第一章 序言
第一節 研究動機
從七十八年皈依宣化上人，至今也以六年了，千千萬萬沒想到師父上人這麼快就離開娑婆，難道是眾生福薄？印光大師、弘一大師、虛雲老和尚、廣欽老和等高僧相繼而逝，連虛雲老和尚的親傳嗣法門人宣化也不多留一會？令人不禁悲嘆不已。
認識老和尚的人都道，上人一生都嚴持「日中一食夜不倒單」執行「六大宗旨」。尤其在混亂的末世，上人更是正法的代表，眾生的光明。上人不畏魔的毀謗，到處提倡《楞嚴經》，講正法，破邪顯正。在師父圓寂後，我想將上人一生的言行舉止，做一個綜合歸納。目的是要讓世人都能因此有擇法眼，能分別邪正是非；才不至於讓佛教繼續沒下落去，讓佛教淪為外道邪說。我相信這是所有佛教徒不願意見到的事。
第二節 材料的選擇
本文採用的材料，基本上是以美國法界佛教總會所發璁行的書為研究材料，加上《萬佛城月刊》、高雄的《智慧之源》月刊、上人東亞地區弘法的所有開示錄音帶丑及書、散見於報章雜誌的報導、上人弟子的開示、歷代祖師的法語開示及信徒的感言。
有關上人開示的內容，比較重要特殊的才註上出處及時間其餘皆可在，法界佛教總會出版的書及錄音帶中找到相關資料。
第三節 研究方法及預定目標
本論文的研究方法是以上人生平的所有開示錄及書、錄音帶為準，加上佛經及歷代祖師的開示錄，將佛法上問題做一個客觀的評判，進而探討上人對佛學上的看法及開示。
我們都知道，上人很多開示的內容是針對當時方便度化美國人所說，如持銀錢戒、吃一餐、不殺生墮胎、不燒紙錢、男女教育……等問題。上人千里迢迢將佛法帶到美國去，就是希望建立「如法」的佛教制度，所以上人的開示往往「冷酷無情」，有時甚至令人吃不消，認為老和尚只會一味的批評別人，卻不知他老人家用了多少苦心在教化頑劣的眾生？嚴厲的說詞背後隱藏多少「血淚」？上人曾說：
「我到這兒來啊！是預備教化美國人，我教化的對象是美國人，而不是中國人，中國人只是附帶的。」
「要我上天也不難，教化美國人最難；
要我下地也不難，教化美國人最難；
要公雞下蛋也不難，教化美國人最難。」
由此可知上人要教化美國人的決心，雖然是相當困難的事，但上人終究做到了，他創造了美國有僧相的紀錄，建造了如法的道場及僧伽制度。末學也期望未來的西方國家能保有真正的佛教精神，喚起「佛教興亡，人人有責」的意識，能讓正法永遠在人間延續下去，這也是本文的預期目標。
第四節全文概述
本論文共分為九章，第一章『序言』。第二章『正法篇』計分為五個小節，主要討論正末法、嬰靈、吃素、氣功、紅包、搭衣等問題，以上人的開示為準，加以引經據典證之。目的在破除一些「附佛外道，似是而非」的理論。
第三章『講經篇』介紹上人曾經講過的經，以及我認為上人的「三訣」－《楞嚴咒疏句偈解》、《水鏡回天錄》、《佛祖道影白話解》。
第四章『老莊篇』，把上人「正言若反」的開示方式配合老子的學說，讓人更能了解上人身教及言教的方式，才不致於誤解上人苦心開示的用意，這正是所謂「大慈大悲，近乎殘忍」的精神。
第五章『生死篇』，將生死的根本加以說明，進一步討論男女的問題，這是上人一生不斷強調的事。因為「萬惡淫為首」，所以此篇可能會比較「刺眼」一點。
第六章『般若篇』，乃將上人生平對信眾的問答錄做精彩的介紹，可以令人啟發「自性的智慧」，因為
「見事醒事出世間，
見事迷事墮沉淪」，
「粗言及細語，皆歸第一義」。
第七章『神異篇』，例舉上人三件「神蹟」，也將上人對神通的見解分別述之，澄清外界對神通的誤解。
第八章『圓寂篇』，說明歷代祖師臨終圓寂所示現的不同「因緣」，並提出「神蹟」和「瑞相」並非就代表成就。真正的成就是要看他一生的貢獻及修持來決定，以及他對眾生的關愛。
第九章『結論』，描述上人如何關懷眾生？辦教育？譯經典？如何促使南北傳佛教的融合？以上是本論文的大綱，敬祈指教。
第五節 宣化上人簡傳
宣化上人，名安慈，字度輪，嗣法號宣化，又號「墓中僧」。吉林省雙城縣人，清末戊午(民國七年)農曆三月十六日生(即準提菩薩聖誕)。俗姓白，父富海，母胡氏。幼年時代，上人隨母親茹素念佛，年十一，見生死事大，無常迅速，決志修道。參加「道德會」，為人群服務。上人侍父母至孝，鄉里稱為「白孝子」。十九歲遭母喪，禮請三緣寺常智老和尚為剃度，結茅廬於塚旁，廬墓守孝，日夕參禪習定，曾一坐而未進食者二十餘天。發十八大願，度盡三界六道眾生，方成正覺。神異事蹟廣傳，被稱為奇僧。
一九四六年，因慕虛雲老和尚為宗門泰斗，乃前往參禮。虛雲老和尚觀其為法門龍象，乃傳授法脈，為溈仰宗第九代接法人，為摩訶迦葉初祖傳承的四十六代。虛雲禪師並表信偈曰：
「宣溈妙義振家聲，
化承靈嶽法道隆，
度以四六傳心印，
輪旋無休濟苦倫。」
兩人並拍照留念。
待續 |
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Part One Introduction
Section One Motivation for Research
From l978 when I took refuge with the Venerable Master Hsuan Hua and all through these six subsequent years, it never in the least occurred to me that the Master would leave the Saha so soon. It would be hard to call it anything other than the scanty blessings of we beings. Venerable Masters Yin Guang, Hung Yi, Hsu Yun, Guang Chin and other High Sanghans mutually perpetuated the teachings and then left. Even Elder Master Hsu Yun's Dharma successor, Master Hsuan Hua couldn't stay a little longer? My grief is unrestrained and unending.
