Two Precious Scroll Narratives of Guanyin and Her ... - Khamkoo

The Precious Scroll of Incense Mountain, Part 1 87
cended the Dharma-hall to discuss this matter with all the nuns. So
how did it go?
The ulumbara flower opens inside the fire, but its golden heart is
dew,
The breeze brings you a pure fragrance, which is not of this world.
Namo Guanshiyin pusa
The abbess of the convent ascended her Dharma-throne,
And in the Dharma-hall the gong and drum were sounded.
The assembled nuns of the two sectors attended the meeting, 72
While on her lion-throne the abbess explained the situation.
‘‘During the over thirty years I have served as your abbess,
All wandering nuns we took in were closer than relatives.
Who could have known that the emperor’s third daughter
Would also come here, pretending she wants to be a nun?
This is why I wanted to make this announcement to you all,
What would be the best stratagem to deal with this matter?’’
The nuns there present answered her in the following way:
‘‘Dear abbess, it would be best to do the princess a favor.
If kind words failed to persuade her to change her mind,
You should inform the princess of all our bitter hardship.’’
The nun, adopting their counsel, called Marvelous Goodness:
‘‘Intelligent princess, please listen to what I have to say.
Don’t think that leaving the family means endless pleasure,
Only by living here permanently will you know the hardships.
We don’t care whether you are a golden branch or jade leaf,
Forget about being an imperial princess or royal consort!
Here you will have to donate your body like a slave, and
With bowed head bow before and serve all the other nuns.
Don’t blame me, this old nun, for the orders and demands,
We here don’t have the lazy rice to feed any lazybones!
You will start out in the kitchen, doing the heavy work:
Each day you will prepare the rice for five hundred nuns.
From three miles outside the gate you will fetch the water,
You’ll carry the firewood ten miles—there is no one else.
You’ll rinse the rice, wash the bowls, pick the vegetables,
In doing the kitchen work you will have to be diligent.
In the hulling room and milling place there’s no substitute,
When bringing hot and cold water, you’ll whirl like a cloud.