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我給你們講一個公案，在中國嶽王天童，這個天童寺是中國一個很大的叢林，裡邊可以住五千個出家人，每一年到冬天就打禪七，冬參夏學，冬天打禪七，夏天就講經說法，這叫「冬參夏學」。為什麼要冬天打禪七呢？因為冬天天氣比較冷一點，這冷，人用功是有幫助的，你一冷就要用功，怎麼叫用功呢？也就是把你自己的暖氣開開自己的火爐，和冷來鬥爭，就不怕冷。愈冷愈有精神，所以在冷天參禪打坐，你把自己暖氣打開了，不但不冷，而且還會出汗。那麼在這個時候，參禪是最好的。熱的天，很容易睡著覺；冷的天，你若一睡著就冷，一冷就醒了，比較沒有那麼容易睡，所以修道不要怕冷。
冬天參禪，當時的人都持午，怎麼叫持午呢？早晨喝一頓粥，晚間不吃東西，午中吃飯，這叫「過午不食」。這樣人用功晚間不吃飯，都覺得餓了，覺得餓就打妄想，餓得很難受，很不舒服。人人餓了，就要打妄想說：「唉！可以偷一點什麼東西吃呢？啊，偷饅頭？在庫房裡鎖著。偷飯？在庫房裡收著，沒有法子偷得到。」
當時就有一個維那師，這個維那師父是有神通的人，一看這個樣，人餓得都打妄想，都要偷東西吃。那個就要偷人參吃、那個就要偷乳酪吃。這樣子怎麼可以？這個維那想，我幫助大家！他就用神通，到庫房裡把所有的鍋粑，就是飯底下粘鍋的硬東西叫「鍋粑」，廣東叫「飯焦」，我們北方叫「嘎子」，這個名字很不容易說的。
那麼因為住幾千人，在叢林裡頭，每一天鍋粑就剩下很多。這個東西不是說，鍋粑就不要了，把它放到垃圾籮裡，倒垃圾的來，就拿走了。不是那樣，它這個東西還留著，煮飯的時候，還放到飯裡頭，再把它重煮過，還一樣吃的。所以人多，你若糟蹋東西，那就很多了。那麼就保留這個鍋粑，在庫房裡放著。這個維那就用神通跑到庫房，拿了很多鍋粑，在每一個人面前，放一塊。人打坐開靜的時候，一看，哦！自己這兒有一塊鍋粑，拿著就自己偷著吃，每一個人都自己在自己那兒偷著吃。我們這兒可以偷著吃人參，可以偷著吃，你說買了很多，是嗎？可以到庫房偷去，你們誰有神通，可以顯一顯。你不要鎖著門，鎖門呢，他們神通就進不去了。
那麼人人都吃鍋粑，吃完了，覺得用功有多少幫助，又能用功了。這個維那就今天偷，明天又偷，後天又偷，一連偷了好幾天，庫房的鍋粑都給偷沒有了。煮飯的飯頭和庫頭，飯頭問庫頭：「鍋粑呢？」庫頭說：「你沒有煮嗎？」「我沒有啊！」「沒有，怎麼沒有了呢？」「我怎麼知道？」庫頭說：「這不行，我們得去見方丈和尚告訴方丈到方丈那兒去。」就到那兒，見方丈和尚。方丈和尚是密祖，密祖也是有神通的人。那麼庫頭說：「庫房的鍋粑不知都怎麼沒有了。」密祖說：「怎麼會沒有？當然你們煮，吃了它就沒有。」他說：「不是，飯頭說他沒有煮，但是庫房裡都沒有了。」密祖說：「那或者被老鼠吃了，好了，算了。」那麼密祖一觀察：「哦！這個維那，你這麼樣子，你犯戒，偷東西，好！」所以這一天，密祖也到禪堂裡面打坐，這個維那又跑到庫房偷東西去了。他跑到庫房去，是他那個精神，那個靈性去的，那麼他這個身體還在這兒坐著。
怎麼叫神通？他這一觀想，就可以把那個東西拿來。密祖就把維那這個臭皮囊，放在止單底下，就是放凳子底下了，還在打坐。這個偷東西的維那回來了，一看自己沒在那個止單上，一找，原來在止單底下呢，在那個凳子底下，自己就從那個凳子底下爬出來。一爬出來，和尚說：「你幹什麼來著？你在廟上這麼偷東西，把庫房的鍋粑都給偷沒有了，你還去偷！現在要遷你的單，你不能在這兒住了。」維那說：「可以，你遷我單，但是大眾師父真是餓得不得了，我若走了，你晚間可不可以給這些個人一點東西吃？」密祖說：「你走！你不要管了。你走！我遷你的單。」「那你若不給東西吃，我也不走的。」「好啦！好啦！」密祖告訴維那說：「你走了以後，我給他們兩個包子吃。」所以以後每天晚間就一個人給兩個菜包子。
那麼這個維那就走了，一走，從天童用神通就到南京。到南京那兒，本來他想要到漢口歸元寺去趕齋。但是他在南京，看見那個地方很鬧熱，又有唱戲的，他就在南京看了一場戲。然後，又用神通就到了漢口歸元寺。當時歸元寺的方丈，也是有神通的，說：「今天等一等，有一個和尚，到這兒趕齋，我們先吃飯後開梆，他若聽著我們這梆子一響，他就來趕齋了，所以我們先吃飯後開梆。」梆就是木頭做的一條魚，一打，梆梆梆的，這叫梆子。為什麼要先吃飯後開梆呢？就因為這和尚知道，維那在南京看了一齣戲，「好！你看戲，我就不給你飯吃。」
那麼維那在南京看完了戲，就到漢口。到了漢口，聽這梆子響，他要進去趕齋，人家歸元寺就先吃飯，大家都把飯吃完了，然後開梆。他到這兒說：「你們怎麼不吃飯呢？」「啊！吃完了？你這不合規矩，你要先開梆後吃飯啊！」「是」，方丈和尚說：「誰叫你去看戲來著？」那麼他一想，沒有什麼話講了，就走了。走了，又到四川，從漢口到四川也很遠的，但是他有神通，很快就到了。到了到那兒，有兩棵桂樹，他就坐到那地方打坐。以後就在那地方修一個道場叫「雙桂堂」，也很有名的。
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I’ll tell you a true story. Tientung Monastery at Ywewang in China was a large monastic complex that could accomodate five thousand monks in residence. Every winter there was a Chan session. In the winter they meditated and in the summer they studied, listening to lectures on Sutras and Dharma talks. It was called investigating in the winter and studying in the summer. Applying their skill in meditation helped keep them warm during the cold winter months. Using their skill, they turned on