下面要講的這點非常重要，就是在宿舍內不准煮食物，除非本來就有廚房的設備。如果你的房間原來沒廚房的設備，你不能把電鍋或者電爐帶到房間裡自己煮。我並不要求你們舉手，但是我要問在場你們當中有多少人犯了這個規矩。或者你知道有誰已經犯了這個規矩。我並不要求你舉手，但是你已經簽字，這是你簽過的合約。
住眾是包括每一個人，要遵守大齋堂用餐的時間跟規矩，因為很多人在自己房間吃早餐或者晚餐，所以廚房很難控制早晚餐的份量。不但如此，你在房間吃會引來老鼠、蟑螂那些不清潔的眾生。因為我們不殺生所以我們不用毒藥去毒這些，這就變成聖城的問題。那你是不是要把這些問題留給聖城呢？
如果你沒有這樣做，不要認為我是在講你，我只是告訴你這個原則是非常重要的，因為我們是一個大眾的場所，必須大家一起來做。住在這裡跟住在你自己家裡是不同的，每一個人對這個地方都有責任。當然剛剛講的就是指那些房間沒有廚房設備的，比方說在居士林，有廚房設備那另當別論。如果是後山沒有廚房設備，就不應該自己煮。記得我在臺灣的時候，聽說上人甚至把後山的一些廚房設備取走，原因就是不要人在那邊煮食。
關於你在住的地方外面種花、種樹、種菜，沒經過允許自己種，那我們有園藝組，你們可以跟他們討論。我所提的大部份是指後山，尤其是龍樹那邊的居士，希望你們不要隨你們的高興，想種什麼就種什麼，因為我們要種的是使這個道場莊嚴。如果你對這個有興趣，或者你想要幫忙的話，你可以加入園藝組學習，看他們怎麼種。我看到龍樹那邊地上被挖了，還種了什麼花，看起來像個瘡口一樣，所以希望你不要繼續破壞這個土地。
如果你吃早晚餐的話，我希望你們能夠在廚房幫忙。現在廚房很缺做早晚餐的人，因為大部分的人都在自己房間吃早晚餐了。
還有一件事情，就是有很多人常常丟掉自己不要的東西，就放在自己的門口或者放在別的空房間，這都是不允許的。我們收垃圾甚至於收到冰箱、洗衣機、沙發。你知道嗎？這些垃圾都是靠出家人去幫你清的。不在這裡人，希望你能轉聽得到。如果你不是我所說的那個人，你不要以為我在侮辱你。像這些冰箱和沙發都是很重的東西，你知道有多少出家人的背有問題，就因為搬運這些重東西？
還有就是請你多多保護道場的資源，不只是道場，尤其是整個地球的資源。如果你看見哪個房間的燈是亮的，你盡量去把它關了。如果你沒有辦法，你告訴知客師。同樣，如果你發現你住的地方廁所的水流個不停的話，也要告訴人，讓人趕快來修理，不要浪費。
最後我知道是個問題，但是我也不知道怎麼解決，但是我還是要說。因為你們每個人都簽這個規約同意要這麼做的，就是為了維持適合大眾學習與專心修行的環境，聖城內所有住眾不准擁有和使用收音機、音響、錄影機、電視和私人使用國際網路；單身男女住眾不得擁有私人電話。我知道自從這個規矩定了以後，世上情況改變了很多。當然這個世界是在改變，但是我們還是應該盡我們的能力遵守這個規矩。因為這不只是為了令道場有一個專心修行的環境，同時也是對我們的心性能夠專心修行。其實我們並沒有妨害到別人，眞正障礙的是障礙我們自己的修行。
最後一點，就是所有城內住眾必須參加平日的功課——早課、誦經、午供、結齋、拜懺、晚課、聽經、咒心，還有特別的法會和週六、週日等等，孩子也要鼓勵他們參加。對這個我想要說得就是，有些人就用這個功課作為不工作的藉口。我記得開始時我說出家人的責任是修行，在家人的責任是護法，幫助出家人修行，我看現在的情形有點顛倒。比方說有法會的時候，很多居士說他們要參加法會，表示廚房要出家人來幫居士煮食。這不指所有的居士，我相信你們也做不少工作。大部分居士在這裡都很努力工作幫助道場，但是有些沒有，這些人多了能造成問題。如果你眞那麼要修行，為什麼不出家呢？我們很歡迎你的。我就講到這裡。阿彌陀佛！
比丘恆來師：我很支持良法師所說的，猶如甘露一樣。這個原則對我們來講很重要。有一點就可以說，你們如果覺得在這邊住不很舒服，你不一定要住這裡，我們的大門是敞著的，沒有人擋著你。如果你覺得一定要有電視、收音機、錄影機，你才能舒服的話，那就去瑜伽鎮外面買個房子或者租個房子，你就可以有一切你要的，你一樣可以來這邊參加法會。
比丘恆律師：師父上人及各位善知識！今天我們特別召開四眾會議，因為相信各位來到聖城都是發心來護持道場，但是時間久了，我們的習氣毛病就出來了。這個問題越來越嚴重，所以我們不得不把晚課的時間提前結束，來召開這四眾會議，看一看問題發生在哪裡，怎麼來解決。
道場是需要大家幫忙支持，但並不是就可以做你歡喜做的事情；要聽道場的招呼，不是說我種菜就是支持道場。道場有很多工作，有它的順序，不是你做你歡喜的事，就認為是支持道場了。這樣子就變成多頭馬車，把道場弄得烏煙瘴氣。所以在道場裡要聽招呼，才能眞正支持佛教，擁護佛教。如果只做自己想做的，那你是擴張自己的勢力，來顛倒破壞這個佛教。講嚴重一點，你不聽招呼就是跟道場對立。如果這樣，為什麼來這裡呢？
上人講得好，在聖城是虎要臥起來，是龍要蟠起來，住這裡還張牙舞爪只做自己想做的事，不聽招呼，那是自己造往地獄的直達車。這一點希望大家不要忽視。大家都希望往上，是下去還是往上升，就在自己一念之間。放下自我，遵守道場規矩，就能得到清淨的法喜，那才是眞正的幸福。
阿彌陀佛！
