那時候兒請她的人可多了，每個月都得出去好幾趟，每次出去都有九個人，都她帶，就這樣維持廟上生活。人叫上午念《地藏經》，就念《地藏經》，下午念《阿彌陀經》就念《阿彌陀經》，晚上放燄口，都她上去放。她也不認字，念經唱誦都她領著。我到那兒，她也帶我去，去打鈸（兩片圓銅片，中間鼓起來）。我說我不會，她說，「妳瞅著木魚，她打妳打。」我就跟著去了，每次都在人家裡住幾宿，不多，兩、三宿，吃得也好，回來我還分到兩塊錢。
就因為這點好處，記得那廟上有個老尼師，小腳又沒牙，樣子不好看，當家的就願意我去。我去她就不能去了，她去我就不去，所以她對我很不願意。那老尼師有個好處，能說話，八路軍來了都她出來應對。她不認字，也沒念過書，不知哪來的一張利嘴！
記得那時候兒有罵趕經懺的歌，小孩子看見我們就唱：
「彌陀薩，彌陀薩；
東邊死兩，西邊死三。
你要不死，和尚老道吃什麼？」
「彌陀佛，彌陀佛；
光吃牛肉，別吃大蘿蔔……。」
「牛肉燉大紅蘿蔔」是東北名菜。
大紅蘿蔔不是胡蘿蔔，紅皮白肉，又大又甜。
「大和尚有病，二和尚瞧；
三和尚抓藥，四和尚熬；
五和尚買板，六和尚釘；
七和尚挖坑，八和尚埋；
九和尚坐炕上哭起來，
十和尚來問你哭什麼？
『大和尚今後出不來。』」
就這麼著，大人編，小孩唱，所以大夥兒都不願出去。上人不讓趕經懺，確實對。
我在法華寺待不到一年，廟上正要蓋大殿，水泥、沙子、木料、磚，全買好了堆院裡，八路軍來了，我們全都散了，給攆走了。
上人離開三緣寺時是帶著一個小徒弟走的，是光復後解放前走的，還到王慕純，就是恆悅家去告訴她的（編按：「光復」指1945年抗日勝利，「偽滿」瓦解，東北光復：「解放」指1946年共產黨取得東北。）上人沒進屋，叫小徒弟進去告訴，說他要走了。上人自己站門外場院，離門遠點兒等著。那時已有八路軍站崗，上人不方便進去。王慕純也沒出來，沒和上人講話。1993年我接到上人的信，要我來美國，還叫我找王慕純；找著她，她告訴我的。
我聽了當時就埋怨她了她一頓，我說，「妳知道師父要走了，怎不出來見師父？也不拿點盤纏給師父？妳自己沒錢，也該跟妳哥妳爹要點錢。」她們家富，比我們家強多了；我們家不窮，也不富。我罵得她哭，大概後悔了。
上人走的時候一定是從恒生泰屯走的，我估計。那時我住哈爾濱，八路軍已經來了，進出都得路條，上人沒路條，進不來也出不去。她家那時搬回周家村了，現在叫周家鎮，地方偏僻，也有八路軍站崗，但是還不用路條，所以上人才能上她家告訴。
待續
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At that time, Ding Hui received a number of invitations and went out several times a month. She would take eight people with her each time. That was how she sustained the temple. When people asked her to recite the Earth Store Sutra in the morning, recite the Amitabha Sutra in the afternoon, and perform the Meng Mountain Ceremony at night, she would do so. Although she was illiterate, she was able to lead people in reciting Sutras and singing praises. When I went there, she brought me along to hit the cymbals. I told her that I didn't know how, and she said, "Watch the wooden fish and hit the cymbals in time with it." So I went. We would spend two or three nights at people's houses when we went out. The food was delicious and I was given two dollars afterward.
I remember there was a toothless, elderly nun who had small [bound] feet and was not very attractive. The abbess preferred that I went instead of that nun. Since only one of us could go each time, that elderly nun was not too happy with me. Nevertheless, she had a real strength—her eloquence. It was she who dealt with the Eighth Route Army when they came. She was illiterate and had never been to school, so I wondered how she got to be such a smooth talker!
At that time, there was a song making fun of those who recited Sutras for the deceased. Children would sing it whenever they saw us:
"Mi Tuo Sa, Mi Tuo Sa;
Two people died in the East, while three died in the West.
If you don't die, how will the monks and Taoist priests make a living?"
"Mi Tuo Fo, Mi Tuo Fo; Just eat the beef; forget the big radish... "
Beef stew with big red radish is a famous dish in Manchuria. The big red radish is not a carrot; the skin is red and the inside is white, and is very big and sweet.
"The head monk is ill, so the second monk treats him;
The third monk buys herbs, and the fourth monk brews them;
The fifth monk purchases boards, and the sixth monk nails them together;
The seventh monk digs a hole, and the eighth monk buries the coffin;
The ninth monk sits and cries, and the tenth monk asks why"
"The head monk will never, ever come out again," he replies.
That's how it was: the adults composed the songs and the children sang them. That was why we did not want to go out. The Venerable Master was very right in prohibiting his disciples from making a livelihood of reciting Sutras and performing repentances for the deceased.
I stayed at Dharma Flower Temple for less than a year. During that time, they were preparing to build a big Buddha hall. The cement, sand, lumber, bricks had been purchased and brought into the yard. But then the Eighth Route Army came and drove us all away.
When the Venerable Master left Three Conditions Monastery, he took a young disciple with him. His departure was after the Recovery but prior to the Liberation. He went to Wang Muchun's (Heng Yue's) house and told her before he left. [Editor's note: The "Recovery" refers to the defeat of Japan in 1945; after the false Manzhouguo collapsed, Manchuria recovered. "Liberation" refers to the Communist takeover of Manchuria in 1946.] The Venerable Master didn't go in; he just told his young disciple to enter and tell her that he was leaving. He stood a distance from the door and waited. Since the Eighth Route Army had guards on the streets, it was not convenient for the Venerable Master to go in. Wang Muchun didn't come out and talk to the Master either. I received a letter from the Venerable Master in 1993. He asked me to find Wang Muchun and come to the United States with her. Wang told me the above incident when I found her.
I complained to her at the time, saying, "You knew the Venerable Master was leaving. Why didn't you go out and meet him? Why didn't you give the Master some money for travelling? You should have asked your father or older brother if you didn't have the money yourself." Her family was wealthier than mine. My family was neither poor nor rich. I scolded her until she cried. Maybe she was sorry.
I think the Venerable Master must have left by way of Hengshengtai Village. I was in Harbin at the time, and the Eighth Route Army had already come. We needed passes to enter and leave town. The Venerable Master didn't have a pass, so he could neither come nor go. Wang Muchun's family had moved to Zhoujia Village (present-day Zhoujia Town) in the countryside. The Eighth Route Army also had guards stationed there, but they didn't require passes yet, so the Master was able to go and inform her.
To be continued |