their own heaters to fight off the cold. And so they didn’t fear the cold. The colder it was, the more invigorated they felt. When the weather is cold, you, too, can turn on your heaters by investigating Chan. Not only will you not be cold, you'll perspire! That's when meditation is at its best. During the hot season, it's really easy to fall asleep. But when it's cold, if you doze off, the cold will wake you up. It's not as easy to fall asleep. That's why those who cultivate are not afraid of the cold.
Back then during the winter meditation sessions, no one ate after noon. That means in the morning they had rice gruel; but at night they did not eat anything. Their main meal was at noon. That is called not eating after noon.But the people applying their effort in meditation would feel hungry because they took nothing to eat in the evening. Their hunger caused them false thinking and made them feel very uncomfortable. When people get hungry they starting thinking things like,“Ah! What can I steal to eat? I could swipe a vegetarian roll, but they are locked in the pantry. I could steal some rice, but it's also put away in the pantry. No way to steal anything.”
At that time the Dharma Master who was Leader of the Assembly had spiritual penetrations. When he observed that everyone was so hungry they were having false thinking about stealing things, he gallantly went off to the pantry to get some rice crispy. Rice crispy, alternately known as “scorched rice in the south and crunchies” in the north, is the browned layer of rice that sticks to the pot.
With several thousand people residing in the monastic complex, the amount of rice crispy scraped from the pots each day was considerable, and of course it was not to be wasted. It was never just dumped in the garbage and halled away. It was saved and put back in the pot to recook with the next day's rice. Otherwise the waste would have been incredible, given the number of residents. Well, the rice crispy was kept in the pantry and the Leader of the Assembly used his spiritual penetrations to go into the pantry and take a huge portion of it. Then he placed a piece of it in front of each meditator. When the bell was rung to end the meditation period, everyone saw that he had been given some rice crispy. Quickly they slipped it into their mouths and everyone sat there eating stealthily. Here, we steal jinseng. We have so much, you say? Well, whoever has spiritual penetrations can display they and go into the pantry to steal some. But don't lock the door, because with the amount of spiritual penetrations you have, you'll never get in!
