抬轎 林鈺堂 簡繁轉換 - 繁體

三人同心抬師尊,不讓鬚眉法爭先;
敬謹守份安謙下,盡己出力方堪當。

在黃山上玉屏樓的石階道上,遇到路旁閒置的「滑竿」(簡便的轎子)。隨行的三位女弟子發心要我坐上去,讓她們盡力抬舉一下,以示擁戴的赤忱。在一位轎伕的協助下,大功告成。看到她們吃力的樣子,實在不忍心,但也為她們慶幸有此種重法敬師的真誠。

這使我想起陳師在《近譬集》中,有相關的譬喻。記得其中重點是提醒行者,只是佛、菩薩的抬轎者,而不是坐轎者,切勿得意忘形,忘了自己行止的分寸。

又想到,抬轎者出幾分力,才能擔當幾分重任。行者要為佛法事業擔當重任,應當先檢討自己是出了幾分力,而不是只期待「佛將降大任於斯人」。


                     二○○九年七月十八日
                     養和齋   於加州


Carrying a Sedan Chair Yutang Lin

Three disciples with one intention to lift Guru high up,
Not yielding to men, they tried to move ahead for Dharma,
Respectful and humble, satisfied with one's lower position,
Exerting all one's might, only then could one carry the load.

Comments:

On our way up to the Yu Ping Lou (Jade Shield High-rise) on Yellow Mountain (Huang Shan), we passed by some Hua Gan (simple sedan chair) unemployed along roadside. The three female disciples who accompanied me asked me to sit on the sedan chair so that they could lift me up for a while as a token of their sincerity in uplifting the Guru. With help from a professional carrier, they accomplished the goal. Seeing how strenuous it was for them to do so, I could not feel at ease, and yet I was also happy for them for having such ardent devotion in revering Dharma and Guru.

This reminded me of a related parable in Guru Chen's Collection of Close Parables. The main point therein, as I remembered, is to remind practitioners that we are only the carriers of the sedan chair for Buddhas and Bodhisattvas but not the occupants of the sedan chair. Hence, we should not become arrogant beyond our proper places and forgetting the limitation of our behaviors.

Furthermore, it occurred to me that a carrier can uphold only as much share of the load as the strength he put into it. A Dharma practitioner who aspires to sustain heavy responsibilities for Dharma should, first of all, reflect on how much effort had one put into it, instead of just expecting that Buddha will entrust great responsibility on one.


Written in Chinese on July 18, 2009
Translated on July 20, 2009
El Cerrito, California


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