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舊金山灣區第一大報：英文《舊金山紀事報》在一月十日的社論中，對新近連任就職的加州州長威爾遜先生提出懇切呼籲──傾聽美籍比丘恆實法師代表其師父宣公上人，在州長就職慶禮中的致詞：祝禱大家「修諸善業」，並祈願領導者能受「孝敬」思想的薰陶。因為孝敬是德行的根基，更是智慧的源頭。
全美有史以來，第一次在州長就職慶典中，邀請佛教僧人開場致詞，這可說加州州長威爾遜先生的創舉，也是佛教在美國紮根的象徵。
「南無薩怛他。蘇伽多耶。阿囉訶帝。三藐三菩陀寫。」三遍念誦聲中，恆實法師代表其師父宣公上人，為州長威爾遜先生就職慶典的宗教聯合祈禱早餐會隆重而莊嚴地開場。當天（一月八日星期日）上午十點，在加州沙加緬度來自各宗教的領袖、代表，總數達一千餘人，參加了這場早餐祈禱會，宣公上人座下有十二位出家眾及多位在家居士也應邀參加。 恆實法師致詞時，不但強調「孝敬」的重要，更以中英雙語為全場人士念誦《華嚴經普賢行願品》中的一小段經文：「願令眾生，常得安樂，無諸病苦。欲行惡法，皆悉不成。所修善業，皆速成就。若諸眾生，因其積集諸惡業故，所感一切極重苦果，我皆代受。」
灣區兩大英文報，《舊金山紀事報》的社論，以及《舊金山觀察報》的新聞報導，都引用了恆實法師所強調的「孝敬」與「修諸善業」。事實上，「孝敬」正是宣公上人多年來所提倡的基本德行。宣公上人在去年十二月指出，這個世界要靠中國文化來挽救，唯有努力推行「孝悌忠信禮義廉恥」等中國傳統德目，才能挽救日益墮落的世風人心。宣公上人更強調，將來世界各國，都要學習中國文化。
也因此，宣公上人在美國率先提倡舉辦「敬老節」，不但要孝敬自己的父母，也要「老吾老以及人之老」，敬重關懷普天下的老人。宣公上人在美國舊金山、西沙加緬度、達摩鎮、洛杉磯、長堤，以及加拿大溫哥華與臺灣等地多座道場，在每年秋末冬初之際，同日舉辦「敬老節」，還要念誦《父母恩重難報經》；並在每年春來夏初之際，舉辦「懷少節」。冀望藉著長期的耕耘，喚起大眾共同來敬老懷幼，減少社會暴戾的風氣，否則像現在這樣，人人逐漸忘卻做人的根本，將道德拋在腦後，無怪乎人心充滿慾念與暴力，天災人禍也跟著層出不窮，而日災難的規模和範圍都日益擴大，這正是宣公上人所痛心疾首的：「將來人類要同歸於盡了，不是戰爭使人同歸於盡，而是人類把道德忘了。」
宣公上人自一九六二年來美弘揚佛法，不但成立國際譯經學院，致力翻譯經典；更重視教育，在北加達摩鎮萬佛聖城內，創設育良小學、培德中學，培育品德端正、學識優秀的青年學子。並有法界佛教大學與僧伽居士訓練班，培養弘法人才。宣公上人苦心孤詣栽培幼苗，為的是造就一批棟樑之材，「真正將眾生從苦海中拉回來。」
此外，宣公上人也極重視與各宗教溝通、合作，萬佛聖城的萬佛殿，曾多次提供給天主教徒望彌撒之用。也曾邀請基督教牧師、天主教神父，到萬佛聖城、國際譯經學院與各宗教的信眾座談。
這次州長威爾遜先生就職慶典的早餐祈禱會，邀請各宗教領袖與代表聯合祈禱，是宗教界攜手合作，共同力挽世風的一個好的開始。
宣公上人也自去年起，即籌備一項「世界宗教會議」，將邀請全球宗教領袖，研商人類前途大計，共同為消弭人類浩劫而努力。時間定為一九九六年。有興趣參加這項會議的人士，可聯絡法界宗教研究院。電話：（510）848-3440.
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The largest newspaper in the San Francisco Bay area, the San Francisco Chronicle, in its editorial on January 10, 1995, sincerely called for the newly re-elected California Governor Pete Wilson to listen to what American Dharma Master Heng Sure, representing Venerable Master Hsuan Hua, said during an ecumenical gathering that was arranged as a part of the inaugural celebrations. Dharma Master Heng Sure pleaded everyone to "cultivate all good karma" and prayed that our leaders would be steeped in the virtue of filial respect, which is the fundamental virtue and the source of all wisdom.
