阿罗汉的慈悲和善巧方便

谷成

摘自：

1. 英译本：《Venerable Acariya Mun Bhuridatta Thera - Spiritual  Biography》by Acariya Maha Boowa Nanasampanno, page 200-208.
2. 中译本：《尊者阿迦曼传》

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有一次在他游行期间，尊者阿迦曼到了一个很深入的旷野，那个山地部落的居民，几乎都没有看过头陀行比丘。只有那些少数曾经偶而很久才进城一次的人，才能知道一点有关於比丘的事。当时他由另一位比丘陪同着，他们选择了一个树林下的地方，距离村落大约有二公里。早上进入村落托钵，山地村民问他们要些什麽，当他们回答要布施的食物时，村民又问他们要那种食物，他们说要米食，但是村民仍然不了解，他们到底是要煮熟的还是未煮的稻米。比丘们回答要煮熟的，而村民就给他们一些米饭，再没有别的东西了。尊者阿迦曼和他的同伴，就这样在那里住了好几天。村民对他们表现得既没有敬意也没有信心。

Ãcariya Mun said that, excepting the few who had visited large towns in the region, most of the hill tribe people in Chiang Mai had never seen monks before. Early in his travels, Ãcariya Mun and another monkwent to live in the mountains about a mile and a half from a hill tribevillage. They camped in the forest, taking shelter under the trees. Inthe morning, when they went to the village for alms food, the villagers asked why they had come. Ãcariya Mun said they had come to collect alms. Puzzled, the villagers asked him what that meant. Ãcariya Mun explained that they had come to collect offerings of rice. They asked him if he wanted cooked rice or uncooked rice. When he said cooked rice, they got some and put a little in each of their alms bowls. The two monks then returned to their camp and ate the plain rice. Lacking faith from the very beginning, the villagers were very suspicious of the monks.

一天晚上，酋长吹起竹笛声（使它共鸣，作为召集村民集合的讯号）召集他的村民开会。他告诉他们，现在有两只老虎伪装成人，已经住在离此不远的一个地方。他说他不知道它们是那种老虎，但是他们看起来令人怀疑。妇女和小孩从此被禁止走近那个地方，甚至要有几个人结伴才能去。此外，他继续说，他们必须小心，否则会被这两只假装成人的老虎吃掉。当他们的领导人这样警告着他的人们时，尊者阿迦曼正在禅思，而（藉着他的天耳通）能够听到酋长正在说着有关他和他的朋友。他惊讶於这个梦想不到的罪名，却生起对他们的大悲悯，知道有许多其他的村民将会相信酋长的话，那对他们是一个很大的罪恶和危险，因为（如果他们不改变他们的信念）在他们死後，都将生为老虎。

That evening the village headman sounded the bamboo clapper to call everyone to a meeting. Referring to Ãcariya Mun and his disciple, he announced that there were now two ‘tigers in disguise’ staying in the nearby forest. He said that he had yet to determine what kind of tigers they were, but they weren’t to be trusted. He forbade the women and children to enter the forest in that area; and men who went were warned to go armed and in groups lest they should be attacked by the two tigers. As it happened, Ãcariya Mun was beginning his evening meditation at precisely the time the announcement was made to the village also privy to the whole affair. He was deeply saddened by the senseless accusations; but, instead of feeling angry or discouraged, he felt only ineffable loving compassion for the local villagers. He was concerned that the majority might naively believe such slanderous talk and, therefore, be burdened by its dreadful moral consequences until they died – at which time they might well be reborn as tigers.

第二天，他告诉他的朋友，他们已经被控诉为假装人形，想要杀害村民的老虎。「如果我们现在就离开这里，」尊者阿迦曼说：「他们死後都会生为老虎。这在他们是严重的业力，而为了帮助他们，我们必须在此停留较久，即使因为他们冷漠的供给，让我们必须感受匮乏的痛苦。」从那以後，有时成群的观察者从村里悄悄地溜到尊者阿迦曼和另一个比丘住处的四周。他们叁、四个人成群而来，携带着工具当做武器。大约十或十五分钟，每一群人就会从树丛间或是经行禅思的步道附近出现，专注地凝视着尊者阿迦曼或另一个比丘，并怀疑地张望着四周，他们从不说话。然後他们就回到村落，第二天才会再来。

