如果有人具足殺生、偷盜、邪淫、妄語、離間語、粗惡語、雜穢語、貪婪、瞋心、邪見。然後有一大群人聚會，為他祈禱、讚頌、巡迴禮拜，祈願這個人身死後能投生善趣天界！村長，你認為這個人是否會因為這群人的祈禱、讚頌，或巡迴禮拜，死後就能往生到淨土天界呢？」

    「不能，世尊。」

    「又假使有人把一塊巨石投入湖中，然後有眾人聚會、祈禱、雙手合掌置於心前並繞行祝願道:『啊!大石，浮出水面吧!哦!大石啊，浮起來吧!哦!大石啊，漂上岸吧!』你覺得怎樣?那塊大石真的會因為眾人的祈禱、念力、雙手合掌置於心前並繞行的緣故，就因此而上升、浮出水面、並漂上岸嗎?」

    「不可能的，世尊。」

    「同樣的道理，一個十惡具足的人，就算有很多人聚會、祈禱、繞行、雙手合掌置於胸前，祝福他:『啊!願此人死後能投生於善趣天界。』但那個惡人死後還是會重生於惡趣地獄。」 

    「再者，你覺得如何?假設有人十善具足，然後很多人聚會、祈禱、繞行、雙手合掌置於胸前，詛咒他:『願此人死後下地獄吧!』你覺得如何?那個善人死後真的會因為眾人的詛咒而墮入地獄嗎?」

    「不會的，世尊。」

    「假設有人把一罐酥油丟到湖中，油瓶破裂而下沉，裡頭的酥油則上升。這時又有眾人聚會、祈禱、雙手合掌置於心前並繞行祝願道:『酥油啊，下沉吧!酥油啊，下沉吧!』你覺得如何?那酥油真的會因為眾人的念力而沉入水中嗎?」

    「不可能，世尊。」

    「所以一個十善具足的人，就算有很多人聚會、祈禱、繞行、雙手合掌置於胸前，詛咒他:『啊!願此人死後 下地獄吧!』但那個善人死後還是會重生於天界。」

    綁刀氏之子聽完佛陀的開示後，對世尊表示：「善哉啊！世尊。善哉啊！世尊。世尊，猶如有人將跌倒的東西給扶起；揭露被遮蔽的東西；為迷途者指引道路；在黑暗中點燈，讓視力正常的人能夠看見顏色。同樣的，世尊也是用各種方式為我開示法義。世尊，我今願歸依世尊、法以及比丘僧，懇請世尊接受我為在家弟子，從今日起直至死亡的那一刻為止！」

原文/

SN 42.6

PTS: S iv 311

CDB ii 1336

Paccha-bhumika Sutta: [Brahmans] of the Western Land

translated from the Pali by

Thanissaro Bhikkhu

© 1999

On one occasion the Blessed One was staying near Nalanda in the Pavarika Mango Grove. Then Asibandhakaputta the headman went to the Blessed One and on arrival, having bowed down to him, sat to one side. As he was sitting there he said to the Blessed One: "The brahmans of the Western lands, lord — those who carry water pots, wear garlands of water plants, purify with water, & worship fire — can take [the spirit of] a dead person, lift it out, instruct it, & send it to heaven. But the Blessed One, worthy & rightly self-awakened, can arrange it so that all the world, at the break-up of the body, after death, reappears in a good destination, the heavenly world."

"Very well, then, headman, I will question you on this matter. Answer as you see fit. What do you think: There is the case where a man is one who takes life, steals, indulges in illicit sex; is a liar, one who speaks divisive speech, harsh speech, & idle chatter; is greedy, bears thoughts of ill-will, & holds to wrong views. Then a great crowd of people, gathering & congregating, would pray, praise, & circumambulate with their hands palm-to-palm over the heart [saying,] 'May this man, at the break-up of the body, after death, reappear in a good destination, the heavenly world!' What do you think: would that man — because of the prayers, praise, & circumambulation of that great crowd of people — at the break-up of the body, after death, reappear in a good destination, the heavenly world?"

"No, lord."

"Suppose a man were to throw a large boulder into a deep lake of water, and a great crowd of people, gathering & congregating, would pray, praise, & circumambulate with their hands palm-to-palm over the heart [saying,] 'Rise up, O boulder! Come floating up, O boulder! Come float to the shore, O boulder!' What do you think: would that boulder — because of the prayers, praise, & circumambulation of that great crowd of people — rise up, come floating up, or come float to the shore?"

"No, lord."

"So it is with any man who takes life, steals, indulges in illicit sex; is a liar, one who speaks divisive speech, harsh speech, & idle chatter; is greedy, bears thoughts of ill-will, & holds to wrong views. Even though a great crowd of people, gathering & congregating, would pray, praise, & circumambulate with their hands palm-to-palm over the heart — [saying,] 'May this man, at the break-up of the body, after death, reappear in a good destination, the heavenly world!' — still, at the break-up of the body, after death, he would reappear in destitution, a bad destination, the lower realms, hell.

"Now what do you think: There is the case where a man is one who refrains from taking life, from stealing, & from indulging in illicit sex; he refrains from lying, from speaking divisive speech, from harsh speech, & from idle chatter; he is not greedy, bears no thoughts of ill-will, & holds to right view. Then a great crowd of people, gathering & congregating, would pray, praise, & circumambulate with their hands palm-to-palm over the heart [saying,] 'May this man, at the break-up of the body, after death, reappear in destitution, a bad destination, the lower realms, hell!' What do you think: would that man — because of the prayers, praise, & circumambulation of that great crowd of people — at the break-up of the body, after death, reappear in destitution, a bad destination, the lower realms, hell?"

"No, lord."

"Suppose a man were to throw a jar of ghee or a jar of oil into a deep lake of water, where it would break. There the shards & jar-fragments would go down, while the ghee or oil would come up. Then a great crowd of people, gathering & congregating, would pray, praise, & circumambulate with their hands palm-to-palm over the heart [saying,] 'Sink, O ghee/oil! Submerge, O ghee/oil! Go down, O ghee/oil!' What do you think: would that ghee/oil, because of the prayers, praise, & circumambulation of that great crowd of people sink, submerge, or go down?"

"No, lord."

"So it is with any man who refrains from taking life, from stealing, & from indulging in illicit sex; refrains from lying, from speaking divisive speech, from harsh speech, & from idle chatter; is not greedy, bears no thoughts of ill-will, & holds to right view. Even though a great crowd of people, gathering & congregating, would pray, praise, & circumambulate with their hands palm-to-palm over the heart — [saying,] 'May this man, at the break-up of the body, after death, reappear in a destitution, a bad destination, the lower realms, hell!' — still, at the break-up of the body, after death, he would reappear in a good destination, the heavenly world."

When this was said, Asibandhakaputta the headman said to the Blessed One: "Magnificent, lord! Magnificent! Just as if he were to place upright what was overturned, to reveal what was hidden, to point out the way to one who was lost, or to carry a lamp into the dark so that those with eyes could see forms, in the same way has the Blessed One — through many lines of reasoning — made the Dhamma clear. I go to the Blessed One for refuge, to the Dhamma, & to the community of monks. May the Blessed One remember me as a lay follower who has gone for refuge from this day forward, for life."