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司儀：各位佛教界與學術界的先進，大家阿彌陀佛。在這麼炎熱天氣裡大家能共襄盛舉來參加研討會。首先謹代表主辦單位法界佛教大學及財團法人法界文教基金會向各位致萬分的歡迎與謝意。
我們都知道佛法發祥於印度，後來傳到中國以及亞洲一些國家，近半個世紀弘揚於西方。主辦單位為讓國人瞭解佛法在西方發展的情形，特地舉辦這一次「佛法在西方之弘揚與前瞻」研討會。主持人是美國人上恆下實法師。實法師是旅美高僧上宣下化老和尚的弟子，美國柏克萊加州大學碩士。目前是美國加州柏克萊宗教聯合研究院的博士候選人，同時也是美國柏克萊法界宗教研究院的教師、法界佛教總會的董事。在1977年5月實法師與前恆朝法師為了祈求世界和平，消弭戰爭，從洛杉磯金輪聖寺三步一拜到瑜伽鎮萬佛聖城，歷時兩年五個月。現在就把時間交給主持人。
比丘恆實法師：
各位法師、各位來賓、各位中央研究院的先生及女士、各位來賓同修、各位新聞界的朋友們大家好：
阿彌陀佛。這次到臺灣來，說是來弘法其實我們是來請益。有不週到的地方希望各位多多指教。
今天能與各位在這裡研討「佛法在西方之弘揚與前瞻」是很難得的機會，我們覺得很榮幸。首先報告在臺上的都是宣公上人的出家、在家弟子，有的跟隨上人已28、9年。今天想來分享我們在美國跟隨上人那麼多年的心得和感想。談起佛法在西方的弘揚，以宣公上人1962年到美國為開始，前瞻由1998年到第21世紀的未來發展。希望各位不吝指教，提供自己寶貴的意見，大家集思廣益，深入研討今天的題目。
所謂「旅美高僧」是臺灣新聞界對宣公上人的稱呼。總括起來說，先談談宣公上人這麼多年來，在美國教化西方人最大的幾點。打從佛入世到現在的南北傳分裂；現在這是一個地球村的時代，如果要各宗教團結，而佛教本身就分裂不能團結，分天主教、耶穌教、回教，又如何談及與其他宗教的團結呢？為這，所以宣公上人在美國萬佛聖城把南傳、北傳佛教結合起來。上人說：「北傳佛教不要往北邊跑，南傳佛教要從南邊回來，在中間會合。」因此在美國加州北邊萬佛聖城每次傳戒－－已經八次，都有南傳與北傳的法師，而戒子一定有三師七證，否則無法合格。記得上人曾經率團帶我們到英國跟著泰國傳統佛教的道場，在那兒我們學習巴利文做功課。回到萬佛聖城後上早課就用巴利文唱；這是新的面目，在西方是一種佛教本身的團結。希望幾千年來的南北分裂可以團結起來。
第二要談的是在美國有百分之八十九的天主教、耶穌教、猶太教徒，當上人帶佛法到美國時，佛法在這個國家裡沒有普遍的歷史。最初由日本京都先來，然後才有中國的傳統佛教－－正式的佛教，傳入美國。佛法有個別名，叫「空門」，但是對天主教、耶穌教徒、美國人講空，他們一竅都不入；雖然是空，如何空？所以，上人主張學佛先學作人：「人道盡，佛道成」；如果不懂得作人更談不到成佛了。上人要真正打好佛教在美國的基礎，先從儒家傳統的道德觀念思想著手。白天在學校裡講〈論語〉、〈三字經〉、〈弟子規〉：晚上講《華嚴經》、《涅槃經》、《金剛經》、空門。「要學佛，先學作人」就是佛教在西方最原始的面目。
待續
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Master of Ceremonies: Amitabha Buddha to all of you forerunners of Buddhism and the academic world who have come together to attend this seminar in such hot weather. First of all, on behalf of the organizers, Dharma Realm Buddhist University and Dharma Realm Cultural and Educational Foundation, I extend to you our utmost welcome and gratitude. We all know that Buddhism originated in India and was later transmitted to China and other Asian countries. In the most recent half century, Buddhism has been propagated to the West. This seminar on the "The Propagation of Buddhism in the West and Its Prospects" has been organized to inform this country's citizens about the development of Buddhism in the West. The organizer is an American, Dharma Master Heng Sure.
