The Blow Breaks Teeth;
He Swallows Them with the Blood
  
打落牙齿　和血而吞

Patriarch Bodhidharma was caught unprepared because he never expected that Dharma Master Shen Guang would hit him. Although certified sages can penetrate others' thoughts, the Patriarch did not reflect in advance on what the Dharma Master might do. Although Patriarch Bodhidharma had some skill in the martial arts, he was caught off guard. It never occurred to him that the monk would make such a vicious attack, that being unable to reply, he would resort to brute force. As a result, the blow broke off two of Patriarch Bodhidharma's teeth.

达摩祖师当时没留心，也想不到神光法师会打他，虽然证果的圣人有他心通，但没有预先说是我算一算看看他会怎样对我。达摩祖师大约会武术，可是因为未加防避，想不到他会这么厉害，说不过就动粗了；所以这一串念珠，就把达摩祖师的牙给打掉了两颗。

What did Patriarch Bodhidharma do about the two broken teeth? Well, he was a sage, and there's a legend about the teeth of a patriarch--a certified sage--and what happens if they get broken and he spits them out onto the ground. It's said that if a sage's teeth are knocked loose and he spits them out on the ground, it won't rain for three years.

打掉了两颗牙，达摩祖师怎么处理这牙？因为他是圣人，据一般传说，祖师、证果圣人的牙被人打掉了，这牙若吐出去，落到地上，那个地方就要天旱三年，不下雨。

Patriarch Bodhidharma thought, "Ai! If it doesn't rain for three years, just imagine how many people will starve! I have come to China to save beings, not to kill them!" And so Patriarch Bodhidharma did not let his teeth fall to the ground. Instead, he swallowed them, just as if he were eating a pancake. Well, pancakes aren't that hard--it was more like eating a bone! He swallowed them and made his exit.

达摩祖师一想：“噢！若三年不下雨，你说这要饿死多少人！我来度众生、救众生，这不是杀众生吗？”可是如果不吐到地上，这牙怎么办？于是，两颗牙也舍不得吐到地上，就把这两颗牙像吃油饼似的，吞到肚里去了；油饼没有那么硬，他就像吃骨头似的，吃到肚里头去；然后就走了。

Therefore, in China, there is a saying that came from that incident, "If someone knocks out the teeth of an arhat, the arhat swallows them."