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虔誠信佛的人，比如我母親，據我所知，她是從來不借用別人的東西做人情的，而對於佛，她更是坦誠的，肝膽相照的，我深信那眞正叫做心清如水一塵不染。
小時候，家裡很窮，父親在生產隊幹一天活只能掙四毛錢，但是，母親總能省吃儉用，每年的秋天或者冬天，都要花二十幾塊錢的車費回一趟閩南老家。幹什麼去呢？拜佛公。在旅途中，她寧可一天不吃東西，連五分錢一碗的稀飯湯也捨不得買，寧可蹲在車站的屋檐下瑟索一夜…。她節約每一分錢，也要在佛公面前呈上一份窮人的心願，也要保證買足一年當中逢年過節、初一、十五用的香和紙。小村里十幾戶人家，别人家雖然省了這一項開支，生活卻總也不比我們好。不知不覺間，母親成了村中持家教子的楷模。
高中畢業那年秋天，母親約我和她一道回老家。對於我來說，老家就只是老家，我對它沒有絲毫印象，更談不上感情。但我還是去了，其主要原因是受老母親信佛的感染。她經常講，鳳山寺的聖公原來是一個給人放牛的小孩，很窮，但他勤勞，忠厚，對佛誠心誠意，後來經過仙人指點就成了佛，專門保庇窮苦人，專門保庇那些以誠相待說一不二的人。她還經常講清水岩祖師公，每年八、九月，到廟裡去燒香許願的人一車又一車，路上走都走不過去…。
到了老家，休息半天，甩掉幾百里旅途顛簸的疲倦。下午，母親就籌劃著明天要去鳳山寺，就走到小店裡去買香燭和金銀紙錢，還有鞭炮，再買些糕點水果，檢點停當，核對無誤後，才把它們裝進一個準備好的、不能隨意裝東西的小袋子裡，一絲不苟地把袋口扎緊。像剛辦完一件很重要的事情，她邁著輕鬆愉快的步子回到奶奶家。我注意到，買那些東西時，她只問價，不講價還價，表現出十分莊重嚴肅，分明是在做一樁很神聖、很莊嚴的事情。我還記得中午吃飯時，她特地問奶奶要了一撮自家醃製的蘿蔔乾，上街之前又舀了一盆水洗臉洗手…。
從老家到鳳山寺有二十五公里，母親決定走路去，五點半起程。我問為什麼不搭車，她說：「搭車？那還有誠心嗎？只要你心裡想著佛公，一點兒也不會累。」
第二天凌晨，就著蘿蔔乾吃了兩碗稀飯之後，我們就出發了。走的是山路、小路，高高低低坎坎坷坷的。九月的天氣，正是「秋老虎」出沒的季節，早晨涼涼的有三、四分秋意，而太陽出來後就熱得炙人。母親在前面走，腳步特別精神，她還不時轉過頭來，微笑著那張汗津津的臉，給我加油鼓勵。
十一點多才到鳳山寺，登上一級級的臺階時，兩碗稀飯早就消耗完畢，肚子咕咕地唱起來。母親卻容光煥發，她帶我去洗了手，掏出乾淨的手帕擦一擦，把衣袖捲齊整，然後用微微顫抖的雙手，把我們帶來的、相比之下顯得寒酸的供品，捧到聖公面前寬大的供案上擠一角位置，莊莊重重地點上一對紅燭，燃起一炷香，雙手合抱，虔虔誠誠地雙腿跪下，嘴裡念念有詞。這時，我突然發現五十多歲的母親一點也沒有老的樣子，那張光彩照人的臉是我從未見過的－她至少年輕了二十歲！
吃午飯的時候，我才發覺母親果然不累也不餓。回家盡是上坡路，母親總是腳步輕盈，如有神助，讓我追得氣喘吁吁，直到暮色四合才到家。這天晚上，母親對我說：「明天我們去清水岩，路更遠了，有三十多公里，你要做好準備。」這話沒有商量的餘地，我嘴上應著，心裡想：「走了一整天，難道你一點也不累？」
第二天，在去清水岩的途中，母親看見我老是跟不上，停下來催促了好幾次，都是說：「你心裡要想著祖師公！」當時，我心裡想：「我根本沒有見過祖師公，怎麼想呢？」現在看來，真是無知得可笑，竟不知佛是一種神聖的信仰，見沒見過是沒有絲毫關係的。這一天，印象最深的只有兩點，一是號稱「蓬萊仙境」的清水岩，香客如潮如雲；二是瘦瘦小小的母親馬力充足，一路上總是奔走如飛。
母親在這兩天中超常的發揮，卓越的表現，使我納悶了好長時間，也給我留下了永難磨滅的印象。我的信佛，便是從這裡開始萌芽的。後來，隨著年事的增長和母親的影響，我漸漸地明白了：信仰的力量是無窮的。母親早已把佛完完全全地裝到心裡去了。心中有佛主，徹底地信奉佛的法力是無邊的，隨時隨地都要虔虔誠誠地感到佛就在你的頭頂、你的身邊，然後全心全意（決不允許半推半就、將信將疑）地去做佛所贊同的事情，那麼，你肯定會信心百倍，靈感叢生，左右逢源，也就一定能取得成功。
佛的心腸是慈愛的，佛的肚量是寬容的。信佛的人，決不會把這種慈愛和寬容當做任性的理由，而是把它作為成熟和理智的滋養。信佛是輕鬆而愉快的事情，它不要求你死背牢記多少清規戒律，只要心中供奉著一尊真正至高無上的佛…你就能夠正視自己的貧窮或者富有，就有自尊心，就有自信心，就能拿出一股英勇無畏的氣魄為人處世。
要把佛完完全全地裝到心裡去是不容易的，這需要經受考驗和洗禮。首先是要杜絕撒謊，儘管是欺騙自己，佛也不會饒恕的。不論貴為天子還是賤若乞丐，欲皈依佛主，都得從真誠做起，從生活的實際情形出發，說一不二，事無巨細，以善為德，不懈怠，從一而終，排除種種的染念和煩惱，直把肺腑濯洗得纖塵不染，如水晶般透明的境界，這時，佛就走進你的心中。這樣，你就沒有不成功的事業。
我正在母親的引導下一步一步地修煉。今年七月，很少出門的我下決心出去走幾天。先後到過漳州南山寺、安溪清水岩、南安詩山鳳山寺、泉州開元寺、廈門南普陀，每到一處，都是專程為參拜佛公的，都認認真真地點上一對紅燭，燃起一住香，雙手合十，靜靜地長久地禪悟佛的教誨……。
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My mother, a devoted Buddhist, would never casually give other people's things away, as far as I know. She is even more honest and heart-to-heart with the Buddhas. I really believe she has "a mind as pure as sparkling water."
