vbs-March indd

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1 封面內頁 Inside of Front Cover 戮力同心 共襄成滿師願 / The Great Assembly s Effort To Fulfill the Master s Vows 學子園地 Students Corner 正法印 Proper Dharma Seal 春光悠悠花又開 大方廣佛華嚴經淺釋 Flowers Blooming In the Spring...21 The Flower Adornment Sutra With Commentary...3 妙法蓮華經淺釋 The Dharma Flower Sutra with Commentary...6 占察善惡業報經淺釋 菩提田 Bodhi Field 娑婆世界最佳的移居地 The Best Place for the People in the Saha World to Emigrate to...25 The Sutra for the Discernment of the Consequences of Wholesome and Unwholesome Karma with Commentary...8 八關齋戒 為出家及成佛做準備 續 楞嚴咒句偈疏解 教育是最好的國防 The Shurangama Mantra # 人物誌 Biographies 佛祖道影白話解 : 十六祖羅睺羅多尊者 續 The Sixteenth Patriarch, The Venerable Rāhulata (Continued)...12 水鏡回天錄白話解 : 破缸救友 司馬光 續 Reflections in the Water-Mirror: Smashing A Water Vat to Save a Drowning Friend Sima Guang (continued)...14 Events in the Life of the Venerable Master: The China Period White Mountains and Black Waters Nurture Rare Talent (continued)...16 Education is the Nation s Best Defense...38 明日歸宿源於今日行持 Tomorrow s Destination Relying on Today s Cultivation...42 法界音 News from the Dharma Realm 戮力同心 共襄成滿師願 續 The Great Assembly s Effort To Fulfill the Master s Vows (continued)...46 The Transmission Ceremony of Three Refuges and Five Precepts After Shurangama Session During Lunar New Year at Australia Gold Coast Dharma Realm...47 封背 Back Cover 法語法雨 Dharma Talk Dharma Rain 論語淺釋 續 The Analects of Confucius (continued)...19 P ROPER 澳洲金岸法界農曆春節楞嚴法會暨皈依受戒 大典 法界佛教大學２０１４秋季班招生 / Dharma Realm Buddhist University Now Accepting Applications for Fall 2014 march 2014 白山黑水育奇英 宣化上人事蹟 中國篇 續 Eightfold Precepts prepare you for monastic life and Buddhahood (continued) 月 號

2 Sutra: 種種相不同 莊嚴悉清淨 The boundaries of all kshetras, 一切諸剎際 一 宣國 修 華化際 訂 藏上譯 版 世人經 講學 界解院 品 記 第 錄 翻 五 譯 切 就是所有法界的微塵數 佛剎 際 就是佛剎的邊 際 就是佛剎和佛剎接連的 地方 也就是佛剎和佛剎分 界線的地方 Their appearances are varied, Their adornments completely pure. Commentary: The boundaries of all kshetras, Are spread with nets of lotus flowers. All refers to all the Buddha kshetras, which are as many as tiny motes 周布蓮華網 在這 of dust. The boundaries refers to the borders 些地方都很周遍地排列著猶 that differentiate and separate one Buddha 如網羅一樣的蓮華網 沒有 kshetra from another. 一點空缺的地方 這些蓮華 There are no empty spaces in these places 網都排列得很整齊 從東邊 because they are everywhere filled with exquisite 向西看是很整齊的 從南邊 lotus flowers, spread out just like a net. These 向北看也是很整齊 很有規 lotus flowers are very precisely arranged. If 矩的 一點都不雜亂 one looks at them from the east toward the 種種相不同 這些 個世界種 香水海和所有莊 嚴的蓮華網的形相都不相 同 每一種都有它自己的樣 子 就好像我們每個人的面 Revised version Translated by the International Translation Institute Commentary by the Venerable Master Hua Chapter Five : The Worlds of the Flower Treasury 正 法 印 周布蓮華網 Are spread with nets of lotus flowers; P ROPER D HARMA S EAL The Flower Adornment Sutra With Commentary 大 方 廣 佛 華 嚴 經 淺 釋 一切諸剎際 目也都不相同一樣 莊嚴悉清淨 雖然 western direction or from the south toward the northern direction, they appear in orderly and proper array. There is nothing arbitrary about their arrangement; it follows a very symmetrical pattern. Their appearances are varied. The appearances of each of the world seeds, each of the fragrant seas, and each of the adorned lotus 相不同 然而它門的莊嚴都 flowers is quite different. Each has its own style. 是清淨而沒有染汙的 They are just like the faces of human beings which are also quite different from one another. 彼諸蓮華網 剎網所安住 Their adornments are completely pure. 種種莊嚴事 種種眾生居 Although they may have different appearances, their adornments are completely pure, without 彼諸蓮華網 這一 any defilement. 些個蓮華網 剎網所安住 就是 佛剎的世界網所安住的地 方 種種莊嚴事 有種 種的莊嚴 有的用摩尼珠來 莊嚴 有的用琉璃來莊嚴 有的用金子來莊嚴 有的用 Sutra: Within these nets of lotus flowers, Are nets of kshetras securely established; They have varying aspects of adornment, And many kinds of beings dwell in them. Commentary: Within these nets of lotus flowers, Are 銀子來莊嚴 有的用赤珠來 nets of kshetras securely established. Buddha 莊嚴 有的用瑪瑙來莊嚴 kshetras and world nets are firmly established 種種眾生居 這種 種莊嚴也是隨眾生的業而 within the nets of the lotus flowers. They have varying aspects of adornment, MARCH 2014 VAJRA BODHI SEA 3

3 莊嚴的 眾生清淨業多的就在這兒居住著, 但是其中也有一些業力不純一清淨的也在這兒居住, 所以說 種種眾生居 這個 種種 就包括所有一切各種各樣的眾生, 都在這個世界上來居住著 And many kinds of beings dwell in them. These adornments also occur in response to the karma of living beings. Pure karma evokes these kinds of adornments. Although there are beings with pure karma dwelling in these worlds, there are also those whose karma is not totally pure, and so it s said there are various kinds of living beings. This phrase also includes living beings with all manner of appearances who dwell in those worlds. Proper Dharma Seal 正法印 或有剎土中險惡不平坦由眾生煩惱於彼如是見 或有剎土中 : 或者有的佛剎國土裏邊 險惡不平坦 : 險 就是很危險的, 惡 就是很醜陋 不好看 不美麗的 不平坦是地面高高低低不平 由眾生煩惱 : 為什麼它險惡 不平坦呢? 這都是眾生的煩惱所造成的 眾生的煩惱多 煩惱重, 所以這個世界上險惡 不平坦的地方就多了 於彼如是見 : 因為他的煩惱多, 所以所見的也都不平坦, 有很多險惡的地方 就拿我們這一個地球來講, 我們這個地球叫娑婆世界, 娑婆世界又分出很多的國家 所有娑婆世界的眾生雖然各自住在自己的國家, 但都是同在這個娑婆世界的地球上邊, 這可以說是 同業, 大家共同的業力 又可以叫 通業, 通 就是這個國家的業力通到那個國家, 所有的眾生都是相通的 你可以看見我, 我也可以看見你 ; 你明白我的業力, 我也明白你的業力, 這叫通業 也可以說是 同業所感 雖然所有的眾生都住在這個地球上, 可是國籍不同, 於是乎就有了美國 英國 中國 日本 蘇聯 印度 新加坡 馬來亞 香港 臺灣等等種種不同的國籍 每一個國家和每一個國家眾生的業不同, 境界也就不同, 這叫 別業所感 好像越南前幾年有戰爭, 飛機大砲常常在那一塊土地上邊打轉轉, 這就是那個地區眾生的 別業所感, 別業所感現出來的境界 有的國家就平安無事, 沒有飛機在空中飛, 也沒有大砲在地下炸, 人民的生活都很快樂的, 沒有什麼驚恐 ; 有的國家是自由 民主的 ; 有的國家就不自由又講共產, 這都叫 別業所感, 各從其類 4 金剛菩提海二 O 一四年三月 Sutra: Perhaps there are kshetras, Full of peril and treachery, not flat and level; They arise from living beings afflictions, That is why they are seen. Commentary: Perhaps there are kshetras, Full of peril and treachery, not flat and level. These worlds are evil and ugly, not at all beautiful. And the terrain is jagged and irregular, not flat and level. They arise from living beings afflictions; That is why they are seen. Why are these lands dangerous and evil? Why are they not flat and level? This is because the living beings there have numerous and heavy afflictions, and so, these worlds have many dangerous and evil places as well as jagged and uneven topography. All those phenomena are brought about by living beings afflictions. For example, our planet Earth The Saha World, is divided into many countries. Although all living beings dwell in their respective countries, since we are here together on the same planet, it can be said that we have the similar karma. Our collective karma is similar. It can also be said that our karma is interrelated. The karma of one country may be related to the karma of another country. Living beings of various countries are interrelated; each can see the other and each understands the karma of the other. We can say that these situations are karmic responses brought about by collective karma and interrelated karma. Although there are all kinds of living beings dwelling together on Earth, yet the countries they dwell in are not the same. There are different nations like the United States, England, China, Japan, Russia, India, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, each of which is different. The karma of one country differs from another s, thus the states of each country is different due to the different responses brought about by individual karma. For example, during the days of the Vietnam war, there were some areas that were always hit by cannonballs and bombed by warplanes, this state is caused by individual karma of living beings in that area. Some countries are safe, i.e. there are no warplanes in the skies and no cannons on the ground either, and the citizens of those countries live happily and worry-free; some countries are free and democratic while others are not that free and have adopted communism. These are allexamples of because of their individual karma, living beings gather together with their own kind.

4 各從其類 就是同一類就會跑到一樣的地方去 所謂 善一幫, 惡一群, 善人和善人是一幫的, 惡人和惡人就跑到一起, 怎麼樣的人就找怎麼樣的人 不要說旁的, 做土匪的就會找作土匪的作朋友, 當兵的就找當兵的作朋友, 販賣毒藥的就互相認識吸毒和販毒的人 開金舖和開金舖的同行彼此也都認識的, 可是同行有的時候就互相妒嫉, 怕別人的生意比自己的好, 所以就生出一種妒嫉心, 這個世界就是這個樣子 雜染及清淨無量諸剎種隨眾生心起菩薩力所持 雜染及清淨 : 有的世界種是雜染的, 有的是清淨的 雜染 就是不清淨, 清淨就是不雜染 無量諸剎種 : 有沒有數量, 不知道有多少那麼多的種種不同的佛剎和世界種 隨眾生心起 : 這都是隨著眾生的心造出來的 眾生心清淨, 世界就清淨 ; 眾生心染汙, 世界也就變成染汙, 所以一切都是心造出來的 菩薩力所持 : 這也是菩薩的大威神力所支持的 或有剎土中雜染及清淨斯由業力起菩薩之所化 或有剎土中 : 或者有的佛剎國土裏邊 雜染及清淨 : 或者雜染或者清淨 斯由業力起 : 這都是由眾生的業力所造出來的 眾生若是造清淨業, 世界就清淨莊嚴 ; 眾生造的業若是雜染的, 世界也就變成雜染 雜染 就是有一點清淨, 又有一點染汙 好像有人前一念想要修行, 說 : 我不要有那麼多的欲望, 不要有那麼多的妄想, 不要有那麼多的染汙的念頭 那麼這是清淨啦 但是後念又想 : 啊呀, 這染汙法是不錯的, 這個欲也是人人都歡喜的, 為什麼不去做去? 這就生了染汙心了 待續 Gather together with their own kind means living beings join together with their own kind. There is a another saying good ones stay with good groups, and bad ones form gangs, good people gather with good people, and bad people join with bad people, different kinds of people find and join with their own kind accordingly. Bandits befriend bandits, soldiers befriend soldiers. Drug dealers not only know each other, they are also familiar with drug users.and gold store owners know each other as well, but sometimes people in the same business get jealous of each other, being afraid of others doing better than themselves, they are possessed by jealousy. The world is like this. Sutra: Whether turbid or pure, The innumerable kshetras and seeds; Arise from living beings minds, Supported by the Bodhisattvas power. Commentary: Whether turbid or pure, The innumerable kshetras and seeds Among Buddha kshetras and world seeds, there are turbid ones which are not pure and there are pure ones which are not turbid. No matter whether they are turbid or pure, they are uncountable. They arise from living beings minds. They all come from the thoughts of living beings. If living beings have pure minds, their worlds will be pure, and if they have turbid minds, their worlds will be turbid. Therefore, everything comes from the mind. And these worlds are supported by the Bodhisattvas awesome spiritual power. Sutra: There are kshetra lands, That are both defiled and pure; They come from the power of karma, Transformationally created by Bodhisattvas. Commentary: There are kshetra lands, That are both defiled and pure. In the Buddha kshetras, there is turbidity or perhaps there is purity. They come from the power of living beings karma. These states too, are brought about by the karma of living beings. If living beings create pure karma, their worlds will be pure, and if they create defiled or turbid karma, their worlds will be correspondingly defiled and turbid. Turbid means having a bit of defilement and a bit of purity. Its just like some of us who initially decide we want to cultivate and not have so many thoughts of desire. We want to get rid of our polluted thoughts, and be pure instead. But on further reflection we decide: Defiled dharmas are not bad after all, everyone likes desire why not act out my desires? And so we give rise to defiled minds. To be continued Proper Dharma Seal 正法印 March 2014 Vajra Bodhi Sea 5

5 宣 國修 法 化 際訂 師 上 譯版 功 人經 講學 德 解院 品 記 第 錄 十 翻 譯 九 Sutra: 人 受持是經 若讀 若誦 Further, Ever-Vigorous, if a 若解說 若書寫 成就八百鼻 good man or a good woman 功德 復次常精進 釋迦牟尼 佛又說 我再跟你講一講 常 精進菩薩 receives and Sutra, upholds whether this reading it, reciting it, explaining it to others, or writing it out, he will accomplish eight hundred meritorious virtues of the nose. 若善男子 善女人 假 使世間上 有修五戒 行十善 的男子和女人 或者受比丘戒 和比丘尼戒的出家人 或者受 菩薩戒的男子和女人 Commentary: Further, Ever-Vigorous, Shakyamuni Buddha continues. If a good man or a good 受持是經 他們能受 woman, one who keeps the Five 之於心 持之於身 能身體 Precepts and practices the Ten 力行 躬行實踐這一部 法華 Good Deeds, or one who has 經 能照著 法華經 所說 taken the Bhikshu, Bhikshuni, 的道理去修行 or Bodhisattva precepts, or those 若讀 若誦 若解說 若書寫 成就八百鼻功德 Revised version Translated by the International Translation Institute Commentary by the Venerable Master Hua Chapter Nineteen: The Merit and Virtue of a Dharma Master 正 法 印 P ROPER D HARMA S EAL The Dharma Flower Sutra with Commentary 妙 法 蓮 華 經 淺 釋 復次常精進 若善男子 善女 或者僅僅地讀 法華經 或 者背誦 法華經 或者為他 人講解 法華經 或者用筆 恭恭敬敬地寫 法華經 這 who has taken the Bodhisattva Precepts, Receives and upholds this Sutra, receives it with his mind and practices it with his body, cultivating according to the doctrines found within it, 樣有什麼好處呢 成就八百鼻 Whether reading it, reciting 功德 你看 這鼻子也有了功 it from memory, explaining it 德 to others, or writing it out very reverently, he will accomplish 以是清淨鼻根 聞於三千大千 eight 世界上下內外種種諸香 須 virtues of the nose. The eight 曼那華香 闍提華香 末利華 hundred 香 薝蔔華香 波羅羅華香 of the nose are gained through 赤蓮華香 青蓮華香 白蓮華 recitation of the Dharma Flower 香 華樹香 果樹香 栴檀 Sutra. If he hadn t recited the 香 沉水香 多摩羅跋香 多 伽羅香 及千萬種和香 若 末 若丸 若塗香 持是經 者 於此間住 悉能分別 hundred meritorious meritorious virtues Sutra, he probably wouldn t have even eight merits, to say nothing of eight hundred!. Sutra: With his pure nose he will smell 6 金剛菩提海 二Ｏ一四年三月 以是清淨鼻根 聞於三千 throughout the three thousand 大千世界上下內外種種諸香 great thousand world system, 這個鼻子的功德是誰給它的 above and below, inside and

6 是這位法師給它的 這位法師因為受持 法華經, 才能有八百鼻功德 ; 若不受持 法華經, 不要說是八百, 連八功德恐怕都沒有 以這種清淨的鼻根, 他能聞到三千大千世界以內, 和三千大千世界以外, 乃至於上下各方一切的種種諸香 在虛空裏, 日 月有無量無邊的 不過在我們南贍部洲這個小世界, 就看見我們這個日 月 到其他的地方, 還另外有其他的世界, 有其他世界的日 月, 不過我們現在沒有到那兒, 是不知道的 說是 : 到月球裏, 那是月球的世界, 那是不是算一個另外的世界? 你到月球那個地方, 那還是這個世界的界線, 沒有到其他的世界呢! 到其他的世界, 你就看不見這個世界了, 就都看不見我們這個世界的日月星辰 ; 你看見的, 是另外一個世界的 那個日月和我們這個同不同呢? 等你見到就知道了! 或者那個太陽是三角形的也不一定, 或者那個月亮是個四方形也未可知 你到那個世界, 就知道那個世界的境界了 ; 沒有到的時候, 不可預測 我們不要像那一些個糊塗科學家, 總要測量測量, 測來測去測死了, 他還不知道這個世界是怎麼回事? 頭髮也都白了, 眼睛也都花了, 牙也都掉了 耳朵也都聾了, 等他將要知道的時候, 就死了 他這一死了, 那個又要重頭再研究 ; 一研究, 剛剛有點眉目, 他也又死了! 所以科學家研究這麼多年, 也研究不出個所以然來, 這真可憐呢! 須曼那華香 闍提華香 末利華香 薝蔔華香 波羅羅華香 : 有須曼那華香 ; 須曼那是梵語, 譯為稱意 這種花又香 又美麗, 有白的 有黃的 又有闍提華香 ; 闍提, 譯為金錢華 這種花是黃色的, 花開得好像一個個金錢似的 又有茉莉華香, 這種花也是很香的 又有薝蔔華香 ; 薝蔔, 是梵語, 譯為黃華, 又譯為金色華, 因為花黃得好像金子那樣子 又有波羅羅華香, 這種花叫重生華 怎麼重生呢? 因為這種花開過一次, 又能重覆再開一次花 待續 outside, all the various fragrances: the scents of the sumana, jatika, mallika, champaka, and patala flowers; scents of red, blue, and white lotus flowers; scents of flowering and fruitbearing trees; scents of chandana, aloe-wood, tamalapatra, and tagara; and scents of a thousand myriad kinds mixed together, whether powdered, in lumps, or in paste. One who upholds this Sutra, dwelling in this place, can distinguish all of these. Commentary: With his pure nose he will smell throughout the three thousand great thousand world system, above and below, above to the Peak of Existence and below to the Avici hells, inside and outside. There are many suns and moons, limitless numbers of them. Since we are in our own world, we only see the sun and moon in Jambudvipa. There are other worlds with other suns and moons in them, but we haven t gone to them yet, and don t know about them. Traveling to the moon doesn t count as going to another world; that moon is included in our world. If you go to another world, you won t see this one. Are the sun and moon in other worlds the same as the ones here? you ask. When you get there you ll know. The sun may be triangular; it s not for sure. Perhaps the moon will be square! When you get there, you ll know what it s like. Before we get there, it s anybody s guess. You shouldn t be like the muddle-headed scientists who raise theory after theory after theory about what it s like, but never get there. They theorize themselves to death without ever going there to find out what it s really like. Their hair turns all white, their eyes go bad, their teeth fall out, and they go deaf, but they still have no idea what this world is all about. Just when they are on the verge of making their big breakthrough, they die. Then someone has to start all over again, and the same process repeats itself. Scientists have studied for so many years, and they don t have it straight yet. It s really pathetic. The scents of the sumana, jatika, mallika, champaka, and patala flowers. Sumana is Sanskrit and means in accord with one s wishes. These flowers may be yellow or white; they are fragrant and beautiful. Jatika is also Sanskrit and means golden coin because the blossoms resemble gold coins. The mallika flower is very fragrant. Champaka is translated as yellow flower or gold flower. Patal is translated as multiple blossoms, because it blooms again and again, repeatedly. To be continued Proper Dharma Seal 正法印 March 2014 Vajra Bodhi Sea 7

