BUILDING A HOUSE IN MID-AIR –
A Story from the Buddhist Sutra
在空中蓋房子(佛典故事)
The Buddha loved to tell stories when he was giving a sermon. Here is one from the Sutra of Hundred Parables.
佛陀喜歡用故事來說法,這是一個出自《百喻經》的故事
Once upon a time there were two very rich merchants living in the same town, both loved to show off their wealth. Let us call them A and B.
很久以前,在一個城市住著兩位非常有錢的商人,兩位都喜歡展示他們的富有.讓我們且以A和B來稱呼他們
One day merchant A went to visit merchant B, he observed that B had a big house three stories high. (NOTE: 2,500 year ago, a three-story-high house was a very impressive project!!) He also noticed that everyone in town was very impressed with B's house and said how great it was!
有一天,商人A去拜訪了商人B,他觀察B蓋了一間三層樓高的大房子,(在2500年前,一座三層樓高的建築物是非常令人印象深刻的設計)他也注意到,在這城市的每個人都被商人B的房子打動,並且稱讚這房子有多棒。
On returning home, merchant A was not happy that B got all the attention. So he also hired the same architect to build another house three storeys high. The architect accepted the job and started the project.
回家之後,對於商人B得到了所有人的注目,商人A並不開心,所以他也想找同樣的建築師來為他蓋一間三層樓的建築。建築師接受了工作,並且開始設計。
A few days later, merchant A went to visit the construction site. When he saw workers digging the land to prepare for the foundation, he went to see the architect and asked what was happening.
幾天後,商人A拜訪了工程基地,當他看見工人挖地準備作地基,他去見了建築師並且詢問發生什麼事。
"I am constructing a three storeys high house as per our contract." replied the architect. "But first, I have to prepare a solid foundation, then build the first floor, second floor and finally third floor."
"我正照著我們的合約,要蓋一座三層樓高的房子",建築師解釋: "但是首先,我必須先造地基,然後再造一樓,二樓,最後是三樓"。
"I do not want anything else, I just want the third floor right away, as high as B's house," demanded merchant A. "Never mind the foundation or the other floors."
"我不要任何其他的,我馬上要三樓,像B的房子那麼高",商人A要求, "不要地基或其他的樓層"。
"That cannot be done." replied the architect.
"那是不可能做到的,"建築師解釋。
"OK, then I hire some else to do it."
"那麼,我找其他人來做."
Nobody in town was able to build a house with no foundation, and so the project was never done.
在這城市沒人能建造一座沒有地基的房子,當然最後這個設計也沒有被完成。