When I was little, my family was poor. My father earned only forty cents each day. Yet Mother always managed to be thrifty in eating and spending. Every year, in the fall or winter, she would spend twenty-some dollars in bus fare to return to her hometown in Fukien. What for? To bow to the Buddha. During the trip, she preferred to go without food for the day, not even wanting to spend five cents on a bowl of rice porridge, and would spend the night squatting under the eaves of the station... Despite her poverty, she showed her sincerity by saving every penny to buy enough incense and paper money to offer to the Buddhas on the New Year, full moon and half moon celebrations during the year. In our village of over ten families, although the others did not have this kind of expense, their lives were not more comfortable than ours. Mother, imperceptibly, became a model of housekeeping and teaching the children.
In the autumn after I graduated from high school, Mother asked me to return to her hometown with her. To me, the old hometown is just the old hometown. I did not have the slightest impression of it, how much the less any sentiment. But I still went, mainly because I was influenced by Mother's faith in the Buddha. She often talked about the Sage of Feng-shan Monastery, who started out as a very poor boy who tended cows. However, because he was diligent, honest, kind, and sincere to the Buddha, he later became a Buddha under the guidance of an immortal. He now aids and protects those who are poor and those who are honest and trustworthy. She also talked frequently about the Patriarch of Chin-swei Yen (Clear Water Rock), saying that every year in August and September, the road would be crowded with cars taking people to offer incense and pray in the temple.
After reaching our hometown, we rested for half a day to shake off the fatigue of travelling several hundred
li. In the afternoon, in preparation for the pilgrimage to Feng-shan Monastery, Mother walked to a shop to buy incense, candles, paper money of gold and silver, firecrackers, and some cakes and fruits. After making sure all the provisions were in order, she placed them in a small bag prepared especially for the purpose and solemnly fastened it. With the air of having finished an important task, she walked merrily back to Grandma's house. When she was buying things in the shop, I noticed that she asked about their prices, but did not bargain. She appeared totally serious, as if engaged in a spiritual and majestic affair. I also remember that at lunch she asked Grandma for a bit of homemade pickled turnips. And before we went out, she filled a basin with water to wash her face and hands...