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The next rule is very important. You cannot cook in your residence. That means, unless you already have a kitchen built in, you cannot use a hotplate, a rice cooker, or other such appliances. You cannot cook in your room or in your apartment. I'm not going to ask you to raise your hand, but let me ask you: How many people here tonight have broken this rule, are breaking this rule, or know someone who's breaking this rule? You don't have to answer. But remember that you signed this. You made a promise to follow these rules.
Residents eating with the assembly, and that should be just about everyone, are expected to eat during the hours when the dining rooms are open. Right now, so many people are eating breakfast and dinner in their rooms that the kitchen cannot function serving breakfast and dinner. Not only that, but when you're eating in your room, you attract mice and cockroaches and other unclean kinds of animals and insects. We can't use poison here because we don't kill, so once we have a pest problem, it's a problem of the CTTB. Do you want to leave that problem when you go?
Now if you're not doing this, please don't think that I'm scolding you, because I'm not. I'm just talking about the principle. It's very important. Since we're a community, we need to do things together. Living here is not the same as owning your own home. Everyone has a responsibility to the community. We're talking about rules for those residences that do not have built-in kitchens. If there is a built-in kitchen, then it's okay. For example, the cottages on Dharma Protector Lane have kitchens that can be used, but in the back of the CTTB, the Venerable Master never allowed people to have kitchens. I was in Taiwan at the time, but I was told that he had some kitchens torn out so that people wouldn't be able to use them.
Now, regarding planting flowers, trees, and vegetables near your residence, we have a landscaping committee to oversee that now. Planting without authorization is more of a problem in the back property, especially Dragon Tree House. We need to adorn the CTTB. If you don't really know how to plant things and you're just enjoying yourself, that's not really helping. We're planning to landscape that area to make it look neat and proper and adorned. Recently somebody pulled out all the ground cover and even some of the woods behind Dragon Tree House and planted something else, and it looks like a wound on the side of the terrace. If you would like to join the landscaping committee and help us and learn with us, you would be welcomed because we really need more energy.