7 These are the behavior of one who 修行啊 我到那地方一看 他 seeks for fame and the good name of the 佛 聽經也跪著 就是做個 樣子給人家看 這就叫相似修 行善法者 可是本來他給人看 這還 是個相似 這還有 末法的時 候 甚至於連相似都沒有了 他連給人看都不看 他說 宣 化 上 人 講 於 am there, he is working hard! He recites the sutra kneeling, recites the Buddha s name kneeling, he is kneeling even when listening to sutra lecture! This is putting on a façade for others to see, these are all who look as if they are practicing the wholesome Dharma. 讓人知道嘛 我不願意讓人看 would be many people here in the 見嘛 其實他根本就不修 future. I believe there will not be many 曾 素 珍 行 連看都不叫人看 那麼這 people here in the future. Why? Because 末法的時候 就是這樣子 真 we are currently sifting gold in the sand. 是可憐啊 We are looking for gold in the sand. 英 譯 所以果地說 這兒將來人 年 不知有多少人 我相信我們這 兒什麼時候都不會人多 為什 麼呢 我們現在這兒是沙裏澄 金 在沙裏頭找金子 我們雖 然是在這金山寺 這金山也很 多土的 裏邊也有很多爛石頭 Although we are here in Gold Mountain Monastery, this gold mountain has a lot of dirt; in it there are many valueless rocks and mud, not all are gold. Therefore we don t want these mud and valueless rocks. We are here to find real gold, and gold is scarce; even gold is not what we want, we want diamonds. How could there be so many diamonds in the entire world? English Translation by Su-Zhen Zeng Commentary by the Venerable Master Hua in 1971 的 我們這兒完全要找金子 Here we have the Vajra Bodhi Sea, 的 金子都不多的 甚至連金 which is to find vajra in the Bodhi Sea! 子都不要 我們要鑽石的 所 Not all the land is covered with vajra. 以這整個世界哪有那麼多鑽 In the land of ultimate bliss, gold make 石 up its grounds but it is not completely 我們這個 金剛菩提海 covered in vajra, mainly just gold. 是在菩提海裏來找金剛呢 所 Therefore, this way place of ours, will 以不是整個大地都是金剛的 到極樂世界 黃金為地 也不 完全都是金剛 還是黃金 所 以 我們這個道場 是不會像 外道那個地方 五年的功夫就 很多人 人都住滿了沒有地方 住 那麼這垃圾到處都有的 not be like the places of externalists where there will be lots of people within five years, there are so many people there until there is no place to stay. These garbage are everywhere, you can find them in abundance anywhere. When you see this place of ours, if you want to find garbage, you will find plenty, but 什麼地方都一大堆 你看我們 if you are looking for diamond, there 這地方 你要找垃圾 都多得 aren t so many! 很 但是你要找鑽石 就沒有 二Ｏ一四年三月 He is truly cultivating! Whenever I That is why Guo Di asked if there 泥巴 爛石頭 我們都不要 金剛菩提海 mundane world. He hope for praises: 我這個不是不修行 我不願意 泥 不是都是金子 所以那個 8 Commentary: 利養 希望人稱讚 他真是 真用功啊 跪那念經 跪那念 1971 The Sutra for Discernment of the Consequences of Wholesome and Unwholesome Karma with Commentary 占 察 善 惡 業 報 經 淺 釋 這樣子這都是求世間的名聞 Look at this place, one needs to be

8 那麼多了! 你看我們這兒, 又要吃苦頭, 第一他幹不了的, 就是吃一餐 我們這兒出家人 在家人, 差不多在這兒住的都是吃一餐, 都是過午不吃, 都要守規矩 你看, 他這怎麼能辦得到? 辦不到的! 所以在這兒住住就跑, 或者研究研究佛法也跑的, 那沒法子不跑的 第一, 祖上沒有德行 ; 第二, 自己沒有善根 ; 第三, 這地方這麼苦, 這怎麼可以? 所以我們的人始終不會多的, 最多最多也不超過二千人 是不是? 因為我們這地方不能容納二千人那麼多, 你不要擔心這個地方! 爾時, 眾生覩世災亂, 心常怯懦 : 當爾之時, 眾生看見這個世界的災亂 不平安, 修行意志不堅固的就怕了 退心了 就是現在, 你看這麼多 長毛! 中國在清朝的時候, 也鬧過長毛的 ; 洪秀全他所有的兵都有長頭髮, 就這個長毛! 現在美國也鬧長毛, 你說這可怕不可怕? 還有殺人王 有黃道帶 ( 譯音 ) 又有吃人的人! 這簡直成了妖精了! 你說這怎麼可以不恐懼呢? 憂畏己身及諸親屬, 不得衣食充養驅命 : 就是憂愁又怕, 怕自己和親戚朋友也沒有衣服穿 也沒有飯吃, 來充足養活身體 就怕 : 在這個世界你說怎麼辦呢? 這麼危險, 會不會人來把我殺了? 蘇聯會不會放個原子彈到這兒來呢? 你看這妄想不知多少! 這就怕了 ; 怕了就怎麼樣呢? 就憂慮 : 這世界一亂了, 就沒有飯吃了, 我會不會餓死呢? 我父親母親那麼大年紀, 這世界不好, 沒有飯吃, 那麼老來餓死, 太可憐了! 我這太不孝順了! 衣服也沒有了, 不充足 ; 吃的東西也沒有了, 不充足了, 就不能養我這個軀命了, 我這個軀命就會死了! 以如此等眾多障礙因緣故, 於佛法中鈍根少信, 得道者極少 : 以這種種障礙因緣之故, 在這個佛法裏面, 就愚癡而不生信心, 修行得道證果的是很少很少的 鈍根, 就愚癡 ; 愚癡, 就少信心 所以若有智慧的人, 他就不會沒有信心了 ; 就因為愚癡到極點了, 所以信心也少了 沒有了 able to bear hardship. First and foremost he cannot bear is to eat one meal a day. Almost all of the Sangha members or the laypeople living here only eat one meal a day, they do not eat after noon and they have to follow the rules. Do you think he can practice this? No, he can t! Therefore he stays here for a while and runs away, or he studies the Buddhadharma for a while and runs away, there is no way he wouldn t run. Number one, his ancestor lineage has no virtue; second, he has no wholesome roots; third, there are so many hardships in this place, how could he bear it? That is why there are not many people here; at most there would be not more than two thousand people. Is that right? Because this place cannot accommodate two thousand people, you don t have to worry about this! At that time, living beings will witness the unrests and calamities around them and constantly have fear in their hearts. During that time, living beings will see the unrests and calamities of this world and those whose resolve to practice is not firm will eventually give rise to fear and thoughts of retreat. It is like this now; you can see there are so many long hair! During the Qing Dynasty in China, there was a period of long hair, Hong, Xiuquan and his armies all have long hair! Now in America we are also in the period of long hair, do you think it is frightening? There are king of murderers, there are Huang, Daodai (translated name), there are even people who practice cannibalism! They are truly demons! How could one not be afraid? They fear that they and their relatives cannot obtain food and clothing to sustain their physical bodies. This means they are afraid and anxious, for fear that they themselves, their relatives and friends will not have any clothes to wear or have nothing to eat to fulfill and nourish their physical bodies. They fear: What is becoming of this world? It is so dangerous, would I be killed? Would USSR fire an atomic bomb here? There are too many false thoughts! so they fear. What do they do when they fear? They start to be anxious: When there is unrest in the world, there will be no food to eat, would I die of hunger? My parents are of such old age, when this world is no good anymore, there will be no food to eat. If they die of hunger at such old age, that is too pitiful! I am such a filial child! There are no more clothes and it is not enough; there are no more food and it is not enough, I can no longer sustain this body, my body is about to die! Such living beings have a lot of karmic obstacles; therefore, their wholesome roots are blunt, they have little faith in the Buddhadharma, and those who attain the path are few. Due to the many kinds of karmic obstacles, these people are stupid and do not give rise to faith in the Buddhadharma. Those who attain to fruition are far and few apart. Blunt roots give rise to stupidity; when filled with stupidity, there will be little faith. If one truly has wisdom, he will not lose faith. It is because one has stupidity to the extreme that one loses one s faith. Proper Dharma Seal 正法印 待續 To be continued March 2014 Vajra Bodhi Sea 9

9 P ROPER D HARMA S EAL 四 四 一 摩 闍 訶 囉 441. Mwo She He La The Shurangama Mantra with Verse and Commentary 楞 嚴 咒 句 偈 疏 解 頌 食產鬼祟性殘毒 Infant eating evil ghosts have vile and toxic natures, 陰錯陽差造血湖 Due to all sorts of accidental mistakes, 海水天神佛陀耶 逢凶化吉皆拱服 這句咒本來的意思是 食產鬼 有的女人生出 來小孩 可是小孩子生 出來不久就死了 怎麼 Commentary by the Venerable Master Hua Translated by the International Translation Institute Revised by Bhikshu Heng Shun 金剛菩提海 二Ｏ一四年三月 This line of the mantra basically means infant eating ghost. There are some women who give birth, but the 靈魂 他把靈魂給吃 eating ghosts do not consume the flesh of the fetus; rather 去 小孩便死了 所以 they devour their souls. Once the soul is consumed, the 說 baby dies. Therefore the verses says, 東西 你說它有 它又 看不見 你說它沒有 它卻在那兒作怪 給你 鬼就是一股陰氣 這 股陰氣散了就沒有 聚 Infant eating evil ghosts have vile and toxic natures. Evil ghost or entity is something that seems to exist, yet also seems to be non-existent. You say that it exists, but you cannot see it. You say that it does not exist, yet it is right there creating a disturbance and giving you trouble. Ghosts are just a mass of yin energy. When this yin energy disappears, the ghost no longer exists. When it gathers together, this ghost comes into being again and 了又有 聚之有形 散 takes shape. When it disperses, it has no substance. This 之無體 這叫 鬼祟 is called an evil ghost or entity, whose nature is quite 它的性情很殘毒 vile and toxic. 本來這種食產的鬼祟也 Due to all sorts of accidental mistakes, a lake of blood is created. 不願做這個 可是不知 Originally, these infant eating evil ghosts did not 怎麼 業力催它就想幹 want to do these things. However, unbeknownst to 這勾當 人的小孩剛出 them, the force of karma compels them to engage in 生 它就給弄死 把小 these nefarious activities. When a person s child is first 孩的靈魂捉去做它的眷 屬 當它的軍隊 做魔 的童子軍 這一類 小 鬼兒 很不好的 你怎 麼教它 它就怎麼樣 聽 它陰差陽錯地不知 不覺就弄錯了 去吃人 born, they cause it to die. They capture the soul of the infant and make it become part of their retinue. When they become part of their army, they are the demonic child soldiers. These types of ghost children are terrible. Whatever you tell them to do, they will go ahead and do it. Due to all sorts of accidental mistakes means that they engage in wrongdoing without knowing or being aware of it. They go ahead and eat the newborn infants 生產的小孩子 造成血 of people, which creates a lake of blood. It is the blood 湖 女人生產時流的血 flowing from women when they give birth that forms this 成了一個湖 lake of blood. 海水天神佛陀耶 10 Commentary: child dies right after birth. How did these infants die? 陰錯陽差造血湖 正 法 印 so that all join their hands in obeisance. They were devoured by infant eating ghosts. These infant 麻煩 修 訂 Transforms misfortune into auspiciousness, 他不是吃胎肉 而是吃 祟 是若有若無一種 比 丘 恒 順 a lake of blood is created. Ocean Water Heavenly Spirit Buddha 死的 被食產鬼吃了 食產鬼祟性殘毒 宣國 化際 上譯 人經 講學 解院 記 錄 翻 譯 Verse: Ocean Water Heavenly Spirit Buddha.

10 海水天神本來也是食產鬼, 可是以後修行就成佛了, 號 海水天神佛 成佛後, 他便來保護人 如果沒有這位佛來保護, 恐怕人生產的小孩子都會被吃光了 ; 因爲有這位佛, 才能 逢凶化吉皆拱服, 食產鬼叩頭禮地都聽話了 Originally the Buddha Ocean Water Heavenly Spirit was an infant eating ghost. However, he later cultivated and became a Buddha. Then he was named, Ocean Water Heavenly Spirit Buddha. After becoming a Buddha, he returned to guard and protect human beings. If not for his protection, perhaps all newborn human babies would be devoured. However, because there is this Buddha, he is able to Transform misfortune into auspiciousness, so that all join their hands in obeisance. All the infant eating ghosts bow down in worship to him and are obedient. That which makes discriminations is consciousness; that which does not make discriminations is wisdom. If you make discriminations and are always attached to the discriminating consciousness, you will not be able to attain the pure Dharma eye. Only if you have no discriminations will you attain the pure Dharma eye. The pure Dharma eye is not obtained externally. It appears because you no longer have discrimination. If your knowledge is obtained through making discriminations, your knowledge is not genuine. Only if you are able to know of all phenomena without discriminating is your knowledge genuine and your understanding true. When you make discriminations, you are discriminating between right and wrong, between others and the self, and between good and bad. Someone may say: If I don t make distinctions, wouldn t I be like an idiot? If you could truly eradicate all discriminations, you would not be deluded. You do not have true wisdom because you have discriminations. If you can eradicate discriminations, not only is this not delusion, it is the true and great wisdom that you inherently have. This wisdom can illuminate all phenomena, both worldly and world-transcending, and enable you to understand them all. If you can eradicate discriminations, you will always see the Buddha. If you have a discriminating mind, you would not see the Buddha or any good and wise adviser even if he stood right in front of you. Without a discriminating mind, you will encounter good and wise advisers. If your habit of discriminating is deeply engrained, and you have such thoughts as This person is good to me, or This person does not treat me well, even if you are facing a good and wise adviser, a Buddha, or a Bodhisattva, you would not recognize them. Why? Because you have ruined the pure Dharma eye. From the Venerable Master Hua s commentary on Chapter 14, Praises Atop Mount Sumeru, of the Avatamsaka Sutra PROPER DHARMA SEAL 正法印 MARCH 2014 VAJRA BODHI SEA 11

11 lives of the patriarchs 佛祖道影白話解 十六祖羅睺羅多尊者 續 十六祖羅 The Sixteenth Patriarch Venerable Rāhulata (continued) 宣公上人講於1981年8月7日 周果如 英譯 Lectured by the Venerable Master Hua on August. 7, 1981 English Translation by Guo Ru Jou B IOGRAPHIES 人 物 誌 宿因既符 玄機默契 說前生有這個 Past causes became confirmed in the present, Esoteric matters silently 因 互相符合了 佛在早先就都預言 這種 mesh. The causes from past lives have come together. Indeed, the Buddha 妙的機緣 默默中契合了 had predicted this meeting a long time ago. Now, the wonderful conditions 樹大法幢 彌天匝地 樹立一個大法幢 遮天蓋地 滿三千大千世界 二千年來 斯宗綿繼 二千多年以來 佛這個心燈的法門 相續傳下來 堪笑兒孫 擎叉斷臂 可笑啊 後邊的 人 想拿著叉子 卻斷了胳臂 那麼這也 是盡胡鬧 不好好修行 或說偈曰 淨德道種產奇才 園囿異樹長耳苔 尊者採摘復生菌 如來授記二五百 宿因既符玄機契 現果克證妙輪開 續佛心燈光無盡 萬劫千秋永緬懷 淨德道種產奇才 梵摩淨德這個長老 因為有善根 有宿德 所以生出一個很特別 的兒子 很特別的一個人才 園囿異樹長耳苔 在他家的園子裏頭 有很特別一棵樹 長出好像木耳這種形狀的 東西 12 金剛菩提海 have come together and agree imperceptibly. He erected the great Dharma Banner, That fills the skies and surrounds the earth. Master Rāhulata erected a Great Dharma Banner which fills up the three thousand great thousand worlds. After two thousand years, This teaching continues unbroken. Now, more than 2000 years later, the Dharma of the Mind Lamp is still burning its transmission continues unbroken. It is ridiculous that those in generations to come, Will cut off their arms, wishing to hold aloft the spear. This is ridiculous! Later generations end up cutting off their arms as they try to hold up the spear. It means they will mess things up instead of cultivating well. Another verse says: Because of Jingde s causes in the Way, he begot an extraordinary son. In the garden was a rare tree that grew mushroom-lichens. When the Venerable One picked it, the fungus always grew back. The Thus Come One had made a prediction for the second five hundred years. Past causes now mesh and profound opportunities tally. The present fruition bears testimony as the wonderful wheel is set in motion. 二Ｏ一四年三月

12 尊者採摘復生菌 尊者, 是指羅睺羅多尊者 他若是去採摘, 這個菌又會生出來 ; 旁人就沒有這個情形 如來授記二五百 釋迦牟尼佛在一千多年以前就授過記, 說將來有這樣的一個羅睺羅多, 可以做為佛教的一個大教主 二五百, 是指第二個五百年 宿因既符玄機契 那麼宿因也相符合了, 這種不可思議的機緣也契合了 現果克證妙輪開 現在祖師的果位他證得了 ; 他大開法筵, 轉妙法輪, 來教化眾生 續佛心燈光無盡 傳佛心印, 也就是傳佛心燈 ; 這燈光光相照, 是永遠都無盡無盡的 萬劫千秋永緬懷 無論到多久之後, 大家都非常懷念這一位祖師 十六祖羅睺羅多尊者 說一說這樹上的那個菌 在記載上, 怎麼單單梵摩淨德和羅睺羅多二人去摘這個菌, 它就還會生 ; 旁人去採摘, 它就不生了 這是什麼道理? 誰有什麼看法? 一點問題也沒有? 昨天晚間的對聯 宇宙萬物皆說法, 誰了解? 這就是樹神來擁護這位祖師, 所以現出一種靈異, 說出一種特別的法 ; 令世間不信因果的人 不信佛的人 固執己見的人和愚癡的人, 對於這種的境界能夠生出一種信心 ; 所以這就是樹神在那兒擁護佛法的一種表現 好像虛雲老和尚在雲南傳戒的時候, 樹上就開白蓮花, 所有的菜葉和草葉上, 都有一尊化佛在那現出來 這是什麼原因呢? 這就是老和尚的德行感召, 草木花卉都在那兒相應來說法, 所以才有這種奇特的感應, 不可思議的現象 那麼各位不要以為這是什麼很奇怪的一件事, 關於他種種特別有感應的事情, 說也說不完那麼多 The continuation of the Buddha s mind lamp - a light that never goes out. He will be forever cherished in our memories through all eternity. Commentary: Because of Jingde s causes in the Way, he begot an extraordinary son. Because the Elder Jingde had roots of goodness and virtue amassed from the past, he bore a very special son. The child was exceptionally talented. In the garden was a rare tree that grew mushroom-lichens. In his home garden, there was a very special tree that grew mushroom-like fungus. When the Venerable One picked it, the fungus always grew back. When Venerable Rāhulata would pick it, the fungus would always grow back. That did not happen when others picked it. The Thus Come One had made a prediction for the second five hundred years. More than one thousand years earlier, the Buddha had made a prediction that the Venerable Rāhulata would become a great Buddhist master. Past causes now mesh and profound opportunities tally. The meeting of the Fifteenth and the Sixteenth Patriarchs came from inconceivable past conditions. The present fruition bears testimony as the wonderful wheel is set in motion. Now that he had certified to the fruition of a Patriarch, he hosted a great Dharma feast and turned the wonderful Dharma wheel in order to teach and transform living beings. The continuation of the Buddha s mind lamp a light that never goes out. The transmission of the Buddha s Mind Seal, or the transmission of the Lamp of the Buddha s Mind, is a mutual illumination of never-ceasing lights. He will be forever cherished in our memories through all eternity. No matter how much time goes by, people will continue to remember this Sixteenth Patriarch Venerable Rāhulata. Can anyone explain why the text says that the fungus grew back only when Fanmo Jingde and Rāhulata picked it? Does anyone have any ideas? No one has any ideas? Last night s couplet was: The myriad things in the universe all speak the Dharma who understands? It was a tree spirit that had come to protect this Patriarch and therefore created this miracle; it spoke this special Dharma. This was to enable those people who do not believe in karma, who do not have faith in the Buddha, who are close-minded and foolish, to give rise to faith. In this way the tree spirit protected the Buddha Dharma. Another example of such a manifestation was when the Venerable Elder Master Hsu Yun was transmitting the precepts in Yunnan. At that time the trees blossomed with white lotus flowers. On all the leaves and grasses there were transformation body Buddhas. How did this come about? It was due to the Elder Master s virtuous conduct that there was this response from the vegetation from the trees, grasses, and flowers to speak the Dharma in their own way. So there was such a special response an inconceivable manifestation. You should not consider events such as these as being just strange. In Buddhism there are many such unusual happenings too many to relate. Biographies 人物誌 待下接 15 页 Continued on page 15 March 2014 Vajra Bodhi Sea 13

13 水鏡回天錄白話解 Reflections in the water-mirror: Turning the tide of destiny 破缸救友 司馬光 宣化上人講述於 1987 年 6 月 12 日葛親孝 張敏合譯 Lectured by the Venerable Master Hsuan Hua on June 12, 1987 English translation by Miguel Gracia and Min Zhang ( 續 ) Smashing A Water Vat to Save a Drowning Friend Sima Guang (continued) BIOGRAPHIES 人物誌 政治學問人稱好 : 司馬光的政聲人人都說好, 因為他行仁政, 對老百姓有益處 人人都稱讚他的道德學問, 為什麼呢? 忠君愛國無雙士 : 因為他忠君愛國, 沒有自私心, 是一個無雙士 沒有人能和他相比 真言實語有獨覺 : 他說的話都是真的, 實實在在, 不打妄語 有獨覺, 這是說他自己先覺悟了, 因為他小時候打妄語, 被父親管教, 以後就知道不可以打妄語 所以生小孩子, 不單要有良母, 也要有賢父 慈父, 教訓子孫, 使他們培養良好的人格 所以司馬光一生都不打妄語, 所說的話都是真語 實語 如語 資治通鑑良策訓 : 他所著作的 資治通鑑, 想學政治的人都應該把它當作一部良好的教訓書 Acclaimed are both his political capacity and scholarship. His political philosophy was one of benevolence, which earned his a good reputation among the common people. His virtue and knowledge were praised by everybody. Why? Unmatched is his loyalty to both the emperor and country. It is because he was very patriotic and loyal, never showing any selfishness. He truly stood out among his peers, with none being his equal. Sincere and honest after learning his lesson at a young age. He always spoke the truth and never spoke a lie. When he was young, he once lied and was disciplined by his father; he learned his lesson and never lied again. You need both a kind and compassionate mother, as well as a father who can both educate and discipline children in order for them to develop their wholesome character. All through his life, Sima Guang had never told a lie; all he uttered was truthful, factual, and reliable. Comprehensive Mirror full of good advice for government. Those who want to learn benevolent politics should study this book by Sima Guang, and take it as a book of good guidance. Sima the Duke of Wenguo treasures books above all else. Sima the Duke of Wenguo regarded books as the greatest treasure, as the ancients said, The state of Chu does not treasure precious things; instead it takes practicing goodness as its sole treasure. Material possessions mean nothing when compared with a fondness of reading. Sima Guang must have been very fond of books, proficient at learning, and also kind and compassionate. 14 金剛菩提海二 O 一四年三月

14 溫公司馬善書寶 : 司馬溫公以書為寶 好像古人說 : 楚國無以為寶, 惟善以為寶 楚國沒有什麼可寶的, 為善就是楚國的寶貝 做人沒有什麼可寶的, 善於讀書就是寶貝 司馬光一定善於讀書, 性情也是慈悲良善 齋僧布道修福慧 : 他齋僧布道, 修福修慧 般若花開早早早 : 他這樣做人, 一定很有般若智慧 現在開般若花, 將來結般若果, 而且一定很早覺悟, 所以說 早早早 也可說他是自覺, 將來可以覺他, 等覺滿的時候就可以成佛 他是為修出世法, 行菩薩道, 先在世間上立功 所以我們人不論是在政治舞台上, 或是哪一個階層, 都要好好做, 都要修往極樂世界的路 這條路什麼時候修完, 你也就什麼時候走到了 上接 13 页 Serving monks meals and spreading teachings, acquiring blessings and wisdom. He offered meals to monastics and helped spread Buddhadharma, thus accumulating blessings and wisdom. Early indeed, early indeed, the blossoming of Prajna. Observing his character throughout his life, we can see that he definitely had Prajna wisdom. After the Prajna flower blossoms it will bear the fruit of Prajna. Early indeed, early indeed means that he would certainly become awakened soon. In other words, he could enlighten himself, and then enlighten others. In order to cultivate the transcendental Dharma and practice the Bodhisattva path, he first performed deeds of merit in this world. Regardless of our position, role, or class in the world; such as being involved in the political arena, we should all do good and benefit others. We should prepare ourselves for the path towards the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss by always doing good. By the time you have perfected the practice of doing good, you will naturally arrive at the destination of Pure Land. Continued from page 13 可是雖然這樣, 但是世間的人還是不信佛, 還是說佛教怎麼樣迷信, 怎麼樣不合乎邏輯 ; 有的在佛教裏頭來觀望, 看看佛教到底是怎麼一回事? 不過雖然是觀望的思想, 你若觀望, 一點一點地就會真正認識什麼是正法, 什麼是邪法? 什麼是應該修學的? 什麼魔法是不應該修學的? 那麼久而久之, 自己也就會真正的明白了! 所以佛教的教義是公開的, 人人都可以研究, 人人都可以來考察 ; 信不 信, 還是在自己 But even though that is the case, people in the world still do not have faith in the Buddha. They still say that Buddhism is superstitious and illogical. Some people approach Buddhism with the attitude of just waitand-see. But even though they have this attitude, still, it s better than not looking into it at all. If you really look into it, gradually you will come to genuinely recognize what is true Dharma and what is false dharma; what practices should be undertaken and what demonic dharma should not be cultivated and practiced. Eventually you will come to a genuine understanding. That is how the Buddhist teachings are totally open they are available for anyone and everyone to investigate. It s all up to you whether or not you believe it. BIOGRAPHIES 人物誌 訂閱單 Subscription Form 訂閱萬佛城月刊 金剛菩提海雜誌 附上支票乙紙, 抬頭 :D.R.B.A. I am enclosing a check made to D.R.B.A. for a subscription to VAJRA BODHI SEA for: 一年美金四十五元 US$45.00 / 1 year 二年美金八十五元 US$85.00 / 2 years 三年美金一百十元 US$ / 3 years 歡迎投稿, 稿件請寄 [email protected] We welcome articles. Please send the articles to [email protected] 歐美地區 In America & Europe, please send to: Gold Mountain Monastery 800 Sacramento Street, San Francisco, CA Tel: (415) Fax: (415) 亞澳地區 In Asia & Australia, please send to: Dharma Realm Guan Yin Sagely Monastery 161, Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Tel: ( 03) Fax: (03) [email protected] 臺灣 In Taiwan 請寄法界佛教印經會臺北市忠孝東路六段八十五號十一樓電話 :(02) 傳真 :(02) 姓名 Name: 地址 Address: 電話 Tel. No.: MARCH 2014 VAJRA BODHI SEA 15

15 宣化上人事蹟 中國篇 Events in the life of the Venerable Master: The China period 白山黑水育奇英 續 White Mountains and Black Waters Nurture Rare Talent (continued) 宣公上人事蹟編輯委員會新編2009年 鄭耿琳 等人 英譯 A new edition by the Committee for the Publication of Venerable Master Hsuan Hua s Biography Translated into English by Genglin Zheng and others B IOGRAPHIES 53. 忍字箴言 人 物 誌 53. The Motto of Being Patient 孟子曰 故天將降大任於斯人也 Mencius said: Thus, when Heaven is about to confer a great office on any 必先苦其心志 勞其筋骨 餓其體膚 空 man, it first exercises his mind with suffering, and his sinews and bones with 乏其身 行弗亂其所為 所以動心忍性 toil. It exposes his body to hunger, and subjects him to extreme poverty. It 增益其所不能 縱觀上人的一生 這段 話是最好的寫照 因此 上人常常教導弟 子 忍是無價寶 人人使不好 若能會 用它 萬事都能了 上人自述 我一生用 忍耐 二字為座右銘 無論 confounds his undertakings. By all these methods it stimulates his mind, hardens his nature, and makes up for his incompetence. This paragraph provides a most vivid description of Ven. Master Hua s life. The Master usually taught his disciples that Patience is a priceless jewel, but nobody knows how to use it. If you can really use it, then everything will be alright. Story in Venerable Master s Own Words: 在什麼環境之下 絕對一切忍受於身 忍 To be patient has always been my motto. No matter what the 受於心 在師父面前 不在師父面前 我 circumstance I am in, I use absolute patience with regard to my body or my 做徒弟的始終不敢發脾氣 為什麼呢 我 mind. Whether I was in the front of my master or not, I never dared lose 那個師父 他不像我這麼 兇 他很慈悲 my temper. Why not? My master was not as fierce as I was. He was very 的 我如果一發脾氣 他就不吃飯 他說 compassionate. If I lost my temper, he would not have any lunch. He would 我教化這個徒弟沒有教化好喔 因為 say, I didn t teach this disciple well. Because I didn t want my master to be 16 金剛菩提海 二Ｏ一四年三月

16 不想令老人家煩惱不吃飯, 我不敢發脾氣 afflicted and not have lunch, I never dared to lose my temper. Do I have ) 那我有沒有脾氣呢? 我的脾氣比誰都大, 但是因為出家修行, 把脾氣就改了 我常對你們講, 我剛出家在廟上的時候, 善知識都來了 師叔 師大爺 師兄弟都欺負我 罵我 打我, 甚至徒姪也欺負我, 也罵我 這一個罵, 那一個打, 四面八方風雨都來了, 都想把我攆出廟去 那時候因為在墳上守孝, 有點定力, 到廟上捱打捱罵, 我都很歡喜接受 ; 不是像你們, 被人說幾句, 就受不了要爆炸了 你也許會說 : 他們這樣對你, 你是不是很不守規矩呢? 不是的, 我很守規矩的 他們為什麼要這麼欺負我呢? 就因為他們看我什麼本事也沒有, 所以他們欺負我 我從小尚武善鬥, 歡喜和人打架 ; 但是我出家之後, 我在廟上像什麼能力也沒有的一個人, 只會吃飯, 什麼事也不會做, 所以誰也看不起我 我在那個時候, 真是修忍辱行修得很好 ; 誰罵我打我, 我覺得這是幫助我, 看我還有沒有火氣 我當時年紀雖然很輕, 火氣很大, 可是都以心平氣和的態度, 接受考驗 你們不要以為就這麼有了萬佛城, 現在天龍八部護持, 從地湧出萬佛城來 ; 這是幾十年的修忍辱力 修行功夫所致 所以我說 : temper? Yes, probably more volcanic than others. Since I left the home-life and started cultivating, I have done away with my temper. I have often told you that when I had just started living at the monastery, all kinds of Good Knowing Advisors came. I was often beaten, scolded, and bullied by the others. They wanted to kick me out of the monastery. But I developed some samadhi while I mourned at my mother s grave, so when I came to the monastery, I happily accepted the scolding and beating. I am unlike you; when someone scolds you slightly, you cannot bear it and feel as if you are about to explode. You may ask, They treated you like this! Wasn t it because you did not follow the rules? No, I followed the rules extremely strictly. So why did they pick on me? Because they thought I didn t have any ability. Although I had loved to fight with people as a child, after having entered the monastery, I acted as if I was totally incompetent. I fed myself and seemed capable of nothing else, so they looked down on me. I truly cultivated patience during that period of time. No matter who beat or scolded me, I believed that they were testing whether I still had a temper. I was very young and had a bad temper. However, I then calmed my attitude and accepted all the tests. Please don t think that it was easy to establish the City of the Ten Thousand Buddhas and have the protection of gods, dragons and other eightfold division of Dharma protectors. All this is based on decades of cultivating patience. So I say, Demons polish the true path. Only when one is on the true path do demons come. The more they rub against you, the shinier you become. Even once you are shiny, further polishing is required, Biographies 人物誌 魔是磨真道, 真道纔有魔 ; 越磨越光亮, 光亮更要磨 磨得如秋月, 空中照群魔 ; 群魔照退了, 現出本來佛 Once you shine like the autumn moon, Only then in space will you illuminate the hordes of demons. When the hordes of demons all retreat, Then the Buddha of your inherent-nature appears. 萬佛城的三大宗旨, 是凍死不攀緣, 餓 The three great principles of the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas are: 死不化緣, 窮死不求緣, 這也是我的一個寫照 你們要記得 凍死迎風站, 餓死挺肚 Freezing, we do not scheme. Starving, we do not beg. 行 ; 要做疾風中的勁燭, 烈火內的真金 Dying of poverty, we ask for nothing. 什麼也不要怕 我在東北, 冬天夏天都穿三層布 ; 底下是一層, 上面兩層都是補釘, 補一塊又一塊 我不怕你們看不起我, 我原本就是窮人出身 冷不冷? 冷! 冷那為什麼你要那樣子呢? 我就是想要凍死不攀緣 東北的冬天, 都有三尺多深的雪 ; 我不穿 These are also my self-description. You should remember (this principle), Even if we are freezing to death, we stand upright facing the wind. Even if we are starving to death, we stick out our bellies and keep walking. We should be like a strong burning candle in severe winds and like real gold in a fierce fire. Be afraid of nothing. When I was in Manchuria, I only wore three layers of fabrics in the winter. One layer at March 2014 Vajra Bodhi Sea 17

17 Biographies 人物誌 襪子, 就穿一雙羅漢鞋到各處 一般人說 : 這個人是有道德的人! 其實不是有道德, 就是能忍, 不怕凍 不怕餓 所以我說 : 凍死迎風站, 餓死挺肚行, 就是這個意思 最初鍛練不穿棉衣服, 也凍得很厲害的 ; 不過, 凍過去了就不怕了! 在東北, 凍的天氣可以把耳朵凍硬了, 很痛的, 你用手這麼一扒, 耳朵就會掉了! 但是, 我也不戴帽子, 耳朵也沒有凍掉過, 因為我是凍出來的 最初, 比針扎的還痛, 痛得很厲害, 然後隨你痛去, 不管! 掉了算了! 也就忍過來了 我能忍冷忍熱, 在三伏天 ( 最熱的時節 ), 熱得頭昏腦脹, 眼冒金花, 走路時天旋地轉, 眼前發黑 ; 我只要坐下來休息一會兒就好了 我用 忍耐 二字作為法寶, 來克服一切困難, 忍寒忍暑, 忍風忍雨, 忍饑忍渴 ; 一切都忍, 絕不豎白旗 後記 弟子譚果式: 記得我小的時候在香港, 有一天看到師父的腳底有一層粗糙的厚皮, 約有好幾分厚 因為我生在香港, 從沒有看過這樣子的腳底, 我忍不住就問師父, 為什麼他的腳底有如此厚的一層皮? 好像套上一片薄薄的鞋墊似的 師父說是因為他經年累月赤腳走路所致 我問師父 : 這樣子走路不痛嗎? 師父說: 當然難受, 但忍一忍就過去了! 修道就是要忍耐! 聽了師父的話之後, 對師父的苦行和他悲天憫人的德行, 更加心悅誠服 ; 師父的身教與言教, 令我一生受用不盡! 待續 the bottom and two layers of fabrics on top that were full of mended patches here and there. As I originally came from a poor family, I am not afraid if you look down on me. Didn t you feel cold? you may ask. Yes, it was very cold! But why then did you want to suffer coldness? It was because I just didn t want to exploit advantages of others even if I had to freeze to death. In Manchuria, during the winter the snow piles as high as three feet. Wherever I traveled, I wore no socks but only a pair of arhat shoes. In general, for anyone who could do something like this, people would say that he is someone who has virtue. Actually, it was not because I had virtue, it was just because I was able to endure. I was not afraid of freezing or starving. That s why I say, Even if we are freezing to death, we stand upright facing the wind. Even if we are starving to death, we stick out our bellies and keep walking. This is the meaning of this saying. When I first stopped wearing cotton, it was really cold. However, after time, I was no longer afraid of freezing. In Manchuria, the weather would be so cold that a person s ears could freeze until they became stiff and very painful. If a person gently grabbed his ears with his hands, they would fall off. Although I did not wear my hat, my ears did not freeze and fall off because I had already been through the cold. In the beginning, the pain was more intense than being pierced by a needle. Although the pain was severe, I did not care and let it be. I ignored it and decided that if my ears fell off, then I would let them fall off. In this way, I was able to go through the test. I could bear with both cold and heat. During the hottest days of summer, when I was walking, my head would be dizzy and swollen and I would see stars dancing in front of my eyes. Heaven and earth seemed to be spinning and my vision would black out. At that time, I only needed to rest a little bit and I would get better. I always use the Dharma jewel of endurance to conquer all difficulties: to endure heat and cold, wind and rain, hunger and thirst, and all other things without ever retreating. [Postscript] An Additional Account Related by Disciple Guoshi (Madelena) Tan I still remember the time when I was young and living in Hong Kong, I once saw the hard thick skin under the Master s feet. It was about a few centimeters thick. Being born in Hong Kong, I had never seen skin like this before, I couldn t help but ask why he had such thick skin. It was as if he was wearing a pair of thin shoes. The Master told me it was because in his early years he had walked barefoot for months. I asked the Master, Didn t it hurt to walk like that? The Master said, Of course it was hard to bear! But with endurance one gets through the pain. In cultivation, one needs to have endurance. After hearing these words from the Master, I was amazed and had deepened my faith in his ascetic practice and his virtuous conduct of universal compassion. The Master s teachings by word and deed brought me inexhaustible benefit. To be continued 若能鎖木出火, 淤泥定生紅蓮 苦口的是良藥, 逆耳必是忠言 六祖法寶壇經 If drilling wood can spin smoke into fire, A red-petalled lotus can surely spring from mud. Good medicine is bitter to the taste, Words hard against the ear must be good advice. from the Six Patriarch's Sutra 18 金剛菩提海二 O 一四年三月

18 nued 論語淺釋 續 The Analects of Confucius (continued) 宣化上人講 楊維光 劉年聰 英譯 Lectures by the Venerable Master Hua English translation by Yong Wei Kwong and Liew Yen Chong D HARMA T ALK D HARMA R AIN 里仁第四 法 語 法 雨 Chapter 4: Living in a Benevolent Neighborhood 慣 惡的習氣 這是真正一個仁 也會 It may seem tiny but the essence and spirit of the universe are all contained within this single seed of goodness! Therefore, it is also one of the fundamentals of benevolence. It is because of this that we have to improve these seeds. You should change them for better, not for worse. How can these seeds change for the better? It is by improving them step-by-step until they are good. Do not plant any evil seeds; discard bad habits and bad practices. This is to be truly benevolent. By knowing how to use scientific methods to transform these seeds, the more we change them, the better they become! 用這科學的方法來改造這個仁 我們把 The sages of ancient times were the first to worry before the common people 你看它小 可是這宇宙的精神 這 宇宙一個善的種子在這兒 所以這也是 仁的一個根本 因為這個 我們要改良 種子 要越改越好 不要越改越糟 怎 麼樣越改越好呢 就是把種子改到一步 比一步善的 不要種惡的種子 惡的習 它越搞越好 were worried, and the last to enjoy after the people were happy. This is nothing 古來的聖人 都是 先天下之憂而 else but benevolence. Therefore, we now have to break free of individualism! 憂 後天下之樂而樂 這沒有旁的 Once this is done, there will be no mark of self. Just now, Teacher Sun said, If 就是一個 仁 所以我們現在要把個 everyone is fine, how happy I ll be! I will feel good and cheerful too. If I am well, 人的主義打破了它 你打破個人主義 就沒有我相 方才孫老師說 大家若 都好了 我心裏多快樂 我心裏也好 but no one else is,, what meaning is there? Indeed, it would be meaningless! For example, the ruler of Heaven is just a single bachelor, what s so great about that? Ghosts and spirits bow and worship to him, but all the power belongs to that god. There is no meaning in this! MARCH 2014 VAJRA BODHI SEA 19

19 Biographies 人物誌 也覺得很開朗的 ; 大家都沒有好, 我一個人好了, 這有什麼意義? 是沒有什麼意思! 天主不過一個光棍子, 有什麼了不起的? 在那兒見鬼叫人崇拜祂, 完了, 權利都是祂的 這可以說是一點意思也沒有! 做天主和基督, 那就是苦, 那就是個孽子 這孤臣並不是說孤獨的問題, 這個孤臣就是他沒有黨 沒有派, 孤立的, 曲高和寡的 本來他不想和人孤立, 可是人就抵制他 為什麼呢? 就因為人人都有自私心 ; 可是他處之泰然, 沒有問題 古來有很多賢臣, 那些個賢臣都是有孤忠的, 對他所保護 所擁護的人, 始終如一, 沒有兩個心 ; 他們沒有兩個心, 這叫孤臣 這個孽子, 也不一定說是那個不得寵的妻室生的才叫 孽子 孽子, 也就是做父親的不注意他,No pay attention, 可是他還是那麼循規蹈矩地 ; 那個 孽, 就是好像造孽似的, 其實他那也是修養來的功夫 好像舜當初, 也可以說是孽子 ; 父親有眼睛像個沒有眼睛似的, 叫他 孽子 他本來不是個孽子, 就因為他後邊又有一個弟弟 他後媽帶了一個油瓶仔 ( 編註 : 指跟隨再嫁的母親到對方家庭去的孩子 ); 所以他父親就跟著這個媽媽來敵視舜, 要把他燒死, 要把他用水淹死 叫他去淘井, 他父親用一塊石頭在上邊扔下去, 想把他壓到那個井裏頭 ; 這叫 落井下石, 典故就都是從這兒來的 時舜井出, 又使他去收拾倉裏邊的穀 ; 在外邊就放了一把火, 要把他燒死 想不到大舜也有點神通, 那天不知怎麼, 就帶了兩個草帽 ; 看火起來了, 他伸了兩個膀子, 一手拿著一個草帽, 從屋頂往下一跳, 喔! 就像一個大鷹飛起來了, 也沒有被燒死 這都是孤臣孽子! 好像這古來的孤臣, 盡忠為國的, 就皇帝把他殺了, 他也不怪皇帝, 也不怨天, 也不尤地 所以各位, 我們也都會哭, 但是應該為天下而哭, 不要為個人而哭, 不要那麼自私 ; 我們也都有笑, 那個笑應該是為天下而笑 後天下的笑而笑, 先天下的憂而憂, 以天下為己任, 以教化眾生為己任 ; 你看這個多麼快樂, 沒有自己 我們一定要把自己這個我慢 我相想法子解決了它 ; 不然的時候, 它由無量劫以來就障礙我們, 障礙到現在了! 待續 I say this because being a god is bitter because he is solitary. Being a solitary minister is not an issue about loneliness. Rather, it means that such a person does not belong to any party and is an isolated, highbrow figure with no supporters. At first, he may have no intention of being isolated from the crowd but then he is ostracized by others. Why? It is because everyone is selfish at heart. Nevertheless, he remains unruffled and has no problems with it. Since ancient times, there have been many virtuous subjects who are single-minded loyalists. As far as those people whom they protect or support are concerned, they remain loyal from beginning to end and do not harbor two minds, they never swerve in their loyalty. For this reason, they are known as solitary ministers. The term perverse son does not necessarily refer to the offspring of a wife or concubine who is in disfavor. It refers to a son who is neglected by his father but who still behaves according to the rules. The character 孽 (niè) may imply that he has committed evil deeds, but in fact it is a skill that he has cultivated. For example, Emperor Shun could be considered a perverse son when he was young. His father had eyes but acted like a sightless person for he labeled him a perverse son. Actually, he wasn t perverse at all, but his father was bias towards his stepson, whom his second wife brought along to the family. As a result, Shun s father and stepmother and adopted a hostile attitude towards him, even to the extent of plotting to burn and drown him. While Shun was dredging a well, his father hurled a rock down, intending to crush him. This is called dropping stones on someone who has fallen into a well, which is an allusion to this incident. After that, when Shun managed to climb out of the well, he was again ordered to tidy up the granary, and a fire was started outside with the intention of burning him to death. Unexpectedly, Great Shun seemed to possess a bit of spiritual penetration. For some reason, he had brought along two straw hats with him that day. At the sight of the raging fire, he stretched out his arms, each hand grasping a straw hat, and jumped down from the roof. Oh! Like a great eagle soaring in the air, he managed to avoid being burnt to death. This is what solitary minister and perverse son is all about! For example, those solitary ministers in ancient times served their country with the utmost loyalty. Even if they were sentenced to death, they neither harbored resentment towards the emperor nor blamed heaven and earth. Everyone cries, but we ought to cry for the sake of others and not for our own. Don t be so selfish. We also know how to laugh but we should do so for the sake of the people. We should be the last to laugh (after others laugh), and the first to worry (before others worry). We should regard the affairs under Heaven as our own responsibility and regard the education of living beings as our own responsibility. Do you see how happy it is to be without a sense of self? We must think of a way to get rid of our own arrogance and mark of self, otherwise such afflictions, which have been obstructing us since limitless kalpas ago, will continue to obstruct us right up to the present moment! To be continued 20 金剛菩提海二 O 一四年三月

20 Flowers Blooming In the Spring 錢沛竹 ( 培德女中 10 年級 ) 文 By Pam Qian, 10th Grade, Developing Virtue Girl School 林慧宜 ( 培德女中 12 年級 ) 英譯 English translation by Charmaine Lim, 12th Grade, Developing Virtue Girl School 學子園地 STUDENTS CORNER 相見歡 望春 孤身漫步小園天如釉瀟灑紅木聖寺待春遊花又開燕再來山幽幽最是一年春光盡悠悠 甲午年正月初二於美國萬佛聖城 Joyful Reunion, Awaiting Spring I walk at ease in the garden alone, The sky glazed with colors. The monastery and its redwoods, natural and majestic, awaits the arrival of spring Once again, fl owers bloom, the swallows return, the mountains are surrounded with fog; Spring has come, the time of leisure. Written on the second day of the first month in Jia-Wu Year(2014) at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, U.S.A. MARCH 2014 VAJRA BODHI SEA 21

21 STUDENTS CORNER 學子園地 獨在異鄉為異客, 每逢佳節倍思親 很小就學過王維的這首 九月九日憶山東兄弟, 卻從來沒有真正體味過這種在外遊子的思家之情 可當我真正遠離故鄉, 第一次孤身一人在漂洋過海的地方過春節之時, 我才知道這種情不僅僅是思念, 不僅僅是對家人 朋友 故土的一草一木 民族的風俗習慣的思念 ; 這情中, 還有對自己成長蛻變的感慨 對家人老師同學的感恩, 以及對未來的美好祝福與憧憬 這心情是複雜的, 但確是令人嚮往的 這種心情沒有過於深沉, 卻充實了我的生命, 讓我成熟 樂觀 努力 充滿希望, 彷彿那嚴冬之後, 春日再來的第一縷花香 臘月二十九, 下雨了 雨絲被風吹得斜斜的, 密密而下, 模糊了眼前所有的景象, 宛如一道幕簾, 隔開了往日熟悉的一切 天空被大片大片的雲完全遮掩了起來, 太陽不見了蹤影, 再多的衣物也阻止不了涼意鑽進毛孔, 凍得人止不住地發抖 雨滴砸在窗戶上, 滴答滴答後留下一道水跡, 彷彿是老天爺的淚痕, 令人因本就不能與家人共度佳節的心情更加憂傷 鳥兒們躲到了屋檐下, 松鼠跑回了牠地下的窩, 就連孔雀也恨不得將艷麗的長尾巴捲起, 渴望那多一絲的溫暖 天空黯淡了一整日, 即使是到了晚上, 也沒有一絲薄薄的星光 夜, 早就悄悄地來了, 一切更是漆黑, 唯有宿舍中的那幾束暈黃的燈光, 給人溫暖 到底是誰在春節 party 的前一晚趕工? 我走 Alone as a stranger in a foreign land, each holiday missing my family more deeply. The poem On the Ninth Day of the Ninth Lunar Month, Remembering My Shandong Brothers was taught to me at a young age, but I never truly experienced the poet s homesick feelings. When I left my hometown and found myself for the first time celebrating Chinese New Year alone in a foreign country, I realized that this feeling I have is not only about missing family members, friends, or even the cultural customs in my country, but also about understanding the growth and change I have undergone, feeling gratitude for my teachers and fellow students, and looking forward to a brighter future. This feeling is complicated, but at the same time it is a kind of looking forward. It is not a feeling of heaviness; it enriches my life and has made me a more mature, optimistic, hardworking, and hopeful person, just like the first whiff of fragrance when the flowers bloom in the spring after a long winter. On the 29th of the twelfth lunar month, it rained. The strong wind made the raindrops fall in a slanting direction. The view in front of me blurred as the rain fell, as if it were a veil that separated me from what was familiar from the past. The clouds in the sky blocked the sun from shining through. Even wearing many layers of clothing did not warm me up as the cold air seeped through my pores, causing me to shiver uncontrollably. Raindrops crashed against the windowpanes, leaving behind traces like trails of tears from the sky. Those who are unable to spend the holiday with their family feel even more depressed. The birds hid under the roof, squirrels fled back to their underground homes, and even the peacocks wished they could roll their beautiful long tails around themselves to get an extra bit of warmth. The sky had been gloomy for the entire day, and not a single star shone at night. Night came quietly and everything descended into darkness, leaving only the faint yellow light from the student dorm giving out warmth to whoever passed by. Who exactly is rushing to make last-minute preparations the night before the Chinese New Year party? I walked into the study hall and saw three fellow students making posters. One of them was cutting up paper; one doing 22 金剛菩提海二 O 一四年三月

22 進自習室, 看到三名同學正在裏面做海報 她們一人剪紙 一人畫畫 一人粘貼, 時不時地聊著天邊應聲而笑, 臉上洋溢著歡樂 她們的海報一看便知是關於中國傳統小吃的, 發糕 餃子 湯圓 蘿蔔糕 年糕 長壽麵, 每一樣都畫得格外精致, 令人垂涎欲滴 食欲大開, 原來她們便是那其中一束溫暖的光 我止住對美食的嚮往, 走向討論室 ; 打開討論室的門, 映入眼簾的便是幾張寫著燈謎的紅紙 ; 精心的書寫, 流暢的筆跡 我忽然內心一陣興奮 : 我猜出了這些謎語! 我笑著離開討論室, 轉身便看到客廳裏已經掛滿了紅紅的燈籠和剪紙 那些剪紙每一個和每一個都不盡相同, 令我頗為驚喜 還有那些貼在窗戶上的 福 字, 不難看出是出自西方人之手 雖有一點歪歪扭扭, 卻洋溢著滿滿的喜氣與溫暖 進入房間, 遠遠地看到一間臥室點著一盞小燈 我走過去, 卻又在還有一步之遙的地方止住腳步 我看到那名同學正在製作一組十二生肖的道具, 想必也是為了第二日的 party 而準備 這一週, 是所有學科進行期末考試的一週, 是春節如約而至的一週 對於每一個老師和學生來說, 這一週都是忙碌的 而對於那些同時負責籌辦 party 的老師和同學們來說, 這一週是極具挑戰性的, 是即使考完期末考, 也暫時無法放鬆下來的 他們的起早貪黑為我們奉上了一場精彩的表演, 他們的無私奉獻, 換來了所有人一段歡樂的時光, 他們的辛苦付出給了我家的溫暖, 愛的感動 無論是對於想要了解中國文化的西方人來說, 還是對遠離故土的中國人來說, 還有什麼是比能與老師和同學們共度 the pasting while the third person was drawing. Sometimes jokes were cracked amongst the chitchat and their faces were lit with happiness. I could see that their posters introduced the traditional foods eaten during the Chinese New Year: prosperity cakes, dumplings, glutinous rice balls, turnip cakes, niangao and longevity noodles. Every item was drawn with care, making them look as appetizing as could be. One of the warm lights I had seen from the outside was theirs. I made myself stop the craving for those delicious foods and walked to the discussion room. Upon opening the door, I saw riddles written on red paper in smooth calligraphy. My heart was suddenly filled with excitement: I knew the answers to these riddles! I left the discussion room with a big smile. As I turned around the corner, I saw the living room already covered with red paper cuttings from kirigami and red paper lanterns hung everywhere. What surprised me was that the cutting of many fu ( 福 ) characters from kirigami were all unique and none resembled another. Those fu ( 福 )writings on the windows were obviously not written by someone experienced in Chinese calligraphy, probably a Westerner. Although the calligraphy was a little crooked, it was full of the joy and warmth of the festive season. Entering the dorm rooms, I saw a small flash of yellow light in one of the cubicles from a distance. I walked over, but stopped about a step away. I can see another person making props for the 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac, presumably for the party next day. This week we had final exams for all the subjects, and the week to celebrate Chinese New Year was a busy and challenging week for students and teachers, especially those who were organizing the party. Even when they were done with finals, they still could not yet relax. They woke up early and went to sleep late. Their hard work gave us a spectacular show; their dedication paid off by giving everyone an extremely fun time, their selfless giving made me feel as if surrounded by the warmth of my family. Whether it is for Westerners who would like to learn more about Chinese culture, or for the Chinese away from home, what is more gratifying than being able to enjoy a good party with other students and teachers? Not only do I appreciate the teachers and students who put in a lot of effort STUDENTS CORNER 學子園地 MARCH 2014 VAJRA BODHI SEA 23

23 Students Corner 學子園地 過一場美好的 party, 更令人欣喜與感恩的呢? 不僅僅是感恩老師與同學們對這一場 party 的付出, 還有他們這一年來互相無微不至的照顧 適應一個全新的生活與學習環境比我曾經想像的要難得多, 還好有他們在我身邊, 願意支持我, 幫助我改正自己, 一點點蛻變 還有我的家人, 他們對我的愛總是要比我對他們的愛更深沉 更無私 在這十七年來第一個沒有我的春節裏, 我所能傳遞給他們的就是我的成長 我離開他們有所值的成長 成長的路是風雨兼程的, 就是那永遠為我遮風擋雨的港灣 而如今, 在美國, 這港灣逐漸變成了我的學校 我的老師和我的同學, 他們為我築起了一個讓心靈可以有所依靠的溫巢 星期五的 party 是令人難忘的 雖然我一直待在自己的攤位裏負責教別人包餃子, 可全場那種溢滿了的歡喜之情, 至今仍然令我心潮澎湃 這整個 party 中, 國小二 三年級的同學們為我們帶來了 恭喜發財 的歌舞表演 ; 四位中文班的同學帶來了自編自導的慶新年數來寶 ; 一名十二年級的同學帶來了精彩的扯鈴表演, 真是高潮迭起 除了這些精彩紛呈的節目之外, 我們還有十個不同的攤位 前來參加 party 的人們可以在美食攤位嚐到中國傳統的餃子 湯圓 蘿蔔糕和年糕, 還可以學習如何包餃子 有的攤位是介紹十二生肖的故事的 有的是關於過春節習俗的 除此之外, 學習打竹板 數來寶 扯鈴 書法和剪紙的攤位更是充滿了歡聲笑語 在 許願樹 的攤位, 每一個人都誠懇地寫下對新年的期待 雖然 Party 的規模不大, 時間僅只兩小時半, 卻囊括了春節文化的諸多精華 無論是來賓, 還是在攤位服務的學生們, 大家都樂在其中, 和樂融融 我第一個遠離家鄉的春節就這樣過去了, 可這並不是最後一個 在不遠的將來, 我還會度過第二個 第三個或者甚至第十個這樣的春節 可這樣的春節, 即使是過得再多, 也是沒有辦法習慣的吧? 不管孤身一人多久, 總還是會想念那個充滿暖意的家, 希望有人相伴 而在這遠離家鄉的美國, 學校 老師 同學便成了我寄托心靈的地方 齋堂前不知名的小樹已長出了花苞, 想必其怒放的日子也指日可待了 能在這春日又臨 萬物復蘇的日子裏, 找到心靈的歸宿, 真是最美好的事了 心有所依, 前方還有什麼可畏懼的嗎? for this party, but I also appreciate the care they have given me this whole year. Adapting to a new life and learning environment is harder than I had initially imagined, and fortunately I have them by my side, willing to support me and helping me improve myself as I transform little by little. There is also my family, whose love for me is always more selfless and deep than my own. In this first Spring Festival without me in the past seventeen years, the only thing I can offer to them is the growth I ve achieved the growth I ve attained after leaving them. The course of growing up never did run smooth, and my home is like my shelter and harbor forever. While for now, in America, this harbor gradually became my school, my teachers, and my academics, they constructed a nest for my heart to rely on. The party on Friday was unforgettable. Although for the most part I remained in my booth teaching others how to make dumplings, the whole happy scene still makes me excited just by thinking about it. For this party, the second and third graders brought to us a lively Gong Xi Fa Cai dance, four students from Chinese class brought to us a self-directed fun rap about the Chinese New Year, while one of the high school seniors performed a wonderful show of Chinese diabolo (Chinese yo-yo). Those who came to attend the party were able to try out the traditional foods of Chinese New Year such as dumplings, glutinous rice balls, turnip cakes and sweet rice cakes named Nian gao, and they also learned how to make their own dumplings. Some of the other booths introduced the story of the 12 Chinese Zodiac animals, while others were about the customs of the New Year. Moreover, the booths teaching the bamboo clappers, diabolos, calligraphy, and kirigami were filled with constant laughter. At the booth of the Wishing Tree, everyone sincerely wrote down their wishes for the New Year. Even though the size of the party wasn t big and only lasted for two and a half hours, it covered many of the essential parts of Chinese New Year. Whether it was the guests or the students, everyone enjoyed their time and were happy together. My first Chinese New Year away from home has passed, but this will not be the last. In the near future, I will experience my second, third, perhaps even tenth of such New Years. However, no matter how many times I experience them, it will probably still be hard to get used to it. No matter how long it has been, I will still miss the warmth of home and will wish for good company. Here in the United States, far away from home, the school, teachers and students have become something I can rely on. The buds on the anonymous little trees in front of the dining hall have started to open, and before long they will be in full bloom. In this season, nothing can be better than finding a safe harbor for my heart to rely on. With something to rely on, I will not be afraid of anything the future brings. 24 金剛菩提海二 O 一四年三月

24 娑婆世界最佳的移居地 The Best Place for the People in the Saha World to Emigrate to Background Photo courtesy of Xan Schmickel BODHI FIELD 菩提田 萬佛聖城方丈和尚恒律法師講於 2013 年 12 月 14 日萬佛城大殿李海昱英譯 A Talk by Abot Dharma Master Heng Lyu, on December 14th, 2013 at the Buddha Hall of CTTB English Translation by Lotus Lee 最近讀到英國滙豐銀行發佈的 2013 年度全球移居者探索調查 報告, 該報告顯示亞洲有許多國家和地區列入全球最佳移居地排行榜 問卷抽樣全球近一百個國家的七千名移居者, 根據經濟 生活品質 養育子女三大因素對這些國家進行排名 其中經濟因素指的是收入和福利, 生活品質指的是健康飲食 工作 休假 社交 生活 購物 市場和當地文化等方面, 養育子女因素指的是教育品質和教育體系 綜合評估三大因素之後, 各位猜一猜哪個國 Recently, I read a report published by England s HSBC bank, titled HSBC s 2013 Guide to the Best Places for Expats. Many Asian countries made the list. The report was based on a survey that sampled seven thousand immigrants living in about a hundred different countries, and asked questions about economy, quality of life, and conditions for child-raising. Financial and economic factors included annual income and government benefits; overall quality of life included food, work, vacations allotted, social events, daily life, shopping, and local culture. Conditions for raising MARCH 2014 VAJRA BODHI SEA 25

25 Bodhi Field 菩提田 家排行第一呢? 答案是中國 中國以較高的 經濟收入 和 生活品質 得分而位居榜首, 雖然在 子女養育 方面得分較低, 但移居到中國的人表示, 與在本國生活相比, 移居到中國後的薪水更豐厚, 生活品質也更高 於是許多厭倦本國生活的人士, 都會考慮移居到中國展開生活的新篇章 然而, 佛陀告訴我們還有更好的選擇, 就是西方淨土極樂世界 ; 那裏有種種的殊勝 譬如說, 那裏經濟收入最高, 因為在那裏每一個人都享有黃金為地, 七寶的宮殿 樓閣 雖然, 世間上也有七寶, 但這都是凡夫的凡品, 對於極樂世界的極品七寶來相比較的話, 那簡直天淵之別, 一個在天, 一個在地 在生活品質方面也是最殊勝的, 因為在那裏的人, 身體的形相 樣貌跟阿彌陀佛一樣, 具三十二種大丈夫像 大家看看中間這尊阿彌陀佛, 就想到那有多麼莊嚴 而且, 那裏氣候溫和, 沒有四季 寒暑 陰雨的變化 ; 不會像這裏最近天氣冷得不得了 極樂世界的氣候, 永遠是那麼地涼爽舒適, 令人心曠神怡 更方便的是, 你只要思食就有食, 思衣就有衣, 總令你心滿意足, 還有什麽比這些更好的生活品質呢? 在養育子女方面就更不要擔心了, 在那裏的人都是蓮花化生, 絕不會淪落到三惡道去 有觀音菩薩 大勢至菩薩及清淨大海眾菩薩的教化, 及阿彌陀佛的加持, 我們絕不會再退下來了, 必定會證得法身, 也可以說, 那是成佛的保證班 更重要的是, 極樂世界沒有名額限制, 因為西方極樂世界是廣大無邊, 就算是十方無量世界的眾生一起都往生到西方極樂世界去, 也不會有人滿為患的問題 所以, 西方極樂淨土是最佳的移居選擇 這使我不禁想到, 我們是不是可以活著的時候, 就直接移民到西方極樂世界去呢? 換句話說, 就是不要等到死了以後, 才有機會去西方極樂世界, 而是現在就帶此肉身直接去西方極樂世界, 這可不可能呢? 對我們凡夫俗子而言, 連距離最近的四天王天都到不了, 何況是過十萬億佛土的西方極樂世界呢! 爲什麽我們連最近的四天王天都到 children included quality and system of education. In terms of all three categories, can you guess which country came in first? The answer is China, which garnered high scores in economics and quality of life, although it did not do so well with regards to conditions for raising children. People who have immigrated to China say that compared to life in their home countries, their salaries have increased and their quality of life has also improved. So, people who are tired of living in their countries consider China a good place to start a new life. Nonetheless, the Buddha told us about an even better choice: the western Land of Ultimate Bliss, which is wonderful and supreme in various ways. For instance, you have the highest earning, because the ground is paved with gold, and there are palaces and pavilions made of the seven precious jewels. Although the seven jewels are also present in our world, they are worldly and ordinary, and cannot even hold a candle to the seven jewels which are found in the Pure Land. In terms of quality of life, the Pure Land is superior as well, for the people who live there have the same physical appearances as Amitabha Buddha and are replete with the thirty-two hallmarks. You can imagine how adorned that would be just by looking at the picture of Amitabha Buddha here. In addition, the weather in the Pure Land is always mild and gentle, cool and comfortable, refreshing and pleasant. There is no changing of the seasons. It is never too hot or too cold, and there are no rainy or cloudy days, unlike the weather we been having, which has gotten quite cold lately. Even more comfortably, you will obtain whatever food or clothes you wish for simply by thinking about them, so you are always content. What better quality of life could one ask for? As for raising children, there is nothing to worry about at all. The people there are born from lotus flowers and will never fall into the three evil destinies. By virtue of the teachings of Guan Yin Bodhisattva, Great Strength Bodhisattva, and the Pure Sea-like Assembly of Bodhisattvas, and the blessings of Amitabha Buddha, we will never retreat, and will definitely attain Buddhahood. In other words, it is a one-way ticket to becoming a Buddha. More importantly, there is no quota for the number of beings that can be born in the Pure Land, for it is boundlessly wide and expansive. Even if the living beings of limitless worlds in the ten directions were to be born in the Land of Ultimate Bliss, it will never be overpopulated. Therefore, the Pure Land is the best destination to emigrate to. This makes me wonder: could we move to the Land of Ultimate Bliss while we are still alive? In other words, would it be possible to go to the Pure Land with this physical body? To ordinary people like us, even the Heaven of the Four Kings, which is the Heaven in the desire realm that is closest to us, is impossible to reach, let alone the Pure Land, which is hundreds of thousands of millions of Buddhalands away. The reason we are unable to reach the Heaven of the Four Kings is because we are bound by the time and space that exists 26 金剛菩提海二 O 一四年三月

