目錄
 

萬佛聖城十六年

 
◎顏亞日(培德中學義務老師)
二OO九年十二月二日•講於萬佛聖城大殿

一九九三年八月卅一日,我來到了萬佛聖城。第二天早上,我便匆匆到學校去教課,那是我在聖城當義務老師的第一天。時至今日,大約有十六年。在這之前,我在馬來西亞也執了十七年的教鞭。說起來,我這一生,已當了三十三年的老師。

I arrived at CTTB on August 31, 1993. On the second morning, I rushed to the school to teach the classes. That was the first day I became a volunteer teacher at CTTB. Time certainly flies. It has been 16 years since then. Before I came to CTTB, I had been teaching for 17 years in Malaysia. Thus in this life, I have been a school teacher for 33 years.

如果問我,當了一輩子的老師有什麼感想?我的回答是,只有「感恩」,因為當老師是一個很有意義的工作。如果是年輕時,或可能感想很多,現在年紀大了,知道人生是苦,感受到四大不調,無常迅速,感想就越來越少。簡單的說,我這一輩子萬分地感激 上人的恩賜。釋迦牟尼佛降世,佛法住世三千年,我還在此娑婆世界流連忘返。因為遇到上人,才跟著上人回到萬佛聖城來。

If you ask me how do I feel as a school teacher all the way through this life? My answer is that I am thankful about it because it is most meaningful to be a school teacher. If it was back then when I was still young, I may have a lot of responses. Now that I am getting older, I knew that life is suffering and have experienced the 4 elements that generate life are disintegrating, and impermanency is coming really fast, my responses are getting less and less. In simple words, I am 100% thankful to the kindness of our Venerable Master. It has been 3,000 years since Sakyamuni Buddha came to the world and I am still hanging out there in this Svaha World. It was because I met our Venerable Master that I followed him back home to the CTTB.

我感恩 上人如同再生父母賜我第二個生命,讓我今生又遇到了佛法,來到了萬佛聖城。並體會到佛法與人生的意義。回頭看看我以前的那些同學與同事,他們很多都退休了,頭髮都蒼白了,雖然都有汽車洋房,他們似乎對人生有點茫然,不敢談起人生走到盡頭是什麼,因為「死」是可怕的事。而我卻找到了真正的皈依處。

I am thankful to Venerable Shi Fu who is like my second parent, instills a second life in me, leading me to meet the Buddha Dharma again, and return to the CTTB. He helps me to experience the Buddha Dharma and the meaning of life. When I look back at my old friends and colleagues, they are retired. They have beautiful houses and big cars, but their hairs are turning grey. They appear to be lost about what is life. They do not want to talk about what it will be at the end of this life because death is filled with fear. On the contrary, I have found the true refuge.

常言道:「知足心常樂,無求品自高。」在萬佛聖城十六年,我對這句話有了深入的體會。因為萬佛聖城有很多的出家眾,他們就是一面鏡子。他們都過著簡單、與世無爭的日子。無形中,我們在家人都被他們所感染。如果在外邊,要做到知足與無求,那是很難做到的事。就算修學佛法,人常常還是處在「前一念才起,而後一念又生」的恍恍惚惚之間。前一念告訴自己要知足、要無求;後一念又起了貪心,又想得到這個、得到那個的。前一念生起時,心中確實是知足與無求;後一念生起時,什麼都完了。

There is a saying in Chinese, "Contented, your heart is constantly joyful; Seek for nothing, your character is most lofty." Living in CTTB for 16 years, I gain a deep insight into that verse because the monks and nuns in CTTB are like a mirror reflecting its meaning. They are living a simple non-contending and non seeking life. Silently, their lofty way of life became contagious to the lay people. If you live in the world outside, it is very difficult not to seek and fight. Even one is cultivating the Buddha Dharma; one can easily be torn apart by the flip-flopping of first thought of satisfaction and the second thought of greed. The first thought just says okay, I am satisfied, I am not going for anything, but immediately a second greedy thought would arise telling him to seek for this or that. When the first thought appeared, he was truly lofty and contented, but when the second thought arises, everything is gone.

十六年前,我才來到萬佛聖城,心中有著無限的法喜,告訴自己,要好好地修行。當時我對佛法的體會還不深,這樣子過了一些日子。在聖城工作,往往一個人被當成幾個人用。說也奇怪,如果你在聖城真正地付出,又能隨喜一切法事,你一定能得到佛法的滋潤。貪心、瞋心、癡心也會在不知不覺中慢慢地減少,心也會漸漸地平靜下來。慢慢地容易觀察到自己內心的動靜,在前一念與後一念的交替之間,知道自己執著了一個念頭,或放下另一個念頭。能照見心中心念在轉的過程,從中改進自己,這是對佛法的另一種體會,如人飲水,冷暖自知。然後,愛爭、好勝的心也減少了。

Sixteen years ago when I first came to CTTB, I was filled with Dharma Joy. I told myself that I have to cultivate seriously. At that time my experience about the Buddha Dharma was still shallow. That continued for a period of time. In CTTB, it is a common thing that one person would do the jobs of many persons. The strangest thing is that if you sincerely offer your energy, yet you rejoice in all the Dharma activities in your heart, you will surely be blessed by the Dharma. Silently, your greed, anger and stupidity would gradually diminish day after day. Your heart would become more and more serene. Gradually it becomes easier for you to observe the moments in your thought. In between the arising thoughts, you notice when you became attached and when you let it go. When you gain this insight to reflect deeply what is going on in your mind and improve yourself in awareness, it is another way of experiencing the Dharma. It is like drinking a cup of water, you know it is cold or warm. And then, you realize that your seeking and contending mind also diminish.

如果有人說,你的念頭在恍恍惚惚之間,修也等於沒修。開始時我也這麼想,但是我的體驗是,修與沒修的想法只是一種執著。《心經》說,色受想行識,不生不滅,不垢不淨,不增不減。可是凡夫心(意識)本來就有生有滅。只好在生生滅滅的過程中往內觀,然後再去體會怎樣才是不生不滅;去體會該用什麼方法去觀,才能體會到自在。所以在修與沒修之間,不要起分別心,讓生滅心有機會平靜下來,從不起分別心中體會自在。從不執著自己的念頭,與放下自己的意念過程中體會自在,從眼耳鼻舌身意用功。這樣的用功,很有意思。

If someone says, your thought is still flip-flopping, even you are cultivating, it is just the same as you are not. I was thinking in the same way at first. But in my experience, the thought of cultivating and not cultivating is just an attachment. The Heart Sutra says, forms, feeling, cognition, formation and consciousness are not produced nor destroyed, not defiled nor pure, and not increasing nor diminishing. But in actuality, the thought (or consciousness) of common people are constantly produced and destroyed, so one has to contemplate on the constantly produced and destroyed thoughts to realize what it meant by either produced nor destroyed. And investigate the process by which one can experience inner ease and serenity. Thus cultivating or not cultivating, one should not use the discriminating mind to evaluate, but give an opportunity for the producing and destroying mental processes to settle down. And you try to experience peace and serenity by not discriminating. You try to experience the tranquility through the process of neither having no attachment, nor letting go of thoughts. Apply effort diligently on the eyes, ears, nose, body and mind. It is really meaningful by applying efforts this way.

佛法的奧妙,要用語言說明白,是很難的事。不只佛法如此,世間法也是如此。我們當老師的,常常就發現到,同樣的東西,對學生說了幾十遍,學生還有搞不清楚的。或現在搞清楚了,後來又糊塗了。我們自己也當過學生,也是一樣,有時或現在搞清楚了,後來又糊塗了,這是很平常的事。

The wonder of the Dharma is very difficult to explain with words. Not only that, even the worldly dharma is difficult to explain with words. As a teacher, it is common to notice that you may repeat the same thing for tens of hundreds times, yet there are students who are still not clear about what you say. Or may be he is clear now, but is confused again later. We ourselves were students once upon the time, and we experienced the same thing as well. At time, we were clear but later on we became confused again. This is so common.

修學佛法的過程,最怕沒事做。有事做,而且沒完沒了地做不完才是好。所以,上人在萬佛聖城製造了很多的事讓大家做。學校的建立,就是其中之一。讓大家在做事的過程中,把自己忘了。忘記了外在的我,忘了我喜歡做什麼,我不喜歡做什麼;忘了我要比誰更好,忘了我要比誰更厲害;忘了我要去爭第一,忘了去爭這個長短。忘了外在的我,忘記了生生滅滅,從這過程中恍恍惚惚看到內在的我、不動的心。讓自己在凡夫境界中,有機會在前一念真與後一念假之間,去找尋真我。

In the process of cultivating the Dharma, it is not a good thing to have nothing to do. It is even better to be occupied endlessly. Thus Venerable Shi Fu generated many things in CTTB for people to do. The founding of the schools in CTTB is one example. With things to do, it helps you to forget about the self. It helps to forget the external I. Forget about what I like to do, or what I do not like to. Forget about I am better than someone, or he is more talented. Forget to contend to be number one. Forget about who is better or who is not as good. Forget about the external me. Forget about what is produced and what is destroyed in the mind. In the process of flip-flopping of mental states, one may see the inner self, the unmoving mind. In between the disappearing of first true thought and the arising of second false thought, give yourself a chance as a common person to investigate the true self.

上人曾對老師勉勵過:「你們要為教育而教育,好像教自己的孩子一樣,盡自己的本分,教孩子讀書寫字做功課,乃至如何做人。只要盡心盡力就好,不要去想教出來的孩子會如何。」我體會到,盡自己的本分,為教育而教育,就是不執著,不起分別心。老師盡自己的本分教導學生「孝悌忠信禮義廉恥」,自己也孝悌忠信禮義廉恥;學生跟老師學習怎樣做人,老師跟學生學習那份天真,從中尋找自己本來的面目。久而久之,學生的品德栽培起來,老師的品德也在教學中相長。上人發願所有來過萬佛聖城的人,將來一定成佛。所謂「人成即是佛成」,將來學生能修成佛時,老師也一樣能修成佛。這就是上人的願力。

This is the encouragement Venerable Shi Fu said to volunteer teachers, "You educate the children for the sake of education. You educate every child like you are educating your own child. You must fulfill your natural duty in teaching them the academic as well as educate them to be good people. As long as you have done your very best, you do not have to think about how the children turn out to be." What does that mean? I realize that fulfilling one's natural duty to educate for the sake of education means doing the job without attachment and discrimination. A teacher naturally fulfills his duty to educate the children to be filial, humble, loyal, honest, respectful, righteous, creditable, and to understand shame for wrongful actions. A teacher would practice the same virtues and have the same character he educates. The students learn how to be good people from the teachers while the teachers learn to be truthful and naive like the young students, and thus through educating the students, a teacher could also explore his own "original true face" or his inner self. Over the time, good character is nurtured in students while virtue is also cultivated in teachers. Venerable Master vowed that whoever comes to CTTB, he will become Buddha in the future. There is saying that when one becomes a perfect person, he would become a Buddha. Thus in the future when the students cultivate and become Buddhas, the teachers would cultivate and become Buddhas as well. This is the strength of the vow made by Venerable Master.

為了教育下一代,上人又要學校每年辦敬老節與懷少節。談到敬老與懷少,就想到上人常說的:「人要各盡本分。敬老與懷少是每個人應該做的本分內的事。本分內的事做好,就是修福與修德,應該要從內心做起,每天如是。」 那我們為什麼又要有這些節日?我們的學生的才藝表演,老人、客人、學生與四眾共進午餐,跟內心敬老與懷少有什麼關係?關係在有了這個節日,老師、學生還有四眾每年就會努力地去辦,敬老與懷少的觀念就深深地印在老師、學生與萬佛聖城四眾的心中,乃至於所有的客人心中。

For educating the next generation, Venerable Master also started a tradition of celebrations of Honoring Elders Day and Cherishing Youth Day in school. Talking about honoring the elders and cherishing the youths, I remember what Venerable Master use to say, "People have to fulfill their natural duty. Honoring the elders and cherishing the youths are the natural duties for everyone. When one fulfills his natural duties, one is cultivating his blessing and virtue. It has to come from one's inner heart and practice everyday." Why then do we need to have those specific days of celebration? How do we relate the students' talent shows, and the special lunches for the elders, the guests, the students and the four fold assembly with honoring the elders and cherishing the youths? The connection is that when teachers, students, and the four fold assembly are putting in the efforts in doing it, the concepts of honoring the elders and cherishing the youths became strongly rooted into their minds, including the guests.

一方面學校要辦好,從另一方面看,學校對學生、老師、家長、四眾、社會、世界的影響是很深遠的。再說,佛度有緣人。上人要度的眾生為什麼這樣多?我們知道這是 上人過去以種種善巧方便與眾生結下的法緣。上人這一生,還是一樣的努力,建立道場、興辦學校、發揚敬老與懷少,與各宗教和諧聯繫等等。我們也可以學習上人,以種種善巧方便與眾生結下法緣。菩薩要行菩薩六度萬行,才能成就菩薩果。行菩薩道的人因地必須與眾生結下法緣,建立行菩薩六度萬行的緣分。如果與眾生結下了逆緣,要行六度萬行就很難了。如果不行菩薩六度萬行,只是行小乘做自了漢也可以,但是結逆緣怕會有逆境,要小心謹慎才是。

On one hand, we like to make the school a good school. On the other hand, the effects of the school on students, teachers, parents, four fold assembly, society and the world is deep and profound. Also, it is said that Buddha saves those with affinity. Why there are so many living beings that Venerable Master would cross over and save them? From what we know, those are the dharma affinity created in the past by him with expedient and good efforts. In this life time, Venerable Master continues that same effort; he erected the way places, founded the schools, promotes honoring the elders and cherishing the youths, harmoniously makes connection with all the religions, etc. We can also learn from Venerable Master, expediently use our good efforts to make dharma connection with living beings. It is known that bodhisattvas have to fulfill myriad practices of the six Paramitas in order to attain bodhisattva-hood. When a bodhisattva practitioner generates good dharma affinity with living beings in the cause ground, he generates the connection and the conditions for his myriad practices of the six Paramitas. If he makes bad affinities with living beings, it will be difficult for him to fulfill the practices of myriad virtues. Well, if one is not inspired to practice the bodhisattva ways, he can choose to practice the self delivered arhat ways. But, it is important to understand that creating bad affinities may easily end up with facing bad states of conditions. Thus one has to be very careful.

最後,願與大家共同勉勵,上人引我們進佛門,努力修心靠個人,一切一切都是唯心造,各自要關心自己的前程。

Finally, I like to share this inspiration. Venerable Master brings us through the gate of the Buddha Dharma. One will need to apply himself in cultivating his mind. Every thing is created by the mind. One has to take care of himself on walking his own path ahead.

▲Top

法界佛教總會 • DRBA / BTTS / DRBU

目錄