Now there was a certain wise man and he habitually dispensed advice though he did live in the cave in a very inaccessible mountain.

這時，有一個被認為是「賢者」的聰明人，更是奇特。雖然他一再堅持住在一個難以攀爬的山洞裡。但他很喜歡，也經常對那些慕名而來的人，提出他的忠告和經驗。

And a certain merchant went through much hardship and in spite of his potbelly, clambered up the mountain and asked the wise man, "O great guru, what is the secret of success?"

於是，有一個商人不顧他個人體型肥胖的不便，費了九牛二虎之力才抵達目的地，他向這位聰明的人詢問道：「哦！偉大聖者，你可以告訴我成功的祕密嗎？」

To which, the sage murmured, "Work hard and take the narrow one way path of total dedication. "

對於這問題，這個賢能的人說道：「努力工作，並且義無反顧，全心全力的奉獻。」

The merchant happily went on his way and dedicated himself to his business; and the merchant made the Fortunes billionaire list.

這位商人聽了這番話，一路上高高興興的回家了。從此以後，這位商人全心全力奉獻給他的事業，最後終於上了「億萬富翁排行榜」。

Likewise, a struggling student groped his way through the thickets that flourished on the mountainside, and torn and bleeding asked of the wise man,"O great guru, what is the secret of success? "

同樣地，一位具有奮鬥精神的學者，企圖從山的另一邊爬上去，山的這邊長滿了茂盛的叢林，他冒著被割傷流血的危險，也上了山，找到了山洞。向這位聰明人問道：「哦！偉大的聖者，什麼是成功的祕密呢？」

To which the old man intoned from within the cover of his dhoti, "Concentrate and flee all distractions from the way of his dhoti,"Concentrate and flee all distractions from the way of knowledge."The student nodded with understanding and he came down from the mountain and immediately concentrated on his chosen field of study; and the student won the Nobel Prize.

對於這個問題，這位老人從蓋在身上的一塊布裡發出聲音說：「集中精神，在求知識的道路上，避開一切讓你分心的障礙物。」這位學者點點頭，表示他已經了解了。於是，下山之後，他立刻集中精神，把心思全部放在他所選擇的研究領域上。後來，這位學者果然得到諾貝爾獎。

A Christian stumbled upon the cave one day and spending some days with the wise man, was suitably impressed with his knowledge. He asked the wise man, "What is the secret of success? "

另外，有一位虔誠的基督徒，也是突破了重重障礙，才到達山頂，找到山洞。而且特地花了幾天的時間，和這位聰明人在一起。結果，他發現自己的知識已經有了長足的進步。因而他也向這位聰明的人詢問成功的祕訣。

To which, the wise man smiled magnanimously and offered "Be moderate in religion and live tolerantly among men. "The Christian shook wish emotion and felt a sense of enlightenment; and the Christian made no enemies in his life time and did not progress in his faith either.

面對這樣一個問題，這位聰明人從容不迫地笑著說：「調和各宗教，而且在人群中，要有容忍的精神。」這位基督徒聽了以後，深受感動，對於宗教的教化功能，又有了更進一步的認識。從此以後，這位基督徒在他的生活中沒有敵人，而他那顆虔誠的心，也始終保持不變。

Now it came about the merchant, the student and the Christian all died and were buried.And in Hades, they lifted their eyes, being in torment, and saw the guru from afar. And they cried out and said, "O great guru, why are we all here? We are in agony in this flame."But the guru approached and removed his turban, revealing two just visible horns emerging from thick matted hairs, and said, "That is the secret of my success."

如今他們三人，包括商人、學者和基督徒都已經死亡而且已經被埋葬在地下，在黃泉地府中。他們睜開眼睛一看，他們都處在極端痛苦的環境中，而且他們心目中的聖者也在遠方出現。

看到這種情景，他們都哭著向聖者說：「偉大的聖者啊！為什麼我們都在這裡呢？我們在火燄的燃燒中，非常痛苦。」雖然如此，但是這位聖者卻逐漸靠近他們，並且脫去帽子，露出兩隻從厚厚的毛墊裡顯露出來的犄角，並且說道：「這正是我成功的祕密。」

（原[青年團契]1998年02月號）