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Chapter 20 - Between Men And Pigs
Many people say that I live in illusion. Some say I use black magic. Others say that I'm a hypnotist. Indeed, I do appear strange. Though I seem crazy to strangers, it's true that when people get to know me I'm just ordinary. A young man named Tseng Tzu-ch'i traveled a long distance to see me. He talked to me for about an hour, then he said disappointedly, "Mr. Lu, I came to see you because I believed you were some kind of saint. Why do you speak so ordinarily?" I smiled. "I am ordinary! I use ordinary language. Remember, Buddha's mind is an ordinary mind. There are large numbers of ordinary people who think and act as if they are not ordinary. You have a desire to see my mysterious abilities? There's nothing mysterious. All I do is tell people what they cannot see." "Sir, can you prove anything to me?" "I can, yes. But it is up to you according to your ability to see what I show you." "How then?" "Tell me when you were born." "July 16, eleven p.m." "Well, I think this will work for you." I went to my library, picked up my paint brush and dropped it into red ink. I held the brush tip to my open mouth and exhaled sharply from my solar plexus. Then I put a red dot on each Tseng T-zu-ch'i's eyelids. "Now it's up to you," I said. "I think maybe you should go to the market. You might make a discovery. You have 49 minutes. Whether you see anything or not you don't have to come back to see me," I said.
An hour later there was a loud excited knock at my door. "Hey! I told you you didn't have to return. Why are you here?" "I have to tell you! It scared me nearly to death!" His expression showed surprise, horror, and fear. "I didn't want to believe it! I saw it! I'm not crazy! It was real! What can I do now?" "Don't be so excited. Tell me slowly." "I followed your suggestion. When I left here I got a taxi and went to the market. I noticed that my vision was becoming foggy. I was seeing residual light around people. At the market I saw two rows of booths selling pork. The pig odour was very strong. Then I looked up and saw something that scared me to death!" "What did you see?"
"Mr. Lu, I cannot believe it! The pigs' heads hanging there were human heads! Their eyes were full of sadness and grief. I looked down the two rows of booths. All the pigs' heads had become human! All the pigs' feet were human feet! I was so terrified I couldn't move! I wanted to scream. Yet the salespeople were talking to me in normal market sales conversations, 'Fresh pork here. How many pounds do you want?'" "So, did you buy any?" I asked him calmly. "Mr. Lu! You're joking! How could I buy men's heads and feet?" "Well, go home. Don't tell anybody what you saw or they'll think you're crazy. I think you ought to go to the market. Get some pork and make some stew. Act like an ordinary person." "Oh no! No! I couldn't do that!" "Take it easy. Don't take this too seriously. As you relax you'll be able to see reality better." "I have to take this seriously! I saw it. There is no way that I could eat that now!" "You fool!" I scolded. I was told later that Tseng Tzu-ch'i could never eat pork again. Even the taste of it caused him to vomit. He told others of his experience and, of course, they thought he was crazy. He suffered a great deal. Is there any difference between humans and pigs? No. Yet according to the form, humans are humans and pigs are pigs.
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