Receiving Retribution in This Life,
He Starves to Death in the Palace

今世果报　饿死台城

In this life, he was an emperor, and the monkey was reborn to be Hou Jing. Hou Jing led soldiers to attack Nanjing. After Nanjing was taken, he kept Emperor Wu in captivity in the palace and did not provide him with any food. He took all food away, and left the Emperor there to starve to death. In a previous life, the Emperor starved the monkey to death, and in this life the monkey starved him to death. He had to undergo that retribution.

所以他今生做了皇帝，这猴子就托生做侯景，这侯景带着兵，把南京攻下来，将梁武帝 关到台城里，又把所有吃的东西都拿走，不给他东西吃，因此梁武帝就饿死在那个地方。他饿死猴子，今生这猴子也同样把他饿死，就受这种果报。

Now before that happened, Patriarch Bodhidharma saw that the Emperor had done so many good deeds that he could have redeemed his offense with the merit and virtue created. However, to do so there must be some conditions. That's why the Patriarch was not polite to him. But the Emperor thought to himself, "I am an emperor, a great emperor, and you are only a poor monk. You come to my country and are utterly rude to me." So he alienated himself from the Patriarch. Though Patriarch Bodhidharma wanted to save him and brought forth a compassionate mind toward him, the Emperor could not accept him. Because the Emperor made no move to seek help from the Patriarch, there was nothing the Patriarch could do to help him. Thus, the Patriarch left and paid no more attention to the Emperor.

因为达摩祖师本来看他造这么多的功德，可以将功折罪，但是这也要有一种因缘，所以达摩祖师对他讲话也就不客气。可是梁武帝一想：“我是个大皇帝，啊！你一个穷和尚来到我的国家，对我讲话，还这么不客气！”所以就对达摩祖师疏远了。达摩祖师虽然想要救度他，要对他有一种慈悲心，但是他不接受，不向达摩祖师求，那也没法子了；于是达摩祖师就走了，不管他了。

What happened as a result was that after a period of time, Emperor Wu was captured and starved to death in the palace by Hou Jing and his people. Such was the cause and effect. You all think about it. If the Emperor actually had merit and virtue, how could he have starved to death? It was because he did not have merit and virtue that he died of hunger. Patriarch Bodhidharma wanted to save him from his fate by helping him reach an awakening. What a pity that Emperor Wu of Liang's ego was so big that even Patriarch Bodhidharma could not save him.

结果，过了一个时期，梁武帝果然被侯景带着一些个人马，把他饿死在台城里，这是有这么一个原因。你们大家想一想，如果他有功德，怎么会饿死？因为没有功德，所以就饿死了。达摩祖师当时本想挽救，不教他饿死，希望他能生一种觉悟心，可惜梁武帝这个吾我太大了，所以就是达摩祖师也救不了他。