Arriving First at Guangzhou,
He Is Feared by All Who See Him

初到广州　人见畏之

Patriarch Bodhidharma went to Guangzhou first. When children there saw such a dark and bearded Indian, they surrounded him as if he were performing a street show. At that time the Chinese people were rather snobbish toward foreigners. They called Indians "Mo Luo Cha" (meaning devil, or devilish ghost). The Patriarch became Monk Mo Luo Cha. They even composed a rhyme that they chanted, "Devil! Devil! Skin you, I will." They wanted to skin him alive! See how Patriarch Bodhidharma was ridiculed and insulted?

达摩祖师先到广州。广州这些个小孩子，见到胡子这么邋遢的一个印度人，大家就好像看热闹似地围着他。当时的中国人看不起外国人，叫印度人“摩罗刹”，说这是摩罗刹来了，摩罗刹和尚。喊着：“摩罗刹！摩罗刹！我把你皮扒。”要扒他的皮，你看！就这么骂达摩祖师。

However, Patriarch Bodhidharma could not understand what they were saying because he did not know Chinese. He didn't speak their language and couldn't communicate verbally with them. He wanted to befriend the children in that place, but as soon as they saw Patriarch Bodhidharma, they went crazy and scattered in all directions. They dared not to be near this Mo Luo Cha. Why? They were afraid of his long beard.

达摩祖师也不知他们说什么，因为不会中国话；话也听不懂，语言也不通，来到这儿想要和这些小孩子亲近亲近，嗐！这些小孩子，一见达摩祖师，就发狂似地各处跑，不敢接近这个摩罗刹。为什么？看他那么长的胡子，就很害怕。