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菩提田 Bodhi Field

點點滴滴憶上人:
樹法幢,立家風;聖意安可量?(續)
Memories of the Venerable Master:
Raising the Dharma Banner and Setting the Standards (continued)

魏果時 講於萬佛城大殿2000年6月12晚 Spoken by Guo-Shi Wei on the evening of June 12, 2000 at the Buddha Hall, CTTB
王隆琴 英譯 English translation by Linda Wang

那些生意人越來越生氣,氣到最後,說是有一次打禪七——廟上打七時通常都是把南華寺的正門,就是山門,關起來的,從側門進出。生意人氣得厲害,就把山門都打破了,所以虛老以前在南華寺是不准人在廟上賣東西的。

還有一件事情,就是1989年還是1990年時,上人到德州去;大概只是這麼一次,當然是有特殊因緣。那時寺廟不很多,出門只好在外頭吃飯,不能在廟上吃。大家都知道買中餐都附送一種免洗的,英文叫disposal的筷子,用完就丟。那次每吃完飯上人就把用過的筷子用衛生紙一擦,放在自己口袋裡頭。當時有人看到了,覺得很embarrassed(尷尬),不怎麼好看嘛,師父怎麼這樣做?就跟上人講:「師父,這種筷子用完就丟的,不用保留。」上人說:「我沒有你那麼浪費!」那人當然就不敢再講什麼了,從此也沒有人再提什麼。之後,上人每餐吃完飯就擦一擦筷子收起來。到底是不是每餐都收起來呢?也沒有人特別留意;不過留意的時候上人是都把筷子收起來的。

等全部行程都結束要回加州時,在機場轉機,差不多要等一個半鐘頭。那時正好快吃中飯了。怎麼辦?出去吃,時間不夠;在機場,又沒有什麼東西可吃。當時正好有個居士很發心,說我去外面買吃的,你們在機場等,這樣就解決大家的問題了。他趕忙就去買,買了就送回來。大家都很高興,就坐在機場打開來吃。一打開來才發現,因為他急急忙忙就忘了拿筷子。怎麼辦?那時上人就從他口袋裡拿筷子出來。「哪!你一雙。」「哪!你一雙。」「那個果普,妳一雙。」這個一雙,那個一雙,正正好,上人剛剛收的筷子全分光了,不多也不少!

這讓我想起《維摩經》上文殊菩薩帶五百阿羅漢去訪問維摩大士,大士不是從香積國請飯菜來請他們吃飯?然後大家想,你有本事從別的國度裡頭請到這麼好的飯菜來,當然是能請得多最好。可是你看那維摩大士請來的飯菜,大家吃了正正好;一粒米不多,一粒米不少,全吃完,也吃飽。這是禪宗有名的公案「無欠無餘」,不多也不少。

聖人做事,當時你看了覺得怪怪的,可是後來想起來,那時他的決定就著那種環境,隨著那個緣去做,大概是最恰當了。上人又不貪多,說是多藏一點吧!不會,就是恰恰好。

我講這些話沒有什麼特別的意思,廚房的人不要以為說是有剩飯就罪過了,這不能跟維摩大士比。我剛才說的為學校募款的事情,我也沒有意思說是學校就要越窮越好,沒有錢最好;我沒有這意思。我什麼意思也沒有,不過就是上人有這麼一種教誨。

大家也知道,在《華嚴經》裡,文殊菩薩跟普賢菩薩扮演很重要的角色,很多祖師上堂說法常講的「若一法不空,則文殊失其智;若無萬法者,普賢失其境界。」這中間怎麼說呢?這意思就是說,假設連一法都不空掉的話,文殊菩薩就失去其智慧。那當然是萬法皆空,一法都沒有了,文殊菩薩是提倡這個的。那普賢菩薩呢,又是具足萬法的那種境界。所以到底是有法還是沒有法呢?大家自己參吧!

非常抱歉,時間也差不多了,沒有組織好,等下次了。阿彌陀佛!

