從前有個王姓人，生性善良，樂於助人，一心向佛，人稱“王善人”。
一天，他到寺院去打了一卦，看自己何時能修成正果。和尚告訴他：你要天天敬佛，給佛上香，甚麼時候香灰夠了三石六鬥，即可帶上香灰去西方見佛祖，定成正果。
王善人回去後虔誠照辦，日積月累，終於在幾年後攢夠了三石六鬥香灰。於是他買了一頭毛驢，馱上大部份香灰，自己還背了一包香灰，就上路了。王善人趕著毛驢走了一天，眼看日落西山，口乾舌燥，天色漸暗，就準備找店住下，忽見西方路上立著一位老人攔住去路問他：“你是哪裏人，姓甚名誰？馱著這麼重的東西幹甚麼去？”王善人一一做了回答。老人說：“那好，咱們是同路人，必有緣。現在我有一事相求，不知可肯應允？”王問甚麼事，老人說：“我走了一天，實在走不動了，請你讓毛驢馱我一程如何？”王善人很為難，但轉念又一想：既然積德行善，老人身疲乏力，怎能不幫呢？於是就把驢背上的香灰分出一半自己背上，叫老人騎驢上路了。
老人騎著驢，精神了許多，於是又問王善人：“哎！你剛才說是到啥地方去來著？瞧我這大把年紀，忘性真大！”王善人就又耐著性子告訴老者：我是到西方去拜見活佛，表我真心。老人說：“噢，這回我明白了。”趕到天黑，住店歇下，王善人就尋思，馱上這麼個老人，又慢，又累，幾時才能到西天面見活佛？不行，我明兒一早早點上路，甩掉這累贅老人。
天色剛濛濛亮，王善人就趕著毛驢，馱著香灰悄悄上路了，正往西行，見老人等在村口路旁，叫住他道：“哎呀，王善人，你這人怎麼回事，我看你很善良的，咱們既然有緣同路，你怎麼這樣不顧伴，連一聲招呼都不打就走了？幸虧我起得早沒誤事。來，來，來，還是讓我騎上毛驢同行一程吧！”王善人沒有辦法推辭，只好再背上一半兒香灰，讓老人騎上毛驢。
老人邊走邊問：“哎！你說我這一大把年紀，記性真賴，昨天剛問了你，今天又忘了。你到底是去西邊幹啥的？”王善人很不耐煩的又回答了一句：去西天拜佛。不一會兒，老者又問：“噢，我記住了你叫王善人，可你是幹甚麼去我再也想不起來了，麻煩你再說一說？”王善人滿肚子是火，可面對這麼大年紀的“熱心”人，怎麼也發不出來，就又耐住性子，回答了一遍。
就這樣一天走到黑，老者不知問了多少遍，王善人肚子都快氣炸了。好不容易挨到天黑，找店住下，吃了飯，喘口氣兒，王善人就想：這回說啥也得早點走，甩掉這麻煩老頭！給驢餵飽草料，又飲了水，看看天色還不到三更，就給驢馱上香灰，摸黑上路了。
誰知剛走到村口上，影影綽綽見一個人影兒攔在村口：“王善人呀王善人，你叫了這個名字，怎麼就不做行善之人？咱們結伴而行，我年歲又大，腿腳又慢，你怎麼不念良心，棄我而行，一天比一天早，想把我丟掉，你於心何忍？”王善人無奈，只好忍著怒火，又把驢背上的香灰分一半自己背上，老者坐上驢背，沒走幾步，就又問開了：“王善人，你日夜兼程，到底去往何方，有甚麼要緊之事說來我聽？”王一下怒火勃發：“我說你這老頭，不知別人的苦楚。讓你騎上驢，我步行，還要背上香灰，又苦又累，偏偏你不知好歹，問了一遍又一遍，你問著不累，我答著還累呢！”臨了還罵了一句：“難道你的心被狗吃了？！”老者輕盈的跳下驢背，指著王說：“你回家吧，不要到西天去了，活佛不會收你這樣的‘修善’之人。”說完老者騰空而起，消失在西方的天空。
王善人恍然大悟：原來這老者就是活佛！坐在地下，捶胸頓足，懊悔萬分，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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