一九八二年,恆滋法師第一次來到萬佛聖城,覺得這裡實是一處環境清幽的。世外桃源。師父上人與城中僧眾的修行——日中一食、夜不倒單、每天的講經背經,都在她的心中留下深刻印象。也嚐到了不放油鹽、不棄菜根的大鍋菜,這對於有心修行的恆滋法師來說,好比長養菩提幼苗的滋養品一般。她不禁對友人說:「若有一天我能來此出家修行,我會從掃地做起。我一面掃地,一面念阿彌陀佛,不是更好?」
一九九零年,恆滋法師再度來到聖城,四十多年的道友恆謹法師勸勉她:「責任既了,該放下一切,出家專心修行吧!」但恆滋法師自覺年邁,因此不敢抱太多希望。九二年六月恆滋法師深感在家修行不易,可是又以自己的年齡和體力,恐怕無法隨眾用功修行。但是抱著求生西方的信念,決定出家,蒙上人慈悲攝受,滿了出家願。
出家後的恆滋法師,雖然已六十八之齡,但她不願住進聖城中設備較好的老人院,仍是天天不畏風雨寒冷,隨眾上殿修行。她也參加了聖城九二年冬天的精進佛七,雖然其中有種種嚴格的規定,但念佛四十年的她,卻覺得一切都非常順適愉快。因為她自知年紀已大,只希望把握住每一個修行的機會。
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When Dharma Master Heng Dz visited the Sagely City of Ten Thousand Buddhas for the first time in 1982, she discovered an Arcadia, secluded from the world. She was deeply impressed by the practices of the Venerable Master and the Sangha at the City -- eating one meal a day, not lying down at night, lecturing and memorizing the Sutras everyday. To the aspiring cultivator Heng Dz, the daily fare of boiled, unseasoned vegetables was just the right nourishment for her tender Bodhi shoots. She remarked to a friend, "One day, if I leave the home-life and cultivate here, I would start by sweeping the grounds, and recite Amitabha Buddha's name as I sweep. Wouldn't that be great?"
When Heng Dz returned to the Sagely City in 1990, Dharma Master Heng Jin, her fellow cultivator of forty years, exhorted her, "Since you've fulfilled your obligations, you might as well put everything down, leave home, and cultivate full-time!" But Dharma Master Heng Dz felt she was getting old, and didn't cherish too many hopes. In June of 1992, Dharma Master Heng Dz was experiencing the difficulty of cultivating as a layperson. However, she felt that leaving home means follow the Buddha's precepts to save living beings. With her age and health, she feared she wouldn't be able to keep up with the assembly in cultivation. But through her faith to be reborn in the West, she still decided to leave home, and was compassionately accepted by the Venerable Master.
After leaving home, despite her years, Dharma Master Heng Dz did not move into the comfortable Home for the Elderly at the City. Instead, she braves the wind, rain and cold, cultivating along with the assembly. She also joined the Vigorous Recitation Session in the winter of 1992. Having recited the Buddha's name for forty years, she was undaunted by the strict rules of the Session, and felt very carefree. Conscious of her advanced years, she only hopes to make good use of every opportunity she has to cultivate.
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