|
有這樣一個故事：在一個破廟裡住著一位和尚。有一天，這位和尚做了一缽粗米飯。因為沒菜吃，他就來到一家出名的飯店。他在飯店門外站著，邊聞著不時傳來炒菜的味道，一邊說：「我缽裡的雞呀、魚呀、肉呀、蛋呀真是好吃極了！」他一邊唱著飯店裡的菜單，一邊大口大口地吃他的粗米飯。
飯店的老板聽見有人在門外唱菜單，就到門口去看；他看見一位窮和尚站在門外一個勁地唱他飯店裡的菜名，還邊唱邊吃，吃得還蠻香的。他生氣了，順手奪過這位和尚的缽。他看見這個缽裡面裝的全是粗米飯，一丁點兒菜都沒有。於是乎，他就怒氣沖沖地跑去法庭告狀，他想乘著這個機會訛詐這位法師的錢，因為他是財迷。
糊塗法官是這樣判決的，「和尚聞了菜的味道，要賠給飯店一千兩銀票。」這位和尚笑著說：「我答應賠給你一千兩銀票，但要等到明天中午十二點鐘的時候，在一個廣場的地方我再給你錢。」
第二天中午十二點整這個時間，飯店老板和這位和尚同時到達了廣場。太陽這時火辣辣地照著大地，一絲風都沒有。和尚舉起他手裡的銀票說：「地上的影子正好是一千兩銀票，一分也不多，一分也不少，你去拿吧！」飯店老板有點莫名其妙了，他就和這位和尚說：「那只是影子呀，怎麼可以當真的錢買東西呀？」
和尚回答說：「你們飯店的味道也是像這影子一樣，都是空的呀！」這位和尚正色道：「你財迷心竅，心術不正，還執迷不悟，一點也不知道迴光返照；你活著黃金千百斗，死後兩手攛空拳。你有多少錢，你死後一點也帶不去，還不如多做善事，不做惡事，皈依佛、法、僧三寶，你這一生才有意義，才真正富有。」
飯店老板聽法師這樣一開導，真的開了竅，嚇到了心裏了，馬上生了懺悔心，頂禮這位法師，皈依了佛、法、僧三寶，他從此懂得了什麼是善，什麼是惡。
這個故事，講的就是這位和尚度人的方便法門。
|
|
Once upon a time, there lived a monk in a broken-down temple. One day, this monk made a meal of coarse rice. Because he had no vegetables, he went to a famous restaurant. Standing outside the restaurant door, he inhaled the aroma of the food that wafted from the dishes inside the restaurant, and said, “The chicken, fish, meat and egg in my bowl are simply delicious!” So, singing about the restaurant dishes, he ate his meal of coarse rice in big mouthfuls.
The owner of the restaurant, hearing someone outside singing a song about the restaurant dishes, went to the door to take a look. He saw a poor monk standing outside the door singing about the dishes of his restaurant with gusto and at the same time, eating with relish. He got angry and snatched away the monk’s bowl. Looking into the bowl, he saw that it was filled with coarse rice without a single vegetable. Angrily, he went to file a lawsuit against the monk. He was obsessed with money and wanted to get some money from the Dharma Master.
The verdict of the muddle-headed judge who presided over the case was: “Since this monk has smelled the aroma of the dishes, he has to pay the restaurant a thousand dollars.” The monk laughed and said, “I agree to pay you a thousand dollars, but you will have to wait until twelve noon tomorrow. I will give you the money at a certain public square.”
The next day, at exactly twelve noon, the restaurant owner and the monk arrived at the square. The midday sun was scorching and no breeze blew. The monk held up a dollar bill and said, “The shadow on the ground is exactly one thousand dollars, not a cent more, not a cent less. Go and get it!” The restaurant owner was puzzled and said to the monk, “That’s just a shadow; how can it be used to buy things?”
The monk answered, “The aroma from your restaurant is also like this shadow, empty!” He then said sternly, “You are obsessed with money and harbor evil intentions, yet you refuse to come to your senses. You don’t know how to reflect upon yourself. While you are alive, you may have great wealth, but when you die, you will go empty-handed. No matter how much money you have, when you die, you can’t bring along even a cent. You had better do more good deeds, refrain from bad deeds, and take refuge with the Triple Jewel —the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. Then your life will truly be meaningful and you will be truly rich.”
When the restaurant owner heard the Dharma Master’s speech, he awakened and took the words to heart. He immediately vowed to repent and reform. Bowing to the Dharma Master, he took refuge with the Triple Jewel. From then on, he understood right and wrong. This story illustrates how the monk used expedient means to transform this person.
|