Everyone ate the rice crispy and afterwards felt invigorated. The Leader of the Assembly kept stealing it--a little today, some more tomorrow, again the next day--for so many days until eventually all the rice crispy in the pantry had disappeared. The rice cook asked the head of the pantry, “Where's the rice crispy?”The head of the pantry answered, “Didn't you cook it?”“No, I didn't!”“You didn't? Then, where did it go?” “How should I know!”The head of the pantry said, Well, that won't do.We'd better report to the Abbot.”So they went to see the Abbot, whose name was Mizu, and who also had spiritual penetrations. The head of the pantry reported:“We can't figure out why the rice crispy in the pantry has disappeared.Mizu replied, How can it disappear? It must be gone because you cooked and ate it.” He replied,“No, the rice cook didn't cook it, but it’s also not in the pantry. Mizu replied, Maybe the mice ate it. All right. Drop it.”When Mizu looked into it, he found: “ Aha! Leader of the Assembly, you are taking it. You are breaking the precepts by stealing it. Very well...And so that day Mizu himself went down to the hall to meditate. Once again the Leader of the Assembly went to the pantry to steal things. That is, his spirit went; his body remained sitting on the meditation bench.
What were his spiritual penetrations like? He could take things away with him, just by having the thought to do so. And so Mizu did the same with the Leader of the Assembly's body. He placed it under the meditation bench while sitting there in meditation. When the Leader of the Assembly who stole things returned, he saw that his body was no longer sitting on the bench. He searched around and found it under the bench. Then he had to crawl out from under the bench. As he was crawling out, the Abbot said, What are you doing? What have you stolen from the pantry? You've already removed all the rice crispy from the pantry and you still go back there to steal thing! I'm kicking you out. You can't live here any longer. The Leader of the Assembly said, Fine. You can kick me out, but the monks in this assembly are terribly hungry. If I am to go, will you promise to give everyone a little something to eat each evening? Mizu replied, Go! It's none of your business! Get out! I'm kicking you out!“Well, if you won't promise to give them something to eat, I won't go! “Very well, I'll do it! Mizu told the Leader of the Assembly, After you leave, I'll give everyone two hot rolls to eat.”And from then on, every evening everyone got two hot rolls filled with vegetables.
Well, the Leader of the Assembly left, using his spiritual penetrations to go from Tiantung to Nanqing. When he got to Nanqing, originally his plan was to get to Gueiyuan Monastery by lunchtime. But once in Nanqing, he noticed some excitement and found that a play was going on, so he stayed in Nanqing to watch the play. When it was over, he used his spiritual powers to go to Gueiyuan Monastery in Hanko. However, the Abbot of Gueiyuan Monastery also had spiritual penetrations, and so he said, Later today a monk is going to come here, hoping to eat lunch. And so today we will eat first and then strike the bong. The bong was a piece of wood carved in the shape of a fish, which, when struck went“Bong! Bong! Bong!”Why eat first and then strike the bong? It was because the Abbot, knowing that the Leader of the Assembly had stopped to watch a play in Nanqing, thought, Fine! Since you like to watch plays, I'm not going to give you any lunch.”
The Leader of the Assembly finished watching the play and then went to Hanko. Reaching Hanko, he heard the sound of the bong and made his way to the dining hall for lunch. But since everyone had eaten before hitting the bong, lunch was already over. Why aren't you eating?”he asked. What! You've finished? You people don't follow the rules here. You're supposed to hit the bong and then eat. Right, said the Abbot, But who told you to watch a play? The Leader of the Assembly couldn't think of any reply to that, and so he left. From there he went to Szchuan. Actually, it's a very long way from Hanko to Szchuan, but he got there very quickly by using his spiritual penetrations. He sat down to meditation beneath a pair of cinnamon trees. Later a very famous monastery named Twin Cinnamon Hall”sas established there.
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