化一个坐具之地

To Seek a Sitting Cloth's Worth of Ground

 

摘录自六祖坛经浅释 Excerpted from the Sixth Patriarch's Sutra

 

六祖大师到了宝林山曹溪，看见所住的房舍，寮房很少，也都残缺破坏，不能住太多人，所以他就要把它扩大。于是乎就走到里人陈亚仙那儿。里人，就是南华寺那个地方的乡下人。去见陈亚仙，对他就说了：「老僧我啊！想找一块坐具之地，不知你能不能舍呢？」

 

陈亚仙就说：「你坐具有多大呢？你的坐具有几许阔啊？」

 

六祖大师，就把坐具给他看。他说这好办，你只要坐具的一个地方，这是没有问题。亚仙唯然，就答应了。

 

六祖大师说：「你答应了？那好！就要这么一个坐具的地方啦！」于是乎把这个具一打开，遍罩南华四境。这个面积我也不确实知道有多大，总而言之，四大天王都现身了，站在四方。

 

陈亚仙一看这样情形，就说：「好了，我知道和尚你的法力无边，但是我的高祖坟墓在这个地方，希望你以后建造寺庙，还保留这个坟墓，那么其余的地方我都舍了，我都布施出来。」

 

讲到这个地方，你们大家不知道有什么感想？六祖大师只化一个坐具的地方，之后居然他这个具就长得那么大，遮盖四境，这是不是一个欺骗呢？好像地藏王菩萨化九华山，听说也是这样子。那么在佛教的祖师、菩萨游戏人间，这好像有一种赌博的性质，和人说这样子，又不这样子。我有点，不敢同意这种的法力，我不知道你们各位看法是如何？我们大家要互相研究研究，谁有什么意见，可以提出来说一说。这个祖师、菩萨，为什么他说一个坐具的地方，可是一展开具，却遮了那么多的地方？各位，我们来共同研究研究这个问题。在佛教里，是不是以讹传讹，这么道听而涂说，把这个事情就弄得越讲越神秘。

 

不要在那个地方好像无动于衷似的，要讲话的讲话，现在不是入定的时候啊！

 

弟子：六祖可能跟陈亚仙有缘，希望给陈亚仙一个布施的机会，譬如他布施的地方大，所以他的功德就大，给陈亚仙做大功德。

 

上人：我现在给你种福田的机会怎么样？你种不种？

 

弟子：谢谢。种。

 

上人：还有谁，快讲。快一点，快一点！还有谁要说你的看法，不要等着叫名字。这西方是民主式的国家，我们谁愿意说什么就说什么，无拘无束，用你的智慧，来说出一个真理来。

 

问题就是：六祖大师向陈亚仙化缘，他出家人应该不打妄语。他拿出那个具，就那么坐的一个地方；等一打开了呢，就把南华寺那几十里，都给盖住了，盖到四境，四大天王现身，在四方那儿坐镇，说有这样情形。有人说是地藏菩萨向闵公化缘，也是用坐具，一罩就把九华山都给罩住了，罩着全九华山都成了那个坐具底下的土地了。坐具本来你们都看见了，那不是很大的一个地方，方圆连一丈也没有。可是他把它打开，遮盖了几十里路那么大一个面积，我认为祖师不应该打这个大妄语，这是我的看法，你们各位看法是怎么样？

 

方才这位居士说，大约六祖大师和陈亚仙有缘，叫他多种福田，所以就向他化大缘。那么随时我这个智慧就来了，我说我要向你化小缘，你种不种福田？他说他种。那么种的福田是多大？我不知道。等到将来，不要写出来像六祖大师用具罩住那样，这么大一个地方。万佛城这个面积是将近五百多英亩，也是不小的一个地方；可是我没有这个本事，我也没有这个具，也不能罩这么多的地方，你们说这怎么办？

  

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六祖大师：「老僧想找一块坐具之地，不知你能不能舍呢？」

陈亚仙：「您坐具有多大呢？」

The Sixth Patriarch said:This Old Monk comes to seek a sitting cloth's worth of ground. Can you give it?

