四五、一念之差 失之千裏

45. A momentary slip gives occasion to a permanent loss.

人人有個大慈悲，維摩①屠劊②無二心也；處處有種真趣味，金屋茅簷非兩地也。隻是欲閉情封③，當麵錯過，便咫尺千裏矣。

【注 釋】

① 維摩：即“維摩詰”，與釋迦牟尼同時代的著名居士。

② 屠劊：屠夫和劊子手。

③ 欲閉情封：意為“無欲無情”。

【今文解譯】

每個人的心裏都有一顆菩薩心，在這一點上，維摩居士和屠夫劊子手是一樣的。世界雖大但真趣味無處不在，在這一點上，富貴之家和貧賤之家是沒有區別的。如果因為無動於衷而當麵錯過了菩薩心和真趣味，即使近在咫尺也好似遠隔千裏。

【English Translation】

Everyone is born with Buddha-nature, in which respect, the saint Vimalakirti and butchers and executioners are all the same. Everywhere is a genuine mood, which can be found both in a golden mansion and in a thatched cottage. But it is much to be regretted that Buddha-nature is often obscured by the craving for fame and fortune and the genuine mood always obstructed by sensual desires. Should a person let slip Buddha-nature and the genuine mood when coming face to face with them, then this would be the result: a short distance away, yet poles apart.