Dharma Master Heng Sure is a disciple of the Venerable Master Hsuan Hua, who resided in the United States. Dharma Master Heng Sure has a Master's degree from the University of California at Berkeley, USA. He is presently a Ph.D. candidate at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California. He is also an instructor at the Institute of World Religions in Berkeley, and a member of the Board of Directors of the Dharma Realm Buddhist Association. In May 1977, to pray for world peace and an end to war, Dharma Master Heng Sure and the former Dharma Master Heng Chau embarked on a pilgrimage of bowing down once every three steps from Gold Wheel Sagely Monastery in Los Angeles to the Sagely City of Ten Thousand Buddhas in Talmage, California. The pilgrimage took two years and five months. Now I will let the organizer speak.
Dharma Master Heng Sure:
Dharma Masters, guests, ladies and gentlemen from the Academia Sinica, fellow cultivators, and friends from the media:
Amitabha Buddha! This time we have supposedly come to Taiwan to propagate the Dharma, but actually, we are here to seek instruction. If there are any oversights during this visit, please let us know.
It is indeed a rare opportunity to discuss "The Propagation of Buddhism in the West and Its Prospects" with everyone here today. We feel extremely honored. First, I would like to report to you that all those who are on the stage are the left home and lay disciples of the Venerable Master, including those who have followed the Master for 28 or 29 years.
Today, we would like to share with you our experiences and insights in following the Venerable Master all these years in America. As to the propagation of Buddhism in the West, we begin with 1962
when the Venerable Master first came to America. The prospects would cover future development from 1998 onwards, into the twenty-first century. I hope all of you will share your advice and suggestions with us. Hopefully we can survey the opinions and benefit from a detailed discussion of today's topic.
The media refers to the Venerable Master as "The High Master Residing in the United States." In general, let us discuss a few major points concerning the way the Venerable Master taught and transformed Westerners during his years in the United States. Since the time of the Buddha until the present, there has been a separation between the Northern and Southern Transmissions. If we wish to foster unity among religions in the present Global Village era, yet discord and disunity continue within Buddhism itself, not to mention differences with Catholicism, Protestantism, and Islam, how can we speak of unity with other religions? In light of this, the Venerable Master brought the Northern and Southern Transmissions together at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas in America. The Venerable Master said, "The Northern Transmission should not run to the north. The Southern Transmission should turn back from the south. Both should meet in the center." Hence, the Dharma Masters from both Northern and Southern Transmissions presided over every ordination held at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas in northern California. Eight ordinations have been held so far. For a valid ordination, the preceptees require three masters and seven certifiers. I remember when the Venerable Master led a delegation to England, we went to a traditional Thai Buddhist monastery and learned to do our ceremonies in Pali. After we returned to the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, we chanted our morning recitation in Pali. This is a new style. In the West, Buddhism is united. Hopefully the split between the Northern and Southern Transmissions that lasted for thousands of years can be mended.
Secondly, I would like to mention that at the time the Venerable Master brought Buddhism to the United States, eighty-nine percent of our population was Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish, and there was no recorded history of Buddhism. Buddhism was first brought to America from Kyoto, Japan. Later, traditional Chinese Buddhism, the Orthodox Buddhism, arrived. Buddhism is also called "the gate of emptiness." However, if we talk to American Protestants and Catholics about emptiness, they would not understand. How does one achieve emptiness?
Therefore, the Venerable Master suggested that one has to learn to be a person before he studies Buddhism. He said, "When one's humanity is perfected, the way of the Buddha will be accomplished." If we do not know how to be a person, there is no point in talking about becoming a Buddha. The Venerable Master established a real foundation for Buddhism in America. He started with the ethical concepts and philosophy of traditional Confucianism. During the day, he would lecture on the
Analects, the Three-Character Classic, and the
Standards for Students. In the evening, he lectured the
Avatamsaka Sutra, the Nirvana Sutra, the Diamond Sutra, and the gate of emptiness. "Learning how to be a person" is the foundation of Buddhism in the West.
To be continued
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