大慧普覺禪師宗門武庫 1.8

1.8

呂大申公執政時，因休沐日，預化疏請言法華齋，翌日果到府第坐於堂上，申公將出見之，自念曰：「拜則是，不拜則是。」言大呼曰：「呂老子，爾好勞攘快出來，拜也好，不拜也好。」申公拜敬之。齋畢，問未來藏否？言索筆大書「亳州」二字與之，不言所以。後罷相知亳州，治疊文字次，忽見二字在前，始悟前讖也。

When Duke Shen, Lü Da, was administering state affairs, he took advantage of a day of rest to send an appeal in advance inviting Master Yan Fahua to a vegetarian meal. The next day, Yan indeed arrived at the mansion and sat in the main hall. As Duke Shen was about to come out to meet him, he thought to himself, "Is it right to bow, or is it right not to bow?" Yan cried out loudly, "Old Lü! You are so terribly agitated! Come out quickly—bowing is fine, and not bowing is fine!" Duke Shen bowed and showed him reverence. When the meal was over, he asked whether his future would be good or bad. Yan asked for a brush and wrote in large characters the two words "Bozhou" and gave it to him, without explaining why. Later, dismissed as chief minister, he was appointed prefect of Bozhou. While sorting through documents, he suddenly saw those two characters before him and only then realized it was an earlier prophecy.