Early the next morning, he informed his disciple of what he had seen. “Last night the village headman assembled everyone and announced that we are ‘tigers in disguise’. We were both accused of being tigers who are disguised as monks in order to deceive them into trusting us so that we can then destroy both their persons and their properties. Because of this, they have no faith in us at all. If we were to leave here now while they still harbor these negative thoughts, they may all be reborn as tigers when they die – a grievous kamma indeed. So for their benefit, I think it’s incumbent on us as monks to remain here and put up with the situation for a while. We must endure the ensuing hardships until they’ve changed their attitude before we move to another location.” Not only did the villagers distrust them, but groups of three or four armed men often came to keep an eye on them. Sometimes, they stood watching from a distance. But at other times, seeing Ãcariya Mun walking meditation, they came closer and stared at him from the end of his walking path, or from the side of it, or even stood right in the middle of it. They glanced around, surveying the whole area for about 10 to 15 minutes, then left. This surveillance routine continued day after day for many weeks.

他们观察尊者阿迦曼的举止好些时间，似乎对他还是不能确定，但是所有这段时间，他们从未注意到所谓「伪装的老虎」的需要，也不在乎由於他们的冷漠，这些所谓的老虎是否正感受着任何匮乏。村民似乎并不在乎这两个比丘每天是否有足够的食物，或是他们两个的住处是否舒适。他们只给米饭，再没有其它的东西，不仅如此，所给的饭量也很少，即使泡了水还是不够一个人吃。至於饮水，两位比丘必须在他们已经洗完澡後，从山脚下的溪流中取回。他们的住处就在林间树荫下，它几乎不太能够遮阳避雨。然而那附近没有任何山洞或断崖，他们不能找到任何更好的住处。

The villagers showed no concern whatsoever about the personal welfare of these two ‘tigers’. They were not interested in whether or not they had enough food and other necessities to survive. Thus, the living conditions of these two tigers were difficult in the extreme. The most they received on almsround was plain rice. On some days, it was just barely enough to satisfy them; on other days, it wasn’t nearly enough, even though they drank a lot of water with it as well. Since there was no cave or cliff overhang in which they could take shelter, they lived and slept under the trees, putting up with exposure to the sun and the rain.

有时会下倾盆大雨，於是他们必须搜集乾叶子和树枝，做一个简陋的斜墙来挡雨。下雨的时候，他们被迫坐在蚊帐内的伞下，寒冷地颤抖着。然而，有时候强烈的山风夹着雨水，剧烈地吹打蚊帐，甚至他们的雨伞都被吹走了，留下两个全身湿透的人，像树叶般的瑟瑟发抖着。他们所有的比丘必需品散落各处，都被雨水浸湿了。在白天，他们还能够收拾它们，赶紧去找另一个遮蔽之处，但是在晚上，情况就糟透了。狂风暴雨中，一片漆黑，雷声刺耳欲裂，四周尽是被吹断的树枝砰然落地的声音。在这时刻，生命全然暴露在大自然的狂暴之中。这就是尊者阿迦曼和他的同伴在自我牺牲的精神下，所忍受的严酷考验，这是自找的考验，他们必须忍耐直到村民的态度软化了，让他们恢复了理性为止。

When it rained in that area, it tended to rain all day. After the rain abated and things dried out a bit, they went looking for dry leaves and grasses to construct a make-shift thatched roof, giving them some limited protection against the weather. It provided enough cover to survive from day to day, albeit with much discomfort. When it rained heavily, they sheltered under their tent-umbrellas with the cloth sheeting hanging down around them as protection against the cold wind. Often the rain was accompanied by strong winds that came howling down out of the mountains, blowing their umbrellas, soaking their belongings, and leaving both monks drenched and shivering. If it happened during the daytime, they could at least see what they were doing while collecting their requisites to look for some cover. But when it occurred at night, the situation was extremely trying. They were unable to see even as the rain poured down and the cold wind blasted through the trees, causing branches to break off and crash down around them. They were never sure of surviving this onslaught of rain, wind, cold, and loose debris flying at them from all directions. During such hardships, they just endured the best they could. They had to abide the heat, the cold, the hunger, the thirst, and the uncertainty of their existence while they waited for the villagers’ mistrust to subside.

