經律異相 20.13

20.13

According to the ordinary rules of the inner Dharma, those who enter a monastery to listen to the Dharma or pay homage to the Buddha must remove their turbans and caps. At that time, there was a king whose head had naturally little hair and was furthermore afflicted with sores; he also wore leather shoes on his feet. Relying on his nobility and honor, he wrapped his head with fine cloth and entered the hall to listen to the scriptures. The king said to the monk, “Expound the Dharma for me.” The monk said, “The Tathāgata has instructed that the Dharma is not to be expounded to one wearing leather shoes on their feet.” Hearing this, the king harbored resentment, immediately took off his leather shoes, and said to the monk: “Quickly expound the Dharma to satisfy my mind! If you go against my original intention, I will cut off your head.” The monk told the king, “Furthermore, the Tathāgata's prohibitory precepts state that the Dharma must not be expounded to one whose head is covered.” The king, raging with fury, displayed his royal majesty and said, “You wish to humiliate me! Now I have stripped away everything and uncovered my head to listen to you expound the Dharma. If you cannot unravel the knots of my ignorance, I will cut your body into three pieces!” The monk spoke a verse: