聆教肃立敬礼
李曰奚如和尚不良何。公曰僧有圣凡。不能见一二不肖而弃。岂因一二不肖秀才。骂孔子。即先生统兵。虽军纪严明。其亦一一皆如先生之聪明正直乎。海不弃鱼虾。所以为大者也。
宣化偈曰:
佛法性海无不容。僧弘圣化用弥穷。
协统聆教肃然立。敬礼立正又鞠躬。
Moving the commander, who, upon hearing the teachings,
stood in awe and bowed
Li inquired, "But why are there monks who are not good?" "There are both sagely and common members of the Sangha," the Master answered. "One cannot see one or two who are worthless and then discredit the rest because of them. One cannot revile Confucius because there are one or two despicable scholars. You, sir, are a commander of soldiers, and although your military discipline is strict, your troops are individuals. Do you expect that all of them be as intelligent and forthright as you? The ocean does not reject a single fish or shrimp, and therein lies its greatness."
The gatha says:
In the sea-like nature of the Buddhadharma nothing is excluded.
The Sangha propagates the Sagely teaching, its workings infinite.
As the Provincial Commander heard the doctrines, he stood in reverence and awe.
He respectfully bowed, stood up erect, then bowed again.