佛言 人隨情欲 求於聲名 聲名顯著 身已故矣 貪世常名 而不學道 枉功勞形 譬如燒香 雖人聞香 香之燼矣 危身之火 而在其後
fó yán rén suí qíng yù qiú yú shēng míng shēng míng xiǎn zhù shēn yǐ gù yǐ tān shì cháng míng ér bù xué dào wǎng gōng láo xíng pì rú shāo xiāng suī rén wén xiāng xiāng zhī jìn yǐ wēi shēn zhī huǒ ér zài qí hòu
Key Message
To burn oneself for fame is like incense: the fragrance is enjoyed by others while the fire consumes you. After the name comes only danger.
▸People follow desire and pursue fame, but by the time the name becomes prominent the body is already gone.
People follow desire and pursue fame, but by the time the name becomes prominent the body is already gone. To crave worldly reputation and not study the Way is to waste effort and exhaust the body. This is like burning incense: people smell the fragrance, but the incense is already consumed — and the fire that endangers the body comes afterward. The analogy of burning incense vividly captures the irony of exhausting oneself for the sake of a name.