26 不了? 因為我們被業力所締造出來的時間 空間限制住了 我們首先要了解, 這個法界充滿著無數不同的時間和空間, 以及不同的四大 以現代科學角度來稱, 就是多重空間 ; 想要超越不同的時間 空間, 不是就像用火箭送人到月球, 或用衛星去偵察火星, 及其他的星球那樣就可以成功的 因為業力不一樣, 所以四天王天跟我們所處的時間 空間就不一樣, 譬如說, 四天王天的一日一夜, 等於我們地球上多少年啊? 五十年! 換句話說, 這就使我們的肉身無法超越在不同時間 空間中的屏障, 也就是爲什麽我們連最近的四天王天都到不了的原因 而諸大菩薩及諸佛們, 由於清淨的業力, 可以能直接超越時間 空間的屏障, 穿梭於不同的時間和空間來去自如, 而不需要往生 也就是說, 不需要換個身體才可以生存適應, 乃至如同經上所說, 甚至可以分身無量於十方無邊的世界, 來教化無量無邊的眾生, 皆無障礙 阿彌陀佛非常慈悲, 知道我們眾生的困難處 但是, 即使他有廣大的神通 智慧及願力想幫助眾生, 立刻到達極樂世界, 他也是要配合眾生的業力及因緣 所以, 不能夠幫助眾生直接帶著肉身去西方極樂世界, 但可以接引眾生的神識去西方極樂世界, 這就是往生西方極樂世界的方法 當我們往生一到了西方極樂世界, 我們就換了一個蓮花化生的身體, 就可以享受西方極樂世界種種的殊勝妙樂, 而且還可以直接去十方諸佛的淨土, 就像 阿彌陀經 講的 : 盛眾妙華, 供養他方十萬億佛 從此以後不需要再換個身體才能到別的世界去了 所以, 不是阿彌陀佛不慈悲, 或是他的智慧神通不夠大 ; 而是我們眾生業力太大了, 即使讓我們去了, 也是沒有用的, 就像淡水魚想在大海中生存一樣的困難, 也不是神通所能解決的問題 以在地球實際生活的例子來說, 無論想去哪個國家, 必須具備三個基本條件才能成行 第一, 必須要有護照 ; 第二, 要取得簽證 ; 第三, 必須要有交通工具, 如搭飛機 乘火車或坐車 具備了上述三個條件才能成行 ; 否則的 due to our karma. We should understand that within the Dharma realm, there are many variations in space-time, and different materials that make up the four elements. From the viewpoint of modern science, these are called multiple dimensions which cannot be crossed through simple means like firing a rocket or sending satellites. The karmic conditions that restrict the bounds of time and space for beings in the Heaven of the Four Kings are different from ours. For instance, one day in the Heaven of the Four Kings is equivalent to fifty years in our world. Therefore, our physical body is unable to travel freely because of these barriers. However, the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas have pure karma and so are able to cross space-time boundaries and travel freely between different dimensions without needing a new body. As the sutras say, they can make limitless projections of themselves into limitless worlds in the ten directions to teach and transform immeasurable, limitless beings without obstruction. Amitabha Buddha is very compassionate, and knows of our difficulties. Although he has vast and expansive vows, wisdom, and spiritual skills to help us, nevertheless, he still has to follow the karmic conditions of living beings. So although he cannot bring our bodies to the Pure Land, he can bring our consciousnesses there when our bodies die. That is how we are reborn in the Pure Land. As soon as we are reborn in the Pure Land, we are born from lotus flowers, and we can enjoy supreme and wonderful happiness. In addition, we can visit any Buddhalands in the ten directions; as the Amitabha Sutra says: Each living being of that land, with sacks full of myriads of wonderful flowers, makes offerings to hundreds of thousands of millions of Buddhas of other directions. We will not have to change bodies in order to travel to other worlds anymore. Therefore, it is not that Amitabha Buddha is not compassionate, or that his wisdom and spiritual skills are not sufficient, but that the power of our karma is too great. Even if we were able to travel there, it would be futile, like a fresh-water fish trying to survive in the sea. It is not a problem that can be solved with spiritual skills. In our world, if we want to travel to foreign countries, three conditions must be met. First, we need a valid passport; second, a visa; and third, a means of transportation, such as airplanes, trains, or cars. Without these things, any desire to travel is just wishful thinking. What serves as the passport that we need to get to the Pure Land? It is the passport of faith the first component of faith, vows, and practice. In other words, we must recognize that the Saha world which we live in is full of suffering, and truly believe that we can be reborn in the Pure Land by reciting the Buddha s name. We must believe in this, so that we will be willing to leave. But do we really believe that the Saha World is full of suffering? Shakyamuni Buddha compassionately and repeatedly told us about the three kinds of suffering, eight kinds of suffering, and limitless suffering Bodhi Field 菩提田 March 2014 Vajra Bodhi Sea 27

27 Bodhi Field 菩提田 話, 只是空想而已 那什麽是去西方極樂世界的護照呢? 那就是 信, 簡單說, 信願行的 信 也就是說, 我們相信我們所在的娑婆世界是苦的, 而深信念佛可以生極樂國 首先, 我們深信這娑婆世界是苦的, 我們才會願意出離, 往生極樂國 但我們真的深信這娑婆世界是苦的嗎? 本師釋迦牟尼佛苦口婆心地告訴我們, 娑婆世界的三苦 八苦及無量諸苦, 及西方極樂世界種種的殊勝妙樂 ; 但爲什麽我們還在這個充滿戰爭 災害 壓迫的娑婆世界裏, 而沒有移民到西方的極樂淨土去呢? 因為我們看不破! 我們執著我們在這世界所擁有的一切, 我們這顆心對這個人世間還有太多的期待和希望 換句話說, 就是對這個世間不死心, 有種種的染著 執著 貪著 ; 要抓 要追 要執 要取 譬如說, 沒有孩子的人想 : 如果我有一個孩子那該多好! 有孩子的人就想 : 我孩子一定要出人頭地, 乃至我一定要受到人的尊敬, 我的銀行存款一定要至少多少錢, 才可以的 就算我們在銀行裏存有了美金十億元, 我們或許會感覺到非常快樂, 但我們不可能通過這一筆錢來買到一張飛往西方極樂世界的機票, 也不可能用它購得開悟 ; 到我們死的時候, 不管怎麼樣, 我們都再也不可能夠擁有這十億美金了 事實上, 從某種意義來說, 就在我們死之前, 我們的財產已經是屬於五家共有了 哪五家呢? 第一個就是天災 : 如水災 火災 地震 海嘯 颱風 龍捲風等等 ; 這些天災隨時都可以將我們的財產毀之於一旦 ; 第二是人禍 : 如戰爭 盜賊等, 大家都可想而知, 就不用說了 ; 第三是政府 : 不管是中央政府或是地方政府, 時時都要抽你的稅 ; 第四是你的六親眷屬 : 總是用種種的藉口和方法, 想要分一杯羹 ; 第五個, 才是你自己呀! 如果我們能夠這樣去想, 去觀照的話, 我們的財產已經屬於五家共有了, 就不會把擁有的東西抓得這麼緊 你們可以用所擁有的 that fills this world. He also told us the supreme states and happiness of the western Pure Land. But why are we still staying in this world and not immigrating to the Pure Land? It is because we are unable to see suffering for what it is. We are attached to everything we own in the world, and our minds have too much hopes and expectations for the mundane. We won t let it go. At the same time, we are full of defilement, attachment, and greed. We want to grasp, seek, hold, and obtain. For example, people without children will imagine how wonderful it would be to have children; people with children will want their children to have great accomplishments in life; or, people may wish to be respected by others, or set a goal to have x amount of money in their bank accounts. If we have ten billion dollars in our bank account, we may be very happy, but no sum of money can purchase a ticket to the Pure Land, or help us attain enlightenment. When we die, the ten billion dollars will no longer belong to us. In truth, to a certain degree, even before we die, our wealth already belongs to five different parties. What are they? The first is natural disasters, such as floods, fires, earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, tornadoes, and etc., which are capable of destroying our wealth overnight. The second is human disasters, such as war and theft. This requires no further elaboration. The third is the government. The federal and local governments are always taxing you. The fourth is your family, who often use excuses and methods to get a share of your wealth. You are the last one. If we can contemplate in this way and realize that our wealth actually belongs to five different parties, then we will not hold on to it so tightly and stubbornly. We can use them to carry out practices that are conducive to our cultivation, such as donating them to the needy, which will increase our blessings and virtue. We often comfort ourselves, saying: Tomorrow will be better. However, tomorrow will only make us older and closer to death. The superficial happiness of the Saha World does not last forever and will one day fall apart. If we cannot see through this, then we will suffer. The founding patriarch of the Caodong School, Chan Master Liangjie of Cave Mountain, asked his disciple one day: What is the most suffering in this world? His disciple answered: Falling into the hells. Master Liangjie said: No! The disciple asked: Then, teacher, what is it? The Master said: Wearing this kashaya sash and not understanding the most important matter is utmost suffering. In other words, even if we are cultivating the Buddha s Way, if we are unable to solve the most critical issue of birth and death and are still stuck in the wheel of rebirth, then that is the most suffering! However, if we recite the Buddha s name with deep faith, and believe that we can be reborn in the Pure Land, then the problem of birth and death will be solved. As Vow to be Reborn in the West says: In the past, the Buddha vowed: If living beings who wish for rebirth in my land and who 28 金剛菩提海二 O 一四年三月

28 東西去做一些有利修行的實踐, 譬如施捨給急需要它們的人, 這是積聚福德資糧 我們經常說 : 明天會更好 殊不知我們明天只會更老, 與死亡更接近 所以這個娑婆世界表面上的快樂, 是無法持久的, 終究會敗壞 ; 若看不破就是苦 曹洞宗的開山祖師洞山良价禪師, 有一天問他的弟子 : 在這個世間上, 什麽是最苦的事呢? 弟子回答說: 墮入地獄是最苦的事 洞山良价禪師說 : 不是的! 弟子就問 : 請問老師, 什麽才是世界上最苦的事呢? 洞山良价禪師說: 在此衣線下 也就是說, 在此袈裟之下, 不明大事, 是名最苦 換句話說, 雖然修行佛道, 卻未能解決生死根本問題, 而在六道的生死輪迴裏才是最苦的事情啊! 然而如果深信念佛, 生極樂國, 就能解決生死的根本問題 如同 往生淨土發願文 中所說的 : 佛昔本誓, 如有眾生, 欲生我國, 至心信樂, 乃至十念, 若不生者, 不取正覺, 以此念佛因緣, 得入如來大誓海中, 承佛慈力, 眾罪消滅, 善根增長, 於一念頃, 生極樂國 這就是我們念佛人對淨土及阿彌陀佛所必須具備的 深信, 也就是出國必須具備的護照 諸佛菩薩及祖師大德們都非常地慈悲, 已經把娑婆世界的苦和極樂世界的好說得非常詳盡 我們聽了之後, 信是信了, 可是願不願意離開這個娑婆世界, 而去極樂世界呢? 如果願意去, 那 信 才有用處 如果不願意去, 那就是因為沒有願力 ; 縱然相信, 也是白信 所以 願 就很重要了, 有信而無願, 如同有了護照但沒有簽證, 終究去不了 所以接下來談一談, 什麽是西方極樂世界的簽證呢? 那就是發願 發什麽願呢? 簡單說, 就是發願離開這個苦的娑婆世界, 而求生淨土的願 我們經常有一種錯覺, 以為要改變人生就得要花上幾個月或者好幾年 其實, 只要在內心裏發願要出離, 要從這個煩惱中解脫出來, 我們的人生就已經改變了 當然要實現這個願, 需要付出幾個月或好幾年, 乃至一 resolve their minds with faith and joy even for just ten recitations, are not reborn there, I will not attain proper enlightenment. Through mindfulness of the Buddha, I enter the sea of the Tathagata s great vows, and receive the power of the Buddha s kindness. My multitude offenses are eradicated and my wholesome roots of goodness increase and grow. In the space of a thought, I will be reborn in the Land of Ultimate Bliss. This deep faith toward Pure Land and Amitabha Buddha is required for the people who cultivate the Pure Land Dharma door. It can be compared with the passport that is necessary for you to leave the country. The Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and the patriarchs have described the suffering of the Saha World and the supreme characteristics of the Pure Land in great detail. Our faith may increase after we have heard them, but are we willing to leave the Saha World and go to the Pure Land? Only if we are willing to go will our faith be of any use. If we are unwilling to go, that is because we did not vow to do so, and our faith will be in vain. With faith but no vows, it is like you have no visa on your passport. Therefore, vows are very important. So what is the visa required for getting to the Pure Land? It is vows. Simply put, we should make the vow to leave the Saha World that is full of suffering and seek rebirth in the Pure Land. We often have the misconception that changing our lives requires a few months, or even a few years. Actually, if we make the vow to leave the Saha World and to attain liberation from afflictions, then our lives have changed already. Of course, in order to make it come true, we need to work hard for months, years, or even our entire lives. But the important thing is that the hard work we will put in to make our vow come true will make every moment of our lives meaningful. How do we make vows to leave the Saha World? We should contemplate that the wealth and love in the world will one day deteriorate and fall apart. At the time of death, we will be forced to give up everything we have. If we think of it this way, we will gradually lessen our attachments to everything in this world, and bring forth the resolve to leave it. It is very easy for us to fall into our old habits of thinking, and think that a day is not a big deal, since there are still many days to come. When Plato was about to die, one of his friends wanted him to describe the main idea of many dialogues he wrote. He thought for a long time and said carefully: To practice dying. Death is not something that is only licensed to old people; it is something that young people face as well. In October of 2013, we held a memorial ceremony for Jin Dao Shi, who passed away at the age of ninety-five, and in September we held a memorial ceremony for Jin Huan Shi, who passed away at the age of forty-nine. All of this is reminding us of impermanence. The Great Parinirvana Sutra says: In all contemplations, the contemplation of impermanence is foremost. From it, all desire, ignorance, and arrogance of the three realms can be eradicated. Among all kinds of contemplation, the contemplation of death and impermanence is the most Bodhi Field 菩提田 March 2014 Vajra Bodhi Sea 29

29 Bodhi Field 菩提田 願而努力, 會使我們的生活每一分鐘 每一秒鐘都過得充實圓滿 如何發願離開這個苦的娑婆世界呢? 那就要經常觀察, 這個世界的恩愛與財寶終會別離散失 ; 當死亡來臨的時候, 所擁有的一切不捨離也不行 若能如是做觀, 久而久之, 自然能看淡 看破娑婆的一切, 而發起對這個娑婆世界的出離心 我們很容易掉入這樣的慣性思考, 認為一天的時間沒有什麽, 未來還有那麼長的日子在等著我們 西方大哲學家柏拉圖臨終的時候, 有一位朋友請他評述自己畢生巨著 柏拉圖對話錄 的主要精神及意義 他思考了很久, 才鄭重地講出了 : 練習死亡 因為死亡不只是老人的專利, 同時也近在年輕人的咫尺! 就像今年 ( 二 O 一三 ) 的十月, 我們舉行了享年九十五歲近道師的告別式, 同年的九月卻也舉行了得年四十九歲近歡師的告別式, 這一切都在提醒我們生死的無常 所以 大般涅槃經 上說 : 一切想中, 無常思想, 是為第一 由是諸想能除三界一切貪欲 無明 我慢 在一切的觀想當中, 觀想無常和死亡是最為殊勝的 ; 無論是慈悲觀 呼吸觀或其他的觀想, 都比不上對死亡和無常的觀想 因為觀想無常跟死亡, 能夠除去我們對三界的貪欲 無明和我慢 因此, 死亡雖然是一般人所忌諱的話題, 但如果能夠善用它, 卻能夠幫助我們重新調整事物的優先次序, 讓生活過得更富足 更睿智 更圓滿 我認識一對學佛的夫妻, 他們每天早上出門的時候, 不是互道 晚上見 或者 下班見, 而是說 西方淨土見 因為想到這世間一切都是無常, 充滿種種的災難, 不知道出門之後還能不能夠再回來, 所以他們是互道 : 願在西方淨土再相見! 如何發願呢? 在 往生淨土發願文 一開始說 : 一心歸命極樂世界阿彌陀佛, 願以淨光照我, 慈誓攝我, 我今正念, 稱如來名, 為菩提道, 求生淨土 這是念佛人對淨土及阿彌陀佛必須具備的 深願, 也就是出國必須取得的簽證 ; 如果沒有的話, 就去不了了 當在地獄 餓鬼或是畜生道輪迴的時候, 我 supreme. Contemplation of compassion, observing the breath, and all other methods cannot compare with them. Even though death is a taboo subject, if we are able to use it skillfully, it can help us prioritize matters in our life and make our lives more meaningful. I know a Buddhist couple. When they leave to go to work in the morning, they do not part with See you in the evening or See you after work, but See you in the Pure Land. They know that there are many disasters in the world, and everything is impermanent. They are not sure if they will be able to get home after they set foot out the door. So they part by saying: See you in the Pure Land! How do we make vows? The Vow to be Reborn in the West says: With one mind I return my life to Amitabha Buddha who is in the Land of Ultimate Bliss. Wishing his pure light illumines me and his kind vows gather me in. Now, with proper mindfulness, I praise the Tathagata s name, in order to take the path of Bodhi and to seek rebirth in the Pure Land. These are the profound vows that are necessary for people who recite the Buddha s name to have with regards to the Pure Land and to Amitabha Buddha. They are comparable to the visa that you need to leave the country, which is impossible otherwise. When we are in the three evil paths of the hells, hungry ghosts, and animals, we do not know that Amitabha made vows, cultivated, and accomplished the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss, which provides the best place to cultivate. Thus, he assured for us a way to solve the problem of birth and death. He waits for us to go there, just like a compassionate father longs for his beloved children to return to the warm and loving home. If we can make the vow to be reborn in the Pure Land, then everything will be alright. What could be better than this? The last thing is the means of transportation for reaching the Pure Land. Please do not misinterpret this to be a kind of airplane or rocket. Seeing everything in the Saha World for what it is and seeking rebirth in the Pure Land in every moment is the means of transportation that will enable you to be born in the Pure Land. This is the practice part of the three elements (faith, vow, and practice). The ninth patriarch of the Pure Land School, Great Master Ouyi, said: Whether you can be reborn in the Pure Land or not depends on your faith and vows; the grade of lotus in which you are born depends on the depth of your recitation of the Buddha s name. Therefore, whether you can be born in the Pure Land depends on the existence of your faith and vows, or lack thereof; as for the grade and level of lotus flower that you will be born in, whether you are in the highest grade of the highest level, the middle grade of the middle level or the lowest grade of the lowest level, is determined by your skill in reciting the Buddha s name. To always see the suffering of the Saha World for what it is and in moment after moment remember to seek rebirth in the Pure Land is the profound practice with regards to the Pure Land and Amitabha Buddha. This is the essential aspect for people who recite the Buddha s name. In 30 金剛菩提海二 O 一四年三月

30 們都不知道阿彌陀佛為我們一心發願修行, 而成就了西方極樂世界等著我們去 他不但提供了最佳修學真理和積蓄法財的地方, 並且有解決生死根本問題的保證 就像慈父盼望心愛的孩子能夠浪子回頭, 趕快回到溫暖的家, 我們只要發願往生, 就能一切 OK! 在這世界上, 哪裏還有比這更幸福的事呢? 接下來討論的, 什麼是去西方極樂世界的交通工具? 請不要誤會, 這交通工具不是什麽飛機 火箭, 而是你若能看破這娑婆世界的一切, 時時刻刻不忘求生淨土, 就是交通工具, 就可以往生極樂世界, 也就是 信 願 行 中的 行 淨土宗的九祖蕅益大師說 : 往生與否, 全由信願之有無 ; 品味高下, 全由持名之深淺 所以能不能往生, 就看到底有沒有往生的信心和願望 ; 至於往生之後是九品蓮花的上品上生, 還是中品中生 下品下生呢, 就是你持名念佛的功夫深淺來決定 時時看破娑婆, 刻刻不忘求生, 就是念佛人對淨土及阿彌陀佛必須具備的 深行 簡而言之, 把阿彌陀佛時時刻刻放在我們的心中, 就是求生淨土必備的交通工具 如何把阿彌陀佛時時刻刻放到我們的心中呢? 有四種方法 : 第一, 就是時時刻刻持誦阿彌陀佛的聖號 ; 第二, 是時時觀看阿彌陀佛的聖像 ; 第三, 是時時心想阿彌陀佛的聖相 ; 第四, 是時時觀照諸法實相, 因為佛佛道同 淨土宗十三祖印光大師開示, 在這四種方法之中, 唯有 持名念佛 一法, 也就是時刻持誦阿彌陀佛聖號, 最能夠普攝群機, 最容易下手, 這也是我們佛七期間主要修行的法門 或許有人說, 求生淨土只要一心念佛, 不需要信和願, 就像有人可以免持護照及簽證, 只要有交通工具就可以偷渡到別的國家去啦! 在這個世界上, 或許可以不用護照及簽證到別的國家, 但絕對是無法到達極樂世界的 因為僅僅強調持名念佛, 而缺少對淨土及阿彌陀佛的深信及深願, 就算持名能夠持到風也吹不透, 雨也打不漏的程度, 也不過只是一種定力的表現而已 唯有時時持名念佛, 時時生起對娑婆的厭離, 以及求生極樂的深願和深信, 才是我們應該努力的方向 上人曾經講過一位修無法師的故事 修無法師在出家前是做泥水匠的, 是個修苦行的, 沒有讀過書, 不識字, 就只會念一句 阿彌陀佛 出家之後在廟裏做苦工, 就是別人所不願意做的活他都幹, 從不抱怨, 只是一句佛號從不間斷, 逢人就勸要多念佛 在民國十八年 ( 西元 1929 年 ) 的夏天, 哈爾濱的極樂 short, the required means of transportation for going to the Pure Land is to always keep Amitabha Buddha in our minds. How do we keep Amitabha Buddha in our minds at all times? There are four ways of doing so. First, to recite Amitabha Buddha s name in every moment; second, to always gaze at the image of Amitabha Buddha; third, to always contemplate the image of Amitabha Buddha in your mind; and fourth, to contemplate the true characteristic of all dharmas, because the path of all Buddhas is the same. In a lecture by the thirteenth patriarch of the Pure Land School, Great Master Yinguang, he said that among these four methods, the dharma of reciting the name of the Buddha is the easiest and can universally benefit all beings. It is also the main Dharma door that we are using in cultivating this Amitabha session. Some people may say: when you seek rebirth in the Pure Land, all you need to do is recite the Buddha s name, without any need for faith or vows, because in our world, there are people who can smuggle themselves to other countries without needing a passport or visa. Perhaps you can do that here, but you would never get to the Pure Land in this way. Without deep faith and vows, even if your skills in recitation are so great that neither the blowing of the wind nor falling of the rain can affect you, it is only an illustration of your stillness. Therefore, we should focus on our faith and vows, and always recite the Buddha s name, while constantly holding the resolve to attain liberation from the Saha World. The Venerable Master once told a story about a Dharma Master Xiuwu. Dharma Master Xiuwu was a cement maker before he became a monastic. He cultivated ascetic practices. Since he had never gone to school the only thing he knew was how to recite the single phrase Amitabha Buddha. After he left the home life, he performed hard labor in the monastery and did any work that no one was willing to do. He never complained, and only recited the Buddha s name unceasingly. He always encouraged people to recite the Buddha s name. During the summer of 1929, Jile Monastery in Harbin was holding the Threefold Precept Platform. At the time, Dharma Master Xiuwu volunteered to take care of monks who were ill. However, after a few days he went to the abbot, Dharma Master Tanxu, to take leave. Dharma Master Tanxu asked if he could wait until after the precept transmission was over. Dharma Master Xiuwu said that he could not wait, and said that he would take permanent leave to go to the Pure Land. Dharma Master Tanxu was quite shocked and asked: When do you plan to leave? He said he would do so after ten days. Bodhi Field 菩提田 March 2014 Vajra Bodhi Sea 31