即使有这些不便和匮乏，然而，它是个适合禅思的地方，没有其他加重心意的负担。深夜，那地区附近常有老虎的吼声交响曲。它们都是庞大、凶猛的老虎，虽然它们就在不远的地方漫游，却几乎不曾接近两位比丘所住的地方。很偶然的，它们之中的一只偷偷地来访，或许来查查看有什麽好吃的没有，但是当伞内的人一动或是坐起来，它就大吼一声跳开了，从未再见过它。至於村民，他们的好奇和忧惧心仍然很强。他们每天下午叁、五成群地跑来观察，却从未对尊者阿迦曼说过一句话，尊者对他们也是一样不发一语。有时，当监视着他的时候，他们自己之间会窃窃私语，做梦也想不到他能够看到或阅读他们的每一个心思，这是他们认为无人能够知道的。尊者阿迦曼也观察着他们，有了更深入的结果！他知道他们继续地试着挑剔他本身和他的同伴，这让他非常怜悯他们，因为他们被酋长误导了，很多人不知道他们将会发生什麽後果。

Even though they received only plain rice, their supply was, at best, erratic. Drinking water was hard to come by; so they had to walk down to the foot of the mountain to fill their kettles, carrying the water back up to serve their daily needs. Despite such an impoverished existence, the villagers showed no sympathy for their plight. In spite of the hardships, Ãcariya Mun felt free of anxieties and responsibilities as his meditation practice progressed unhindered. He took great pleasure from listening to the calls of the various wild animals in the surrounding forest. Seated in meditation under the trees late at night, he constantly heard the sounds of tigers roaring close by. Curiously, those huge tigers rarely ventured into the area where he was seated. Occasionally, a tiger did approach Ãcariya Mun. Perhaps suspecting him to be wild game, it snuck in to have a look. But as soon as the tiger saw him make a move, it leapt off into the forest in alarm, and was never seen again. Nearly every afternoon, three or four men came to check them out. They stood around whispering among themselves without a word to Ãcariya Mun, who, in turn, ignored their presence. When they arrived, Ãcariya Mun focused his citta on their thoughts. They, of course, never suspected that he knew what they were thinking or what they were whispering about. It’s unlikely they even considered the possibility that someone could be privy to their thoughts, which they indulged in unrestrainedly. Ãcariya Mun focused his attention on everyone who came. As was to be expected of a reconnaissance party, he discovered that they were primarily looking to find fault with him in some way. Instead of taking precautions against such findings, Ãcariya Mun responded with great compassion. He knew that a majority of the villagers were subject to the corrupting influence of a small minority.

尊者阿迦曼和他的同伴在那里住了几个月，而几个月来，村民并未放弃找碴的意图。毕竟说来，他们持续的意图是可许的，总算幸运地（当然是指村民），村民并未企图赶走他们。在这样长时间的察看、等待之後，他们自己必定已经诧异地发现，比丘们没有什麽过错可以挑剔的，除了他们自己找碴的锐眼之外。一天晚上，当他禅思的时候，尊者阿迦曼用他的神通力听到或宁可说知道，酋长正在询问他的观察团，两个比丘有什麽过错，观察员一致地回答，他们不能找到两只老虎的任何过错，补充说，他们自己的怀疑对他们本身可能弊多於利。当酋长问到为什麽会这样，他们回答说两位比丘从未做过任何可疑的事。

Ãcariya Mun remained at this site for many months; yet, the villagers persisted in trying to catch him at suspicious doings. Their sole purpose was to find him doing something that would confirm their worst fears. Although they were sincerely committed to this, they never tried to chase him away: they merely took turns spying on him. The villagers must have been surprised that despite many months of continuous surveillance, they still couldn’t catch him doing anything wrong. One evening while sitting in meditation, Ãcariya Mun became psychically aware that the villagers were assembled for a meeting concerning his case. He could hear the village headman questioning the others about the results of their surveillance: What had they been able to determine so far? Those, who had taken turns observing the two monks, said the same thing: they could find no evidence to confirm their suspicions. They were worried that their suspicious attitude mightbe doing them more harm than good. “Why do you say that?” The headman wanted to know.

