Moonpointer : Buddhist Vegan Fellowship

野狐解脱
Wild Fox’s Liberation

民国二十五年（岁次丙子九十七岁）老和尚在南华放春期戒坛毕，曹溪驻防军第十团团长林国赓送来毛泽光润白狐一头，对老和尚说: ‘这狐来历颇奇，初于广州白云山被打猎的人所捕获，后来广州拆城，开马路，该狐从城垣逃出，又被捕，友人以四十元买得，本想煮食充补品，因见那狐双目炯炯有光，且解人意，不忍杀，送至广州动物园中。
In 1936, Venerable Xuyun (then 97 years old) emerged from a spring precept ceremony at Nanhua. The commander of the 10th Regiment then defending Caoxi [note: from where the Caoxi sect within the Chan tradition originated], Lin Guogeng, presented him with a fox covered with shining white fur, and told the Venerable, “This fox has had an unusual history. He was first caught by a hunter at Mount Baiyun in Guangzhou, but later escaped through the city walls when the old city was torn down to make way for roads. He was then captured again, and was bought by a friend for forty dollars. Initially planning to cook him for a tonic, he could not bring himself to kill him when he saw his bright eyes, and his almost human-like demeanour. He subsequently sent him to the Guangzhou Zoo.

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八哥念佛
Mynah Recites the Buddha’s Name

中华民国元年（岁次壬子七十三岁）老和尚在云南组织佛教分会，是年在佛教会中有乡人送来一个八哥鸟放生，该鸟已能说话，老和尚说皈依后教他念佛，即不吃荤，非常驯良，自知出入，日常念佛及观音菩萨圣号，从未间断。
In the first year of the Republic of China, Venerable Xuyun (then around 73 years old) founded a Buddhist society in Yunnan. That year, a countryman from the Buddhist society brought a mynah to the temple for liberation. This particular mynah was able to speak, so Venerable Xuyun recited the Threefold Refuges to the mynah and taught him to recite Amitabha Buddha’s name. Since then, the mynah only took vegetarian food and become extremely docile. He was very self-aware and daily recited not only the Buddha’s name, but Avalokiteshrva Bodhisattva’s name non-stop too.

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黄牛皈依
Yellow Cow Took ThreeFold Refuges (21st Wonder)

老和尚（岁次己酉七十岁）运经到腾冲寓万寿寺时，正在与提督张松林坐谈的时候，忽一黄牛奔至座前，跪下，双目流泪，随后牛主杨胜昌率领多人到寺，要将牛牵回屠杀。
While Venerable Xuyun (around 70 years of age) was at Teng Chong Yu Wan Shou Moastery chatting with Prefect Zhang Song Lin, an ox suddenly rushed to the front of Venerable Xuyun, kneeled down and burst into tears. Shortly, the owner of the cow, Yang Sheng Chang, who was leading many people, arrived at the monastery, wanting to recapture the cow for the slaughterhouse to kill her.

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雄鸡皈戒
Rooster Took ThreeFold Refuges and Five Percepts

清光绪二十九年（岁次癸卯六十四岁）老和尚在昆明府福兴寺闭关，有一迎祥寺僧人叩关，说寺中有放生雄鸡一只，体肥硕，极凶恶好斗，群鸡都被伤冠羽。
In Guangxu 29th year of the Qing Dynasty, Venerable Xuyun (around 64 years old) was in retreat at the Kunming Fuxing monastery. A monk from Yingxiang monastery came knocking on the Venerable’s door, said there was a plump and extremely feisty rooster liberated in his monastery, whom had injured a group of chickens’ combs.

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