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(56) TO ASK NOTHING


Once upon a time, two men walking together saw another fellow trying in vain to pull a chariot loaded with sesame out of a hole on the road.
To the two men, the fellow said, "Please give me a hand."
The two men replied, "What are our, rewards?"
The fellow said, "Nothing."
In spite of the answer, the two men helped to get the chariot out of the hole. They demanded, "Now give us something."
The fellow replied, "I'll give you nothing!"
Again the men said, "Give us "Nothing" then!"
Half smiling, one of them said, "He doesn't want to give us anything. No use getting upset."
The other one replied, "He said he'd give us 'nothing'. We'll settle for that 'nothing'."
When one of them says 'nothing', that 'nothing' is composed of two words, which constitute an unreal name. If the vulgar and common people cling to 'nothing', they will be born in Space World of Formlessness. Whereas the other says 'nothing' to signify no form, no vows and no Karma.

56索無物喻
昔有二人道中共行，見有一人將胡麻車，在嶮路中不能得前。時將車者語彼二人：「佐我推車出此嶮路。」二人答言：「與我何物？」將車者言：「無物與汝。」時此二人即佐推車至於平地，語將車人言：「與我物來。」答言：「無物。」又復語言：「與我無物。」二人之中其一人者含笑而言：「彼不肯與，何足為愁？」其人答言：「與我無物，必應有無物。」其一人言：「無物者，二字共合是為假名。」
世俗凡夫若無物者，便生無所有處，第二人言無物者，即是無相無願無作。

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