佛果圜悟禪師碧巖錄 7.31

7.31

Emperor Wu, the Founding Ancestor of the Liang, surnamed Xiao, taboo name Yan, courtesy name Shuda, established achievements until he received the abdication of the Qi. After ascending the throne, he wrote separate commentaries and lectures on the Five Classics, and revered Laozi and the Yellow Emperor very devoutly. By nature, he was extremely filial. One day, he thought of obtaining a world-transcending teaching to repay the toil of his parents. Thereupon he renounced Daoism and served the Buddha; he then received the bodhisattva precepts from Dharma Master Louyue, donned the Buddha's kāṣāya, and personally lectured on the Pañcaviṃśatisāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra to repay his father and mother. At that time, Master Zhi the Mahāsattva was detained in prison for confusing the multitude by displaying anomalies. Master Zhi then divided his body and went about transforming cities and towns. One day the Emperor learned of this, was deeply moved and awakened, and esteemed him greatly. Master Zhi frequently shielded and protected him, his hidden and manifest ways being unfathomable. At that time, in Wuzhou, there was a Mahāsattva who dwelt on Mount Yunhuang; he planted two trees with his own hands and called it the Twin Trees [Grove], calling himself the Future Shanhui Mahāsattva. One day, he wrote a letter and ordered a disciple to present a memorial to the Emperor. At that time, the court rejected it because it lacked the etiquette of minister to sovereign. Mahāsattva Fu was about to enter the city of Jinling to sell fish. At that time, Emperor Wu happened to invite Master Zhi to lecture on the Diamond Sūtra. Master Zhi said, "This poor monk cannot lecture on it; in the marketplace there is a Mahāsattva Fu who can lecture on this sūtra." The Emperor issued an edict summoning him into the palace. Once Mahāsattva Fu arrived, from the lecture seat he struck the desk once and immediately stepped down from the seat. At that time, he should have been pushed over right away, avoiding a messy scene. Instead, Master Zhi said, "Does Your Majesty understand?" The Emperor said, "I do not understand." Master Zhi said, "The Mahāsattva has finished lecturing on the sūtra." One acted as the head, and the other acted as the tail. When Master Zhi spoke like this, did he even dream of Mahāsattva Fu? Both are playing with spirits; this one in particular is extraordinary. Although it is a dead snake, if you know how to handle it, it comes alive. Since it is lecturing on the sūtra, why did he not make great dualistic distinctions, like an ordinary lecture master saying, "The substance of the vajra is firm and indestructible by any object; through its sharp function it can crush all things"? Only expounding like this is called lecturing on the sūtra! Even though it is so, you all do not realise at all that Mahāsattva Fu merely seized the transcendent trigger, slightly exposed the sharp edge, and caused people to know where it lands; cutting straight through for you, like a precipice rising ten thousand fathoms! Just then, Master Zhi, not knowing good from bad, instead said, "The Mahāsattva has finished lecturing on the sūtra." This is truly good intentions not receiving a good reward: like a cup of fine wine being diluted with water by Master Zhi, or a pot of soup being contaminated by a piece of rat dung from Master Zhi! And tell me: since it is not lecturing on the sūtra, what after all is it called? The verse says: