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在學佛過程中，我只是個幼稚園學生而已。猶記八六年秋天來美，有天晚上在金輪聖寺晚課後，男女居士圍繞師父宣公上人聆聽開示，並經兒女介紹晉見師父上人。當時師父上人隨即誦念：
「事事都好去，脾氣難化了，
真能不生氣，就得無價寶。
再要不怨人，事事都能好，
煩惱永不生，冤業從哪找？」
當時我太緊張，只隱約記得後面二句。一家五口在返回寓所後，異口同聲地說：「師父是看著你說的。」當時我心裡在想，我真的是如此沒有能耐嗎？
皈依師父以來，曾參加萬佛聖城和金輪聖寺許許多多的法會，也曾聆聽師父上人許許多多開示，很有意願學佛修行，無奈凡塵俗事繞身，拿不起、放不下，以至歲月蹉跎。去年在萬佛聖城，悉聞一位居士請教師父上人：「要如何修行？」答曰：「誠心念佛。」再問曰：「如何誠心？」師父再答曰：「萬緣放下，生死心切。」真是一語道破，以此望七之年，再不勤奮，更待何時。
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In the process of learning Buddhism, I am only a kindergarten student. I recall in the fall of 1986 when I came to the United States, one night after the Evening Recitation at Gold Wheel Sagely Monastery, Venerable Master Hsuan Hua was giving an instructional talk, surrounded by laymen and laywomen. I was introduced to him by my children. At that time, the Master said a verse,
"All things easily come and go,
But a bad temper's truly hard to change.
If you can really never get angry,
Then you've found a precious jewel.
When you stop putting the blame on others,
Then everything goes your way.
If you never let your mind get afflicted,
Then the karma born of hatred won't return to trouble you."
I was too excited and could catch only the last two lines roughly. After the five members of our family returned home, they said in unison, "The Master was looking at you when he said that verse." Hearing this, I pondered whether I was really that incapable? I did not even know the word "stupidity" yet.
Since taking refuge with the Venerable Master Hsuan Hua, I have attended numerous Dharma assemblies at the Sagely City of Ten Thousand Buddhas and Gold Wheel Sagely Monastery, frequently listening to the Master's instructional talks. Although I have the intention to cultivate the Tao, worldly things have surrounded me. I could neither pick them up nor put them down and thus time has passed wastefully. Last year at the Sagely City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, I heard a layman ask the Master, "How should we cultivate?" The reply was, "Recite the Buddha's name sincerely." He asked further, "How can we be sincere?" The Master responded, "Put down the myriad conditions and sincerely resolve to end birth and death." This comment hits the nail on the head. At almost seventy years old, if I do not cultivate diligently now, how much longer do I have?
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