Kneeling for Nine Years,
He Seeks the Dharma for Ending Birth and Death

九载跪求　了生法门

During the nine years he knelt there, Dharma Master Shen Guang's skill was almost perfected, but not quite. One year, it snowed very heavily on Bear's Ear Mountain. Outside, the snow was deep. Patriarch Bodhidharma sat meditating and as Dharma Master Shen Guang knelt there, he became buried in snow up to his waist. Imagine that! The snow must have been at least two to three feet deep, yet Dharma Master Shen Guang continued to kneel there seeking the Dharma.

神光法师在那儿跪了九年，这九年他的功夫也差不多了，可是还没有成就。有一年，天下大雪，在熊耳山上，外边的雪下得很厚，达摩祖师在那儿打坐，他依然在那儿跪着，这雪就没了他的腰，把他的腰都给埋了。你看这有多厚！这雪最少有两尺半到三尺深了，可是他还是在那儿跪着求法。

At about lunch time, Patriarch Bodhidharma got up from where he had been facing the wall meditating and saw that the Dharma Master was still kneeling. He said, "What are you doing here, acting like that? It's snowing so hard. Why are you still kneeling there?"

达摩祖师在那儿面壁坐着，大约到吃饭的时候，站起身要去吃饭，一看神光法师还在那儿跪着，就说：“你干什么在这儿这个样子，下这么大雪，你还在这儿跪着干什么？”

Dharma Master Shen Guang replied, "I am seeking the Dharma! I am seeking the Way! Please, Patriarch, be compassionate and transmit to me the method for avoiding King Yama. Before, I lectured on the Sutras, but could not end my own birth and death. Now I want to end birth and death. Please, Patriarch, transmit the Dharma for ending birth and death to me."

神光法师说：“我要求法，我要求道！请祖师您慈悲传给我这个躲阎罗王的法！以前我讲经不能了生死，现在我要了生死了，请祖师传给我了生死的法门！”

Patriarch Bodhidharma thought for a while and said, "Now you are kneeling here pleading with me to teach you the Dharma for escaping King Yama. But do you remember the time when I asked you a question and you responded by breaking off two of my teeth with your recitation beads? Do you remember that time?" Then, he asked, "Is it snowing?"

Dharma Master Shen Guang said, "Yes, it is snowing. I am buried in snow up to my waist."

达摩祖师一想：“你现在跪在我面前要求法躲阎罗，你不记得我问你话时，你用念珠打掉我两颗牙，你不记得那时吗？”然后就说：“你看现在天是不是下雪？” 神光法师说：“是下雪！这雪现在都没我的腰了。”

Patriarch Bodhidharma asked, "What color is the snow?"

达摩祖师就问：“雪是什么颜色的？”

Dharma Master Shen Guang said, "Snow is white, of course. Everyone knows that snow is white. I am not the only one who says so."

神光法师说：“雪当然是白色的！人人都知道雪是白色的，不是我一个人这么说！”

Then Patriarch Bodhidharma gave him a problem to solve. He assigned him his test question. He said, "Fine. You see that the snow falling from the sky is white. When red snow falls from the sky, I will transmit the Dharma to you. I will teach you how to end birth and death and escape from King Yama. If no red snow falls, you are out of luck. What a vicious monk you are to have knocked out two of my teeth with your recitation beads! I have already been most compassionate by not seeking revenge; how could I possibly transmit the Dharma to you!"

达摩祖师就出一个题目，来考他一下，说：“好了！你看雪是白的，从天上下来的。你等着什么时候天下红雪，那时我就传法给你，教你怎么了生死、躲阎罗王。如果不下红雪的话，你就不要希望了。你这么一个恶和尚，一念珠就打掉我两颗牙，我不向你报仇，就已经最慈悲了，怎么又会传给你法呢！”

You all think about it: wouldn't solving that problem have been like trying to find a hair on a monk's head? In other words, wasn't it impossible? Monks are bald; there would be no hair to be found, right? But Patriarch Bodhidharma was searching for a hair on a monk's head. He said, "Whenever you see red snow falling, then I will transmit the Dharma to you." That was the test question he gave to Dharma Master Shen Guang to answer.

你们各位想一想，这岂不是在和尚头上找头发──没有！没有这个道理。和尚都是光头的，哪有头发？对不对？但是他要在和尚头上找头发。达摩祖师说：“你什么时候看见雪是红的，我再传法给你。”就出了这么一个题目，来考神光法师一下。