It is twenty-five miles from our hometown to Feng-shan Monastery, and Mother decided that we would set out on foot at 5:30. When I asked her why she didn't want to take a bus, she said, "How can you show your sincerity if you take a bus? Just keep thinking about the Lord Buddha, you won't feel the least bit tired."
We set off at dawn the next day, after finishing two bowls of rice porridge with pickled turnips. The roads we took were rough, bumpy mountain paths that went up and down. It was September, a period of scorching heat in the early autumn. The mornings were cool and autumn-like, but when the sun came out it was really scorching. Mother walked in front of me with energetic steps. She often looked back at me with her smiling, sweat-covered face and gave me encouragement.
It was after eleven when we reached Feng-shan Monastery. Climbing up all the stairs, the two bowls of porridge were burned up, and my stomach was starting to growl. However, Mother's face was glowing, and she took me to wash my hands, dried them with a clean handkerchief, and then folded my sleeves neatly. Her hands trembled as she took out the comparatively poor offerings and made room for them on the wide altar before the Sage Lord. Solemnly, she lit a pair of red candles and a stick of incense, and put her palms together. With the utmost sincerity she knelt down, murmuring some words. At that moment, I found that Mother, who was over fifty years of age, did not look at all old. I had never seen her face so radiant, and she looked at least twenty years younger.
At lunch, I realized that Mother was neither tired nor hungry. On our way home, the road was all uphill, yet Mother's steps were so light and effortless that she seemed to be aided by a spirit. I chased after her, short of breath. It was completely dark before we reached home. That night, Mother told me, "Tomorrow we will be going to Pure Water Rock, which is even farther--more than thirty
1i from here. You should be well prepared." Her words left no room for discussion, so I assented and wondered, "How come you are not tired at all after walking for a whole day?"
The next day, on the way to Pure Water Rock, Mother saw that I could not keep up with her, and stopped several times to urge me on, saying, "You have to keep thinking about the Patriarch!" At the time I thought to myself, "I have never even seen him, so how can I think about him?" Looking back now, I can smile at my not knowing that faith in the Buddha is a spiritual thing that has nothing to do with whether or not you have seen him. That day, two things impressed me most. One was the so-called "Fairyland" of Pure Water Rock, which was packed with visitors offering incense. The other was Mother, petite yet powerful, who walked so fast all the way that she seemed to fly.
Mother's extraordinary performance on these two days made me ponder for a long time and left an indelible impression on me. My faith in Buddhism also sprouted from this. Later on, as I grew in maturity and received Mother's influence, I gradually realized that the power of faith is limitless. Long before, Mother had already put the Buddha firmly in her mind. When the Buddha is in your mind, you will deeply believe in the Buddha's boundless power. You will sincerely feel the Buddha is above and beside you all the time, and you will wholeheartedly do the things that the Buddha approves of without hesitation. As a result, it is certain that your faith will increase a hundred-fold, inspirations will occur one after another, everything will go your way, and you will achieve success.
The Buddha is kind, compassionate, and vastly tolerant, but a Buddhist would never take that kindness and tolerance as an excuse to indulge himself. Instead, he would consider it the nourishment for his maturity and wisdom. It is an easy and joyful thing to have faith in the Buddha, for you are not required to memorize regulations or precepts by rote. You need only worship a most lofty and unsurpassed Buddha in your own mind ... you can then come to terms with your own wealth or poverty, respect and believe in yourself, and face the world with fearless courage.
It is not that easy to really keep the Buddha in your mind. You must be tested and purified. First, you must refrain from lying, for even self-deceit will not be forgiven by the Buddha. Anyone who wishes to take refuge in the Buddha, whether he is as noble as an Emperor or as low as a beggar, must start from sincerity and actual practice, by keeping his word, by handling things without discriminating their importance, by cultivating the virtue of goodness, by not being lax, and by doing tasks fully from start to finish. Dispel all defiled thoughts and afflictions, thoroughly clean out your insides so that they are spotless and crystal-clear. At that time, the Buddha will enter your mind and there will be nothing you cannot achieve.
Under Mother's guidance, I am cultivating and being refined step by step. Although I seldom go out, last July I decided to travel for a few days. I visited South Mountain Monastery at Jan-jou, Chin-Swei-Yen (Pure Water Rock) Monastery at An-syi, Feng-shan Monastery on Shr Mountain at Nan-an, Kai-ywan Monastery at Chywan-jou, and South Potola Monastery at Sya-meng. At each of these places, I went especially to bow to the Lord Buddha. With all my sincerity, I would light a pair of red candles and a stick of incense, put my palms together, and quietly reflect on the Buddha's teachings for a long while....
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