Defeated in the imperial power struggle and sentenced to death, the prime minister of Qin Dynasty Li Si said to his son right before the execution: “I only wish we could go back to the simple life we once led and go hunting again, taking the gundog and goshawk with us, getting out of town through the East Gate to chase all those little rabbits!” Then the father and son wept together miserably. Afterwards they both got executed, along with Li Si’s parents and all other relatives. (In the ancient times, when a politician got defeated in power struggle, his whole clan could get wiped out.)
Li Si was regretful that he had given up a simple life for a more complex life in high position and power, which eventually led to his fatal defeat. But did he forget about all those little rabbits being chased and killed by his bow and arrow, by his gundog and goshawk? Just imagine how frightful and painful the rabbits were when they got chased and killed, exactly as Li Si was before his own execution!
Karma and retribution always play out precisely – back then the whole colony of rabbits were exterminated by Li Si’s hunting team; now the tables are turned, and it’s Li Si’s turn to get executed together with his entire tribe.
Rather than repenting for all the killing they had committed in the past, Li Si and his son were still missing their days of hunting – this is called holding on to one’s grave sins till death – how pitiful!
by Grand Master Lian Chi (蓮池大師), the Eighth Patriarch of Pure Land Buddhism
東門黃犬 – 錄自明末蓮池大師《竹窗隨筆》(初筆)
李斯臨刑，顧其子曰:「吾欲與汝復牽黃犬、臂蒼鷹，出上蔡東門逐狡兔，其可得乎?」遂父子相哭，而夷三族。斯蓋悔今之富貴而死，不若昔之貧賤而生也。寧思兔逢鷹犬，不猶己之罹斧鉞乎? 兔滅群，汝夷族，適相當耳。不知其罪而反羨之，至死不悟者，李斯之父子歟?!
Buddha Mind 