..續本文上一頁人來服侍自己。所以我就是在東北、在香港，又到了美國，我對在家人從來也不斟茶、也不倒水，什麼也沒有；我是幹幹淨淨的，連個水果碟子也沒有。普通的，照中國的叢林，護法來了，也擺出水果碟子，裏邊或者龍眼、桂圓、花生，又什麼長生果、短命果的這一套──沒有短命果，是吧？那麼擺出來。我是不懂得這一套的，所以我到什麼地方，人家都說我最冷淡了，不會招呼人。我不敢招呼人！我招呼人，我怕損了人家七年福報！那怎麼辦呢？他七年不能做國王了！我固然是沒有證果的人，但是你怎麼知道這裏頭沒有這個因呢？
Therefore, you lay people should not let the monastics serve you tea or rice, or do anything to greet you. In the temple, you should take care of yourselves and not let the monastics wait on you. In some temples, monastics seek to please the laypeople. Some of them even make half bows to the laypeople and treat them with great hospitality. Why do they do that
They are obsequious in order to develop relationships with the rich. This is not right. Even if you as a monastic have not attained sagehood, your status is still higher than that of laypeople. Therefore laypeople must not ask the monastics to serve them. In Dongbei, Hong Kong and America, I have never poured tea or served water to laypeople. I never do anything for them. I”m very simple. I don”t even offer plates of fruit. In the ordinary monasteries in China, when Dharma protectors come, plates of fruit—longan, dried longan, peanuts or other nuts—are set on the table. I don”t comply with such conventions. Therefore no matter where I go, people say that I”m too aloof and that I don”t know how to serve people. I dare not serve people! I”m afraid if I did I would decrease their blessings by seven years and if they were the king, their reign would be decreased by seven years. I no doubt am someone who has not attained sagehood. But how can you be sure that there won”t be any consequences in doing this
有一次，有一位長者，這個長者就專門很調皮的。怎麼調皮呢？他用栴檀木做一個缽。做個缽，你願意給誰就給誰；或者你抽個簽也可以，說：「你們大家抽簽，我就這麼一個缽，誰抽到就給誰！」他不是，他把它放到那個廟的塔上邊去。上邊大概很不容易拿下來的，不知道用起重機或者用直升機，可以拿到的；他那時候不知用了什麼方法？不知用個什麼小鳥帶上去的？總而言之，這人不容易到的地方，他放到那地方，說：「你們哪一位說你們有神通，你們若能用神通把這個缽取下來，我這個？就供養你！」當時這些個有神通的阿羅漢一想：不可！不可！因爲我一用神通要去拿下來，這就表示自己貪圖這個缽，有貪心了；若不拿嘛？他好像也是來故意這麼試驗，想要看我們大家有沒有神通。你說這怎麼辦？
Once there was an elder who was particularly mischievous. How so
He used some sandalwood to make an almsbowl. If you want to give away an almsbowl you can simply give it to anyone you wish; or you could let everyone draw lots. You can say, “Let”s draw lots for my almsbowl.” But he didn”t do that. Instead he placed the alms-bowl at the top of a pagoda in the temple. It was probably not easy to get it from the top. Maybe one could get it using a hoist or a helicopter. But I don”t know how he managed to get it up there; I don”t know what kind of bird he sent to place the almsbowl there. He put it in an inaccessible place. He said, “If any of you have spiritual penetrations and manage to get the almsbowl using your spiritual penetrations, I will give it to you.” At that time, some Arhats with spiritual penetrations thought, “No way! In no case will I do this! If we use our spiritual penetrations to take it down, it will show that we covet the almsbowl and are greedy. However, if none of us take it down, this elder seems to be testing us to see if we have spiritual penetrations. What are we to do
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這個時候，這些證果阿羅漢也都不知怎麼好，也無所適從啦！那麼這個賓頭盧頗羅墮在很遠的地方，他在樹下補衣服呢！他也聽見這個消息；他就想開開玩笑，就到那地方，用個神通踴身虛空，把那個缽給拿下來了。拿下不要緊，就被佛大鬧了一頓，說：「你在人家面前顯神通，這是不應該有的。你既然犯了這個過錯，我不准你再跟著我了，我不要你做常隨衆了！也不准你入滅了──就不准你往生，不准你入涅槃！你要常常住在世界，誰請你，你就一定要去的，你要做世間應供的福田，給世人種福。」所以這一位賓頭盧頗羅墮，他也就：「那也很好玩的，我可以的！我像個小孩子，我和世間小孩子來玩一玩！」所以現在誰要請他，他就到那兒去應供。可是我告訴你，他不叫你認識；你要是注意，他又…，總而言之，叫你不認識。這是賓頭盧頗羅墮他大概的意思。以前他們講的，都比我講的更詳細；我這個是按著我的看法和見解，和你們大家講一講。
At that time, these Arhats who had attained sagehood did not know what course to take. Pindola-Bharadvaja was patching his robe under a tree at a faraway place. While he was patching his robe, he heard about what was happening. He then wanted to play a joke on them. So he went to the place using his spiritual penetrations, soared high into the space and took the almsb…
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