我要告訴你們準備後事，大家要有心裡準備，我是會隨時走的，什麼事情都沒有一定的。
人都有生老病死，佛到時候也入涅槃。這一回，一病五年，三年以前我照常講經說法，你們不知我抱著病來弘揚佛法。我現在的病，覺得一天重過一天了，什麼時候好，什麼時候不好，都不知道，所以把我的後事告訴大家。
我如果走了，某某居士供養我一套黃色棉襖、棉褲，我穿這套衣服，外面一件長衫，好像我平常一樣，再加上一件黃色祖衣，或者紅色也可以，其實黃色的也是祖衣。
我走後，你們可以誦《華嚴經》、念佛，或者一個七，或者七個七，你們要多少天就多少天。火化之後，把我的骨灰灑到虛空去；旁的事情我也不要，記得不要給我造什麼塔、什麼紀念館。我來的時候，什麼也沒有，走的時候，還是什麼也不要，在世上，我不要留什麼痕跡！我從虛空而來，回到虛空去。
我剩下也沒有什麼東西，只有幾條念珠，你們抽籤看看誰要哪條，誰抽到什麼，就算什麼，只是這樣準備。
我不告訴你們，你們到時手忙腳亂，也不知怎樣子。我現在把後事說了，到時候你們就不會各有各的意見。
我不能一輩子都跟著你們，誰都有來也有去的時候，不要悲哀，要和平時一樣，要發心用功。我們萬佛城是有特色的，要保持我們的食一餐，年輕人吃一餐，年老也可以吃三餐。年輕人少吃一點好，重要是要修行。
你們每一個人都要好好令佛教發揚光大，一舉一動、一言一行，都要為佛教著想。不要爭、不要貪、不要求、不自私、不自利、不打妄語，這將來一定成佛的。每一個人都要負起弘揚佛法的責任。你們能令佛教發揚光大，那我在什麼地方都安心了。
好好給我訓練人才，好好教導他們。你們組織起來，把學校也要辦好。小學要辦好，中學要辦好，大學更要辦好！教育人材是要緊的，不要盡顧自己。
我這一生不願和人爭，不爭、不貪、不求、不自私、不自利、不打妄語，所以我走路也在所有人後面走路。意思是不與任何人爭名奪利，有好處，旁人要的，我不要；旁人不要的，我撿起來。佛對誰都是慈悲喜捨，沒有捨棄哪一個眾生。我雖然不是佛，但願意學佛。
我現在就好像兩個人，一個人現在仍然到處救度眾生，我這一個人，我是不會管他的，我不會幫助自己的。 |
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I want to tell you what to do after I’m gone. All of you should prepare yourselves psychologically. I may depart at any time. Nothing is fixed.
All people have birth, old age, sickness, and death. Even the Buddha entered Nirvana when the time came. This time I have been ill for five years. Three years ago, I continued lecturing on Sutras and speaking the Dharma as usual. You all didn’t know that I was ill as I propagated the Buddhadharma. Now I feel that my illness is getting worse day by day. I don’t know when I will get better and when I will get worse, so I will tell everyone about what to do after I’ve gone.
If I go, a certain layperson made an offering to me of a yellow padded jacket and yellow pants. I can wear this set of clothes with a long robe outside, as I usually do. Then I can wear a yellow host sash or the red host sash. Actually, the yellow sash is also a host sash.
After I depart, you can recite the Avatamsaka Sutra and the name of the Buddha for however many days you would like, perhaps seven days or forty-nine days. After the cremation, scatter my ashes in the air. I do not want you to do anything else at all for me. Do not build any pagodas or memorials. I came into the world without anything; when I depart, I still do not want anything, and I do not want to leave any traces in the world. I came from empty space, and I will also return to empty space.
I won’t be leaving much of anything behind, just a few strands of recitation beads. You can draw lots to see who gets what. Whatever you draw is yours. That’s just in case.
If I don’t tell you now, then when the time comes, you’ll panic and not know what to do. Now I’m telling you what to do after I depart, so when the time comes, you won’t all have your own opinions.
I can’t be together with you all your lives. Every person has a time for coming and a time for going. Don’t be sad. Act the same way that you do in ordinary times. Resolve to apply effort diligently. The City of Ten Thousand Buddhas has its unique features. The rule of eating one meal a day should be kept. Young people should eat one meal a day. It’s alright for elderly people to eat three meals. It’s better for young people to eat less. The important thing is to cultivate.
Every one of you should work hard to make Buddhism flourish. In every move you make and every word you say, you should be thinking on behalf of Buddhism. Do not fight, do not be greedy, do not seek, do not be selfish, do not pursue personal advantage, and do not lie. Then you will certainly become a Buddha in the future. Every person has to shoulder the responsibility of propagating the Buddhadharma. If you can cause Buddhism to prosper and flourish, then I’ll be able to set my heart at ease no matter where I am.
Do a good job of training people and teaching the students. You should get organized and run the schools well. The elementary school should be managed well, the secondary school should be managed well, and the university be managed well even more! Educating and training people is very important. You shouldn’t care exclusively about yourself.
In my life I have never wished to contend with anyone, or to be greedy, or to seek, or to be selfish, or to pursue personal advantage, or to lie. So when I walk, I always walk behind everyone else. My intent is not to contend with anyone for fame or benefit. If there is any advantage that other people want, I don’t want it. What others don’t want, I pick up. The Buddha treated everyone with kindness, compassion, joy, and giving. He didn’t exclude or give up on anyone. Even though I’m not the Buddha, I want to learn to be like the Buddha.
Right now I’m like two people. One is still saving living beings everywhere. As for this person who is me, I don’t care about him. I will not help myself. |
