..續本文上一頁 Master noticed one evening that they were all experiencing hunger pangs. Because they hadn”t eaten, they didn”t have enough energy to sit. Some were dozing off while others were restless. If they weren”t sleeping, then they were "sitting short." When a person sits to meditate, he”s about three feet tall, yet now they were only one and a half feet tall. Why is that

　　 Because their bellies were hungry and they lacked the strength to sit up straight. This is called "sitting short." Once this phenomenon began, there was no way to continue their meditation. The Ceremony Master saw this taking place and sympathized with them. He wanted to nurture the health of the assembly. So within samadhi, he used his psychic powers to steal some rice crust from the kitchen and give a little bit to each person. As soon as the meditation period was over, everyone opened their eyes and saw a chunk of rice crust on their knee. Stealthily they gobbled it down. There is a phrase that goes, "People are iron, and food is steel." Immediately the group felt their energy returning and they were able to run and meditate without feeling tired. Before, when they were hungry, they had been unable to run a single step, and they were always trying to catch a rest on the side.

　　這位慈悲維那，偷了兩天鍋粑，給大衆當點心，不料在第叁天，被方丈和尚發現他偷鍋粑，于是被遷單了。

　　The compassionate Ceremony Master stole rice crust for two days in a row, and he distributed it among the participants as a snack. Unexpectedly, on the third day, the Abbot of the temple discovered that he”d been stealing rice crust and threw him out of the temple.

　　事情是這樣發生的：在第叁天早晨，管理廚房的和尚，發現鍋粑不見了，以爲被老鼠偷去了，因爲職責的關系，乃向方丈和尚報告這情形，請示方丈和尚。老和尚說：「那麼，就捉老鼠吧！」到晚上，方丈和尚在定中觀察，發現維那在定中又去廚房偷鍋粑，于是把維那的身體放在禅凳底下。等維那回來一看，自己的房子不見了，仔細尋找，才在禅凳下找到，于是就把身體拖出來。這時，方丈和尚說：「你在做什麼？你這個大老鼠，敢到廚房偷鍋粑，現在你犯戒，你知道嗎？犯戒是要被遷單的，明天你走吧！我們這裏不留你了。」

　　Here”s how it happened. On the morning of the third day, the monk in charge of the kitchen noticed that the rice crust from the day before was gone. He thought that perhaps a rat had stolen it. To carry out his duty, he went to report to the Abbot of the temple and ask his advice. The Abbot said, "Okay, catch the rat!" When evening came, the Abbot contemplated in samadhi and saw how the Ceremony Master was going to the kitchen in his samadhi to steal the rice crust. He grabbed the Master”s body as it sat there meditating, and stuffed it underneath the bench. When the Ceremony Master came back from roaming in samadhi, he could not find his "house." He carefully looked around for his body and finally found it underneath the bench, and he pulled it back out. Just then the Abbot said, "What do you think you”re doing

　　 You”re a big rat! You had the gall to go into the kitchen to steal rice crust

　　 You”ve broken the precepts, did you know that

　　 Anybody who breaks a precept must be thrown out! You must leave tomorrow. You can”t stay here any longer!"

　　這位被遷單的維那說：「您遷我的單，是可以的。可是我有一個要求，請您答應我。」方丈和尚說：「你要走了，還要求什麼？」

　　The Ceremony Master had now been kicked out, and he said: "If you want to throw me out, that”s okay. But I have one request that I hope you”ll grant." The Abbot said, "Now that you”re leaving, what do you still want to request

　　"

　　維那說：「參禅的人，一定要吃飽飯，才能用功修行；如果吃不飽，的確不能修行。所以我到廚房偷鍋粑，是爲大衆，不是爲我自己。希望方丈和尚發點慈悲，每天晚上，每人分兩個大包子，若能這樣做，我就向和尚叩頭頂禮。我走之後，也不會打妄想。」

　　The Ceremony Master said, "The people who are meditating here really should get a chance to eat their fill. Only then can they work hard at their meditation. If they don”t eat their fill, they won”t be able to cultivate. That”s why I went to the kitchen to steal the rice crust. It was for the sake of the Assembly, not for myself. I hope that you, the Abbot, will be compassionate, and give two big steamed dumplings to each participant every evening. If you do that, then I”ll bow in respect to you as Abbot; and after I…

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