If you're going to have breakfast and dinner in the kitchen, then sometimes you can help to cook because right now we're short of cooks for breakfast and dinner because most people are eating breakfast and dinner in their rooms.
People have been dumping unwanted objects—bicycles, refrigerators, washing machines, sofas, for example—outside their door or in another room, or putting their personal belongings in another room. All of these are not allowed. The left-home people end up having to clean up after such people. If those people not here, I hope they can still hear me. If you're not the one that I'm talking to, then please don't be insulted. These things, refrigerators and sofas, are very heavy. Do you know how many left-home people now have back problems because they have had to move these things?
The next thing is to cherish the Way-place's energy and the energy of the planet. If you see a light left on, don't just ignore it. Please either turn it off yourself or tell the guest prefect. The same is true of water. If you see a toilet is just flushing and flushing and won't stop, please let someone know because it's wasting water.
Here's another rule that I know is a problem and I really don't know what to do about it, but I'm going to read it because everybody here signed it and agreed to it. It says, "An atmosphere of study and contemplation must be maintained. No stereos, no radios, no VCR, no television, no private access to the Internet is allowed in any of the residences. All of these things are not permitted. Single residents, both men and women, may not have a private telephone. Now I know that the situation has changed a great deal since these rules were made. I know that the world has changed, but I think that we should still try our best to follow these rules the best that we can. This is not only for the Way-place to have an atmosphere of quiet contemplation, but also for our minds to have a place of quiet contemplation. Even if we're not really bothering anybody, we're obstructing our own cultivation.
I'll go to the last one. Except for special cases, all residents of the CTTB are required to attend at least morning and evening recitation, Avatamsaka Sutra recitation, lunch ceremony, and afternoon and evening lectures, as well as special holiday celebrations and special sessions. Children are also encouraged to attend.
I feel that I want to say something about this because I think some people use this as an excuse not to do other work. When I started speaking, I said that the left-home people's primary responsibility is to cultivate, and the lay people's primary responsibility is to support the Dharma and be Dharma Protectors. Recently, it's beginning to look to me like things are upside-down. When we have Dharma assemblies, what happens in the kitchen, for example, is that many of the lay residents say that they want to attend the Dharma assemblies, and so the left-home people have to cook for them. Now this doesn't include all the laypeople here. I'm sure you know how much work you do. I would say that most of the laypeople here work very, very hard to support the Way- place. But there are some who don't—enough so that it's a problem. If you really want to cultivate, why don't you also leave home. You're more than welcome. I think I'll end on that note.
Bhikshu Heng Lai Shi:
I really support what Heng Liang said. This is very good. This is like sweet dew to me: the principles of the CTTB. One thing that should be said to the laypeople: you do not have to stay here. There's no guard at the gate to hold you in here. It's not an easy thing to live here and we all understand that. This is a place of cultivation. If you're uncomfortable that you can't have your stereo, radio, TV and VCR, your stove and refrigerator and all that, if you can't do without those, then buy or rent a house in Ukiah and live there. You could still come to the ceremonies here. But if you live here, you have to follow a much more rigorous life style, and you must produce the mind to do that. If you don't want to, then don't stay here. It's as simple as that.
Bhikshu Heng Lyu Shi:
We come here to support the Way-place, so we should follow the instructions. We should not follow our own ideas. Even if you say, "I do this to support the Way-place"—that's your own idea. You don't know the priorities of what should be done. If you go against the instructions, you're not supporting the Way-place. You're not helping the Way-place or Buddhism. You are turning Buddhism upside-down. When you come here, you should let go of your ego first. Don't be on an ego-trip at the Way-place. If you do that, you just create karma.
When we come here, we should follow instructions. That's the way to purify our lives and attain true liberation. Otherwise, our ego always tells us to do what we want to do, and we end up taking the express bus down to the hells. When we come here, we want to ascend, not descend. Why don't we follow the instructions?
Amitabha.
(The End) |