31 Bodhi Field 菩提田 寺傳三壇大戒, 修無法師當時就發心自願來照顧生病的法師 ; 照顧了幾天之後, 就向方丈倓虛法師請辭 倓虛法師問他能不能等傳完了戒再走? 修無法師說不能等了, 他要告假往生 倓虛法師很驚訝, 就問 : 你何時往生呢? 他說, 十天之後 可是到了第二天, 他跟方丈和尚說隔天就要走了, 請方丈派人到寮房幫他助念 於是寮房裏開始有人助念, 有人就問 : 修無師啊, 您就要往生了, 可不可留一首偈頌給大家做紀念? 修無法師就說: 你們也知道我不識字, 更不會做什麽偈頌啊! 但是有一句經驗的話, 可以跟大家講一講, 那就是 能說不能行, 不是真智慧 當天就安詳往生了 所以, 一心歸命阿彌陀佛, 不是僅僅口頭上說說或唱唱 ; 而是身業也真誠地表現出來, 進而影響我們的意業, 使之能夠真正地一心歸命阿彌陀佛 如何在身業上表達呢? 我們可以拜佛, 但更簡單的, 就是至心合掌緊貼於胸前, 表示一心 現代科學證實, 心臟部位確實有一個強大的能量場, 強度是大腦產生的磁場的五千倍 各位可以比較一下, 合掌緊貼於胸口與合掌距離胸口較遠其中的不同 這個結論, 在史坦福大學及邁阿密大學的心臟研究中心都被證實了 所以至心合掌於胸前, 與胸口接觸的時候, 會讓人有一種貼心 溫暖及一體的感覺 ; 這能夠幫助我們更誠心 更專注地發願或唱誦 往生極樂世界除了須具備最基本的信 願 行之外, 經典上還提到讀誦大乘經典 孝順父母 持戒 廣行眾善 這些都是在積聚廣大的福德資糧, 就可以坐專機 頭等艙到西方極樂世界 什麽是專機 頭等艙呢? 那就是阿彌陀佛手持金色蓮台來迎接你, 直接花開見佛悟無生, 所以廣行眾善也是非常重要的 當早課念誦藥師佛聖號時, 念念祈願眾生健康長壽 ; 晚課念阿彌陀佛聖號時, 念念祈願眾生沐浴在無量的光明之中 無論念任何的佛菩薩聖號, 我們都念念普願眾生離苦得樂, 這就是廣行眾善, 就是在聚積廣大無邊的福德資糧 最後, 希望大家精進念佛, 將來都在西方淨土再相見 But on the second day, Dharma Master Xiuwu told the abbot that he would be leaving the next day, and asked the abbot to send people to his room to recite the Buddha s name for him. Among some of the people sent to recite the Buddha s name for Dharma Master Xiuwu, someone asked: Master Xiuwu, since you are going to the Pure Land, could you leave behind a verse for us to remember you by? Dharma Master Xiuwu said: You know I can t even read, much less compose a verse. But in light of my experiences, this is something I can tell you: If you can talk the talk but can t walk the walk, that is not true wisdom. He passed away peacefully that day. Therefore, singlemindedly returning our lives in refuge to Amitabha Buddha is not just carelessly talking or singing about it, but requires sincere embodiment in practice, which will influence the mind and help us truly return our lives in refuge. How do we embody it in our actions and practice? We can bow to the Buddhas, or, even more easily, we can put our palms together in front of the chest sincerely to show our singlemindedness. Scientific studies show that the area of the heart has a strong energy field that is five thousand times stronger than that of the brain. You can try it for yourself hold your palms together at different distances from the chest and feel the difference. This conclusion was reached in studies at cardiovascular research centers at Stanford University and Miami University. When you put your palms together and they are directly touching your chest, it will give you a feeling of closeness, warmth, and unity, which will increase your sincerity and concentration when making vows or reciting. Other than the basic elements of faith, vows, and practice, the sutras also mention that we should read and uphold Mahayana sutras, be filial to our parents, uphold the precepts, and extensively practice wholesome deeds. These are all for the purpose of accumulating vast amounts of blessings and virtue, which could enable us to take a charter jet or sit in first class when we re going to the Pure Land. What do I mean by that? Taking a charter jet or sitting in first class can be compared to Amitabha Buddha coming to welcome you with a golden lotus flower in his hand. Your lotus flower immediately opens and you see Buddha immediately. During morning recitation, when we recite Medicine Master Buddha s name, in every thought, we wish for all beings to be healthy and have a long life; during evening recitation, when we are reciting Amitabha Buddha s name, in every thought, we wish for all beings to be bathed in limitless light. No matter what Buddha s or Bodhisattva s name we are reciting, in thought after thought, we wish for all beings to leave suffering and attain bliss. That is to extensively practice wholesome deeds, and accrue limitless and vast stores of blessings and virtue. In closing, I hope that everyone will diligently recite the Buddha s name, and that we will all see each other in the western Pure Land. 32 金剛菩提海二 O 一四年三月

32 八關齋戒 為出家及成佛做準備 ( 續 ) Eightfold Precepts prepare you for monastic life and Buddhahood (continued) 比丘近梵開示於 2013 年 11 月 29 日梁皇寶懺法會吳泊道 李海昱英譯 A Talk by Bhikshu Jin Fan on November 29, 2013 in the Jeweled Repentance of Emperor Liang English Translation by Peter Wu and Lotus Lee 這就是當我們受完戒, 感發了戒體, 萬一我們犯了戒或是破了戒, 就是要做這種懺悔, 來恢復我們身心的清淨, 同時讓戒體來繼續保護我們持戒 第三科叫戒相 像剛剛在傳八關齋戒, 我們就會聽到宣戒相, 相就是相貌, 每一個人有一個身體, 但是有不同的相貌, 所以你看到某個人就知道那是叫張三, 或是李四, 根據他的相貌就知道他是誰, 所以我們受了戒, 也有了戒體,; 可是, 我們要怎麼來持這個戒呢? 這個戒必須要有一個相狀, 我們才知道第一條受的戒叫不殺生, 就有一種準則了, 就是不去傷害所有這些有情眾生, 那就是不殺生, 因此你知道第一條戒應該怎麼去受持 每一種戒有不同的戒相, 像你們受的八關齋戒, 它的戒相就有八個, 跟五戒的戒相很類似, 不能說完全相同, 因為在五戒, 第三條戒叫不邪淫, 可是在八關齋戒是不淫, 不淫是夫妻之間這種關係都斷絕了, 所以是不一樣的 第四科叫戒行 就是根據你所受的戒法, 所感發的戒體, 然後依照這些戒相來受持 ; 受持在我們的 The aforementioned methods of repentance apply to when we ve taken the precepts and have obtained the precept substance but have gone against or violated the precepts. Through the repentance, we can recover the purity in our mind and body. At the same time, the precept substance can then continue to protect and help us uphold the precepts. The third aspect is the characteristic of the precepts. When we were transmitting the eightfold precepts earlier, there was a section for proclaiming the characteristic of the precepts. Here, we can also refer to characteristic as appearance. Every person has a body, but we all have different appearances. We differentiate between people using their appearance. After we have received the precepts, we also have the precept substance, but how should we uphold these precepts? In order for us to know that the first precept is against killing, the precepts require an appearance that gives us the standard of not harming sentient beings. You will then refrain from killing because you know how to uphold the first precept. Every precept has different characteristics. For instance, you have taken the eightfold precepts, of which there are eight. The characteristics of the eightfold precepts and the five precepts are quite similar, but not exactly alike. In the five precepts, the third precept is against sexual misconduct, but the corresponding precept in the eightfold precepts is against sexual conduct, which rules out even spousal relationships. They are different in this way. March 2014 Vajra Bodhi Sea 33

33 身口意方面 依據這個戒相來行持 我們知道身 口 意 它是造善業跟 造惡業的工具 我們的身可以造三種 BODHI FIELD 惡業 就是殺生 偷盜 邪淫 我們 菩 提 田 的口可以造四種惡業 就是妄語 綺 語 惡口 兩舌 我們的意可以造三 種惡業 就是貪 瞋 癡 我們受完戒以後 就可以把這個惡 The fourth aspect is the practice of the precepts. The practice of the precepts 法 翻為善法 把這個邪的行為 翻 comes about when you put the appearance of the precepts into practice in accord 成正的行為 怎麼翻呢 很簡單 把 with the dharma of the precepts and the substance of the precepts that has been 每一個惡法加上一個 不 身就是 evoked. Using our body, mouth, and mind, we uphold the precepts according to 不殺生 不偷盜 不邪淫 口的四惡 their appearances. We know that the body, mouth, and mind are tools that we use 就變成不妄語 不綺語 不惡口 不 to create both wholesome and negative karma. The body can create three kinds 兩舌 那麼意的三惡就變成 不貪 of negative karma: killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct; the mouth can create 不瞋 不癡 這就是持戒 所以這個 four: lying, frivolous speech, harsh speech, and divisive speech; and the mind can 戒行 也可以解釋成 把我們所受 create three negative karmas of greed, anger, and delusion. 的戒法 發揮在我們的身口意三業方 面 所表現出來的一種正當行為 何謂八關齋戒 我想利用最後的時間 跟大家介 紹一下八關齋戒 這個顧名思義 八 就是一個數目字 就是來規範我 們有八種事情要做得如法 這八種事 情就是八種戒相 比如說不殺生 不 After we have received the precepts, we can turn these unwholesome dharmas into wholesome dharmas, and turn deviant actions into proper actions. How do we do so? We add a no in front of every unwholesome dharma. For the body, the wholesome dharmas are no killing, no stealing, and no sexual misconduct; the four unwholesome karmas of the mouth become no lying, no frivolous speech, no harsh speech, and no divisive speech; and the three unwholesome karmas of the mind become no greed, no anger, and no delusion. Putting them into practice is upholding the precepts. Therefore, the practice of the precepts can also be interpreted as taking the dharma of the precepts which we have received and 偷盜 不淫 到第八條戒 不非時 applying it to the three karmas of the body, mouth, and mind, thus turning them 食 那這個就是八關齋戒 八 的意 into proper actions and conduct. What are the eightfold precepts? 思 關就是關閉 禁閉 關閉甚麼呢 34 金剛菩提海 二Ｏ一四年三月 I would like to use the remaining time to introduce to everyone the eightfold

34 就是我們的身口意不要再造惡了, 我們要把這六根 眼 耳 鼻 舌 身 意, 要收攝起來, 不要向外馳求, 這就是一種關閉 如果我們這樣做以後呢? 本來我們三業不清淨的時候, 就造作種種惡業, 或是我們的六根也會向外馳求, 對著六塵也會造很多惡業 可是, 如果我們持戒, 不造作惡業, 就會怎麼樣? 會把三惡道的門給關閉起來 就是因為你持戒, 就跟三惡道絕緣了, 這個門自動就關起來, 不會到三惡道中輪迴 這個齋呢? 中國字的 齋 很類似整齊的 齊, 本來這個 齋 也是 齊 的意思 齊什麼? 齊整我們的三業, 就是讓我們的三業能夠守規矩, 不犯種種的惡業, 有一種的則可以遵循 另外齊也是齊聚的意思, 就是說因為我們受了戒, 我們就把這個善法聚集起來, 這樣可以止惡防非, 就是防止我們去造惡業, 那我們身心就能夠整齊了 現在很多人認為齋就是素, 吃素, 其實是不正確的, 因為齋本身並不只是侷限在素, 這個齋以我們所受的戒裏頭呢, 它只是不非時食, 這一條戒是跟這個齋有關的, 就是過午不食 受完八關齋戒, 過了中午就不吃了, 到晚上肚子餓, 可能很多人就要開始喝水, 到明天早上才能再繼續吃, 明天早上甚麼時候可以吃啊? 明相出了, 所謂明相, 不是說等太陽出來, 是早上你能看到屋頂上的瓦片, 你看得清楚了, 或是把你的手伸出 precepts. Eightfold is a number which tells us that our actions and conduct must be in accord with the dharma with regards to eight things, the eight characteristics of the precepts. They are: no killing, no stealing, no sexual conduct, up to and including the eighth precept against eating at improper times. This is the meaning of the word eightfold. The Chinese character guan means closing. We close off all negative karma of the body, mouth, and mind, and gather in the six faculties of the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind, preventing them from running off in pursuit of things on the outside. This is also a kind of closing. Originally, when our three karmas are impure, they will create various kinds of negative karma, or our six faculties will seek externally and also create negative karma with respect to their corresponding sense objects. However, if we uphold the precepts and stop creating negative karma, we thus close off the doors leading to the three evil paths. When you uphold the precepts, you cut off all possible ties to the three evil paths, causing the doors to naturally close and preventing you from being reborn in the three evil destinies. As for the word zhai, which means vegetarian, its structure (when written in Chinese) is quite similar to a character that means orderly or organized. What is it that is organized? Using a standard that we can follow, we organize the three karmas, making them follow the rules and stopping them from creating negative karma. Another meaning of this word is to gather in. By taking the precepts, we gather in all wholesome dharmas, preventing evil and stopping wrongdoing. Thus, our body and mind will become orderly and organized. Many people think that the word zhai simply refers to eating vegetarian food. Actually, this is incorrect, because the meaning of this word is not limited to vegetarianism. As applied to the precepts you have received today, it simply means that you should not eat at improper times. The precept that has to do with eating or vegetarianism is the precept against eating after noon. After you have received the eightfold precepts, you cannot eat after noon. At night, some people may get hungry and drink water, but you have to wait until the next morning to eat. What time can you eat again tomorrow morning? At the sign of dawn. This does not mean that you can eat as soon as the sun has risen. If you are able to see the tiles on the roof clearly by the light of the sun, or if you can see the lines of the palm of your hand, then it is dawn, and you can eat breakfast. BODHI FIELD 菩提田 MARCH 2014 VAJRA BODHI SEA 35

35 Bodhi Field 菩提田 來, 可以看到你的掌紋, 看得清楚了, 這個時候就是明相出, 可以開始吃早餐了 為什麼要過午不食呢? 第一個減少對食物的貪心 ; 另外一個原因, 是一種慈悲 因為, 在吃的方面, 早上是天人吃飯, 中午是佛, 下午是畜生, 晚上是餓鬼, 所以如果在晚間吃飯的話, 這時候, 餓鬼看到有人在吃飯, 或是聽到碗缽聲會感到很饑餓, 他腹大如鼓, 可是咽喉很細, 像根針這麼細 ; 事實上, 任何東西只要吃到嘴巴裏面去就會變成烈火, 把他這個嘴給燒破了, 所以很痛苦 可是, 餓鬼晚上看到有人吃飯, 當然也會想吃, 因為饑餓 我記得蓮池大師在沙彌律儀裏頭就講到 : 餓鬼聞碗缽聲, 咽中火燃 就是這些餓鬼即使他不用看到食物, 只要聽到你在吃飯發出的碗筷碰撞聲, 因為太饑餓了, 咽喉中的火就燒出來了 所以如果我們在晚間不吃呢, 是為了慈悲, 讓餓鬼道眾生不會因為看到我們在吃飯, 引發它食的慾望, 甚至會把食物給搶了, 而受火燒的痛苦 記得目連尊者拿一缽飯給他母親, 他的母親躲起來去吃這一缽飯的時候, 一到口中, 化為火炭, 吞不下去了 所以很多餓鬼, 即使它有食物, 因為業障障著他, 這食物就變成猛火, 或是火炭 ; 這時候, 餓鬼會生瞋恨心, 認為這人一定用甚麼法術來加害他們, 因此這也是為什麼佛要制這樣的一個戒律 那麼也許大家會懷疑, 晚上不要吃怎麼辦呢? 我相信在中國佛教的叢林裏, 晚上也有很多有吃飯的, 他們就叫 藥石, 就是把吃晚餐當吃藥, 或是吃石頭, 沒有味道的, 這種方式就是說, 我並不是在享受這個美味 同時我們知道這樣的原因以後, 如果你不受八關齋戒的時候, 最好吃晚餐時就存慈悲心, 當你在吃東西時, 能夠希望餓鬼道的眾生, 不要再墮到餓鬼了, 或是它們也有食物可以飽餐一頓 我們知道在道場晚上放蒙山, 放蒙山時有做法, 所以很多餓鬼因為蒙山施食, 它們就能飽餐一頓 我們來看看為什麼佛要制八關齋戒, 在 十善戒經 就講到說 : 八戒齋者, 是過去現在諸佛如來, 為在家者制出家法 就是 Why do we not eat after noon? The first reason is to decrease our greed towards food. The second is out of compassion. The devas eat in the morning, the Buddhas eat at noon, animals eat in the afternoon, and ghosts eat at night. When ghosts see people eating at night, or hear the clattering of bowls, they will become hungry, for their stomachs are as large as drums but their throats are as thin as needles. Anything they put into their mouths becomes blazing fire that burns their mouths. As a result, they have much suffering. However, when they see people eating at night, because they are hungry, they will still want to eat. In the Shramanera Precept Manual, Great Master Lianchi said: When hungry ghosts hear the clatter of bowls, fire blazes forth in their throats. Because they are so hungry, fire blazes forth in the throats of these hungry ghosts as soon as they hear the sounds of people eating, much less seeing the food itself. Therefore, we refrain from eating at night out of compassion, so that living beings reborn in the destiny of hungry ghosts will not have their desire for food triggered by the sight of us eating, or even try to snatch food for themselves, causing them to undergo the suffering of being burned by fire. When the Venerable Mahamaudgalyayana brought a bowl of food to his mother, his mother kept the food to herself and hid when she tried to eat it. But as soon as the food touched her mouth, it turned into burning coals, and she was unable to swallow it. Even though hungry ghosts may have food, due to their karmic obstructions, the food transforms into blazing fire or burning coals. The ghost will then give rise to anger and hatred, believing that humans have used some sort of magical spell to hurt them. That is why the Buddha established this precept. Perhaps people may have doubts about what to do if we do not eat dinner. I believe that there are many Chinese Buddhist monasteries that serve dinner. However, they treat such food as medicine, or regard it as eating tasteless rocks. This shows that you are not enjoying the delicious flavor of the food. Now that we are aware of these principles, in the future, when we are not upholding the eightfold precepts, it is best to hold compassion in our minds as we take our evening meal. As you eat, you should hope that the living beings in the destiny of the hungry ghosts will not fall into this destiny anymore, or that they will also obtain food and become full. We know that during evening recitation, there is the Meng Shan Ceremony that uses a ritual to offer food to hungry ghosts so that they can eat. Let us see why the Buddha established the eightfold precepts. The Ten Wholesome Precepts Sutra says: The eightfold precepts were established by the Buddhas, Tathagatas, of the past and present as a dharma of leaving the home life for those in the lay life. In other words, the eightfold precepts were established by the Buddhas of the 36 金剛菩提海二 O 一四年三月

36 說這個八關齋戒是過去的佛, 還有現在的佛, 為在家人所制的出家戒法 為什麼這麼說呢? 你沒有出家, 為什麼叫出家戒? 因為八關齋戒雖然說是八條戒, 可是他跟沙彌十戒, 其實只差了一條戒, 因為其中在八關齋戒裏頭把兩條戒合併成一條, 所以只比沙彌戒少了第十條, 叫 不捉執金銀生像寶物, 也叫做持銀錢戒, 譬如說手不去碰金銀財寶這一類的, 其他的就跟沙彌戒是完全一樣的 那佛制這個戒的目的是甚麼呢? 因為佛知道很多在家人也想出家, 可是可能還不能習慣這種出家人的生活, 所以就制了這個八關齋戒, 只有一日一夜, 讓你嘗試這種出家人的生活 如果你時常受八關齋戒, 或是今天你受戒的時候, 覺得可以受一個禮拜, 你就受七日七夜, 或是一個月都可以的 在萬佛聖城如來寺, 我們有一個叫沙彌先修班, 這沙彌先修班的人我們稱他們叫學員, 就是有些男眾, 他想要發心出家, 就先受八關齋戒, 變成一個學員, 就跟出家人一起, 每天同起同作, 過著跟我們一樣的生活 過了半年, 或是一年以後, 他們都能夠適應了, 道場考核他們也都能夠持戒清淨, 再給他們做出家的法會, 剃度成沙彌 所以, 他們受這個八關齋戒, 跟各位是不太一樣的, 他們所受的八關齋戒是盡形壽, 也就是說他受這個戒到他壽命終了為止, 表示他下決心要出家了 所以你看這八戒裏第三條戒是不淫, 夫妻關係都沒有了, 這完全是一種出家生活 如果你也想出家, 最好能夠常常受八關齋戒, 先習慣出家人的生活 為什麼要出家呢? 因為唯有出家才能夠真的出離三界, 脫離六道輪迴 因為根據小乘的經典, 在家人只能證到三果阿羅漢的果位 ; 但是, 這三果還是在四禪天裏頭, 可是四禪天還在色界天, 出不了三界的, 一定要證到四果阿羅漢才能出三界, 若你要證四果阿羅漢一定要出家修行 你看佛到我們世間來, 他示現八相成道, 八相就是從兜率天降 入胎 出胎 出家 降魔 成道 轉法輪 入涅槃 其中就有一個是要出家的, 每一尊佛一定示現一個出家相, 最後才成佛的, 所以呢, 你要成佛也必須要出家 因此, 你受八關齋戒就是為出家, 還有將來成佛做準備 past and present as the dharma of monastic precepts for laypeople. If you have not left the home life yet, why do we call them monastic precepts? The eightfold precepts are actually only a precept away from the ten precepts of the shramaneras. In the eightfold precepts, there are two of the shramanera precepts that are combined, and the precept against handling money or wealth is omitted. Other than this omitted precept, all the other precepts in the eightfold precepts are the same as the shramanera precepts. What was the Buddha s purpose for establishing these precepts? The Buddha knew that there are many laypeople who wish to leave the home life, but perhaps they are not yet accustomed to monastic life. As a result, he established the eightfold precepts, which are upheld for one day and one night, for laypeople to get a taste of the monastic lifestyle. If you often uphold the eightfold precepts, perhaps you first receive it for one day, and then you feel that you can continue for a week, or an entire month. At Tathagata Monastery at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, we have a Shramanera Preparatory Class for laymen who wish to leave the home life. They become members of the class by receiving and upholding the eightfold precepts, and following the same daily schedule as monastics. After six months or one year, if they are able to keep up, and their upholding of the precepts is deemed to be pure, the leaving home ceremony will be held for them so that they will be ordained as shramaneras. The eightfold precepts they uphold are somewhat different from the ones that you have received today, in that theirs last throughout their entire lifetime, signifying that they have made up their minds to leave the home life. We have seen that the third precept of the eightfold precepts is against sexual conduct, which rules out even spousal relationships; this is the monastic lifestyle. If you also wish to leave the home life, it is best for you to frequently uphold the eightfold precepts, so that you are accustomed to monastic life. Why should we leave the home life? It is because only by leaving the home life can we attain liberation from the three realms and the six paths of rebirth. According to Theravada sutras, laypeople can only attain the third fruition of an arhat. However, the third fruition is still within the Heaven of the Fourth Dhyana, in the heavens of the realm of form, not outside the three realms. One must attain the fourth fruition to leave the three realms. If you wish to attain the fourth fruition of an arhat, you must leave the home life and cultivate. When the Buddha was born in the world, he manifested the eight characteristics of attaining the Way: descending from Tushita Heaven; entering the womb; leaving the womb; leaving the home life; subduing the demons; attaining the Way; turning the Dharma Wheel; and entering Nirvana. One of these characteristics is to leave the home life. Every single Buddha manifested the appearance of a monastic before attaining Buddhahood. Therefore, if you wish to attain Buddhahood, you must leave the home life as well. When you uphold the eightfold precepts, you are making preparations for leaving the home life and attaining Buddhahood in the future. Bodhi Field 菩提田 March 2014 Vajra Bodhi Sea 37

