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《菩提臺》

 

BODHI STAND

今是昨非即菩提
To Recognize Past Mistakes and Do Things Right from Now on Is Just Bodhi
--介紹孫果維居士
--Introducing Wendy Sun

牧愚 編輯 Compiled by Mu Yu
仰聖 英譯 English translation by Yang Sheng

住在新加坡的孫果維居士,承認她和先生在這一生遇到正法是最幸運的一件事。她很感激上人承先啟後、繼往開來的偉大工作——把佛經翻譯成英文,讓她們不懂中文的人,也有機緣瞭解佛法,讀誦大乘經典。這也促成了她於1997年第三度回到聖城參加萬佛寶懺。

雖然一出生就是佛教徒,可是她脾氣暴躁,情緒變化多端,專挑別人毛病,誠如孟子所言:「責人則明,恕己則昏」,以致家中沒有片刻安寧,日子當然過得很痛苦。她先生無計可施,轉而求助於佛教。1994年,她們拜讀上人的〈人生要義〉和〈開示錄〉,猶如當頭棒喝,震撼了他們,認識了自己的錯誤,開始迴光反照,瞭解幾十年來過的日子顛倒不實,在新的生活中,他們得到了啟蒙。

短短九個月內,孫居士「眞認自己錯,莫論他人非」,體會到批評人,就看不見自己的錯誤。她突然間變得開朗有耐性,凡事冷靜包容,令親友驚訝。「他非即我非,同體名大悲。」這正是上人教導有以致之。

1995年到聖城禮拜萬佛寶懺,她瞭解到佛以各種法門來救度一切眾生。法會圓滿後,皈依在上人座下。1997年再度前來聖城參加華嚴法會,彌補未能親見上人的遺憾。為報答上人的恩德,她受持五戒,願生生世世追隨上人,度化一切眾生發菩提心,往生西方極樂世界。


Upasika Guo-wei Sun admits that she and her husband have been most fortunate to encounter the Proper Dharma in this life. She is deeply grateful to the Venerable Master's great mission of translating the Buddhist canon to English, so that people like her, who do not know Chinese, can also understand the Buddhadharma and recite Mahayana Sutras. This gratitude has brought her to the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas again in 1997 to participate in the Jeweled Repentance before Ten Thousand Buddhas for the third time.

Although she has been a Buddhist from birth, she is hottempered and emotional and likes to pick on other people's faults. She is as Mencius said, "sharp when it comes to criticizing others; muddled when it comes to being lenient with oneself." As a result there was no peace in the household, and their days were miserable. Her husband, having no other recourse, turned desperately to Buddhism for help.

In 1994 they read the Venerable Master's Essentials of Human Life and Instructional Talks. These precious pearls of Dharma woke them up like a blow on the head. They soon saw their own mistakes and began to reflect upon themselves. They realized that they had lived in delusion for decades and that everything was unreal. With that inspiration, they began a new life.

In a short nine months, Upasika Sun "truly recognized her own faults and stopped discussing the faults of others." She realized that if she always criticized others, she would not see her own faults. Friends and relatives are amazed by her sudden transformation into a happy and patient woman who is able to calmly accept others. "Others' faults are just my own. To be one with everyone is called great compassion." The Master's earnest words have certainly been effective.

In 1995 she and her husband came to the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas to bow the Repentance before Ten Thousand Buddhas. That made her realize how the Buddha was using various Dharma doors to rescue living beings. After the repentance session, they took refuge under the Venerable Master. In 1997 they again came to the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas to attend the Avatamsaka Dharma Assembly, in order to make up for the fact that they were not able to see the Venerable Master in person. Out of inexpressible gratitude to the Venerable Master's kindness, she received the five precepts and guards her own conduct; she vows to follow the Master in life after life and to influence all living beings to aspire to enlightenment and gain rebirth in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss.

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