Those who knew the Venerable Master are aware that throughout his whole life he strictly upheld "taking only one meal at noon and not lying down at night," and that he put into practice the "Six Great Principles." Especially in the turmoil of the Dharma-ending Age, the Venerable Master was even more a sure sign of the Proper Dharma and a light for living beings. The Master did not fear the slander of demons; everywhere he went he advocated the Shurangama Sutra, proclaiming the Proper Dharma to destroy the deviant and manifest the proper. After the Master's Nirvana, I decided to write a general inductive presentation of what the Master did and did not say and do during his life, the goal being that by means of this presentation people will be able to develop the "Dharma-selecting Eye" and be able to discriminate the difference between what is deviant and what is proper. Only in that way can we prevent Buddhism's continual decline. Only in that way can we keep Buddhism from becoming engulfed in the deviant views of externalists. I believe that all Buddhist disciples don't want to see that happen.
As to the Master's contributions to Buddhism throughout his lifetime, they have already been collected in great detail by his disciples, especially in the recently-published Volumes I and II of his Memorial Issues. In those, the Elder Master's views on education, his translation of sutras and propagation of the Dharma, his rules for governing the Sangha, his regard for the nation and its people, his advocating of morality and ethics and of virtue in the Way, his uniting of the Great Vehicle and the Theravada, his acceptance and inclusion of all religions and so forth have all been thoroughly introduced, and so this student will not repeat those topics in this discussion. The focal points of this research are the Master's instructions on such questions as what constitutes genuine, proper faith in Buddhism? What is Proper Dharma? And evidence of the meaning behind the Master's instructions on the Sutras. That is the motivation for the research done in this thesis.