37 教育是最好的國防 E d u c a t i o n i s t h e N a t i o n s B e s t D e f e n s e 朱果翔講於2013年11月11日萬佛聖城大殿 A Talk by John Chu on November 11, 2013 at the Buddha Hall of CTTB 今天晚間報告的題目是 教育是最好的國 Tonight the topic is: education is the nation s best defense. 防 這裏所指的教育是學習佛法與培德 今 What this points to is that education is about learning the 天晚間的報告大致有三部份 首先是宣公上 Buddhadharma and cultivating virtue. Tonight s presentation 人有關教育的開示 第二部份是簡短的引用 is composed of three parts: the first is the Venerable Master 一部 仁王護國經 由圓瑛大師講解的內 容 第三部份就介紹一個模範的國家 哪一 個國家教育辦得最好 它的國防最好 有些人覺得我並不是學生 也不是學校的 教職員 大概教育跟我沒有關係 我們不妨 採用師父所講的 比較廣泛的定義 宣公上 人認為 教育是沒有開始 沒有終點 也 the commentary of Master Yuanying, and the third is an introduction of a model country: A country where the national defense is based upon a flourishing educational system. Some people may say, But I am neither a student nor a member of the school faculty. Education has nothing to do with me. In that case, we should refer ourselves to the Venerable Master s broader definition of education, which is 哪裏就是學校 沒有一個地方不是學習的地 Education has no beginning or end. The semester has no 方 沒有一個時候不是學習的時候 starting date and there are no vacations. Wherever you are, 接下來都是引用上人開示的 他說 教 is the the school. There is no place that is not the place for 育是最好的國防 你不能以你是強國的這種 learning and there is no time that is not the time for learning. 地位 就去侵略弱小的國家 你要愛自己的 The following is also from the Venerable Master s talks. 國家 也要愛護其他的國家 不要用這種武 He also said, The best defense for the nation is education. A 器 刀兵去傷人 你把人類都教導明白了 powerful country should not oppress or invade a small one, 上人繼續講 現在為什麽世界亂七八糟 的 就是因為整個世界的教育都破產了 都 令人失去了方向 所以上人說 教育破 金剛菩提海 the Sutra of the Humane King Who Protects the Country, using 沒有開學的日期 也沒有假期 走到哪裏 這是真正強國的根本道理 38 Hua s talks regarding education, the second is an excerpt from 二Ｏ一四年三月 just because it has the power to do so. We should love our country, and love other countries as well. We must not use military force to harm people. You educate people to the point that they have clearly understanding, this is a fundamental cause for a genuinely powerful country.

38 產 教育既然破產 我們要重新做起 萬佛 The Venerable Master continues, saying, The world 城就是改革教育的發源地 將來要推行到全 is in a mess now because education has gone bankrupt. 世界去 我們教育改革頭一件事情 我們要 Education is bankrupt throughout the entire world. It has 徵求義務老師 不拿薪水 拿點車馬費這是 lost its direction. That is way I say education is bankrupt. 免不了的 在這裏推行不拿薪水 多盡義務 Since it is already bankrupt, we have to start afresh. The 的這個政策 上人說 教育的目的是要學生明理 而 宇宙人生的真理 包括從最基本的明白是非 善惡 諸惡莫作 眾善奉行 到最究竟的佛 的境界 正遍知 revolution in education. In the future we shall promote and expand our education to the whole world. The first thing we need to do for the revolution is to hire teachers volunteer teachers who take no salary, only enough for transportation expenses. We should promote this policy. The purpose of education is for students to develop 除了成立義務老師的制度 上人特別講 wisdom, rather than using learning to pursue fame and 的 他的目的是為了什麽 就是為了要讓大 benefits. To cultivate wisdom means to understand 家有機會能夠培福 培慧 想要幫助自己培 the principles of life and the universe, including the 福 培慧 就要先幫助別人培福 培慧 這 foundational knowledge of knowing what is right and 是我們教育下一代的一個方法 wrong. Students should learn to refrain from all evil and 上人講他自己是義務老師 孔子當年也 practice all good actions, until they reach the final state of 是義務老師 上人這麼講 雖然是義務教 the Buddha s teaching correct and universal knowledge. 育 我還是給老師吃 住 和發一些零用 Other than the policy of having volunteer teachers at 錢 我不會虧負這些義務老師的生活條件 我 our schools, the Venerable Master said that his goal is to 要保證他們安定 令義務老師不用憂愁 既 然上人有這樣的保證 我們應該繼續維護上 人這樣的承諾 上人特別重視要義務教書與培德 培德 就是我們在修行上要有一點功德 否則在修 行的時候 魔王會來找你 一找你 你沒有 德行在那裏壓著 這就是修道的福德不夠 to cultivate one s wisdom and blessings, one should first seek to help others cultivate wisdom and blessings. This should be our approach to educating our next generation. The Venerable Master himself was a volunteer teacher. Confucius was also a volunteer teacher. The Venerable Master said, Even though the teachers are volunteering their efforts, I will provide them with room and board, as well as a stipend. These teachers will not be mistreated in 也好 出家人也好 立功 立德都是必須 terms of their living conditions. I will guarantee them a 的 secure position, so they will not have to worry. Since the 圓瑛大師講解的 他講 護 就是擁護 菩 提 田 help everyone cultivate wisdom and blessings. If one wants 這一點是要緊的 所以你們各位無論是教師 接下來就簡短的介紹 仁王護國經 BODHI FIELD 不是追求名利 明理 就是修慧 明白 Sagely City of 10,000 Buddhas is the starting ground for a Venerable Master made that guarantee, we should uphold that promise. MARCH 2014 VAJRA BODHI SEA 39

39 Bodhi Field 菩提田 國 就是國土; 由於仁王修德行仁, 化被萬民, 國土就會安穩 那麼仁王是能護, 國土就是所護 ; 由於王受持了般若大法, 所以有法力的加被能令國王身安穩, 國界就太平 第一重的意思是這樣子的 第二重的意思就是, 保護國家的方法應該是以弘揚佛法 教化人民為先務 假如能夠以般若之法來化民, 讓老百姓能夠修六度波羅蜜, 國家就會積聚了千種的吉祥, 那麼國家不求護而自護了 所以這是教育是最好的國防的第二重意思 頭一段的經文就說 : 爾時, 佛告大眾 : 知十六大國王意欲問護國土因緣 吾今先為諸菩薩說護佛果因緣 護十地行因緣 圓瑛法師這麼解釋 : 國家的興衰是以人民的善惡為轉移, 人民的善惡就是以國王的化導為標準 假如能夠先立內行 ; 內行能夠成, 外護就能得備 所以佛是先明要內護 : 護佛果與護十地就是先內護 ; 那麼護國土以後才講, 就是外護 圓瑛法師繼續講說 : 佛說五戒十善人天乘法, 欲令眾生斷惡修善, 永離惡道, 這個就是救世的方法, 也就是護國的方法 國家能夠提倡佛教的因果, 使之普及, 就可以規範人心, 輔助政治法律的不及, 挽回世道, 鞏固國基 各國都能這樣做的話, 就是世界大同, 也就是人間的淨土 佛在講外護, 護國土的時候, 圓瑛法師他是這麼講, 說 : 佛先說護佛果位的因緣 護菩薩十地的因緣, 接著才說怎麼護自己的國家 前面講的是內護, 接著才是外護 ; 因為內護做好了, 外護就會有成就 國家是眾生共業所感的果報土, 國運的興衰是以人心為轉移 若上至國王, 下至人民都能順著般若正理, 舉國無爭 ; 全世界人類都 The Venerable Master especially emphasized volunteer teachers and the cultivation of virtue. He said, Voluntary teaching is a way for us to increase our virtue and strengthen our goodness. Cultivators, only if you can cultivate blessings and wisdom here and develop your merit and virtue, will you be able to cultivate. Otherwise, if you have no merit and virtue, you will meet demonic obstacles in your cultivation. The demon king will come and look for you, and you will not have enough virtue to endure it. This is cultivating without sufficient blessings and virtue. Therefore we must establish merit and virtue. This point is very important. Whether you are a teacher or a left-home person, you should all cultivate blessings and wisdom and establish merit and virtue. Next I would like to briefly introduce the Sutra of the Humane King Who Protects the Country. Because the humane king cultivates and practices virtue, improves all the citizens, his country is peaceful and secure. In this case, the humane king is the protector and the country is well protected. Because the king receives and upholds the great Dharma of Prajnaparamita (the perfection of wisdom), he relies on the power of this Dharma to protect himself and the country. The second level of meaning is that the most important way of protecting the country is by teaching the Dharma and helping the citizens become better people. If one can use the Dharma of Prajna wisdom to teach the citizens to cultivate the Six Paramitas, then the country will grow in its auspicious energy. Therefore the country does not need to seek for external forms of protection but naturally will be protected. The first part of the Sutra says, At that time, the Buddha told the assembly, There are sixteen great kings who have requested to hear the causes and conditions for protecting their countries. I will first speak the causes and conditions to protect the Buddha s fruition and the practices of the Ten Grounds for all you Bodhisattvas. Master Yuanying explains the reasoning for this. The prosperity or decline of the country depends on the citizens good or harmful actions. The people s good or harmful actions depend on how the king teaches and transforms them. If we want to protect the country, we need to emphasize on the citizens education so that they know to practice goodness. If we want to teach, then first we must establish our inner virtue. If we can accomplish solid inner virtue, then outer protection will be very complete. Master Yuanying continues his explanation, The Buddha taught the Dharma of the five precepts and ten good deeds. This Dharma for people and devas can cause living beings to refrain from all evil and practice good deeds, so that they will be forever apart from the painful destinies. This is the Dharma to save the world and protect the country. If the country can teach the Dharma of cause and effect, this will regulate the minds and behavior of the citizens. This will accomplish what the politics and laws cannot. This reinforces the foundation of the country. If all countries can follow and promote this, then the world will be in great harmony; this is the pure land within the human realm. Master Yuanying said, The Buddha first spoke the causes and conditions of protecting the realization of Buddhahood and the Ten Grounds of the Bodhisattvas. This is inner protection. Here, he speaks about protecting the country, which is outer protection. Because when the inner protection is complete, then the outer protection will manifest. The condition of the country is the result of the collective karma of 40 金剛菩提海二 O 一四年三月

40 能順著般若的正理, 就全世界無爭 這也就是藏智於民 以上就是簡短的介紹這部經 接著介紹一個教育是最好的國防, 做的最好榜樣的一個國家, 也就是一個模範的國家 這個國家沒有敵人, 所以它自然不需要武器, 也不需要軍隊 那麼這個國家的國父是誰呢? 就是西方極樂國 西方極樂國, 它的國父, 它的教主就是阿彌陀佛 為什麽又說這個國家的教育是辦得最好的呢? 因為這個國家, 它的大學叫做 菩薩大學, 它頒發的學位是叫做 無生法忍不退轉功德 的這個學位 怎麼說它是頒發這樣的學位呢? 因為只要求生 往生到這個國家去, 就花開見佛悟無生, 就證了無生法忍 他的同學就是以不退轉菩薩為伴侶, 所以同學都是八地以上的菩薩 ; 同學都是菩薩, 那麼鄰居呢? 鄰居是怎麼樣呢? 鄰居都是諸上善人 ; 除了鄰居是諸上善人之外, 他的國父是佛, 校長也是佛 雖然說, 宣公上人一開始講 : 教育是無始無終, 沒有一個地方不是學習的地方 而且要行菩薩道, 最好也是在娑婆世界 但是真正要上 菩薩大學, 要修無生法忍的課程, 具備不退轉菩薩的功德, 最好還是要到佛國的淨土去進修, 包括西方的極樂國, 或是東方藥師琉璃光的淨土 古德說 : 求生 往生 才有能力度生, 這個三部曲 當然千經萬論都是導歸極樂, 除非說已經取得無生法忍不退轉的學位的 ; 否則的話, 還是到佛國淨土去受最好的教育 每天晚間我們聽完經和念咒心之後, 接著就是誦 淨土文 淨土文 一開始就是 : 一心歸命, 極樂世界阿彌陀佛, 願以淨光照我, 慈誓攝我 這就是如同在 出師表 諸葛武侯, 他這麼講, 就是 : 鞠躬盡瘁, 死而後已 ; 當然諸葛武侯他講的是給皇上看的, 那我們現在就是鞠躬盡瘁, 死歸安養, 不只是說 死而後已 阿彌陀佛! living beings. Thus the rise and fall of a country is in accord with the heart of its citizens. If both the king and the people can follow the true principles of Prajna (wisdom), then the country will have no conflict. If all of humankind can follow the true principles of Prajna, then there will be no fighting in the world. This is the common-treasury of wisdom the wisdom which is shared by the country and ultimately by everyone in the world as long as the citizens have wisdom, they will not do foolish things like fighting each other. The above section was a brief introduction to this sutra. Next I will introduce a model of education as the best national defense. In such a country, the country has no enemies and therefore no need for military or weapons of war. Who would be the founding father of such a country? This would be the Western Pure Land, whose founding father is Amitabha Buddha. Why is it said that this country has the best educational system? It is because the university in this country is called the University of Bodhisattvas. The degree it confers is Patience with the non-arising of dharmas and irreversibly established merit and virtue. How does it confer these degrees? As long as you seek to be reborn in this land, when the lotus flower opens, you will see the Buddha and awaken to the state of non-arising. That is when you realize the patience of the non-arising of dharmas. The students of the school have irreversible bodhisattvas as their classmates, so all of their classmates are Eighth Ground Bodhisattvas and above. What about the neighbors? The neighbors are all noble and good people. The founding father of this country is Buddha, and the president of this university is also Buddha. Although the Venerable Master said, Education has neither beginning nor end, and there is no place that is not a place for learning, the best place to practice the Bodhisattva way of life is the Saha world. However, to really attend the University of Bodhisattvas, to take the course on awakening to the patience of the non-arising of dharmas, and to accomplish the merit and virtue of an irreversible Bodhisattva, it is best to continue on to the Buddha s Pure Land for continuing studies, including the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss and Medicine Master Buddha s Eastern Land of Lapis Lazuli. The ancient sages said, Seek the Pure Land, be reborn there, and then return to cross over living beings. This is a three-part journey. Though there may be a thousand sutras and ten thousand shastras, unless one has already realized the state of patience with the non-arising of dharmas, it s best to go to the Buddha s Pure Land to receive the unsurpassed education there. Every night after we ve heard the sutra lecture and recited the Heart of the Shurangama Mantra, we recite the Pure Land Text. It starts with With one heart I return my life to Amitabha Buddha of the Land of Ultimate Bliss. May the pure light shine on me and compassionately take me in This is reminiscent of the Chu Shi Biao (Memorial for the Case to Go to War) by Zhuge Liang. He declares that he has totally devoted himself to the country, and will not consider his duty ended until his life has ended. Of course, this is Zhuge Liang s speech addressing the emperor. In our case we can devote ourselves totally to our common goals, but after our lives are over we go to the Pure Land. Amitabha! Bodhi Field 菩提田 March 2014 Vajra Bodhi Sea 41

41 明日歸宿源於今日行持 To m o r r o w s D e s t i n a t i o n R e l i e s o n To d a y s C u l t i va t i o n 沙彌尼近安講於2013年10月8日萬佛城大殿 A Talk by Shramanerika Jin An on October 8, 2013 at Buddha Hall of CTTB 大約在一個多月前 由於簽證的緣 About a month ago, I went back to Canada because my visa was 故 我必須回去加拿大 當時正好是溫 going to expire. Around this time, Gold Buddha Monastery 哥華的金佛聖寺舉行開光典禮和梁皇寶 in Vancouver had an inauguration ceremony and the Emperor 懺 因此有幸回去幫忙並參加法會 來 Liang repentance, so I could go help and join the ceremonies. 到金佛寺我見到很多非常年長的出家 At GBM, I met many senior nuns; the novices average age I 眾 好像沙彌尼的平均年齡在75到80歲 左右 比我母親的年齡還大 儘管如 此 她們在修行上的毅力和精進的程 度 卻一點也不亞於年輕人 與我同寮房的 是一位最年輕的沙彌 尼 今年有70歲了 因為健康的緣故 她白天需要休息 但是她每天都很忙 打掃衛生間 去廚房倒垃圾 幫忙做香 42 guess is between 75 and 80. Although they are all older than my mother, they seem to cultivate with as much diligence as the young ones, and their persistence is extraordinary. At 70 years of age, my roommate was the youngest novice nun. She has to rest at times throughout the day because of her health problem. However, she s usually very busy cleaning the washroom, dumping the garbage from the kitchen, and helping with the incense and light and so on. Similarly, there s another 80 year old novice nun who attends the daily recitation every 燈等等 還有一位80歲的沙彌尼 她每 day, who tries hard to make all incense during the sessions, even 天都會參加早晚課 在很累的時候她也 when she s very tired. She told me that two years ago she could 金剛菩提海 二Ｏ一四年三月

42 儘量不錯過白天的法會 她告訴我兩年前她還可以在廚房幫忙, 但現在由於腿病, 已經力不從心, 不能再工作了 對於我這個剛出家不久的沙彌尼來說, 她們一 still work in the kitchen, but now her legs would not hold up. To a new left-home novice like me, their meticulous attitude on cultivation is full of inspiration. The elders (of this age) who live outside would usually enjoy their lives, but these nuns still put so much effort on work and practice? I think these nuns are all Bodhisattvas. 絲不苟的修行態度對我很鼓舞 像這樣年齡的老 Throughout the repentance ceremony, a headache that I ve on 人家, 如果是生活在外面, 一定是在安享晚年, 有誰還願意這樣辛苦呢? 所以我覺得她們都是菩薩 梁皇寶懺法會一開始, 多年頭痛的老毛病就對我展開猛烈的攻擊 我心想 : 也好, 吃苦是了苦, 藉著法會的力量, 我可以多還一點債 不過這次的發作非常厲害, 以至於好幾次都沒有辦法上殿, 整個人就倒在房間裏 等到好些的時候, 這一天下午我正在清潔佛桌, 一位年老的比丘尼緩慢地向我走過來, 微笑著用廣東話對我說 : 啊! 妳頭痛, 妳不得平安 她特別用 平安 這個字眼, 這正是我的法名, 隨後就遞給我一瓶止痛藥 雖然我不懂廣東話, 但是這句我是聽懂了 然後, 她就詢問我的情況 儘管後來她說的話, 我一句也沒聽懂, 但卻能體會到她對我的那種愛惜, 真是又意外又感激 我從沒有告訴過她我生病, 平時也沒什麼交談, 然而一位老人處處都不方便, 能照顧好自己已經很不容易了, 卻還能這樣細心地關心晚輩, 讓我感覺到 : 行菩薩道, 其實就體現在生活中的小事上 我們生活在一個團體中, 和睦相處非常重要, 多一點理解和體諒, 少一點挑剔和埋怨 ; 哪怕只是一句同情的話, 也常常能給人的心裏帶來溫暖 無論所面對的是什麽樣身份的人, 或者是眾人都尊敬的大人物, 或者是默默無聞的小角色, 我都希望能以最平等的心恭敬和關心他們, 因為一切眾生是諸佛的根本, 是成就佛道的階梯 在金佛寺做了早課以後, 都會再誦持三遍 楞 experienced for many years attacked me severely. I thought, Fine. To endure the suffering is to extinguish the suffering. I can repay my debt with the repentance session s power. However, the headache broke so badly that I wasn t even able to stay in the Buddha hall during some of the sessions because I was forced to lie down in my room. After I got better, one afternoon a very old Bihkshuni slowly walked to me while I was cleaning the Buddha s table. She spoke in Cantonese to me with a smile, saying, Oh, you have a headache, you lost your peace. She chose the word peace which is my Dharma name. Then she passed me a bottle of medicine. Although I don t know any Cantonese, I understood. After that she asked me some questions. I didn t really know what she was saying, but I felt her kindness. I was a little surprised, but I felt thankful. I had never told her that I was sick, and we didn t talk much before. However, she paid attention to me, a junior nun, even when it is already difficult to take care of herself, who is an elderly nun. This made me think that practicing the Bodhisattava s conduct is reflected on small things. When we live in a community, being in harmony is very important. We always want to share more understanding and forgiveness and to avoid nitpicking and complaining. Just a few words with sympathy will often bring warmth to one s heart. No matter what kind of person I meet, whether it s someone at a high position that everybody respects or an ordinary person that no one knows, I always hope I can show my respect and care for all living beings because they are all the Buddha s root and involved in the progressions that one must take in order to attain the Buddhahood. After the morning recitation at GBM we usually recite three times of Shurangama mantra. If I don t feel comfortable with my head before the recitation, I will usually gain some coolness and energy after the recitation. To recite Shurangama mantra is also one of my favorite BODHI FIELD 菩提田 嚴咒 ; 如果當時我的頭昏沉不舒服, 每次誦咒 Dharma doors. Now I d like to share a true story about it. 之後, 都會立刻得到一種清涼, 變得精神一些 誦持 楞嚴咒 也是我比較鍾愛的法門之一, 這裏就講一個有關 楞嚴咒 的真實故事 大概是在兩 三年前, 我還在卡加利分支道場常住 一位常來廟裏做清潔的女居士, 有一天突然打電話過來, 說以後恐怕不能再來幫忙了, 因為她在家裏突然暈倒, 到醫院檢查醫生說已經是癌症末期, 生命只剩下大約一年的時間 這個消 When I was the resident at the DRBA Calgary branch about 2 to 3 years ago, one day we got a phone call from a laywoman who often came to clean the monastery. She mentioned that she was afraid that she will not be able to come and help again. She said she passed out at home and after being sent to the hospital, the doctor told her she had terminal cancer. Her life was going to end in about a year. It s really difficult for anyone to take such bad news she was not even 50 years old! Right before this laywoman passed away, she loved to meditate MARCH 2014 VAJRA BODHI SEA 43

