達摩祖師到中國，曾經被人下了六次毒藥，誰來毒他呢？當時北魏有一個法師叫菩提流支，又叫光統律師，他最妒忌達摩祖師，所以就做一些齋菜，來供養達摩祖師；但是菜飯裏，下了最毒的毒藥，無論任何人吃了，都會死的，就這麼來供養達摩祖師。達摩祖師知道不知道飯裏有毒呢？知道！知道可是他還是照吃，就把毒飯吃了。吃了之後，叫人拿來一個盤子，他就吐了，吐出來變成什麼呢？毒藥完全都變成蛇，這是第一次。
以後，菩提流支看毒不死達摩，也不知道是怎麼回事。第二次又來下毒藥，下加倍的量；以前沒有毒死你，這回下多一點毒藥。就用另一種更毒的毒藥，來毒達摩。達摩又吃了，吃了之後，怎麼樣呢？坐到一塊大石頭上，把毒藥屙出去。屙出毒藥的力量，把這石頭都毒爆了，一塊大磐石也破壞了，這是第二次。
以後又有三次、四次、五次、六次，吃了六次毒藥。達摩祖師就對神光說：「我到中國來，是因為中國有大乘根性的眾生，所以我把大乘的佛教，帶到中國來。現在已經傳法有人，我就不留在這兒，現在就要死了。」
達摩祖師把法及衣缽傳給神光後就死了。人就把他用棺材裝起來，埋到墳裏，以為沒有事了。可是就在同時，魏朝有一個使臣叫宋雲，在蔥嶺附近——即是中國終南山那一帶——在路上碰見達摩祖師。達摩祖師拿著一隻鞋，對宋雲講：「你的國王今天死了，你趕快回去，你的國家有事。」
宋雲就問說：「大師，您到什麼地方去？」
達摩祖師說：「我回印度去。」
宋雲又問：「大師，您的法傳給誰了？」
達摩祖師說：「在中國四十年以後，『可』是也。」我的法，在中國四十年以後，「可」是也；可，就是說的慧可。
宋雲回到他的國家北魏，就說這件事：「我那天走到蔥嶺，就是終南山那一帶，遇見菩提達摩。他說他回印度去，他告訴我，就是我遇到他那一天，我們的國王死了。我現在回來，果然正是那一天，他怎麼會知道呢？」
這些人說：「達摩已經早就死了，你怎麼會碰見他呢？」於是乎，大家都不相信宋雲講的話。「他已經死了，你怎麼會遇著他？我們把他的墳打開看看。」於是乎，把達摩祖師的墳墓就打開。打開一看，棺材裏什麼也沒有，就剩一隻鞋。
究竟達摩祖師到什麼地方去了呢？以後就沒有人知道，恐怕現在來到美國了，也不一定。不過沒有人認識他，他可以改頭換面，千變萬化的。他到中國，就說他一百五十歲；走了還是一百五十歲。到什麼地方去？沒有人知道。說是去考查歷史，歷史上也沒有這些問題，沒有地方考據去。
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While Patriarch Bodhidharma was in China, he was poisoned six times. Who poisoned him? During the Northern Wei Dynasty a Dharma Master named Bodhiruci was extremely jealous of the Patriarch. He prepared some vegetables and brought them as an offering to Patriarch Bodhidharma; but he placed a lethal poison in the food. That's the kind of offering he made! Did Patriarch Bodhidharma know the food was poisoned? He knew! He knew, but he ate it anyway. Then he told someone to bring him a platter. He spit on the platter and what do you suppose his spit turned into? The poison turned into snakes. That was the first time.
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Well, Bodhiruci couldn't figure out why Patriarch Bodhidharma hadn't died from the poisoning. And so he tried again. He doubled the dose. Last time he'd failed to poison him; this time he would add more poison. Somehow he got the lethal food to the Patriarch and once again, the Patriarch ate it. That time after he'd eaten it, he sat on a large rock and vomited up the poison. The strength of the vomited poison shattered the rock. That was the second time.
After that there was a third time, a fourth time, a fifth time and a sixth time. He consumed poison six times. Patriarch Bodhidharma said to Dharma Master Shenguang, "I came to China because there are people with the propensity for the Great Vehicle here--living beings with faculties that can accept the Great Vehicle. That's why I brought Great Vehicle Buddhism to China. Now I've already transmitted that Dharma to someone. Now that I've passed on my Dharma, I won't stay here any longer. I am going to die."
Patriarch Bodhidharma did die and people put his body in a coffin and buried it. That was the end of that. But at that time an official named Songyun from the Wei Dynasty met Patriarch Bodhidharma on the road as he was traveling in the area of Hanling, in the Zhongnan Mountain range. Patriarch Bodhidharma, who was carrying one shoe in his hand, said to Songyun: "The king of your country died today. You should quickly return; there are things happening in your country."
Songyun asked, "Great Master, where are you going?"
Patriarch Bodhidharma said, "I'm returning to India."
Songyun asked, "Great Master, to whom did you transmit your Dharma?"
Patriarch Bodhidharma said, "Forty years later in China it will be the one who is Able." My Dharma will be with Able in China after forty years. "Able" refers to Huike— "Able Wisdom."
Songyun returned to his country in the Northern Wei and related that event, "That day I went to Hanling along the Zhongnan Mountains, I met Bodhidharma and he said he was headed for India. He also told me that the king of my country had died. When I arrived back here, I found out that it happened on that very day. How could he have known?"
The people who heard his report replied, "Bodhidharma died quite a while ago. How could you have seen him?" And people doubted what Songyun said. "He was already dead, how could you have encountered him? We'll open his grave and see." Well, they did, and when the coffin was opened, the only thing they found inside was one shoe.
Ultimately, where did Patriarch Bodhidharma go? No one ever knew. Perhaps he's now in America. But no one would be able to recognize him; he can disguise himself with myriads of transformations. When he went to China, suppose he was 150 years old. Well, when he left China he was still 150 years old. And where did he go? Nobody knows. You might want to look it up in the historical accounts, but you won't find any historical account of this.
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