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(62) THE PATIENT EATS THE PHEASANT MEAT


Once upon a time, there was a man who was seriously ill. A skilful physician prescribed that he could be cured by eating some pheasant meat. After he finished eating one, the patient did not eat it again. Afterwards, the doctor came to him and asked, "How do you feel now?"
The patient replied, "You have told me to eat some pheasants. Now that I have eaten it, I dare not eat it again."
The physician said, "But why not? How can you expect to be cured with only one pheasant?"
This is also true with all the heretics. They should understand what the mind means on hearing such wise and skilful doctors as Buddha's and Bodhisattva's preaching. However, they cling to the view of permanence thinking that there is only one mind from the past, present through future, which does not undergo any change. This is just like the patient eating only one pheasant that his illness of ignorance and worries cannot be cured.
All Omniscient Buddhas teach the heretics to abandon their prejudiced view of permanence. For all phenomena are subject to change at the time of thought. How can the mind remain unchanged! This is just like the physician's telling the patient to eat more pheasants.
So is Sakyamuni Buddha's preaching to all men to understand all his teachings. Sakyamuni has it that things which can be ruined or destroyed are called impenitence.
Things which can be lasted are called continuity.
Once the context is understood, people will eradicate the wrong view of permanence.

62病人食雉肉喻
昔有一人病患委篤,良醫占之云:「須恒食一種雉肉可得愈病。」而此病者市得一雉,食之已盡更不復食。醫於後時見,便問之:「汝病愈未?」病者答言:「醫先教我恒食雉肉,是故今者食一雉已盡更不敢食。」醫復語言:「若前雉已盡,何不更食?汝今云何正食一雉望得愈病?」
一切外道亦復如是,聞佛菩薩無上良醫說言,當解心識,外道等執於常見,便謂過去未來現在唯是一識無有遷謝,猶食一雉,是故不能療其愚惑煩惱之病。大智諸佛教諸外道除其常見,一切諸法念念生滅,何有一識常恒不變?如彼世醫教更食雉而得病愈,佛亦如是,教諸眾生令得解,諸法壞故不常,續故不斷,即得剗除常見之病。

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