譬若有人,至亲友家,醉酒而卧。是时亲友,官事当行,以无价宝珠,系其衣里,与之而去。其人醉卧,都不觉知。起已游行,到于他国,为衣食故,勤力求索,甚大艰难,若少有所得,便以为足。于后亲友会遇见之,而作是言:咄哉丈夫,何为衣食乃至如是?我昔欲令汝得安乐,以无价宝珠,系汝衣里,今故现在,而汝不知,勤苦忧恼,以求自活,甚为痴也。汝今可以此宝,贸易所须,常可如意,无所乏短。
逐句解释
以无价宝珠,系其衣里,与之而去
「衣珠喻」是第八章中五百弟子为表达自己的觉悟而说的比喻。一个人醉倒在朋友家,朋友临行前把一颗无价宝珠缝在他的衣服里层,然后离开。这颗珠子象征每个众生本有的佛性,朋友象征佛陀,那个沉睡的人象征尚未觉醒的众生。
It is like a man who falls asleep drunk at a friend's house. The friend, about to leave on official business, sews a priceless jewel into the lining of the man's robe, then departs.
The Parable of the Jewel in the Robe (衣珠喻) is unique in the Lotus Sutra because it is told not by the Buddha, but by the five hundred disciples themselves — as a way of expressing their own dawning understanding of what the Buddha has been teaching them. The drunk man sleeping through the gift is a perfect image of spiritual ignorance: the treasure is present, physically touching the person, yet completely unperceived. The friend (the Buddha) has done everything possible — he has given the gift, he has placed it as close as it can be. The only thing remaining is for the recipient to wake up and discover it.
其人醉卧,都不觉知。起已游行,到于他国,为衣食故,勤力求索
醒来后,那个人完全不知道宝珠的存在,继续漂泊,为了糊口而辛苦劳作。他以为自己一无所有,其实财富就缝在衣襟里。这是无明最精准的描述之一:不是没有,而是不知道自己有。
The man wakes up, knowing nothing of the jewel. He wanders to a distant country, working hard for food and clothing, suffering great hardship. If he manages to obtain a little, he is satisfied with that.
This verse captures the tragedy of unrecognised potential with painful precision. The man is not lazy; he works hard. He is not without values; when he gets a little, he is grateful. But he labours for pennies when he carries a fortune. The "distant country" he wanders to represents samsara — a place of constant effort, modest gains, and perpetual insufficiency. The key phrase is "if he manages to obtain a little, he is satisfied with that." This is the Buddhist diagnosis of the problem with ordinary life: we aim too low because we don't know what we are capable of. We settle for small happinesses because we don't know the priceless jewel we carry.
于后亲友会遇见之……汝今可以此宝,贸易所须,常可如意
多年后,那个朋友重新遇见了他,得知他还在为衣食奔波,惊讶地说:你身上带着无价之宝,何必如此辛苦?赶快用这颗珠子去换取你所需要的一切,你将永不匮乏。这次相遇象征闻法——真正的听闻了义教法,是让人认出自己本有宝珠的时刻。
Later, the friend encounters him and, seeing his poverty, says: What are you doing, wearing yourself out like this for the sake of food and clothing? Long ago I sewed a priceless jewel into your robe so you could live in ease. It is still there. Use this jewel to buy whatever you need. You will never lack for anything again.
The friend's words are the moment of dharma transmission — the recognition of what has always been present. Notice that the friend does not say "you need to earn this jewel" or "you must become worthy of it." The jewel was given freely, unconditionally, and it has been there all along. What the friend gives is not the jewel itself but the knowledge of it. This mirrors the function of Buddhist teaching in the Lotus Sutra's framework: the Buddha does not give beings Buddha-nature; they already have it. What he gives is the recognition. The teaching is the moment of "look — it's in your robe."
五百弟子的自我认识
这个比喻是五百弟子自己说的。他们说:我们就像那个人。佛陀在多生多世中,早已将佛性的种子种在我们心中;我们却浑然不知,满足于小小的修行成果。如今听闻《法华经》,才终于认出了那颗宝珠。这是一种深刻的自我检视,也是对过去满足于「小乘」成就的坦诚承认。
The five hundred disciples tell this parable themselves as an expression of their own realisation: we were like that man. The Buddha had long ago planted the seed of Buddhahood in us, but we did not know it. Satisfied with small attainments, we never suspected the priceless jewel sewn into our robes. Now, hearing the Lotus Sutra, we finally recognise what has always been there.
The significance of this parable being told by the disciples — not by the Buddha — cannot be overstated. It represents the moment of genuine understanding: not just being told something by a teacher, but formulating it in your own words from your own experience. The disciples have internalised the teaching enough to express it spontaneously through their own image. This is what awakening looks like in the Lotus Sutra's pedagogy: you don't just receive a truth; you discover it, recognise it, and express it in your own voice. The jewel was always yours. But it takes hearing the right words at the right moment to find it in your own robe.
总结 · Summary
第八章中,五百位阿罗汉弟子在接受佛陀授记之后,用「衣珠喻」表达了自己的觉悟:我们就像那个带着无价宝珠却不自知的人。佛陀早已将成佛的种子种在我们心中,但我们无知无觉,满足于微小的成就。如今听闻《法华经》,才认出了本有的宝珠。这一章展示了真正的闻法之果:不只是接受教导,而是在自己身上认出了那个一直在那里的真理。
In Chapter 8, five hundred arhats receive prophecies of Buddhahood and respond by telling the Parable of the Jewel in the Robe. It is their own spontaneous expression of understanding: we are the man who carried a priceless jewel without knowing it. The Buddha had long ago planted the seed of Buddhahood in us, but we were drunk on ignorance and did not perceive it. Satisfied with small achievements, we never looked in the lining of our own robe. Hearing the Lotus Sutra is the moment of recognition — not receiving something new, but finding what was always there. This is the sutra's most intimate parable: it is about every one of us, and the discovery it points to is available right now.