Sacred Texts  Buddhism  Index  Previous  Next   p. 274 p. 275
Chapter VI  Dialogues Suggested by Various Temperaments and
Circumstances  UPON THE PATRIARCH'S RETURN to the village of
Tso-hau in Shiu-chow from Wong-mui, where the Dharma had been
transmitted to him, he was an unknown man. At that time, it was
a Confucian scholar, named Liu Chi-luk, who first gave him a
warm welcome and appreciation. It came about in this manner.
Chi-luk had an aunt, named Wu Chun-chong who was a Buddhist nun,
who was in the habit of reciting the Maha Parinirvana Sutra. One
day the Patriarch heard her reciting it, and after listening for
only a short time, grasped the profound meaning of the Sutra,
and began to explain it to her, whereupon she brought the book
and asked him the meaning of certain passages.  "I am not very
well educated," he replied, "but if you wish to understand the
purport of the book, I will do the best I can." "How can you
understand the meaning of the text," she rejoined, "if you do
not know the words?" To