Section Two Selection of Materials
The material used in this thesis is primarily taken from the books published by the Dharma Realm Buddhist Association of the United States; as well as the Monthly Journal of Buddhist Studies (City of Ten Thousand Buddhas); ji hwei ji ywan (Source of Wisdom) published in Gaohsiung; all the instructions given by the Master found on audio cassettes and in books pertaining to his propagation of the Dharma in Southeast Asia; various news articles from magazines and newspapers; talks given by the Master's disciples; the Dharma discussions of the Buddhist Patriarchs, and responses told by the faithful.
As to the content of the Master's instructions, when it was an especially important or unusual talk, I have recorded the locations and dates. For the others, related material can be found in the books and audio cassettes published by the Dharma Realm Buddhist Association.
Section Three Method of Research and Goal
The method of research used in this thesis is aimed at making an objective critique of certain Buddhist questions by using as the authority the Master's Dharma Talks, spoken throughout his life and found in books and on cassette tapes, as well as instructions found in the Buddhist Sutras and the records of discussions by the Buddhist Patriarchs and further, to explore the Master's view of Buddhism through his instructions regarding it.
We all know that much of the content of the instructions given by the master were expedients spoken at the time to cross over his American disciples, including such questions as holding the precept against possessing or touching money; eating one meal a day; not killing or having abortions; not burning paper money; separating schools for boys and girls and so forth. The Master traveled thousands of miles to bring the Buddhadharma to America, with the hope of establishing rules governing the Sangha that were "in accord with Dharma." For that reason sometimes the Master's instructions were "cold, tyrannical, and totally impolite." Sometimes they were even impossible for people to accept, for they thought the Elder Master was only capable of criticizing others. Why did they never stop to realize how hard the Master was working to try to teach and transform obstinate living beings with inferior faculties? Or how behind his stern words and tough talk was hidden so much "blood and tears." The Master said:
I've come here prepared to teach and transform Americans. My teaching is aimed at Americans, not the Chinese people. The Chinese are incidentally gathered in.
Were you to ask me to go up to the heavens, that wouldn't be hard,but teaching Americans is hard.
Were you to ask me to go down into the hells, that wouldn't be hard,but teaching Americans is hard.
Were you to ask a rooster to lay an egg, that wouldn't be hard,but teaching Americans is hard.
From that we can realize the Master's decisive intention to teach and transform Americans, even though it was going to be an extremely difficult task. However, Master did it. He has a record of creating an American Sangha and of establishing Way-places that accord with Dharma and rules for governing the Sangha.
This student hopes that this genuine spirit of Buddhism will continue to be preserved in the West in the future. It is a call to recognize that "the flourish or decline of Buddhism is the responsibility of each and every one of us" so that the Proper Dharma can continue forever in the human realm. This is the goal of this thesis.
Section Four Summary of the Entire Thesis
There are nine chapters in this thesis. The first chapter "Introduction" and the second chapter "Chapter on Proper Dharma" divide into five sections. The main discussion is of the Proper Dharma and its demise, souls, vegetarianism, qi gung, red packets, wearing the precept sash, and other topics, using the Master's instructions as the authority, along with verifying quotes from the Sutras and other Buddhist texts. The goal is to break through some theories that are "things from other religions mixed in with Buddhism to create something that seems to be Buddhism but really isn't."
The third chapter "Chapter on Explaining the Sutras" introduces the Sutras the Master lectured on, as well as what I consider to be the Master's "three works of art": the line-by-line Explanation of the Shurangama Mantra, Reflections in Water and Mirrors Reversing the Tide of Destiny, and the modern-language Commentaries on the Lives of the Patriarchs.
