萬佛城金剛菩提海 Vajra Bodhi Sea

金剛菩提海:首頁主目錄本期目錄

Vajra Bodhi Sea: HomeMain IndexIssue Index

《菩提臺》

 

BODHI STAND

親修實證尋真理
Cultivating in Quest of Truth
--介紹吳冠一居士
--Introducing Upasaka Wu Guanyi

謝福來 文 By Fu-lai Hsieh
祁慧生 英譯 English translation by Hui-sheng Qi

吳冠一居士是中國河南省人,畢業於華南理工大學,為食品工程系高材生。小時內向畏縮,喜神秘科幻小說,又喜問「為什麼」?但缺乏耐性,易厭煩。大學時體會到人生沒有目標的難過,但又不屑信仰宗教;嘗以踢足球、聽搖滾樂、惡做劇等外在感官刺激來取得內心的快樂。偶讀〈論語〉得知孝弟忠信作人的道理,才醒悟人生還有些東西值得去奮鬥追求。在東北長春般苦寺曾聽一人大聲教人曰:「你就專看宣公上人的書,其它就不用看了。」他暗思:「宣公上人是何方賢聖,有這等大威德?美國也有佛教?」一入耳根卻成來美之道種。

1997年初來美留學;98年轉學到萬佛城法界佛教大學,讀了〈上人紀念專集〉驚嘆世上有這樣的「真」人。那時特立獨行的他,長長的頭髮紮了個小辮子,頗引人側目;沒多久又剃了個大光頭,更令人耳目一新。為滿足強烈的求知慾,他隨眾修行並自修不輟,發覺佛法非常有道理,可以完善地解釋世間現象;不久即受三皈五戒,法名親冠。

吳居士已於3月25日加人「沙彌先修班」,準備半年後剃度出家。何以有如此大的決心?因眼見好友97年讓白血病折騰一年多而亡,至今令他眼濕毛豎,不知得經多少大劫才能再遇佛法,甚或出家;因此碰上了可不能輕易放過,就如入寶山不能空手而回。


Upasika Wu Guanyi is from Henan County, China. He graduated with honors from the Department of Food Engineering of the South China University of Technology. As a child, he was introverted and liked to read science fiction. He loved to ask "why?" However, he was also impatient and easily annoyed. In college he was miserable because he had no clear purpose in life, yet he was cynical toward religion. He sought the outer sensory stimulation of soccer, rock-n-roll, and practical jokes, hoping to fill the need for inner happiness. Upon reading the Confucian Analects and learning that filial piety, brotherhood, loyalty, and trustworthiness are the fundamental principles of human existence, he realized that there was still something worthwhile to pursue in life. Once at Prajna Monastery in Changchun, Manchuria, he happened to hear a person holler, "Just read the Venerable Master Hua's books. You don't have to read anything else." He thought to himself, "Who is this sage, the Venerable Master Hua, who has such great virtue? Does Buddhism actually exist in the United States?" Those words planted the seed that led him to come to the States.

Upasaka Wu came to the United States to study in 1997. He transferred to Dharma Realm Buddhist University in 1998. Upon reading the book, In Memory of the Venerable Master, he marveled that there had been such an authentic person in the world. Always trying to be different, he at first grew his hair long and wore it in a pony tail, which attracted quite a few sidelong glances. After a while, he shaved his head, which was also shocking to people. To satisfy his strong desire for knowledge, he joined the community in cultivation and also kept up his personal practice. He discovered that the Buddhadharma make a lot of sense and gave a very complete explanation of the phenomena of the world. Soon he took refuge and received the five precepts, as well as the Dharma name Qin Guan.

On March 25, Upasaka Wu joined the Novice Preparatory Training Program, with the intention of leaving the home life six months afterwards. How did he muster such a strong resolve? He had witnessed a close friend battle with leukemia for over a year before passing away in 1997. The recollection still causes his eyes to brim with tears and his hair to stand on end. He feels there is no way of knowing how many eons it will be before he encounters the Buddhadharma or has the chance to become a monk again, so he is determined not to miss this opportunity, just as one would not want to return empty-handed after visiting a mountain of jewels.

▲Top

法界佛教總會Dharma Realm Buddhist Association │ © Vajra Bodhi Sea