明朝最后一位皇帝，名叫崇祯。他虽有皇帝的智慧，却没有皇帝的福报。为什么？因为他的苦没有受尽。

Emperor Chongzhen was the last ruler of the Ming Dynasty. Although he had the intelligence of an emperor, he didn’t have the blessings to enjoy the position. Why? Because, according to Master Hua, his suffering from a past life was not yet over.

他前生是个沙弥，未到受具足戒的时候，就死了。他做沙弥时，凡是搬柴运水的苦工，他都做，任劳任怨。有一天，他到房顶修理屋瓦，不慎失足，坠地而死，众师兄弟便去向方丈禀报。

In a previous life, he was a young Buddhist novice. He had not yet received full ordination as a monk when he passed away. During his time at the monastery, he worked hard without complaint, doing all the heavy chores like chopping wood and carrying water. One day, while fixing roof tiles, he accidentally fell and died. His fellow monks reported the accident to the abbot.

方丈知道前因后果，想成就小沙弥，替他“了苦”。于是对大家宣布：“这个小沙弥，做事不小心跌死，对道场有很大的损失。因为他犯了侵损常住的过错，要惩罚他。你们用马来把他的尸体拖散为止，免得买棺材埋葬。”

The abbot, who could see the causes and conditions from past lives, wanted to help the novice finish his karmic suffering. He said,
“This novice died from carelessness while doing temple work. This caused harm to the monastery. As punishment, drag his body with a horse until it falls apart. Do not waste money on a coffin or burial.”

大家一听方丈的话，大为不解。师兄弟们动了恻隐之心，没听方丈的命令，一起商议：“我们是师兄弟，同修一场，应该把他安葬，不可用马拖尸。”于是大家出钱买棺材，将他安葬于荒山中。

The other monks were shocked. Out of compassion, they disobeyed the abbot’s instruction.

“We are Dharma brothers. We should give him a proper burial,” they said.

So they collected money and bought a coffin. Then they buried him respectfully on a lonely hillside.

这个小沙弥，因为替寺庙做苦工，积有功德，来生为人，做了皇帝（即崇祯）。

Because the novice had worked hard and created merit, he was reborn as a human in his next life—this time as Emperor Chongzhen.

他在位的时候，天下大乱，内有李自成造反，外有清兵侵境，没有过一天好日子，都是在忧患煎迫中度日，做了十六年的穷皇帝。

However, his reign was full of suffering. Inside the country, rebels led by Li Zicheng rose in revolt. From outside, Manchu forces invaded. He spent his sixteen years as emperor in constant worry and hardship, never enjoying peace.

好心的师兄弟反而是害了他，使他的苦未能了尽。如果他们当时听方丈的话，用马拖尸，苦便了了，崇祯也不会最终在煤山自缢，为国殉难了。

Master Hua explained that although the monks had good intentions, their kindness actually caused the novice’s suffering to continue. If they had followed the abbot’s harsh instruction and allowed the body to be dragged apart, the karmic debt would have ended in that life. Then he wouldn’t have needed to be reborn to suffer again—this time as a troubled emperor who died a tragic death. In the end, he hanged himself on Coal Hill, dying in sorrow for his country.

须知业力如影随形，纵隔三世亦必显。正是：善业若未圆满，福报亦如露电；恶债未消终成障，高位难抵业风吹。

One must know that karma follows like a shadow, and will inevitably manifest, even across three lifetimes. If good karma is not yet complete, blessings are as fleeting as dew or lightning. If karmic debts remain unpaid, they become obstacles—no high position can shield one from the winds of karma.

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