43 Bodhi Field 菩提田 息, 對任何人來說都很難接受, 她當時還不到 50 歲 就在往生前幾個月, 當她很累的時候, 喜歡靜靜地打坐 但每次眼睛一閉上, 眼前就出現很多眾生, 有老有少, 有西方人也有東方人, 他們經過時都會停下來, 認真地注視她片刻再離開 睜開眼睛, 就什麽也看不見 ; 一閉上眼睛, 就見到這種景象, 這使她很心煩 隨後的一天晚上, 她做了一個非常清晰的夢 在夢裏她見到兩男一女, 三個使者站在她面前對她說 : 妳的時間已經到了, 跟我們走吧 她似乎還認識那個女的使者 ; 沒等來得及回應, 她就看見自己被帶上手銬和腳鐐, 不由自主地跟著他們走 他們走在一條黃色的道路上, 路的兩旁什麽也沒有, 只有高高的圍牆 ( 我猜那可能就是黃泉路吧 ), 有一條白色的小狗跟在她身邊 ; 她生前非常喜歡她的狗, 甚至曾經花 5000 塊錢為她的小狗設立永久消災延壽的牌位 不知走了多久, 三個使者消失了, 眼前出現兩個做官模樣的人 看得出來, 一位官職比較高, 另一位比較低 這時她立刻跪下來, 懇求能再多給她一些時間, 如果讓她再多活三個月, 她一定要盡她最大的能力做佛事, 供養三寶 這時, 官職比較低的那個人看了看她, 對另外一個人說 : 奇怪, 她生前一共誦持了 50 遍 楞嚴咒, 照理說不應該這麼快就來了呀! 那個職位高的人說: 嗯, 這裏面有因緣 此時, 這位居士就拼命磕頭哀求他們, 那個職位低的人似乎也希望能滿她的願 ; 於是職位比較高的人, 猶豫了片刻, 從上衣兜裏掏出一張金色閃閃發光的小紙片, 一揮手, 小紙片便開始燃燒, 化為美麗的金色火焰 ; 轉眼間, 這位居士發現自己的手銬和腳鐐都不見了, 這兩個人也不見了 ; 於是, 她開始拼命地奔跑, 從來沒有跑得這樣快, 同時也感覺到身後一群眾生緊緊地追著她 終於, 她在掙扎中甦醒, 就這樣又多活了不到三個月, 最後在微微的痛苦中往生 寺裏很多人聽了這位居士的故事, 都有點 when she was very tired. But as soon as she closed her eyes, lots of spirits appeared in front of her old ones and young ones, Westerners and Asians. When they passed by, they all stopped and stared at her face for a moment. Opening her eyes, she could see nothing, closing her eyes, she saw these spirits appear. She got pretty annoyed. After that she had a vivid dream one night. She dreamt of three messengers standing in front of her and saying, Your time is up, come along. With no time to respond, she saw herself following them in handcuffs and shackles. In the scene, they are walking on a yellow path. There s nothing beside the road but very high wall fence. (I guess that s what we called the yellow creek road.) A white dog is going with her. She really loved her dog that she even spent 5,000 dollars to set up a long life plaque for it. After a while, the three messengers disappeared and two people that look like some officials come. It seems like one of them is of higher position than another. The laywoman immediately kneels and begs them to give her more time to live. She says if she can have three more months, she will put all her effort in Buddhism and make offerings to the Triple Jewel. Now the low official looks at her and says to the high official, Strange enough, this woman recited 50 times of Shurangama mantra in her life, she shouldn t have been sent to here so quickly! The high official says: Hmm, there are some cause and conditions in this case. While the laywoman tries her best to beg them, it looks like the low official would like to extend her life. The man at higher position hesitates for a minute, and then takes out a piece of shiny golden slip paper from his pocket. While shaking his hand, the slip gets burnt right away into a beautiful golden flame. She notices her shackles are gone at once, as well as these two men, and then she starts to run. Although it s just a dream, she realizes she has never run so fast. At the same time she can feel a lot of spirits are chasing her. Finally she woke up from the struggle. She lived for less than three months after that and died with little pain. Many people were alerted after hearing the story, and would like to add Shurangama mantra recitation to their daily homework. Well, it was just a dream, and no one knows what really happened. But we would rather think it s true than ignore it. What we can ensure is that Shurangama mantra can definitely restore the positive energy between the heaven and earth. It can also extend proper Dharma and bring infinite benefits to all the living beings. Therefore, if we sincerely recite this mantra for everyone, we are creating ineffable merit 44 金剛菩提海二 O 一四年三月

44 驚異, 隨後自動地把 楞嚴咒 加入日常的功課裏 當然這只是一個夢境, 事實究竟怎樣我們也不知道 ; 但是 寧可信其有, 不可信其無, 可以肯定的是, 楞嚴咒 可以補天地的正氣, 可以令正法久住, 對一切眾生有無盡的利益 因此, 只要以至誠懇切的心持誦 楞嚴咒, 並迴向給一切眾生, 這種功德是無法用言語來形容的, 也是現在這個世界最需要的 所以萬佛寶殿每星期六的 楞嚴咒 法會, 對我來說特別珍貴 有時輪到要去廚房幫忙, 只要做工不遲到, 哪怕只是來誦一遍就走, 我也覺得得到巨大的法益 ; 因為大眾一同修行的力量, 總是比我單獨做功課的力量大很多 試想這個世界上有幾十億人口, 有多少人能踏進這個大門參加這裏的法會? 而我自己到底已經輪迴了多少個大劫, 今天才有機會與大眾一同修行呢? 所以法會的每一分每一秒, 都無比珍貴 我總是提醒自己 : 這是百千萬劫難遭難遇的 誰知道錯過了今天, 明天我又在哪裏? 過去幾年, 我常常有機會去醫院和殯儀館助念, 送走很多垂死和已經往生的人, 其中不少人都是佛教徒 當他們在生的時候, 如果你問他 : 要不要去極樂世界呀? 每一個都毫不猶豫地說 : 當然想去! 甚至有的會說: 如果現在可以去, 我願意現在就走 但是就我所經歷和所看到的, 幾乎所有知道自己得了絕症的人, 儘管病情已經無法挽回, 最後的時刻就在眼前, 但是想要活下去的念頭, 卻總是勝過要往生西方的意願, 求生的本能取代了一切 其實, 為臨終的一刻做好安排, 不等於放棄治療, 而是在心理上有所準備 當見到人們被無情地推向死亡, 而不是充滿信心地面對死亡時, 我都感到很惋惜 這個五濁惡世充滿諸多不如意, 但我們似乎總捨不得它, 也許是牽掛親人, 雖然常聽人說 六親眷屬就是冤親債主 ; 也許是牽掛財產, 雖然總是表白 錢財是身外之物 ; 也許是特別寶貝這個身體, 雖然常常說 這是個臭皮囊! 所謂 理可頓悟, 事須漸修, 因此在佛法中我願意明白更多的道理, 開發多一點智慧, 因為學習佛法的目的, 就是要將之付諸實踐, 才能算是得到真正的寶貝 and virtue, things that the world truly needs. The Shurangama recitation ceremony on Saturday is precious to me. Sometimes it s my turn to go help in the kitchen. As long as I am not late for my duty, I would also come to the Buddha Hall to recite the mantra, even if it s only for a short period of time. I feel as if I ve always obtained great benefit from this Dharma because the merit and virtue from the assembly is much more powerful than my own practice. For example, imagine that there are billions of people living in the world. How many of them can actually step into the hall to attend the ceremony? Now that I ve been able to practice the way with everyone here, who knows how many eons I have reincarnated to get this opportunity again. Therefore, every second of the Dharma assembly counts. I keep reminding myself that this is something hard to encounter in hundreds and thousands of kalpas. If I miss it today, will I get the opportunity tomorrow? In the past few years, I often had opportunities to help with the recitations at hospitals or funeral homes. I have seen lots of deceased and dying people, many of them who were Buddhists. Before they passed away, they would certainly tell you that they d love to be reborn to the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss. Some might ve even said that they were ready to leave if they could go there now. However, from what I ve seen, most people with incurable diseases are more eager to extend their lives than to go to the Pure Land. Even though it s pretty obvious that death is very close, the instinct of survival dominates their mind. Of course, to get ready for the last minute doesn t mean to stop medical treatment and give up the life. It s more of mental preparation. I was so regretful when I saw people being pushed cruelly to death instead of facing it with confidence. There are a lot of things we are not happy with in this Saha world, but more or less it seems we don t want to move apart from it. Perhaps we would miss our beloved relatives, although we hear people say that relatives are creditors. Perhaps we would have concerns about our properties although we have always heard the belief that money is just some material. Perhaps we pay too much attention to our bodies although we often say, This is a skin bag. When we hear some theories, we may understand it right away, however, we have to keep on practicing step by step to achieve accomplishment. I would like to understand more principles in the Buddhadharma, and to let more wisdom manifest, because the purpose of all the study on Buddha Dharma is to put theory into practice, only that counts as attaining the real treasure.. Bodhi Field 菩提田 March 2014 Vajra Bodhi Sea 45

45 THE GREAT ASSEMBLY s EFFORT TO FULFILL THE MASTER s VOWS 戮力同心 (continued) 續 共 襄 成 滿 師 願 Written by Eileen Hu Chinese Translation by Yihuan Shi 胡愛蓮 撰文 石義環 中譯 D HARMA R EALM N EWS (Continued from the front inner cover) 法 界 音 (續封面內頁) Now 50 years later his disciples proudly displayed his 五十多個春秋過去 2014甲午年2月15及16號兩天 legacy for the world in a 10x10 booth at the heart of the San 上人的四眾弟子們首次於舊金山中國城的元宵街會擺 Francisco Chinatown New Year s Street Fair on Feb 15th and 攤 男女老少 僧俗四眾 齊聚一堂 在 100平方呎的 空間裏 分別使用粵語 華語 臺灣閩南語 馬來 話 菲律賓語 英語 西班牙語及法語隨機應答 結 緣善書與經典 展現上人遺留給全世界的法藏 弟子們向川流不息的遊客介紹上人創建的育良 小學 培德中學及法界佛教大學 可喜的是 法界 佛教大學日前剛剛通過美國西部大學院校認可協會 Western Association of Schools and Colleges, WASC 的 審核 並晉升至候選院校的資格 目前正步向通過認 證的最後一道程序 此外 弟子們也透過靜態影像 介紹上人在世界各地胼手胝足建立起來的28座道場 上人成立的佛經翻譯委員會 至今已有400多種出版 品問世 因為展區空間有限 我們僅僅陳列了一小部 份的出版物 短短兩天 我們透過雙手遞送出去中英文佛經及其 淺釋 中英文雙語童書 上人法語繪本 英文佛學字 典 西班牙文佛門禮儀書 中文蔬食食譜 各種影音 光碟 道場及學校簡介手冊等等 我們與絡繹不絕的 遊客結緣近3000件出版物 每一位親來攤位造訪的遊 客 幾乎不曾空手離去 近 1000多本的法界食譜系列 在現場被悉數索取 16th. Young and old, male and female, bhikshus, bhikshunis and laity speaking Cantonese, Mandarin, Taiwanese, Malay, English, Spanish, French and Tagalog all gathered to help spread Dharma according to the potential of the listener. They showcased the schools he founded, Instilling Goodness Elementary School, Developing Virtue Secondary School and Dharma Realm Buddhist University (DRBU), which was just awarded eligibility by WASC in their accreditation process. They presented pictures of the 28 monasteries he founded throughout the world. And they exhibited a portion of the over 400 books published by the organization he founded, Buddhist Text Translation Society (BTTS). Close to 3000 books, booklets, CDs and DVDs were handed out during the two days, along with informational literature on the schools and branch monasteries. Bilingual Chinese/ English children s books, vegetarian cookbooks, English sutras with commentaries, well-illustrated gift books, a dictionary on Buddhism targeting academics, Spanish introductory material, CDs with mantras, stories on DVD, essentially something was available for everybody that stopped by. All available copies of the vegetarian cookbook, almost 1000, were handed out. It was so popular that it had to be rationed, 46 金剛菩提海 二Ｏ一四年三月

46 only one volume per person, though many people were eager to read the whole set. Volunteers even had to ask people to return to Gold Mountain Monastery in the future to get the other volumes in the series. Without rationing and allowing people more than one volume in the series, volunteers could easily have given out 5,000 books. Two hundred copies of the bilingual children s book Golden Feather were requested from the book warehouse at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas (CTTB), but only 85 were available and volunteers had to take stock from Gold Mountain s supply. Copies were rationed for Saturday and Sunday. All books were given away by noon each day. Kindness, a Vegetarian Poetry Anthology was gone within the first two hours. Other popular items were the gift books item such as Transcending the World, which was available in three different versions, Chinese/English, Vietnamese/English and Spanish/Chinese and Cherish Your Body. The most popular CD was the chanting of Guan Yin s name 觀音聖號. The audience was an eclectic mix of local people, the majority whom spoke Cantonese, tourists from all over speaking many different languages and the thousands of performers in the Saturday evening parade, the largest Chinese New Year parade outside of Asia with over 100 teams performing. In addition to the San Francisco fair, the Master s disciples participated in the lunar New Year celebration at the Oakland Museum of California on February 9 th. Dedicated volunteers have been working at this festival for seven years. For past events the Boys School Lion and Dragon Dance Team and the CTTB Chinese Orchestra introduced people to CTTB through music and dance. And the vegetarian Spring Roll team, headed by an industrious group of Aunties reached out to people by showing them how to make vegetarian spring rolls and letting them enjoy their own creations. This year, there was a larger presence of the high school and BTTS. In addition DRBU made its debut appearance. The rousing call at the Venerable Master s 50th anniversary for volunteers to join in spreading the Dharma so as to realize the Master s dream is beginning to bear fruit. Volunteers were glad to meet each other in person, as many had been working silently in isolation for years. Ideas were shared for future collaboration. As Hillary Clinton former first lady states in her book, It Takes a Village to raise a child, it takes a city to propagate the Dharma, the entire City of 10,000 Buddhas along with all branch monasteries. And with a harmonious Great Assembly, anything is possible. 完畢 食譜因為備受歡迎, 導致後來必須每人限量索取, 許多民眾對於不能拿到整套系列食譜而頗感失望, 義工們只好鼓勵向隅者日後前往金山寺或其它分支道場索取 如果贈書沒有上限, 我們可以輕而易舉送出 5000 本食譜 去年最新出版的中英文雙語童書 金羽毛, 在義工小心限量贈予之下, 仍在每日正午前便全數告窯 當初籌備期間計劃結緣 200 本的 金羽毛, 因萬佛聖城書庫僅餘 85 本庫存, 義工必需臨時跟金山寺調書, 方得補齊數量之不足 仁慈詩選 在每日攤位開張兩小時內旋即一空 其餘頗為討喜的出版物還包括袖珍版的法語繪本 珍惜 及 出塵, 出塵 一書還備有中文/ 英文 越南文 / 英文 及西班牙文 / 中文三種雙語版本 在影音出版品部份, 觀音聖號 CD 則備受寵愛 在十方來十方去的人潮中, 有族裔多元的舊金山市民 各國的旅人及遊子, 華人則以廣東人為主力 ; 除此之外, 尚有上千名表演者在此忘返流連, 他們是參與 15 號晚間農曆春節花車大遊行的演出人員 舊金山的花車巡遊, 是亞洲地區以外最盛大的中國農曆新年花車遊行活動, 共計有 100 多個表演團隊共襄盛會 除了在華埠街坊擺攤耕耘法緣, 弟子們同時也在 2 月 9 號 ( 大年初十 ) 第七度參與屋崙加州博物館慶祝農曆新年的活動 過去幾年來, 舊金山東灣的民眾透過培德中學舞獅團的演出及萬佛聖城國樂團的絲竹雅音而認識萬佛聖城 ; 柏克萊佛寺一群敬業勤勉的越南居士, 每年也固定向大眾示範如何製作越南春卷, 讓老少遊客都能享受親手烹飪素食的樂趣 今年, 法界佛教大學首次現身博物館與眾交流, 加上佛經翻譯委員會的義工, 今年法總出席博物館的陣容, 可說是歷年之最 在 2012 年上人傳法五十週年的紀念會上, 我們聽到流通法寶的振臂疾呼 ; 我們冀盼更多義工加入同行, 以圓滿上人普傳佛典, 再興佛法的夢想 經過兩年的努力, 春芽方萌 許多孤軍奮鬥 默默流通經典多年的義工, 如今有了更多的同行者能夠正面交流, 集思廣議 前美國總統柯林頓的夫人希拉蕊 (Hillary Clinton) 所著的 同村協力 (It Takes A Village), 其書名乃引用自古老的非洲諺語 Ora na azu nwa, 意謂養育一個孩童, 需要整座村人的努力 同理, 弘揚佛法, 需要萬佛聖城暨所有分支道場的協力齊心, 只要四眾佛子一心, 僧眾同舟共濟, 我們將無事不成辦, 無願不能滿 DHARMA REALM NEWS 法界音 MARCH 2014 VAJRA BODHI SEA 47

47 澳洲金岸法界農曆春節楞嚴法會暨皈依受戒大典 The Transmission Ceremony of Three Refuges and Five Precepts After Shurangama Session During Lunar New Year at Australia Gold Coast Dharma Realm 王立夫 文 By Cliff Wang DHARMA REALM NEWS 法界音 2014 年 2 月 2 日, 農曆馬年正月初三, 緊隨三天楞嚴法會之後, 在萬佛聖城恒實法師的主持下, 澳洲黃金海岸金岸法界楞嚴聖寺如法舉行了莊嚴的皈依受戒大典 有十八名善男子善女人, 下至一歲多的嬰兒, 上至已過花甲的老人, 不遠千里從各個國家趕來, 依止萬佛聖城宣公上人座下僧團求受三皈五戒 其中有十人誠意皈依三寶, 八人求受五戒 此盛典可謂是美國和尚搭大紅祖衣授三皈五戒依漢律講英文法無定法善巧方便各地同修聚黃金海岸得法名戒牒禮三寶懺宿業人雖舊人實已新生恒實法師開示道, 皈依的意義很重大 皈依佛, 不落地獄 ; 皈依法, 不落餓鬼 ; 皈依僧, 不落畜生 三皈依後, 不僅通向三惡道的路就斷了, 而且還有三十五個護法神由此跟護庇祐 雖然皈依佛法僧的本意都是一樣的, 但是皈依儀式在不同地方不盡相同 聖城的特色是遵循傳統, 步驟完整, 整體時間較長, 約兩個小時 其中的拜懺部分的功效尤其之大, 實法師稱其為 超強清潔劑, 讓大家特 On 2 nd February, 2014, the 3 rd of the first Lunar month in the year of the Horse, three days after Shurangama session, a solemn ceremony was held by Dharma Master Heng Sure from the City of The Thousand Buddha at Australia Gold Coast Dharma Realm Shurangama Monastery to inaugurate the transmission of Three Refuges and Five Precepts. There were eighteen good men and women, from countries thousands of kilometres away and aging from one-year-old-plus toddler to elders over sixties, taking the Three Refuges and Five Precepts with the Sangha committee under Venerable Master Hua from the City of The Thousand Buddhas. Among ten people sincerely took refuges with the Triple Jewel, and eight people for Five Precepts. The great event can be described in the following couplets: An American monk wore the great red Kashaya to transmit the Three Refuges and the Five Precepts; Hosting the ceremony in English but in accord with Chinese Buddhist traditions, he used the unfixed Dharma to skilfully perform his expedients. Cultivators from different countries gathered in Gold Coast received their new Dharma names and Precepts certificates; Bowing to Triple Jewel and repenting of previous karmic offenses, they looked like the same old persons but actually reborn anew. Dharma Master Heng Sure lectured that the meaning of taking refuges is significant. Taking refuge with the Buddha, you won t fall into hell; taking refuge with the Dharma, you won t fall into the path of hungry ghosts; taking refuge with the Sangha, you won t fall into the path of animals. After you have taken the three refuges, the gates to three-evil paths are closed; in addition, there are thirtyfive Dharma protector spirits follow and protect you since then. Although the fundamental meaning of taking refuges with the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha is the same, but the ceremonies may not be exactly the same in different places. The special feature conducted by the CTTB is that it follows traditions with 48 金剛菩提海二 O 一四年三月