「每一次，我们到那里，」他们说：「两位比丘不是闭眼静坐就是来回走着，不会左顾右盼。任何伪装来吞咬我们的老虎，当然不会是像这个样子。我们已经监视他们很久了，但是他们从未露出一点蛛丝马迹，如果我们继续这样，那对我们可能是有害的。最好是我们能够跟他们谈谈，让我们能够更认识他们。」这个提议得到很多人的支持，他们说曾经在城里看到一些比丘，他们认为这两个比丘是善良而可信赖的。他们说被比丘的风范所感动，远甚於专注地找碴。在会议之後，他们同意要去找尊者阿迦曼，并问他坐着的用意是什麽，还有当他走来走去的时候是在找什麽。知道了这件事，尊者阿迦曼告诉他的同伴，村民们很快就要来找他们了。一天下午，就如他所说的，很多村民来了。

They replied: “As far as we can tell, there’s nothing in their conduct to confirm our assumptions about them. Whenever we go to check them out, either they are sitting still with their eyes closed, or they’re calmly pacing back and forth, not looking here and there like most people do. People who are tigers in disguise, poised to attack their prey, would hardly behave like that. These two monks should have exhibited some sort of incriminating behavior by now, but we’ve seen nothing so far. If we keep treating them like this, we may suffer the consequences. The correct approach would be to speak with them to find out about their motives. Presuming their motives to be sinister may well reflect badly on us all. “Good monks are hard to find. We have enough experience to tell good monks from bad ones. These monks deserve our respect. Let’s not hastily accuse them of treachery. To find out the whole story, let’s go speak with them. Let’s ask them why they sit still with their eyes closed, and why they pace back and forth – what are they searching for?” A decision was reached at the meeting to send a representative to question the monks. In the morning, Ãcariya Mun spoke to his companion: “The villagers are beginning to have a change of heart. Last night they held a meeting about their surveillance of us. They have decided to send someone here to question us about their suspicions.”

其中一个问他为什麽静坐？还有当他来回走着时是在寻找什麽？ 「我的佛德（Buddho）掉了。」尊者阿迦曼说：「我坐着和走着是为了找寻佛德。」「到底什麽是佛德？」他们问：「我们能够帮你找吗？」「哦，是的，你们都能够，」尊者阿迦曼回答：「佛德是全世界（叁界）中惟一的无价之宝，佛德是全知的。那真是太好了，如果你们愿意帮我去找佛德，那麽我们就能够很快地找到佛德了。」「你丢掉你的佛德多久了？」「不久以前。有了你们的帮忙，我们就能更快地找到它了。」「这个佛德的无价之宝有多大呢？」村民问。「不太大也不太小」他说：「大小对你我都很适合。任何人找到了佛德，就是世界上的优胜者，因为他能够看到每一件事物。」「他能够看到天堂和地狱吗？」「当然，如果他知道怎麽去寻找佛德的话。否则，我们怎麽能够说佛德是无价的和殊胜的呢？」「我们能够看到死去的小孩、丈夫或妻子吗？」「当然可以，」他回答：「当你已经找到佛德，你就能看到每一件事物和每一个人了。」

Just as Ãcariya Mun foresaw, a village representative arrived that very afternoon to question him: “What are you searching for when you sit still with your eyes closed, or pace back and forth?” Ãcariya Mun replied, “I’ve lost my buddho. I’m searching for buddho while sitting and walking.” “What is this buddho? Can we help you find it?” “Buddho is the most precious gem in the three worlds of existence – a jewel of all-pervading knowledge. If you help me find it, that’ll be excellent. Then we will all see buddho quickly and easily.” “Has your buddho been missing long?” “Not long. With your help we’ll find it a lot faster than if I look for it alone.” “Is buddho something large?” “Neither large nor small, it’s just the right size for all of us. Whoever finds buddho will become a superior person, able to perceive anything he wishes.” “Will we be able to see the heavens and the hells?” “Of course. Otherwise, how could we call it superior.” “What about our dead children, and our dead spouses, can they be seen?” “You can see anything you want once buddho is yours.”

「佛德有光亮吗？」「是的，佛德有非常光明的亮光，远比千百个太阳还明亮，因为太阳不能让你看到天堂和地狱，但是佛德能够。」「妇女和小孩能够帮你找寻佛德吗？」「是的，每一个人都能够。」「佛德在那些方面是无价和殊胜的呢？它能帮助保护我们防范魔鬼吗？」「佛德在许多方面都是无价和殊胜的，那是数说不尽的，欲望、形象和无形象的叁个世界（中译注：欲界、色界、无色界）都要在佛德前面顶礼，没有什麽能够胜过佛德的。魔鬼都非常害怕佛德，他们害怕那些开始要寻找佛德的人，即使他们仍未找到它。」

“Is it very bright?” “It’s much brighter than hundreds, even thousands, of suns. The sun is not able to illuminate heaven and hell, but buddho can penetrate everywhere, illuminating everything.” “Can woman and children help search for it too?” “Everyone can help – men, women, young and old, all can join in the search.” “This superior buddho, can it protect us from ghosts?” “Buddho is superior in countless ways. It is superior in the three worlds – kãma-loka, rýpa-loka, arýpa-loka. All three of them must pay homage to buddho. No being anywhere is greater than buddho. Ghosts are very afraid of buddho – they must bow down and worship it. Ghosts are frightened of people who search for buddho too, even though they haven’t found it yet.”

