从前有个王姓人，生性善良，乐于助人，一心向佛，人称“王善人”。
一天，他到寺院去打了一卦，看自己何时能修成正果。和尚告诉他：你要天天敬佛，给佛上香，什么时候香灰够了三石六斗，即可带上香灰去西方见佛祖，定成正果。
王善人回去后虔诚照办，日积月累，终于在几年后攒够了三石六斗香灰。于是他买了一头毛驴，驮上大部分香灰，自己还背了一包香灰，就上路了。王善人赶着毛驴走了一天，眼看日落西山，口干舌燥，天色渐暗，就准备找店住下，忽见西方路上立着一位老人拦住去路问他：“你是哪里人，姓甚名谁？驮着这么重的东西干什么去？”王善人一一做了回答。老人说：“那好，咱们是同路人，必有缘。现在我有一事相求，不知可肯应允？”王问什么事，老人说：“我走了一天，实在走不动了，请你让毛驴驮我一程如何？”王善人很为难，但转念又一想：既然积德行善，老人身疲乏力，怎能不帮呢？于是就把驴背上的香灰分出一半自己背上，叫老人骑驴上路了。
老人骑着驴，精神了许多，于是又问王善人：“哎！你刚才说是到啥地方去来着？瞧我这大把年纪，忘性真大！”王善人就又耐着性子告诉老者：我是到西方去拜见活佛，表我真心。老人说：“噢，这回我明白了。”赶到天黑，住店歇下，王善人就寻思，驮上这么个老人，又慢，又累，几时才能到西天面见活佛？不行，我明儿一早早点上路，甩掉这累赘老人。
天色刚濛濛亮，王善人就赶着毛驴，驮着香灰悄悄上路了，正往西行，见老人等在村口路旁，叫住他道：“哎呀，王善人，你这人怎么回事，我看你很善良的，咱们既然有缘同路，你怎么这样不顾伴，连一声招呼都不打就走了？幸亏我起得早没误事。来，来，来，还是让我骑上毛驴同行一程吧！”王善人没有办法推辞，只好再背上一半儿香灰，让老人骑上毛驴。
老人边走边问：“哎！你说我这一大把年纪，记性真赖，昨天刚问了你，今天又忘了。你到底是去西边干啥的？”王善人很不耐烦的又回答了一句：去西天拜佛。不一会儿，老者又问：“噢，我记住了你叫王善人，可你是干什么去我再也想不起来了，麻烦你再说一说？”王善人满肚子是火，可面对这么大年纪的“热心”人，怎么也发不出来，就又耐住性子，回答了一遍。
就这样一天走到黑，老者不知问了多少遍，王善人肚子都快气炸了。好不容易挨到天黑，找店住下，吃了饭，喘口气儿，王善人就想：这回说啥也得早点走，甩掉这麻烦老头！给驴喂饱草料，又饮了水，看看天色还不到三更，就给驴驮上香灰，摸黑上路了。
谁知刚走到村口上，影影绰绰见一个人影儿拦在村口：“王善人呀王善人，你叫了这个名字，怎么就不做行善之人？咱们结伴而行，我年岁又大，腿脚又慢，你怎么不念良心，弃我而行，一天比一天早，想把我丢掉，你于心何忍？”王善人无奈，只好忍着怒火，又把驴背上的香灰分一半自己背上，老者坐上驴背，没走几步，就又问开了：“王善人，你日夜兼程，到底去往何方，有什么要紧之事说来我听？”王一下怒火勃发：“我说你这老头，不知别人的苦楚。让你骑上驴，我步行，还要背上香灰，又苦又累，偏偏你不知好歹，问了一遍又一遍，你问着不累，我答着还累呢！”临了还骂了一句：“难道你的心被狗吃了？！”老者轻盈的跳下驴背，指着王说：“你回家吧，不要到西天去了，活佛不会收你这样的‘修善’之人。”说完老者腾空而起，消失在西方的天空。
王善人恍然大悟：原来这老者就是活佛！坐在地下，捶胸顿足，懊悔万分，可是又有何用呢？
Ancient Chinese Stories of Cultivation: The “Benevolent” Mr. Wang, a Buddhist Cultivator
Once upon a time in ancient China, there was a man whose surname was Wang. He was a kindhearted fellow, enthusiastic in helping people and devoted in Buddhist cultivation practice. He was commonly known as the “Benevolent Mr. Wang.”
One day, the Benevolent Mr. Wang went to a Buddhist monastery and drew a stick from the divination lot in order to find out when he could reach Consummation. Then a monk told him, “You must pay your respects to Buddha every day by offering incense to Buddha every day. When you accumulate nine large cauldrons of ash from the burned incense, you may bring the ash to the West and present the ash to Buddha. Then you will definitely reach Consummation.”
