福善書院

前生因緣　餓死獼猴

梁武帝本來非常相信佛法，在他那個時代，中國的佛教是很興盛的，他到處造廟，以他皇帝的力量來提倡佛法，所以當時的人民都信佛。

可是，他在過去生中造的業也很重。在過去世，梁武帝是一個出家的比丘。這個比丘在山上修行，有一隻猴子就天天偷他所種的東西吃，像桃子、蘋果之類，樹上所有的水果，牠都來偷吃。他種的東西被這猴子給吃得沒剩多少，於是就把猴子圈到

一個山洞裏，用石頭把洞門擋上了。本來他預備擋幾天，就把牠放出來，不准牠再偷東西吃，孰不知他把猴子堵到洞裏，卻忘了，結果把牠餓死在洞裏頭。

Causes and Conditions from a Previous Life:
He Starved a Monkey

Emperor Wu originally had deep faith in the Buddhadharma. During his time, Buddhism flourished in China. Using his power as an emperor, he built temples everywhere and promoted Buddhism. Consequently, many people came to believe in the Buddhadharma.

However, he had also created very heavy karma in a past life. What kind of a person had Emperor Wu been in the past? He had been a Bhikshu, a Buddhist monk. While that monk cultivated up in the mountains, 

a monkey would come every day to steal the things he planted for food and to steal the fruit from the nearby trees, such as peaches, apples, and the like. The monkey stole and ate all the fruit and most of the vegetables the monk planted.

Finally one day the monk managed to trap the monkey in a cave and blocked the entrance of the cave with rocks. Basically he planned to keep the monkey in there for a couple of days and then let it out, in order to teach the monkey a lesson so that it wouldn't steal his food anymore. Who would have guessed that after blocking up the cave he would forget about it, thus causing that monkey to die of hunger!

今世果報　餓死臺城

所以他今生做了皇帝，這猴子就托生做侯景，這侯景帶著兵，把南京攻下來，將梁武帝 關到臺城裏，又把所有吃的東西都拿走，不給他東西吃，因此梁武帝就餓死在那個地方。他餓死猴子，今生這猴子也同樣把他餓死，就受這種果報。

因為達摩祖師本來看他造這麼多的功德，可以將功折罪，但是這也要有一種因緣，所以達摩祖師對他講話也就不客氣。可是梁武帝一想：「我是個大皇帝，啊！你一

個窮和尚來到我的國家，對我講話，還這麼不客氣！」所以就對達摩祖師疏遠了。達摩祖師雖然想要救度他，要對他有一種慈悲心，但是他不接受，不向達摩祖師求，那也沒法子了；於是達摩祖師就走了，不管他了。

結果，過了一個時期，梁武帝果然被侯景帶著一些個人馬，把他餓死在臺城裏，這是有這麼一個原因。你們大家想一想，如果他有功德，怎麼會餓死？因為沒有功 德，所以就餓死了。達摩祖師當時本想挽救，不教他餓死，希望他能生一種覺悟心，可惜梁武帝這個吾我太大了，所以就是達摩祖師也救不了他。

Receiving Retribution in This Life,
He Starves to Death in the Palace

In this life, he was an emperor, and the monkey was reborn to be Hou Jing. Hou Jing led soldiers to attack Nanjing. After Nanjing was taken, he kept Emperor Wu in captivity in the palace and did not provide him with any food. He took all food away, and left the Emperor there to starve to death. In a previous life, the Emperor starved the monkey to death, and in this life the monkey starved him to death. He had to undergo that retribution. 

Now before that happened, Patriarch 

天花亂墜　地湧金蓮

在南京，離開皇宮後，達摩祖師遇到神光法師在那兒講經。神光法師講經講得天花亂墜，地湧金蓮──天女散花，地下湧出金蓮花來。啊！這種境界是很殊勝的。

達摩祖師一聽說，就去看一看這個法會，到那個地方聽經。這時候他大約學會說幾句中國話了，因為從廣州到南京，這一路上，一天學一句，那麼十天就學十句，一百天就學一百句。這位祖師也很聰明的，他學中文不用學，一聽就會了。

在南京，聽神光法師在那兒講經。這個神光法師也很神氣的：「噢！你看我講經講得多好，印度人也來聽！哈！這麼遠跑來聽我講經，這真是不可思議！」就覺得自己很不錯的。

The Heavens Rain Down Flowers;
Golden Lotuses Well Forth from the Earth

While still in Nanjing, after he left the imperial court, Patriarch Bodhidharma met the Venerable Shen Guang (Spiritual Light), who was lecturing on the Sutras. When Dharma Master Shen Guang explained the Sutras, the heavens rained down flowers, and golden lotuses welled forth from the earth. Heavenly maidens scattered blossoms, and from beneath the earth golden lotuses burst forth. Ah! What a supreme state! 

The Patriarch heard about that, and so he also went to observe the Dharma assembly 

and listen to the Sutra lecture. By then he probably had learned some Chinese and could speak a few sentences. If on the road from Guangzhou to Nanjing, he learned one sentence a day, he would have learned ten sentences in ten days, and a hundred in a hundred days. That Patriarch was very intelligent; he did not have to study to learn Chinese, he just listened.

In Nanjing, he listened to Dharma Master Shen Guang explain a Sutra. Dharma Master Shen Guang was quite pleased by that. "Hah! See how well I lecture the Sutras? Even an Indian has come to listen! Ah! He came from so far away to listen to my lecture. How truly inconceivable!" He felt quite good about it.

神光法師　反唇相譏

神光法師說：「喔！那你來幹什麼？你連為什麼講經都不知道？你到底是從什麼地方來的？」

「我從印度來的。」

「你從印度來的，我講佛經，你印度沒有講佛經的嗎？你都不懂？」

達摩祖師說：「我們印度講經啊，是講無字真經，沒有字的經。你講經，是講有字的經。」

神光法師說：「什麼叫無字真經？」

達摩祖師說：「我講的經，是沒有字的，就那麼一張白紙講經。你講這個經，黑的是字，白的是紙，那麼你講它幹什麼？」

神光法師說：「我講經教人了生死嘛！」

Dharma Master Shen Guang
Retorts Sarcastically

Dharma Master Shen Guang said, "Hey! What did you come here for? Don't you even know what Sutra lectures are all about? Where did you come from?"

"I came here from India."

"You come from India, and I am here explaining the Buddhist scriptures. Don't people explain Buddhist scriptures in India? You don't even seem to know."

Patriarch Bodhidharma replied, "The Sutra lectures in India explain the wordless true 

Sutra. The Sutras you lecture on here have words."

Dharma Master Shen Guang asked, "What is the wordless true Sutra?"

Patriarch Bodhidharma answered, "The Sutra I lecture is wordless. It is just a piece of blank paper. As to the Sutras you lecture, the inked areas are words, and the blank areas are paper. Why are you explaining them?"

Dharma Master Shen Guang replied, "I lecture on the Sutras to teach people how to end birth and death!"