前期提示:般若十種利益其中的第七種。
你看溈山老人在那兒修道的時候，一個爛茅篷，破了，又漏，又不能擋風；又不能遮雨，風雨都一樣可以進他茅篷裏。當時裴丞相是一個很有錢的人，做大官的，就去看他。一看，老修行住這麼個破茅篷，於是乎，就發了菩提心，「我供養這位老修行，給他三百兩銀子，叫他造一個新的茅篷囉！」於是乎，就拿出三百兩銀子。這三百兩銀子，在當時也就和現在三百兩金子，是一樣的價錢。三百兩銀子，在唐朝的時候，那是很多錢，可以說，現在可以造一個廟。他把銀子放在門口草裏，就走了。
過了三年，裴丞相回來，「我布施三百兩這麼多錢給他，我看看他造茅篷造得怎麼樣了？」回來一看，還是那個破茅篷。啊！心裏就生出一種不信的心來了，想：「這個和尚，我給他錢，他幹什麼用了？怎麼給他造茅篷，他不造呢？」就問溈山老人，說：「我三年以前，布施給你三百兩銀子，叫你造個茅篷，你怎麼沒有造呢？你銀子都用到什麼地方去了？」這想來和他算帳。
溈山老人說：「你給我三百兩銀子，你放到什麼地方，你就到什麼地方去找。」裴丞相想：「哦！我放到茅篷外邊草裏。」於是到那地方一找，這三百兩銀子，連動也沒動，還都在草裏呢！連方向都沒動。裴丞相一想：「這個老修行，真是老修行！三百兩銀子在草裏，經過三年，他動都不動，幸虧沒有人到這兒來搶，若有人搶，不都給搶去了嗎！」於是知道溈山老人是個真修行，就又發心，自己來給他監工造個廟。所以在湖南那兒造廟，可以住幾千人，然後又把他兒子送去出家。他兒子是個翰林，翰林也就好像現在有 doctor degree（博士）這一類的。有doctor degree 出家做什麼呢？天天要挑水，一天要挑三千擔水，供人喝。
你看！溈山老人，人家送給他三百兩銀子，他看都不看；你看這一種精神，多值得人欽佩！不像我們，人家送給一堆垃圾來，「啊！趕緊看看裏頭有什麼寶貝沒有？」要在垃圾裏找寶貝，要在garbage（垃圾）裏找寶貝，你找到什麼時候，garbage 裏，也不會有寶貝的嘛！所以你這麼一比較，這相差多遠！古來的人，人家送給東西都不要；現在的人，沒有人送，就想要去搶。相形之下，喝！你說怎麼樣修行？
有人問我，說：「師父，這幾天你怎麼不高興呢？」唉！我不高興，就因為我所教化的人都太不聽話了，我所教的道理，他們都不願意去做，所以我就覺得很不高興。我教人「凍死不攀緣，餓死不化緣，窮死不求緣。」但是這三種的宗旨，啊！都把我破壞了。這個宗旨破壞了，所以我覺得，或者到這個國家，來這一次也沒有什麼用了；因為沒有用，所以我就覺得很不高興。啊！沒有一個人像溈山老人那麼樣子，人送去三百兩銀子，他三年都不看；那要是我們，就今天去數一數：一塊、二塊、三塊、四塊；一天數一次，怕丟了。他看都不看，你看！這種精神！
待續 |
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From last issue : The seventh of the
Ten Advantages of the Perfection of Prajna.
The Old Man of Mount Wei had real samadhi power. He lived in a broken-down hut which kept out neither the wind nor the rain. Minister Pei went to see him and, being very wealthy, brought forth the Bodhi mind and made an offering of three hundred ounces of silver so the Master could build a new "hut." Three hundred ounces in the Tang dynasty was worth a lot--enough to build a big temple. Minister Pei put the coins in the grass and left. Three years later he came back to see what had been done with his money, but the same old hut was there! Minister Pei got suspicious and asked, "Where's the new hut? I gave you three hundred ounces of silver three years ago to build a hut. What happened? Where's the silver?"
The Old Man of Mount Wei said, "Oh? Where did you put it?" Minister Pei said, "I put it over there in the grass.""Well, go look in the grass. That's where it still is," said the Old Man of Mount Wei.
The Minister checked it out and found that the money still lay there untouched. He thought to himself, "This is a real cultivator. He left all that silver there for three years, and didn't touch it. Luckily no one else came by and picked it up. They probably wouldn't have met with any resistance." Minister Pei knew that the Old Man of Mount Wei was a true cultivator, and so he had a temple built for him. It was large enough for several thousand people. This was in Hunan. Later, the Minister sent his son there to leave home at the temple. His son was an imperial scholar, sort of like a modern-day Ph.D. When he arrived at the temple, the Old Man of Mount Wei put the scholar to work carrying water. But he had to carry three thousand buckets of water for everyone in the temple!
So, given three hundred ounces of silver, the Old Man of Mount Wei didn't even look at it. He really had a spirit worthy of our respect. Nowadays, if someone hands us a sack of garbage we go picking through it looking for treasures. Where are you going to find treasures in garbage? Acting like this, how do we compare with our forefathers? When people gave them things, the ancients didn't want them. Nowadays if no one gives people anything, they go looking on their own and try to steal things! How can people like that cultivate the Way?
Someone asked me why I've been upset lately. I'm upset because my disciples are "too" obedient. They don't follow any of the principles I teach them. I taught them:
Freezing, we don't climb on conditions.
Starving, we don't beg.
Dying of poverty, we don't scheme.
But these three principles have all been violated. That's why I'm unhappy, because I feel my coming to this country has been in vain. No one is able to be like the Old Man of Mount Wei, for three years who didn't even look at the three hundred ounces of silver offered to him. If it were us, we would go and count the money every day to make sure none of it got lost.
To be continue |
