达摩祖师生死谜

PATRIARCH BODHIDHARMA AND THE MYSTERY OF HIS LIFE AND DEATH

 

达摩祖师到中国，曾经被人下了六次毒药，谁来毒他呢？当时北魏有一个法师叫菩提流支，又叫光统律师，他最妒忌达摩祖师，所以就做一些斋菜，来供养达摩祖师；但是菜饭里，下了最毒的毒药，无论任何人吃了，都会死的，就这么来供养达摩祖师。达摩祖师知道不知道饭里有毒呢？知道！知道可是他还是照吃，就把毒饭吃了。吃了之后，叫人拿来一个盘子，他就吐了，吐出来变成什么呢？毒药完全都变成蛇，这是第一次。

 

以后，菩提流支看毒不死达摩，也不知道是怎么回事。第二次又来下毒药，下加倍的量；以前没有毒死你，这回下多一点毒药。就用另一种更毒的毒药，来毒达摩。达摩又吃了，吃了之后，怎么样呢？坐到一块大石头上，把毒药屙出去。屙出毒药的力量，把这石头都毒爆了，一块大盘石也破坏了，这是第二次。

 

以后又有三次、四次、五次、六次，吃了六次毒药。达摩祖师就对神光说：「我到中国来，是因为中国有大乘根性的众生，所以我把大乘的佛教，带到中国来。现在已经传法有人，我就不留在这儿，现在就要死了。」

 

 

达摩祖师把法及衣钵传给神光后就死了。人就把他用棺材装起来，埋到坟里，以为没有事了。可是就在同时，魏朝有一个使臣叫宋云，在葱岭附近——即是中国终南山那一带——在路上碰见达摩祖师。达摩祖师拿着一只鞋，对宋云讲：「你的国王今天死了，你赶快回去，你的国家有事。」

 

宋云就问说：「大师，您到什么地方去？」

 

达摩祖师说：「我回印度去。」

 

宋云又问：「大师，您的法传给谁了？」

 

达摩祖师说：「在中国四十年以后，『可』是也。」我的法，在中国四十年以后，「可」是也；可，就是说的慧可。

 

宋云回到他的国家北魏，就说这件事：「我那天走到葱岭，就是终南山那一带，遇见菩提达摩。他说他回印度去，他告诉我，就是我遇到他那一天，我们的国王死了。我现在回来，果然正是那一天，他怎么会知道呢？」

 

这些人说：「达摩已经早就死了，你怎么会碰见他呢？」于是乎，大家都不相信宋云讲的话。「他已经死了，你怎么会遇着他？我们把他的坟打开看看。」于是乎，把达摩祖师的坟墓就打开。打开一看，棺材里什么也没有，就剩一只鞋。

 

究竟达摩祖师到什么地方去了呢？以后就没有人知道，恐怕现在来到美国了，也不一定。不过没有人认识他，他可以改头换面，千变万化的。他到中国，就说他一百五十岁；走了还是一百五十岁。到什么地方去？没有人知道。说是去考查历史，历史上也没有这些问题，没有地方考据去。

 

 

While Patriarch Bodhidharma was in China, he was poisoned six times. Who poisoned him? During the Northern Wei Dynasty a Dharma Master named Bodhiruci was extremely jealous of the Patriarch. He prepared some vegetables and brought them as an offering to Patriarch Bodhidharma; but he placed a lethal poison in the food. That's the kind of offering he made! Did Patriarch Bodhidharma know the food was poisoned? He knew! He knew, but he ate it anyway. Then he told someone to bring him a platter. He spit on the platter and what do you suppose his spit turned into? The poison turned into snakes. That was the first time.

 

Well, Bodhiruci couldn't figure out why Patriarch Bodhidharma hadn't died from the poisoning. And so he tried again. He doubled the dose. Last time he'd failed to poison him; this time he would add more poison. Somehow he got the lethal food to the Patriarch and once again, the Patriarch ate it. That time after he'd eaten it, he sat on a large rock and vomited up the poison. The strength of the vomited poison shattered the rock. That was the second time.

 

After that there was a third time, a fourth time, a fifth time and a sixth time. He consumed poison six times. Patriarch Bodhidharma said to Dharma Master Shenguang, "I came to China because there are people with the propensity for the Great Vehicle here--living beings with faculties that can accept the Great Vehicle. That's why I brought Great Vehicle Buddhism to China. Now I've already transmitted that Dharma to someone. Now that I've passed on my Dharma, I won't stay here any longer. I am going to die."

 

Patriarch Bodhidharma did die and people put his body in a coffin and buried it. That was the end of that. But at that time an official named Songyun from the Wei Dynasty met Patriarch Bodhidharma on the road as he was traveling in the area of Hanling, in the Zhongnan Mountain range. Patriarch Bodhidharma, who was carrying one shoe in his hand, said to Songyun: "The king of your country died today. You should quickly return; there are things happening in your country."

 

Songyun asked, "Great Master, where are you going?"

 

Patriarch Bodhidharma said, "I'm returning to India."

 

Songyun asked, "Great Master, to whom did you transmit your Dharma?"

 

Patriarch Bodhidharma said, "Forty years later in China it will be the one who is Able." My Dharma will be with Able in China after forty years. "Able" refers to Huike— "Able Wisdom."

 

Songyun returned to his country in the Northern Wei and related that event, "That day I went to Hanling along the Zhongnan Mountains, I met Bodhidharma and he said he was headed for India. He also told me that the king of my country had died. When I arrived back here, I found out that it happened on that very day. How could he have known?"

 

 

The people who heard his report replied, "Bodhidharma died quite a while ago. How could you have seen him?" And people doubted what Songyun said. "He was already dead, how could you have encountered him? We'll open his grave and see." Well, they did, and when the coffin was opened, the only thing they found inside was one shoe.

 

Ultimately, where did Patriarch Bodhidharma go? No one ever knew. Perhaps he's now in America. But no one would be able to recognize him; he can disguise himself with myriads of transformations. When he went to China, suppose he was 150 years old. Well, when he left China he was still 150 years old. And where did he go? Nobody knows. You might want to look it up in the historical accounts, but you won't find any historical account of this.