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自今年一月二十五日起，陸續展開的無遮懺悔大會，在七月二十二日（農曆六月二十三日）這天畫下圓滿的句點。宣化上人特別要萬佛聖城四眾弟子，注意這一天。萬佛聖城有兩位出家人，在這一天拜三位師兄為師父。
拜了新師父的兩位出家人是芝加哥人親遐（原法號恆順），與越南人親邇（原法號恆長）。他們欺瞞師父，亂用經費的經過，在本刊二六一期至二六五期的「萬佛聖城大事記」已有詳細記錄。
宣化上人因為不忍捨棄他們，以免他們更加墮落，所以教他們從五位師兄的名字中抽籤。結果抽中恆佐、恆豐、恆章三位法師，作他們共同的新師父，並取了新法名：親遐、親邇；給予他們重新出家、重新做人的機會。這是一場極富佛法深義、大施方便教化的開示，上人稱之為「夢中佛事」。
上人的開示重點經整理如下：「是法平等，無有高下」，佛法是平等的，本來也沒有師父，也沒有徒弟；沒有輩份，成佛了都是一樣的。但是，娑婆世界一切眾生，有很大的執著心。執著善法，執著惡法；有的執著有為法，有的執著無為法；分上分下分等次，這就是分別世間的名相，越分別就離佛法越遠。
我們所謂迴大向小，雖然輩份不同了，修行上更應該發大乘的菩薩心。這不像鳩摩羅什法師，他的師父因為是小乘，以後又拜徒弟鳩摩羅什做師父，這是迴小向大。為什麼這樣？這是破眾生的一種執著。
我說過不承認他們兩個作徒弟，我也不願意捨棄他們，那麼就勉強換一換，才教這兩個人另拜師父。這裡頭有深意，就是要折服你們貢高我慢、輕視他人的毛病。雖然另拜師父，還是在這個道場裡頭，要立功贖罪。本來過和功也是平等的，有多大功，就有多大過；有多大過，就有多大功。為什麼呢？尸棄佛說過：
起諸善法本是幻
造諸惡業亦是幻
身如聚沫心如風
幻諸無根無實相
你要認識了，以後再不可以犯貢高我慢的毛病。這個毛病本來也是假的、虛幻的；但是真的也是虛幻的，你為什麼不找個真的做？為什麼要做個假的，假名假利？我們今天的事情，也是虛幻的夢中佛事，我們大家都在作夢，作來作去，沒有一定的，無有定法，是名阿耨多羅三藐三菩提。
在夢中做得正確的，就有功：做得不正確的，就有過。
親邇：在師父座下十年，現在想要修行的動力最大，想要對道場有利益，一定要在思想上改革。……非常感謝師父給我機會拜師兄作師父，這樣在最低最低的地位上修，就不會跟他們爭名奪利、嫉妒障礙，這是最好的機會來修行。很感謝師父給我《華嚴經》的法門，以後要依照《華嚴經》，徹底改變自己的行為思想。
親遐：我看不起這三位師兄，比看不起另兩位師兄要多，所以才會抽中他們為師父。我貢高我慢很大，師父說怎麼樣做，我就去做，可以可以。
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The Unrestrained Repentance Assembly
held continuously since January 25, 1992, was completed on July 22 (lunar date June 23). The Venerable Abbot asked everyone at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas to pay attention to this date because two left-home people at the City bowed to three of their Dharma brothers as their new masters on that day. These two left-home people are the Chicago native Ching Sya (original Dharma name Heng Shun), and the Vietnamese Ching Er (originally named Heng Chang). The news about their cheating of the Venerable Abbot and mismanagement of temple funds was published in issues #261-265 of this journal's Chinese edition.
Because the Venerable Abbot could not bear to abandon them, and wanted to prevent their falling even lower, he told them to draw lots from among the names of five Dharma brothers. Consequently, they drew the names of Dharma Masters Heng Dzwo, Heng Feng and Heng Jang to be their new masters, and they also received the new Dharma names Ching Sya and Ching Er. This was their chance to leave home again, and to be people again. This lecture, which the Venerable Abbot called "Doing the Work of the Buddhas in a Dream," contains profoundly meaningful Dharma, vastly providing expedient teachings. The main points of the Venerable Abbot's lecture follow:
"This Dharma is level and equal, without any high or low." The Buddhadharma is level and equal. Originally there was no master and no disciples. There is no distinction in generations here. Once we become Buddhas, we are all equal. However, all the living beings in the Saha world have very great attachments: we attach to good, we attach to evil; some of us attach to conditioned dharmas, some attach to unconditioned dharmas. We make distinctions above and below, dividing into grades. This is just discriminating the various names and classifications in the world. The more we make these distinctions, the farther away we go from the Buddhadharma.
We have turned from the great to the small. But even though there are differences of generation, in cultivation we still want to make Bodhisattvas' vows based on the great vehicle. This is not like the Venerable Kumarajiva, whose teacher followed the lesser vehicle. Later, his teacher returned and bowed to his disciple Kumarajiva as his teacher. This was turning from the small to the great. Why was it done? It was to break living beings' attachments.
I've already said that I don't acknowledge them as my disciples, but I don't want to renounce them, so I am going to compromise, by asking them to follow other masters. The deep meaning behind this is to subdue your arrogance and contempt for others. Although they will bow to other masters, they will still stay in the Way-place (monastic community) to establish merit and virtue and eradicate their offenses. Now, however large our merit and virtue is, that's how big our offenses are. And however many offenses we have, that is how great our merit and virtue is. Why is this so? Shicam Buddha said,
Even though we may amass wholesome dharmas, they are basically illusory.
Even though we may create offenses, these, too, are illusions.
The body is nothing more than a heap of foam; the mind is just like a breath of wind.
These illusions have no foundation and no real shape.
If you recognize this, then don't ever commit the fault of being arrogant again. This fault is basically false and illusory, but the true is also illusory. Why don't you seek something true to do? Why must you do what's false, seeking false fame and false profit? In fact, the things we are doing today are also illusory; we are just in the middle of a dream doing the work of Buddhas. Everyone is dreaming. We dream coming and we dream going, but nothing is fixed. There are no fixed dharmas. This is called Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.
In the dream, if we do things right, then we have merit. If we do things wrong, we have offenses."
Chin Er: I have followed the Master for ten years, and my will to cultivate is strongest now. If I want to benefit to the Way-place, I must change my way of thinking... I'm really grateful to the Master for giving me a chance to bow to my Dharma brothers as my masters. This way, cultivating from the lowest position, I cannot contend with them for fame and gain, or be jealous and obstructive. This is the best opportunity for me to cultivate. I really thank the Master for giving me the Dharma-door of the Flower Adornment Sutra. In the future I will rely on the
Flower Adornment Sutra to completely change my conduct and way of thinking.
Chin Sya: I looked down on these three Dharma brothers more than I did the other two Dharma brothers; that's why I drew their names to be my masters. My arrogance is very great. Whatever the Master tells me to do, I will do it. It's okay, it's okay.
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