Yaxian Chen asked, "How big is your sitting cloth?"  

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When the Sixth Patriarch arrived at Baolin (Precious Forest) in Caoxi (Cao Creek), he saw that the few buildings that were there were dilapidated and insufficient to contain the multitude. Wishing to enlarge them, he paid a visit to the villager Yaxian Chen, who lived near Nanhua Monastery, and said, "This Old Monk comes to seek a sitting cloth's worth of ground. Can you give it?"

 

Yaxian Chen asked, "How big is your sitting cloth?"

 

The Great Master showed his sitting cloth to Yaxian Chen, who said, "If you only want that large a piece of land, fine."

 

The Great Master said, "Yes, I only want that much land." But when he spread it out, the sitting cloth covered all the area around Nanhua Monastery. I don't know how exactly much land it was, but in any case, the Four Heavenly Kings appeared and stood guard in each of the four directions.

 

When Yaxian Chen saw this, he said, "I know that the High Master's Dharma power is great. However, the burial ground of my great-great grandfather lies on this land. In the future, if you build a stupa or temple here, I hope that this area will remain undisturbed. As for the rest, I wish to give it all to you."

 

Having lectured to this point, I wonder if anyone has any thoughts on this. The Sixth Patriarch asked for a sitting cloth's worth of ground, and later his sitting cloth expanded to cover the land on all four sides. Isn't that a bit like cheating? It's said that Earth Store Bodhisattva obtained the Jiuhua mountain range in the same way. The way these Buddhist Patriarchs and Bodhisattvas playfully roam through the world seems a bit like gambling--they say one thing, but then it turns out another way. I can hardly agree with their use of Dharma powers. I wonder what everyone else thinks about this. Let's all look into this together. Whoever has an opinion can bring it up. Why is it that a Patriarch or a Bodhisattva can ask for a sitting cloth's worth of ground and then open up his sitting cloth and have it cover so much land? Let's investigate this question together. In Buddhism, should we spread rumors and make things sound more and more mystical? None of you should act as if this doesn't concern you. If you have something to say, speak up. Now is not the time to enter samadhi!

 

Disciple: Maybe the Sixth Patriarch had affinities with Yaxian Chen and wanted to give him an opportunity to give. If he gave a large piece of land, then he would have a lot of merit and virtue. He wanted to help Yaxian Chen create great merit and virtue.

 

Venerable Master: If I gave you an opportunity to plant blessings now, would you plant them?

 

Disciple: Yes, thank you, I would.

 

Venerable Master: Who else has an opinion? Hurry and speak! Don't wait for me to call on you. We're in a democratic country, and people can say whatever they want. There are no restrictions. Use your wisdom to speak about true principle.

 

The problem is that when the Sixth Patriarch asked for land from Yaxian Chen, he took out his sitting cloth and asked for only enough ground to sit on. As a left-home person (a monk), he should not lie. Yet when he opened the sitting cloth, it covered not only Nanhua Monastery, but all the land within ten miles of where they stood. And it's said that the Four Heavenly Kings appeared and stood guard in each of the four directions. People say that when Earth Store Bodhisattva asked for land from Lord Wen, he also opened his sitting cloth, and it covered the entire Jiuhua mountain range. Basically, as you can see, the sitting cloth is not very large--not even ten square feet. Yet when he opened it, it covered an area of several tens of miles. In my opinion, a Patriarch should not tell such a blatant lie. What are your opinions?

 

Earlier the layman said that the Sixth Patriarch probably had affinities with Yaxian Chen and wanted him to plant a lot of blessings, and that was why he asked for such a great gift of land. I responded by saying I wanted to ask for a small gift from him, and I asked him whether he was willing to plant blessings. He said he would. Now how great are the blessings he planted? I don't know. But it won't be as great an area as the Sixth Patriarch covered with his sitting cloth. The City of Ten Thousand Buddhas is nearly five hundred acres, which is not a small place. But I don't have that kind of power, and I don't have a sitting cloth that can cover so much area, so what do you think I should do?