(全文完)

Those merchants became more and more upset. During a chan session, the front gate of the Nanhua Monastery would usually be closed; everyone would go in and out through the side door. As the story was told, once during a chan session, those business people got so upset that they broke through the front gate. Therefore, Elder Master Hsu Yun forbade people to sell things at the entrance.

Another incident took place in either 1989 or 1990 when the Venerable Master went to Texas. I believe the Venerable Master went there only once, obviously for some special reasons. At that time, there were not that many temples so we had to eat out and not in the temples. Everyone knows that there are these disposable chopsticks that go with your lunch. That time, when the Venerable Master finished his meal, he wiped his chopsticks with his napkin and put them in his pocket.

When people saw the Venerable Master do this, they were quite embarrassed. That didn't look too good. Why did the Venerable Master do that? They told him, "Venerable Master, those chopsticks can be tossed after each use. We don't need to keep them." The Venerable Master said, "I am not as wasteful as you!" Of course that person didn't dare to say anything more. From then on, no one mentioned anything. From that time on, after each meal, the Venerable Master would wipe his chopsticks and keep them. No one kept track of whether he kept them after every meal, but it seemed that each time they did see him, the Venerable Master preserved those chopsticks each time.

After the trip had concluded and we were about to return to California, we had to change flights and wait in the airport for about an hour and a half. It was lunch time. There wasn't enough time to eat outside and there wasn't much to eat in the airport. What were we to do? A layperson volunteered to go and buy food outside the airport while we waited in the airport. That solved the problem for everyone. He was enthusiastic and purchased them quickly. Everyone was quite happy that he returned. We sat there in the airport, opened up our lunch boxes, and discovered that in his rush, the layperson forgot to bring chopsticks. Just then, the Venerable Master took the chopsticks from his pocket, "There, a pair for you." "There another pair for you." "Guo Pu, a pair for you." A pair for this one person and a pair for that person. When the Venerable Master had distributed all of his chopsticks, everyone had a pair. There were neither too many nor too few!

This reminds me of Great Master Vimalakirti. When Manjushri Bodhisattva brought 500 Arhats to visit Great Master Vimalakirti, Vimalakirti had just brought food back from the Nation of Accumulated Fragrance (Xiangji). Everybody thought that if one had enough skill to bring back excellent dishes from other lands, of course the more food he brought back the better. However, the meal that Vimalakirti fetched was just enough, down to the last grain of rice. Not one grain more, and not grain less. Everything was finished and everyone had his fill. This is the derivation of the chan saying, "No deficiency and no surplus." No more and no less.

You may find things that sages do strange at the time, but when you think about it afterwards, you will realize that those decisions were probably the most appropriate for that set of circumstances and conditions. The Venerable Master was not greedy for more. He didn't think to save up a few more pairs of chopsticks. Nope, they were just enough.

I don't mean anything when I say these things. Don't think that I am talking about the kitchen staff incurring offenses because there are leftovers. We can't compare with Vimalakirti. I don't mean that the poorer the school the better, as far as mentioning the event regarding the school's solicitation of funds. I don't mean that it's best if schools have no money. I don't mean that at all.

Anyway, the Venerable Master taught in those particular ways. Everyone knows that Manjushri Bodhisattva and Universal Worthy Bodhisattva play very important roles in the Avatamsaka Sutra. Many patriarchs often quote this phrase in their Dharma talks: "If yet a single dharma is not emptied, then Manjushri loses his wisdom; if the myriad dharmas are gone, then Universal Worthy loses his state." How is this explained? It means that Manjushri Bodhisattva will lose his wisdom if one cannot even perceive the emptiness of a single dharma. Therefore, it's obvious that the myriad dharmas are void; there is not a single dharma. That's what Manjushri Bodhisattva endorsed. As for Universal Worthy, his state is that often thousand dharmas. So is there dharma or is there no dharma?

Sorry, but it's just about time. I didn't organize my talk well. Maybe next time. Amitabha!

(The End)

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