「佛德宝石是什麽颜色？」「在佛德的亮光里有无法计数的许多颜色。佛德是佛陀的无价之宝。佛德是知识和光辉的泉源。佛德不是一个实体，佛陀在很久以前把它给了我们，但是我们现在还没找到它。不过佛德在那里并不重要，如果你真的想要寻找佛德，你就必须坐着或走着，自己重复念着佛德、佛德。在这段时间，你不要想到其他任何事情，让你的思想安住在你内在的佛德中，如果你能这麽做，那麽你可能会找到佛德。」「但是，我们必须坐多久或走多久去寻找佛德？」「一开始，十五或二十分钟就够了，佛德不喜欢我们匆忙，一匆忙就厌倦而不能找到佛德了。今天这样就够了。」

“This buddho jewel, what color is it?”“It’s a bright, sparkling jewel with countless colors. Buddho is a special asset of the Lord Buddha – a gleaming aggregate of knowledge, not a material thing. The Lord Buddha bequeathed it to us many years ago, but since then it’s gone missing and we no longer know how to find it. But it’s location is not so important. If you’re trying to find it, what’s important is to sit and walk thinking “buddho, buddho, buddho” exclusively within your heart. Keep your attention focused within your body, not letting it wander outside. Fix your awareness firmly on the repetition of “buddho, buddho”. If you can manage to do this, you may even come across buddho before I do.” “How long must we to sit and walk searching for buddho before we find it?”“To begin with, sit or walk for about 15 to 20 minutes at a time. Buddho doesn’t want you to spend too much time searching for it yet. It’s afraid you’ll grow tired and so be unable to keep up with it. Losing interest, you will not want to search anymore. Then you’ll miss it altogether. This is enough to get you started. If I elaborate any further, you won’t remember it all, thus jeopardizing your chances of meeting buddho.”

在这善巧的开示之後，村民就回到他们的村落去了。他们没有告诉他说他们要走了，他们站起来就走开了。他们没有说再见的习惯。在村子里，其他留下来的人热切地询问着他们。他们重复着尊者阿迦曼的开示，并说他和他的比丘不是像他们起初所怀疑的伪装的老虎。村民对他的开示有浓厚的兴趣，不久之後，他们都热诚地念起「佛德」来了，从酋长下至妇女和小孩都知道如何在心里念诵。尊者阿迦曼的开示产生了奇妙的结果，比任何人所期望的还要快得多。过了不久，有一个男人能够藉着尊者阿迦曼的善巧方法而找到佛德，他说在他忠实地奉行那个方法之後，很快地就得到一种喜乐的安宁，依照他说，在那个成就前的四、五天，他梦见尊者阿迦曼，他来把一枝有着光亮火焰的大蜡烛放在他的头上，在他的梦中，他非常高兴，因为他能够发出一种光，强度足以穿越他身边几公尺内的黑暗。当後来他得到了那种喜乐的安宁，他跑去见尊者阿迦曼，向他陈述他的梦和他的奇妙成就。尊者阿迦曼於是教导他一个更深入的修习，并告诉他要更努力。他细心地奉行尊者阿迦曼的开示，而很快地获得较高的成就和附加的他心通，透过它，他能够知道一个人的心有多麽污秽或纯净。

