【Master Faxian】

 

【Master Faxian】-The First Person to Return from a Journey to India to Obtain Buddhist Scriptures

 

Master Faxian was born in Pingyang Wuyang (present-day Xiangyuan, Shanxi Province) during the Eastern Jin Dynasty.

His secular surname was Gong.

 

He had three older brothers, but all of them died young.

 

Fearing further misfortune would befall Faxian, his father had him ordained as a novice monk when he was three years old,

 

but he continued to live with his family.

 

Several years later, Faxian fell critically ill and was sent to a monastery.

 

He recovered within three days of returning to the monastery and refused to return home.

 

To make it easier for him to visit, his mother built a small house next to the monastery.

 

When he was ten years old, his father passed away.

 

His uncle, unable to bear seeing his mother widowed alone, forced Faxian to return to secular life.

 

Faxian said, "I did not become a monk because of my father, but to renounce worldly life and cultivate myself."

 

His uncle found his reasoning sound and relented.

 

Soon after, his mother also passed away.

 

After handling the funeral arrangements, Faxian returned to the monastery.

 

One day, the master and dozens of his students were harvesting rice in the fields when a group of hungry thieves came to steal the grain.

 

The other novices fled in terror, but the master remained behind.

 

He earnestly said to the thieves, “If you need rice to fill your stomachs, take as much as you like!

But you did not practice generosity in the past, which has led to your hunger and poverty in this life.

 

Now you are trying to steal from others; I fear your next life will be even more miserable.

 

I am only worried about you in advance!”

After saying this, the master returned to the temple.

 

Hearing the master's words, the thieves felt deeply ashamed and left the rice behind.

 

All the hundreds of monks in the temple admired the master's wisdom and courage.

 

Story  _ ___   Mar.__ ___.

Q1,  rice (     )

      (A)肉 (B)米 (C)果

Q2, mother (     )

   (A)爸 (B)媽 (C)姐

Q3, ten years old (     )

    (A)10歲 (B)11歲 (C)12歲

法顯大師 - 

西行至印度取經返回之第一人

 

法顯大師，東晉平陽武陽（今山西襄垣）人，俗姓龔。有三個哥哥，但都先後夭折了。父親恐災禍再降臨到法顯身上，便於師三歲時，送他剃度為沙彌，但仍住在俗家。過了幾年，師生病垂危，才送往寺院。回寺院三天後，病就痊癒了，因此再也不肯回家了，母親為便於探視他，就在寺旁蓋了一間小房子。

 

十歲那年，父親去世，叔父不忍其母孤獨寡居，乃逼迫師還俗。師曰：「我本不是因為有父親才出家，而是為了出離世俗才出家修行。」叔父認為他說得有道理而作罷。不久，母親也辭世了，師料理喪事後，又回到寺裡。

 

有一天，師與同學數十人在田中割稻，有一群饑餓的盜賊來搶奪稻穀，眾沙彌驚嚇而奔逃，獨師留下，懇切地對群賊說：「如果你們需要穀子充饑，就隨意拿取吧！但你們過去不行布施，所以導致今世的饑餓和貧窮，現在又要搶奪別人的東西，恐怕來世會更加悽慘，我只是預先為你們擔憂罷了！」師說完即回寺。群賊聽了師的一番話，感到慚愧萬分，便放下稻穀走了。寺中僧眾數百人，莫不歎服師的智慧勇氣。