经常哭穷的人，很容易得到饿鬼的果报！

你是那个总叫着“我要、我要”的人吗

Are you the one who always cries, “I want, I want?”

总是叫着“我要、我要”的人，往往什么都得不到，最后一贫如洗；

A person who always cries, “I want. I want,” will get nothing and become flat broke.

 

总是慷慨布施的人，有“舍”才有“得”，财富会自然而然涌现。

A person who is always generous will spontaneously be showered with wealth, because it is the very act of “giving” that ensures “receiving.”

现在有些人，拥有一点财产便死抓不放，舍不得用在对今生来世有意义的事上，

Nowadays, when people manage to amass a few possessions, they hold tight­ly to them with a dying man’s grip and use them neither for this life nor for future lives in any meaningful way.

从来都不愿意布施，

Forever reluctant to part with their belong­ings,

还经常跟别人哭穷，说些可怜兮兮的话：

they lament to others about their poverty and moan pathetically,

“我实在没有钱，太穷了！”

“I am really out of money, I am so poor!”

这样的人，很容易得到饿鬼的果报。

This kind of person is likely to be reborn as a hungry ghost.

从前有一则寓言：

Here is a parable:

两个小鬼要到人间投胎，

Two minions were about to be born into the human realm.

阎罗王对他们说：

The king of the underworld said to them,

“让你们去做人的话，一个要一生布施东西给别人，一个要一生从别人那里获得东西，你们愿意做什么样的人？”

“Now that you are going to be born as humans, what would you like to be? One rebirth is a person who always gives things to others; the other is a person who always receives things from others. What is your choice?”

小鬼甲一听，赶紧跪下来说：

The first minion immediately fell on its knees and pleaded,

“阎王老爷，我要做一生从别人那里获得东西的人。”

“Lord, I would like to be the one who always gets things from others.”

小鬼乙则默默无言，静静听候阎罗王的安排。

The second minion, on the other hand, remained silent and waited for the king to deliberate.

阎罗王把抚尺一拍，判道：

The king of the underworld struck his gavel and declared,

“令小鬼甲投胎到人间做乞丐，可以处处向人乞讨东西；

“I am sending the first minion to the human realm as a beggar; he will always beg for things from others.

小鬼乙投胎富裕人家，时常布施周济别人。”

The second minion, on the other hand, will be born into a wealthy family, and he will always make offerings to help the needy.”

这则寓言，实际上反映了“舍”与“得”的微妙关系：

This parable actually reflects the delicate interplay of “giving” and “receiv­ing.”

总是叫着“我要、我要”的人，往往什么都得不到，最后一贫如洗；

A person who always cries “I want, I want” will get nothing and become flat broke.

总是慷慨布施的人，有“舍”才有“得”，财富会自然而然涌现。

A person who is always giving generously will spontaneously be showered with wealth, because it is the very act of “giving” that ensures “re­ceiving.”

然而，不懂这个道理的人，由于从不舍得，

However, without this understanding, people won’t be able to stop their clinging.

纵然生前腰缠万贯、富可敌国，死后也会非常可怜。

In life they may possess tremendous wealth, but at death, only a mis­erable future awaits them.

《增一阿含经》里讲：一个大富翁叫婆提，他特别特别有钱，

The sutra Numbered Discourses (Ekottara Agama) tells the story of a rich per­son called Phaddiya who had amassed tremendous wealth in his life.

但因为没有子嗣继承，死后财产都被充公了。

However, because he did not have any descendants, the government seized all his posses­sions after he died.

为此，波斯匿王专门风尘仆仆地去拜见佛陀。

Because of Phaddiya’s case, King Prasenajit made a long trip to request an audience with the Buddha,

佛陀问他发生了什么事，为何一大早就赶过来？

who asked him, “Is something the matter? Why have you rushed here so early in the morning?”

国王说：“我去没收婆提家财产时，

The king replied, “I went to Phaddiya’s house for the forfeiture of his properties.

发现不说其他的，单是纯金就有八万斤。

I found out that without counting other items, his pure gold alone weighed over eighty thousand jins (forty tons).

但他生前吃的是粗陋饮食，穿的是污垢衣服，乘的是瘦弱老马，这是怎么回事呢？”

But this person in his lifetime was known to eat only plain, insipid food, wear rags, and ride a scraggy old horse. How could that be?”

佛陀告诉他：“这是因为婆提在世时，心被吝啬所控制，不知布施的缘故。”

The Buddha told him, “It is because Phaddiya’s mind was overtaken by stin­giness, and he never knew to make offerings in his life.”

波斯匿王就问：“那他命终后会转生何处？”

King Prasenajit asked, “Where was he reborn after his death?”

佛陀回答：“他善根已断，现生于涕哭大地狱。”

The Buddha replied, “He had no merit left, so he is now in the Hell of Great Wails.”

波斯匿王又问：“难道他没有一点善根吗？”

The king asked, “You mean he had no merit left whatsoever?”

佛陀说：“没有。

The Buddha said, “Exactly none.

他这一世用尽了往昔的所有善根，却又未造新的，

In his life he exhausted all of his past sources of merit and failed to accumulate any new ones.

所以现在无有丝毫，只有在地狱中受苦。”

With nothing left, he cannot but suffer in the hell realm.”

如今也有些人，因为前世的福报，暂时拥有一点钱财和快乐，

Today, there are people who may enjoy for the time being a little money and happiness as a result of past good deeds.

但今生若没有继续积累福德，后世也会像婆提一样，善根用尽后只有堕落。

But if they do not continue to accumulate merit, they will—like Phaddiya—plunge downward when all the merit is depleted.

就像我们手机里的电，今天用的是以前充的，一直用用用，到最后电全都没有了，再不充的话，明天就没办法打了。

It’s like a fully charged cell phone that runs on battery power. If we use the cell phone continuously without recharging it, the battery will eventually run out, and we will no longer be able to make any calls.

所以，为了安乐恒久远，我们务必要抓紧积累福德，

Therefore, to ensure long-term happiness, we must strive to accumulate merit.

否则，违缘到来时，一点资粮都没有的话，佛陀也没办法救护你。

Otherwise, when obstacles arise, even the Buddha is unable to pull a few strings if we do not have any store of merit ourselves.

听到别人的恶意中伤，没必要对此念念不忘，转头放下便是。如果一直不停地去想，就像把别人吐出来的东西，自己又捡起来吃一样愚笨。

索达吉堪布《做，才是得到》

Khenpo Sodargye《Achieve by Doing》