With these instructions in mind, the villager returned home. He didn’t take leave of Ãcariya Mun in any special way, because that was not the hill tribe custom. Deciding that it was time to go, he simply got up and left. As soon as he arrived at the village, everyone gathered around to hear what had taken place. He explained why Ãcariya Mun sat still with his eyes closed and why he paced back and forth: he was searching for the precious gem buddho and not, as they had presumed, because he was a ‘tiger in disguise’. He then explained Ãcariya Mun’s brief instructions on how to find buddho. Once the villagers knew the method, everyone – from the headman on down to the women and older children – began to practice, mentally repeating “buddho”. Several days later, something truly amazing happened. The Dhamma of the Lord Buddha arose clearly in the heart of one of the villagers. While mentally repeating the word “buddho” over and over again as Ãcariya Mun had suggested, one man in the village found Dhamma: his heart attained a state of peace and calm. A few days earlier, the man had dreamed that Ãcariya Mun was placing a very large, bright-shining candle on top of his head. The moment Ãcariya Mun set the candle on his head, his whole body, from the head on down, was brightly illuminated. He felt overjoyed as the radiance, spreading out around him, illuminated the surrounding area as well. Soon after he attained this state of tranquility, he went to tell Ãcariya Mun about his achievement, and about the amazing dream he had prior to it. Ãcariya Mun then gave him additional instructions on how to proceed with his practice. As it turned out, his progress was very quick: he was soon able to psychically
know other people’s thoughts. He informed Ãcariya Mun of this very matter-of-factly in the forthright manner typical of forest people.

後来当他跑去见尊者阿迦曼时，他坦白地说出来，依照山地人的习性，他已经观察了尊者阿迦曼和他同伴的心，现在很了解他们了！ 「那麽我的心像什麽呢？」尊者阿迦曼戏笑地说：「它是罪恶的吗？」「那里，」这老人立刻回答：「你的心解脱了所有的烦恼，它沐浴在一种奇妙的光亮里面，你是世界上贤圣的人，我从未见过任何像这样的事物。你已经住在这里很久了！为什麽你刚来的时候不教导我们？」「但是，我怎麽教呢？」他回答：「你们没有一个人曾经来问过我。」「但是我不知道你是一个圣人，否则我早就来了。现在我们知道你是多麽地有智慧，当你被问到为什麽静坐和来回走路是要寻找什麽时，你说佛德丢掉了并要我们帮您找寻佛德，当问到什麽是佛德时，你说佛德是光明之宝，事实上，您的心已经是佛德，但是您要使我们的心像您一样光明，现在我们知道您是神圣而智慧的，您不需要我们帮您寻找佛德，您是要帮助我们为自己寻找佛德！」 那个人成就於法的消息很快地传遍了全村。每一个人对於念「佛德」都更有兴趣了，也因此对尊者阿迦曼更感兴趣了。从那时起，两只「老虎」的事就被完全遗忘了。

谷成

Sometime later, this man declared to Ãcariya Mun that he had examined Ãcariya Mun’s citta and had clearly seen its characteristics. Playfully, Ãcariya Mun asked if he could see much evil in his citta. The man answered without hesitation, “Your citta has no focal point whatsoever – only an absolutely incredible radiance shining within. Your preeminence is unrivaled anywhere in the world. I’ve never seen anything like it. You’ve been here about a year now, why didn’t you teach me about this right from the beginning?” “How could I teach you? You never came to ask me any questions.” “I didn’t know you were a supreme master. Had I known, I’d have come for sure. Now we all know you’re an extremely clever person. When we came asking you why you sat still with your eyes closed and what you were looking for as you paced back and forth, you told us your buddho was lost and asked us to help you find it. When asked to describe it, you said buddho is a bright, sparkling jewel, but in truth the real buddho is your heart. The missing buddho was simply a clever ploy to persuade us to meditate on buddho so that our hearts could become bright like yours. Now we realize that you’re a supremely wise person whose only desire was for us to discover the supreme buddho in our own hearts, thus ensuring our long-term welfare and happiness.” The news of this man’s attainment of Dhamma spread rapidly through the community, further arousing everyone’s interest in buddho meditation so that even small children took it up. Their faith in Ãcariya Mun thus reinforced, their reverence for his teaching steadily increased. No one ever mentioned ‘tigers in disguise’ again.

每天早上，尊者阿迦曼和他的同伴後面就跟随着那个人，替尊者拿着钵器，也从尊者那里学得更多。即使当他有其他的事要做，他也会差人告诉尊者阿迦曼。还有其他几个人，男、女都有，在禅思修习上都有进展，但是第一个得法的人显然是最佳的。现在，他们对於尊者阿迦曼有了正确的态度，每一件事都自动地改变了。从前，村民从不关心两个比丘的饮食睡眠乃至或生或死，一旦他们知道了他是谁，他们就热心於尊者的安宁和舒适了。吃饭、睡觉和经行禅思的地方，在没有尊者阿迦曼的一句要求之下，都整整齐齐地建造好了。