The fourth chapter "Chapter on Lao Zi and Zhuang Zi" takes the Master's "teachings that carry an opposite meaning" and puts them together with quotes from Lao Zi to enable the reader to understand even better the Master's non-verbal and verbal teachings, to help people not misunderstand the intent of the Master's stern instructions. His is truly the spirit of "Great Kindness and Great Compassion that borders on being harsh."
The fifth chapter "Chapter on Birth and Death" analyses the root of birth and death and brings it a step closer to home by pointing at the question of men and women. This matter is one which the Venerable Master ceaselessly emphasized. That is because "lust is the foremost of all evils." Therefore this chapter will perhaps be a bit harder to take.
The sixth chapter "Chapter on Prajna" introduces the brilliant rapport that occurred when the Master answered questions posed by the faithful. These can enable people to open the "wisdom of their own nature." That's because
When you see things and awaken to them, you can transcend the world.
When you see things and are confused by them, you fall and become embroiled in them.
Coarse words and subtle speech all return to the primary meaning.
The seventh chapter "Chapter on the Spiritually Extraordinary" brings up three of the Master's miracles and also delineates the Master's view of spiritual penetrations and clarifies some misconceptions held by non-Buddhists regarding spiritual penetrations.
The eighth chapter "Chapter on Perfecting the Stillness" describes the various "causes and conditions" that the Buddhist Patriarchs manifested near the ends of their lives and also brings up how miracles and portents are not necessarily related to the level of accomplishment. The genuine accomplishments are to be seen and determined by a person's contributions and cultivation, as well as his concern and regard for living beings.
The ninth chapter "Chapter on the Conclusion" traces the details of how the Master regarded living beings; how he handled education; how he translated Sutras; and how he united the northern and southern traditions. This is the matrix of the entire thesis, which is respectfully offered up for appraisal.
Section Five Brief Biography of Venerable Master Hsuan Hua
Venerable Master Hsuan Hua, whose name was An Tz'u, whose Dharma name was To Lun, and whose ordained name was Hsuan Hua was also called "The Monk in the Grave", the person from Shwang Cheng County in Ji Lin Province, was born at the end of the Ching Dynasty in the year wu wu (the seventh year of the Republic) on the sixteenth day of the third lunar month (this is Jun Ti Bodhisattva's birthday). His layname was Bai, his father, Fu Hai; his mother's maiden name, Hu.
When he was young, the Master followed his mother in eating vegetarian food and reciting the Buddha's name. When he was eleven he witnessed the great matter of birth and death and the swiftness of impermanence, and vowed to cultivate the Way. He joined the "Way-virtue Society" and served humankind. The Master treated his parents with utmost filiality and was known in his village as "Filial Son Bai." When he was nineteen, his mother passed away and he formally requested Elder Master Chang Jr of San Ywan (Three Conditions) Monastery to shave his head. He put together a grass hut beside the grave and observed filial piety there. Day and night he investigated Chan meditation and developed samadhi. Once he sat for more than twenty days without eating. He made eighteen great vows to entirely save all beings in the six paths before he himself attained Proper Enlightenment. His biography abounds with miracles and he is recognized as an eminent monk.
In l946, because he revered Elder Master Hsu Yun as exalted figure in Buddhism, he went to pay his respects. The Elder Master Hsu Yun observed that the Master was an outstanding individual within the Dharma and transmitted the Dharma pulse to him, making the ninth generation to inherit the Dharma of the Wei Yang Sect, and the forty-sixth generation from the First Patriarch Mahakashyapa. Chan Master Hsu Yun also expressed his faith in a verse saying
Proclaiming (Hsuan) Wei's wonderful meaning,
will cause the sect's reputation to be echoed far and wide..
The transformations (Hua) inherited from Ling Peak
will exalt the Dharma Path.
Taking across (To) the forty-sixth
will transmit the mind seal.
The wheel (Lun) which revolves unceasingly
will rescue the suffering hordes.
The two also had their photo taken together as a remembrance.
To be continued
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