英文：
Once there was a fellow desperately in need of water for his thirst. on seeing the blazing fog, he mistook it for water. he pursued it until he reached the indus river. but he only looked at it without drinking. a bystander asked, "you are suffering from thirst. how that you have found water, why don't you drink it?"
The fellow answered, "if i could drink up all that water, i would do it. since there is more water than i can finish, i would rather not drink it at all."
As soon as people heard this, they laughed aloud at him. the heretics, acting against all senses and reasons, think since they are unable to keep all the buddhist commandments, they refuse to accept any of them. they will never attain the path of enlightenment and thus subject to transmigration in time to come. they are just like that stupid thirsty fellow who gets laughed at by his contemporaries.
古文：
过去有人，痴无智慧，极渴须水，见热时焰，谓为是水，即便逐走，至辛头河。既至河所，对视不饮。旁人语言：“汝患渴逐水，今至水所，何故不饮？”
愚人答言：“若可饮尽，我当饮之。此水极多，俱不可尽，是故不饮。”
尔时众人闻其此语，皆大嗤笑。譬如外道，僻取于理，以己不能具持佛戒，遂便不受，致使将来无得道分，流转生死。若彼愚人见水不饮，为时所笑，亦复如是。
译文：
从前有一位愚蠢而又不通事理的人，口干渴极了，要马上喝水，看见了由热气流升腾经阳光折射而成的幻影，以为是水，立即追上这片虚幻的水气，一直到了印度河。到了水边，面对着河水却不喝。旁边的人对他说：“你如此干渴，追逐寻找水，现在到了河边，为何不痛饮？”愚蠢的人回答说：“如果能将水喝干，我就喝，可这河水滔滔不绝，不可能喝完，因此才不喝。”当时在周围的人听了这话，都大声地讥笑他。
这就好比其他学派，用巧取的诡辩来掩饰自身，不能用佛家的行为和道德来约束，因此不接受它。而使今后不能够觉悟，在生死轮回中承受苦难。这就同那位愚蠢的人，口渴找到了河水却又不喝，被人们讥笑的道理相同。