A Parrot, Understanding Who He Is,
Asks How to Escape the Cage
On the road, he met a parrot imprisoned in a
wicker cage. However, this bird was much more intelligent than the
Dharma Master Shen Guang. Recognizing that Bodhidharma was a
patriarch, the bird chirped,
He Who Intentionally came from the West
Intentionally came from the West,
What method is best, if you please,
To escape this cage and leave?
Although Patriarch Bodhidharma hadn't been able
to find any people who really understood who he was, this parrot
definitely recognized him. He knew who he was. Hearing the bird's plea for help, Bodhidharma
was pleased and taught the bird an expedient method--a provisional,
not a real, Dharma. He said,
To escape the cage, to escape the cage;
Stick out both legs. Shut both eyes.
That is the way to escape from the cage!
It was a secret, wonderful formula--a secret
Dharma. It's for sure the Patriarch whispered it. He didn't say it
so loudly as I am speaking now! He certainly must have used a very
small voice: "To escape the cage...that is the way to escape from
the cage!" He spoke softly like that. Why? If he had said it out
loud so that others could hear him, then the method would not have
worked. From this we can see how much trouble the Patriarch took to
be kind.
