A Parrot, Understanding Who He Is,

　　Asks How to Escape the Cage

　　鹦鹉知音　問計出籠

　　On the road, he met a parrot imprisoned in a wicker cage. However, this bird was much more intelligent than the Dharma Master Shen Guang. Recognizing that Bodhidharma was a patriarch, the bird chirped,

　　走到半路上，遇到一只鹦鹉；這只鹦鹉被圈在籠子裏，可是這只鳥比神光法師聰明得多，它認識達摩祖師是一位祖師，就說：

　　He Who Intentionally came from the West

　　Intentionally came from the West,

　　What method is best, if you please,

　　To escape this cage and leave

　　西來意，西來意，請您教我出籠計。

　　Although Patriarch Bodhidharma hadn”t been able to find any people who really understood who he was, this parrot definitely recognized him. He knew who he was.

　　你看達摩祖師對人沒有知音，對小鳥，卻遇到一個知音。什麼叫知音？就是認識他。

　　Hearing the bird”s plea for help, Bodhidharma was pleased and taught the bird an expedient method--a provisional, not a real, Dharma. He said,

　　達摩祖師一聽，這只小鳥這樣請教他，他也很高興，就教它一個方便法──這不是實法，是權法。他說：

　　To escape the cage, to escape the cage;

　　Stick out both legs. Shut both eyes.

　　That is the way to escape from the cage!

　　出籠計，出籠計，兩腿伸直兩眼閉，這便是你出籠計。

　　It was a secret, wonderful formula--a secret Dharma. It”s for sure the Patriarch whispered it. He didn”t say it so loudly as I am speaking now! He certainly must have used a very small voice: "To escape the cage...that is the way to escape from the cage!" He spoke softly like that. Why

　　 If he had said it out loud so that others could hear him, then the method would not have worked. From this we can see how much trouble the Patriarch took to be kind.

　　這好像秘密的妙訣，這是秘密法，所以他說話沒有那麼大聲，我現在講得恐怕比達摩祖師說的聲音要大，他一定告訴那只小鳥說：“出籠計，……這便是你出籠計。”他一定是這樣講的，爲什麼？他的聲音若是大了，會被旁人聽見，那這個方法就行不通了。所以你看這個小地方，這位祖師真是用心良苦呀！