For the first time in American history a Buddhist monk was invited to give an opening speech at a celebration in connection with a state governor's inauguration. This was an unprecedented act by the Governor of California, Pete Wilson. The occasion also symbolizes the fact that. Buddhism is now taking root in the United States.
"NAMO TASSA BHAGAVATO ARAHATO SAMMA SAMBUDDHASSA." Intoning this praise to the Buddha in Pali language three times Dharma Master Heng Sure, who appeared on behalf of the Venerable Master, opened the ecumenical prayer breakfast hosted by Governor Wilson. About a thousand people, including leaders and representatives of various religions, attended the celebration that took place at the Hyatt Regency in Sacramento on Sunday, January 8, 1995. Twelve of the Venerable Master's lefthome disciples as well as several lay disciples were also present. In his opening statement Dharma Master Sure emphasized the importance of filial respect. Then he read a passage from the Avatamsaka Sutra, a section from the chapter on Universal Worthy's Conduct and Vows, in both Chinese and English. "I vow that all living beings will attain peace and happiness and be free of all suffering of illness; the evil dharma they want to practice will not be successful while all the wholesome karma they want to cultivate will soon be achieved; and if living beings, due to the evil karma accumulated in past lives, are suffering severely bitter retribution, I shall bear the sufferings for them."
Two largest newspapers of the Bay Area, San Francisco Chronicle and San Francisco Examiner, both quoted Dharma Master Heng Sure's emphasis of "filial respect" and "cultivation of all good karma” in their editorials and news sections. Filial respect is a fundamental virtue that Venerable Master Hua has advocated for years. In December last year the Master mentioned that in order to save the world, we need to rely on the values inherent in traditional Chinese culture. The deteriorating trend in the world and in peoples' minds can only be countered by promoting the traditional Chinese virtues of filiality, fraternity, loyalty, trustworthiness, propriety, righteousness, incorruptibility, a sense of shame, and so on. The Master also predicted that in the future all nations of the world will learn from Chinese culture.
This is why the Master has initiated an annual celebration of Respecting the Elderly. He encourages people to respect their own parents and then "extend the same care and respect to others' parents," so that all the elderly people in the world will be universally respected and cared for. The Master's various branch monasteries located in California—in San Francisco, West Sacramento, Talmage, Los Angeles, and Long Beach—as well as in Vancouver, Canada, and Taiwan, has been holding this celebration at the same time in late fall or early winter. During this occasion The Buddha Speaks the Sutra About the Deep Kindness of Parents and the Difficulty in Repaying It is recited. In late spring or early summer these branch monasteries also simultaneously hold a celebration of Cherishing the Youth. The Venerable Master hopes that due to these efforts people will gradually start to respect the elderly and cherish the youth, thus reducing the incidence of violence in society. At present, since people have forgotten the fundamentals of being a person and neglected morality, their minds are filled with sex and violence, and natural disasters and accidents occur with increasing frequency. The scale and scope of these calamities also increases continually. The Venerable Master is extremely pained by this situation. He has said, "In the future the human race will be destroyed, not as a result of wars, but because people have forgotten morality."
Since 1962, when the Master came to the United States to propagate the Buddhadharma, he has founded several organizations, such as the International Translation Institute that is devoted to the translation of the Buddhist Sutras. He also took education seriously and established at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas in Talmage, California, Instilling Goodness Elementary School and Developing Virtue Secondary School to encourage young students to develop a good and upright character. To train students' talents in propagating the Dharma, he founded Dharma Realm Buddhist University and the Sangha and Laity Training Program. The Master works hard to nurture the young shoots, so that they can become the building material of strong and lasting pillars. This is to "truly pull living beings out of the sea of suffering."
The Venerable Master also promotes communication and cooperation between different world religions. On several occasions, the Hall of Ten Thousand Buddhas in the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas has been used to arrange Catholic Mass. Protestant pastors and Catholic fathers have also been invited to the City and to the International Translation Institute to talk to people of all faiths.
Governor Pete Wilson's ecumenical prayer breakfast invited leaders and representatives of all religions to pray together. This is a good start for world religions to work together hand in hand, turning the trend of the world around.
Last year the Master started the preparations for a conference of world religions. Religious leaders of the world will be invited to participate in a discussion concerning the future of humanity, and join together in an effort to eradicate major human disasters. This conference is scheduled to take place in 1996. Anyone interested in participating in this conference can call the Institute of World Religions at (510) 848-3440.
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