作者：許道清
Author: Tao Qing Hsu
The article is excerpted from the Buddhist Scripture – Miscellaneous Agama Sutra,
there is a paragraph which refers to the story and meaning of the Man-Tamer.
I translate it from Chinese into English as follows:
[0234b21] 如是我聞：
This is what I heard:
[0234b21] 一時，佛住王舍城迦蘭陀竹園。
At one time, the Buddha lived in the Kalanda Bamboo Garden in the city of Rajagaha.
[0234b22] 時，有調馬師名曰只尸，來詣佛所，稽首佛足，退坐一面，白佛言：「世尊！我觀世間甚為輕賤，猶如群羊。世尊！唯我堪能調馬；狂逸惡馬，我作方便，須臾令彼態病悉現，隨其態病，方便調伏。」
At that time, a horse-training master named Zhishi came to the Buddha's place. He bowed his head at the Buddha's feet, stood back and sat down, faced and said to the Buddha, "World Honored One! I see that the world is very mean and low, like a flock of sheep. World Honored One, I am the only one who can train horses." If an evil horse is running wild, I will use the convenient way to make it easy for it to show signs of disease. I will tame it in the convenient way according to its signs of disease."
[0234b26] 佛告調馬師聚落主：「汝以幾種方便調伏於馬？」
The Buddha asked the village-leader of horse-trainer: "How many methods of convenience do you use to tame the horses?"
[0234b27] 馬師白佛：「有三種法調伏惡馬。何等為三？一者柔軟，二者麁澁，三者柔軟麁澁。」
The horse master said to the Buddha: "There are three ways to tame an evil horse. What are the three? One is gentle, the second is vulgar, and the third is gentle and vulgar."
[0234b29] 佛告聚落主：「汝以三種方便調馬，猶不調者，當如之何？」
The Buddha told the village-leader: "You have used the three methods of convenience to tame the horse, but if you still cannot tame it, what should you do?
[0234c01] 調馬師白佛：「遂不調者，便當殺之。所以者何？莫令辱我。」調馬師白佛：「世尊是無上調御丈夫，為以幾種方便調御丈夫？」
The horse-training master said to the Buddha: "Anyone who cannot be tamed should be killed. Why? Don't let it humiliate me." The horse-training master said to the Buddha: "The World Honored One is the supreme Man-Tamer. How many methods of convenience can you use to tame the man ?"
[0234c04] 佛告聚落主：「我亦以三種方便調御丈夫。何等為三？一者一向柔軟，二者一向麁澁，三者柔軟麁澁。」
The Buddha told the village-leader: "I also use three methods of convenience to tame the man. What are the three? One is always gentle, the second is always vulgar, and the third is gentle and vulgar."
[0234c07] 佛告聚落主：「所謂一向柔軟者，如所說：『此是身善行，此是身善行報，此是口、意善行，此是口、意善行報，是名天、是名人、是名善趣化生、是名涅槃，是為柔軟。』
The Buddha told the village-leader : "What so-called always gentleness is as the following said: 'This is the good deeds of the body and this is the reward of the good deeds of the body; this is the good deeds of the mouth and mind and this is the reward of the good deeds of the mouth and mind. Such is called the heaven, is called the human, is called the transformation-birth of good-going, and is called the nirvana. This is the gentleness.”
[0234c10] 「麁澁者，如所說：『是身惡行，是身惡行報，是口、意惡行，是口、意惡行報，是名地獄、是名畜生、是名餓鬼、是名惡趣、是名墮惡趣，是名如來麁澁教也。』
"What so-called vulgarness is as the following said: "This is the evil deeds of the body and this is the retribution of the evil deeds of the body; this is the evil deeds of the mouth and mind and this is the retribution of the evil deeds of the mouth and mind. Such is called the hell, is called the animal, is called the hungry ghost, is called the evil-going, and is called falling into the evil-going. It is called the Tathagata’s vulgar teachings.”
[0234c14] 「彼柔軟麁澁俱者，謂如來有時說身善行，有時說身善行報，有時說口、意善行，有時說口、意善行報；有時說身惡行，有時說身惡行報，有時說口、意惡行，有時說口、意惡行報。如是名天、如是名人、如是名善趣、如是名涅槃。如是名地獄、如是名畜生、餓鬼、如是名惡趣、如是墮惡趣，是名如來柔軟麁澁教。」
"What so-called gentleness and vulgarness means that the Tathagata sometimes talks about the good deeds of the body, sometimes the reward of the good deeds of the body, sometimes the good deeds of the mouth and mind, sometimes the reward of good deeds of the mouth and mind; sometimes the bad deeds of the body, sometimes the retribution of bad deeds of the body, and sometimes the bad deeds of the mouth and mind, and sometimes the retribution of bad deeds of the mouth and mind. Such is called the heaven, such is called the human, such is called the good-going and such is called the nirvana. Such is called the hell, such is called the animal and the hungry ghost, such is called the evil-going, such is called falling into the evil-going. Such is called the Tathagata’s teaching of gentleness and vulgarness”
[0234c21] 調馬師白佛：「世尊！若以三種方便調伏眾生，有不調者，當如之何？」
The horse-training master said to the Buddha: "World Honored One! If you use the three methods of convenience to tame sentient beings, and some of them are not tamed, what should you do?"
[0234c22] 佛告聚落主：「亦當殺之。所以者何？莫令辱我。」
The Buddha told the village-leader: "I should also kill them. Why? Don't let them humiliate me."
[0234c24] 調馬師白佛言：「若殺生者，於世尊法為不清淨，世尊法中亦不殺生，而今言殺，其義云何？」
The horse-training master said to the Buddha: "If you kill a living being, it will be considered impure in the law of World Honored One. In the law of World Honored One, there is no killing of living beings. Now, it talked about the killing. What is the meaning of killing?"
[0234c26] 佛告聚落主：「如是！如是！如來法中殺生不清淨，如來法中亦不殺生；然如來法中以三種教授不調伏者，不復與語、不教、不誡。聚落主！於意云何？如來法中不復與語、不教、不誡，豈非死耶？」
The Buddha told the village-leader: "So! So! In the Law of Tathagata, killing is impure. And in the Law of Tathagata, there is no killing. However, in the Law of Tathagata, those who are not tamed by the three teachings will no longer be spoken, taught, or admonished. Village-leader! What does it mean? In the Law of Tathagata, if Tathagata no longer speaks to, teaches, or admonishes these people, isn't that death?"
[0235a01] 調馬師白佛：「實爾。世尊！不復與語，永不教、誡，真為死也。世尊！以是之故，我從今日離諸惡不善業。」
The horse-training master said to the Buddha: "Indeed, World Honored One! Tathagata no longer speaks to them, and never teaches or admonishes them. This is really death. World Honored One, for this reason, I will abstain from all evil and unwholesome deeds from now on."
[0235a03] 佛告聚落主：「善哉所說！」
The Buddha told the village-leader : "Good, as what you said!"
[0235a04] 時，調馬師聚落主只尸聞佛所說，歡喜隨喜，禮足而去。
At that time, after hearing what the Buddha said, the master of the horse-training - Zhishi - was delighted, followed and complied with the joy, and left with all due respects by bowing his head at the Buddha's feet.