After he returned home, the Benevolent Mr. Wang followed the monk’s words and sincerely offered Buddha incense every day. Finally, he accumulated nine large cauldrons of ash after a few years. Then he bought a donkey for the trip and took off. The donkey carried most of the ash on its back but the Benevolent Mr. Wang had to carry the rest on his back. At the end of the first day, the Benevolent Mr. Wang felt thirsty from the day’s walking. Since it was getting dark, he began to look for lodging to spend the night when an elderly man suddenly showed up on the road to the West. The elderly man stopped him and asked, “Where are you from? What is your name? Why are both the donkey and you carrying such heavy sacks on your backs?” The Benevolent Mr. Wang answered all of his questions. Then the elderly man told him, “Excellent. We are traveling towards the same direction. We must have a predestined relationship. I hate to impose, but I was wondering if you could kindly do me a favor?” Wang asked what he could help him with. The elderly man said, “I have walked a whole day and I cannot go on any longer. Could you please give me a ride on your donkey’s back?” The Benevolent Mr. Wang hesitated for a minute, but he thought, “I should accumulate my virtue by doing charitable deeds. How can I not help the exhausted elderly man?” He then moved half of the ash from the donkey’s back to make room for the elderly man and carried the ash on his own back. Thus the elderly man got on the donkey and the two of them started traveling together.
Once on the donkey’s back, the elderly man seemed to feel better. He asked the Benevolent Mr. Wang again, “Oh, where did you say you were going? I must be old and senile. I cannot remember anything!” The Benevolent Mr. Wang patiently told the elderly man again, “I am going to the West to pay my respects to the Living Buddha and show the sincerity of my cultivation in Buddhism.” The elderly man said, “Oh, now I understand.” They found a lodge after dark and checked in. The Benevolent Mr. Wang started thinking to himself, “Now that the donkey is carrying such an elderly man on its back, the donkey is going to walk much more slowly and become more tired. When will I ever be able to meet Buddha? This will not do. I have to get up and leave early without the old fellow. I have to get rid of the excess baggage.”
The Benevolent Mr. Wang quietly took off with his donkey at dawn. As he reached the entrance of the village, he saw the elderly man waiting for him at the side of the road. The elderly man stopped him again and called out to him, “Hey! The Benevolent Mr. Wang! What is the matter with you? I thought you were a kindhearted man. We are predestined to travel together. How can you abandon your traveling partner and take off without even saying goodbye? Fortunately I got up early and caught up with you in time. Come, come. Let me have a ride on your donkey!” The Benevolent Mr. Wang could not bring himself to refuse the elderly man, so he had no choice but to move half of the ash from the donkey again and carry it on his back so that the elderly man could ride.
On the road the elderly man asked again, “Well! I am such an old fellow! I forget everything! I remembered asking you this question yesterday, but today I completely forget what you told me. Why are you going to the West?” The Benevolent Mr. Wang was running out of patience. He replied curtly, “To meet Buddha.” After a while, the elderly man asked again, “Oh, I remember you are the Benevolent Mr. Wang, but I cannot remember why you are going to West. Could I trouble you to tell me again?” Anger began to build up in the Benevolent Mr. Wang, but he decided that he must not throw a tantrum at such an elderly and enthusiastic person, so he suppressed his rage and answered the question again.
Thus they walked from dawn to dusk and the elderly man must have asked the Benevolent Mr. Wang the same question a thousand times. The Benevolent Mr. Wang was ready to explode by the end of the day. Finally he endured an entire day. They found a lodge, had dinner and retired to bed. The Benevolent Mr. Wang thought to himself, “This time I must get up and leave early to get rid of this old fellow that brings me nothing but trouble!” He provided the donkey with hay and water. He waited until almost midnight and then took off in the middle of the night with his donkey and the large sacks of ash.
Never would he expect to see the old man when he reached the border of the village. The man called out to him, “The Benevolent Mr. Wang! The Benevolent Mr. Wang! You are called the Benevolent Mr. Wang, but why are you not doing benevolent deeds? You and I are traveling together to the West. I am an elderly man that cannot walk fast. Why did you abandon your conscience and leave without telling me? You took off earlier and earlier each day. How do you have the heart to abandon me?”
The Benevolent Mr. Wang had no choice but to suppress his rage and removed half of the ash from the donkey’s back again to make room for the elderly man. Within minutes, the elderly man asked again, “The Benevolent Mr. Wang, you have been traveling day and night. Where are you going? Why on earth are you in such a hurry?” Upon hearing the repeated question again, the Benevolent Mr. Wang finally exploded. “Old man! You have no idea what I have suffered for you! I gave you a ride on my donkey, but I have been walking with a large sack of ash on my back! Do you have an idea how much I have suffered because of you? You do not appreciate what I have done for you! Instead, you asked me the same question over and over again! You are not tired of asking the same question, but I am exhausted from repeating the answer!” Then he said something really nasty: “Did a dog eat your conscience?!”
The elderly man got off the donkey’s back with incredible ease. He pointed his finger at the Benevolent Mr. Wang and declared, “Go back home. There is no need for you to go to the West. The Living Buddha will not accept such a ‘benevolent’ cultivator that cultivates ‘benevolence’ in this manner.” Upon saying these words, the elderly man levitated. He soared into the sky towards the west and then disappeared.
It was not until then that the Benevolent Mr. Wang realized that this elderly man was the Living Buddha! He collapsed to the ground and started slapping himself. He terribly regretted having missed the opportunity to achieve Consummation, but it was too late.
（First published in English at http://www.pureinsight.org/pi/articles/2005/10/10/3395.html）
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