Slicing Off His Arm,
Dharma Master Shen Guang Solves the Problem
The problem was stated and Dharma Master Shen
Guang solved it. He wrote the essay. How did he solve the problem? He
thought, "What a mess I'm in now! The falling snow is white. How could
it turn red?" Aha! He raised his head and saw a knife hanging from a
rock. That knife was a cultivator's precept blade. It hung there in
readiness in case the time ever came when the cultivator faced a
situation in which he would be forced to break the precepts.
In that
case, he would rather use the knife to cut off his own head in order
to preserve
the integrity of his precept substance than to violate the
precepts. When Dharma Master Shen Guang saw the knife,
he had an idea. "Great! Since you want red snow, I will show you red
snow." He took down the knife. Now, what do you suppose he was about
to do? Was he going to kill Patriarch Bodhidharma? No. He grabbed
the knife and with one swing cut off his own arm. That was how he
solved the problem. He completed his essay.
