在东北哈尔滨南边，有个村庄，名叫大南沟屯，这个地方有位孝子，姓高，名叫德福。他母亲患重病，中西医都束手无策，为了使母亲病愈，他发愿要剁手供养佛。这番孝心，感动天地，将他的母亲从死魔中夺回生命。这件事曾经轰动一时，老少妇孺皆知高德福是一位大孝子。这个公案经过如下：
In Manchuria, south of the city of Harbin, in the village Da-nan-gou there lived a filial son called Defu Gao. His mother was sick and none of the Chinese or Western doctors could cure her. In order to save his mother he vowed to cut off his hand and offer it to the Buddha. His filial act moved heaven and earth, and his mother was rescued from the clutches of death. This event caused quite a stir at the time. Even women and children knew that Gao was a greatly filial son. The story goes like this:
他母亲患重病，粒米不食，滴水不饮，奄奄一息，命在旦夕。于是他到三缘寺（这天是浴佛节，正举行大法会，参加的善信约有数百人），在佛前上香，三拜之后，拿出菜刀正要剁左手的时候，被人发现了，实时制止他，有人就问他：“为什么要剁手呢？”他说：“为了母亲的病，所以发心剁手供养佛。”当时有位居士，名叫李景华，对他说：“你快到方丈室去，求方丈和尚，他有神通，可能可以救你母亲。”
Gao’s mother was very ill. She could neither eat or drink, and she was dying. Gao went to Three Conditions Mona¬stery (it happened to be Shakyamuni Buddha’s birthday, so there was a big Dharma assembly going on, with a few hundred Buddhists attending) and lit a stick of incense in front of the Buddha. After three bows, he took out a kitchen knife and was just about to chop off his left hand, when he was discovered and stopped by some people. When asked why he wanted to cut off his hand, he explained that he’d vowed to chop off his hand and offer it to the Buddha because of his mother’s illness. At that time a layperson called Jinghua Li said to him, “Go to the Abbot’s office and plead with him. He has spiritual powers. Maybe he can save your mother.”
他到方丈室，见到方丈和尚，说明来意，方丈和尚对他说：“你去求安慈法师，他有办法，能治好你母亲的病。”他又来到我寮房，请我慈悲，给他母亲治病。我听说他是个孝子，于是乎就答应了，对他说：“你骑自行车先回家，我随后就到。”他很高兴走了。可是他骑自行车必走大路，我从小路走，比他先到十分钟。
Gao went to the Abbot’s office and explained why he had come. The Abbot told him, “Why don’t you go ask Dharma Master An Ci. He can cure your mother’s illness.” So he came to my room asking me to be compassionate and attend to his mother’s illness. I had heard he was a filial son, so I promised to help him. I said to him, “Ride your bike home first. I’ll be there right away.” He left happily. Since he was riding a bike, he had to go by the main road, while I took a shortcut. I arrived there ten minutes before him.
他一进门，看见我已坐在炕上，就很惊讶地说：“师父！您怎么比我先到？我骑自行车，却没有您走得快！”这时，全家大小都来叩头，这就是“平时不烧香，临时抱佛脚。”于是我写了一道疏文，令他母亲的病一定要好，等疏文焚化之后，病人就安详地睡着了，大家也都休息了。
When he came in the door and saw me sitting on the brick bed, he was shocked and said, “Master, how did you get here before me? You walked faster than I rode the bike!” Then the whole family came to bow to me. This was a typical case of people who usually never lit incense, but were seeking help from the Buddha in an emergency. I wrote a declaration vowing that his mother would get well. After the declaration was burned, the mother fell asleep peacefully. Everyone went to bed.
第二天早晨，病人就坐起来了，唤他儿子的乳名，“举子！举子！我很饿，我想吃点粥。”高德福听到母亲能讲话，高兴得无法形容，急忙为母亲煮粥，病人吃了一碗粥，就恢复说话的能力。（她有八天不言不语，不饮不食，唇也焦，舌也黑了。）
The next morning, the mother sat up and called her son by his nickname, “Juzi, Juzi! I’m hungry. I’d like some rice porridge.” When the boy realized that his mother could talk, he felt unspeakable joy. Quickly he cooked some porridge for her. She ate a bowl of porridge and regained enough strength to talk. (For eight days she hadn’t been able to talk, eat or drink. Her lips were parched and her tongue had turned black.)
高德福问他母亲：“妈！您老人家这几天觉得怎么样啊？”
“Mother, how did you feel during the past few days?” the boy asked.
他母亲说：“啊！我走丢了，找不到回家的路，没有日头，没有月亮，也没有星辰，一片乌黑，不知东南西北方向，在黑暗中摸索了好几天。昨天晚上，有个和尚他把我送回来了！”高德福一听，心里明白，又问：“妈！是什么样子的出家人？”他母亲说：“那位和尚穿很破的衣服。”高德福用手指着我，问：“妈！您老人家看看，是不是那位和尚？”老太太仔细地看，她说：“就是他送我回家的！”这时，全家就都来皈依我，而老太太的病也慢慢好了。
“Oh! I got lost, and I couldn’t find my way back home. It was dark. There were no stars, moon, or sun. I groped in the dark for days and didn’t know which way to turn. Last night, a monk brought me home.” When the boy heard that, he understood.
“Mother, what did this monk look like?”
The mother said, “He was dressed in rag robes.”
“Mother, look, was he the monk?” the boy asked, pointing to me. The old woman looked at me carefully, and said, “That’s the one who took me home!” The whole family then took refuge with me, and the old woman gradually got well.
一九八三年十月一日开示
A talk given on July 15, 1983