From that time on, the man who had learned to meditate carried Ãcariya Mun’s alms bowl back to his forest retreat every day after the almsround. After Ãcariya Mun finished eating, he would then seek advice on his practice. On the days when he had business to attend to, he told someone to inform Ãcariya Mun that he wouldn’t be available to carry the alms bowl. Although quite a few men and women in the village learned to meditate, this first man was the most accomplished. When people are satisfied, everything else naturally falls into place. For instance, previously these people were not the least bit interested in how Ãcariya Mun ate or slept, or even whether he lived or died. But later when faith and respect arose in them, those things that previously were scarce soon became plentiful. Without having to be asked, the villagers joined forces to make him a walking path. They also built him a hut and a platform on which to sit and have his meal. When they came to help, they disguised their praises of him in reproachful tones.

他们也亲切地向他抱怨说，他怎麽可以像野猪那样在草木纠葛丛生的小径上行走呢？ 「您甚至说这就是寻找佛德的道路，」他们说：「而且您告诉我们，您坐着和走着是为了寻找佛德！您是多麽奇特，跟其他人多麽不一样！您是世界上最卓越的，然而您却不吹嘘，我们很喜欢您。您的床不过是乾叶子而已，现在都腐烂了，您怎麽能用它住了好几个月？这就像个猪窝，这让我们心情沈重。我们全都这麽愚笨，我们是多麽盲目啊！有些人甚至控诉您们是伪装的老虎，但现在他们都已经改变心意了，我们告诉他们有关您们的一切。」山地村落居民的敬意和尊重是强烈而真诚的，而更重要的是，绝对的，他们能够为他们所尊敬的人而牺牲自己的生命。尊者阿迦曼所说的一切，都被恭敬地听受和忠实地奉行。除了诵念佛德之外，他教导他们更深入的禅思课程，假以时日，他们将能够更进步。尊者阿迦曼和他的同伴为了他们的缘故，便与他们作雨期安居。两位比丘在二月初到达他们的村落，而在第二年的四月离开，已经和村民们相处了一年多。然而，他的离别却成了一个戏剧性的，泪流汪汪的场面，因为他们不让他离开。他们说即使他会死在这里，他们也会很乐於安排他的葬礼。他们全心地奉献於他。这显示了他们是如何地能够承认他们的过错和自我改正。他们能够知道他是真正的圣人，并请他原谅他们对他的罪过。

“Look at that walking meditation path. It’s all overgrown with vegetation. You’d have to be a wild boar to penetrate that thicket. And yet, you still insist on walking there. You’re really weird, you know. When we ask you what the path is for, you say it’s a place to search for buddho – I’ve lost my buddho. When asked why you sit still with your eyes closed, again you say you’re looking for buddho. Here you are a supreme master, yet you don’t tell anyone about it. You’re the strangest person we’ve ever known, but we like you just the way you are. Your bed is a carpet of moldy smelling leaves strewn over the ground. How could you stand it all these months? It looks like a pig’s lair. Looking at it now, we feel so sorry for you we could cry. We were very stupid, all of us. We didn’t realize what a wonderful person you are. Worse than that, a few of us accused you of having sinister motives, convincing the rest to dislike anddistrust you. Finally now the whole village trusts and reveres you.”Ãcariya Mun said that, when hill tribe people decided to trust and respect someone, their belief was heartfelt and unequivocal. Their loyalty was unconditional – they would sacrifice their lives if they had to. They took what they were taught to heart, conducting themselves accordingly. As they became more familiar with the method and more proficient in their practice, Ãcariya Mun taught them to steadily increase the amount of time they spent doing buddho meditation. Ãcariya Mun stayed with those people for over a year – from February of one year to April of the following year – until he finally left. However, because of his great compassion for them, taking leave of them was very difficult for him. They were very reluctant to see him go. They assured him that, were he to remain there until he died, the whole community would arrange for his cremation. Those people were willing to put their complete trust in him out of a deep sense of love and devotion. Unmistakably, they had seen for themselves the good results of his teaching. And to their credit, they were smart enough to see their own faults as well. Once they came to know him as a truly virtuous, highly respected monk, they realized their mistake and so begged his forgiveness. He forgave them, later telling his disciple that their amends were complete. This meant that the two of them were then free to go somewhere else.

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礼敬阿罗汉。愿以分享此文功德，回向一切众生，回向无上菩提，回向四众和合，回向正法久住。Sadhu Sadhu Sadhu.