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世界上有很多事情是不可思議的，小時候從來沒想過自己會有出家的一天。對出家人，我可說是敬而遠之，私底下也總認為他們是無所事事的寄生蟲呢！
我生長在一個窮苦的家庭，父母兩次的離異，家族不和，啟發了我對真理的追求，播下我日後出家的種子。在一次偶然的機緣下，我接觸到了佛法，繼而參加南傳的禪七，就這樣轉變了我的一生。從此我努力改掉自己的貪瞋癡惡習，並發願出家修行。
我又體悟到，往昔所追求的一切，是那麼地愚昧啊！榮華富貴轉眼空，無常一到，試問誰能為我擔當？為了感謝佛陀的教誨，為了要完成道業，我時時禮佛求懺悔、誦經拜懺，吃齋持午直到日中一食。讀大學時從一位講師那兒曉得「萬佛城」這麼一個正法修行的地方後，內心的喜悅，是無法形容的。但母親愛女心切，要我完成學業再出家。
幾年來隨著身邊人相繼地往生，使我感到人生是何其的短促、苦空無常，正所謂「莫待老來方學道，孤墳盡是少年人。」 現在身為出家人，我希望時時往內心去修行，能嚴持戒律，不辱師教。即使我不能使佛教發揚光大，也願能為佛教盡一點微薄的力量，以報四重恩。
我願生生世世童貞入道，了生死、續佛慧命、弘法利生，效法菩薩「同體大悲」，廣度眾生的精神，常行菩薩道。那怕遇到任何的境界，總抱著一個信念「不輕易捨離無上福田衣」。 |
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Many things that happen in this world are inconceivable. When I was young it never occurred to me that I would one day be a left-home person. I was someone who respected left-home people, but kept my distance. Privately I considered them to be parasites of society who didn't really contribute anything.
I was born into a poor household and my parents separated twice. Disharmony in the family was the impetus for my search for true principle and planted the seeds for my leaving home later. Once, by chance I had an encounter with Buddhism and went to attend a Theravada meditation session. It change my entire life. From then on I worked very hard to change my bad habits involving greed, hatred, and stupidity and also made the resolve to leave home and cultivate.
I also realized how foolhardy and muddled all my previous pursuits had been! Glory, riches, and honor are gone in the blink of an eye and when the time comes to go, who is going to take responsibility for me? Out of gratitude for the Buddhas’ teachings and with the hope of completing my deeds in the Way, I began regularly to worship the Buddhas, seek repentance and reform, recite the Sutras, bow repentances, eat vegetarian food, and went on to the point I could eat only once a day at noon. While studying at the University, I learned from one of my instructors that The City of Ten Thousand Buddhas was a place to cultivate the Proper Dharma. I have no way to express the happiness I felt. But my mother wanted me to finish my education before I left the home-life.
As the years pass, many of my acquaintances have passed on, leaving me with the deep impression of how short human life is. The suffering, emptiness, and impermanence reminds me of the saying "Do not wait until you are old to study the Way; the lonely graves of people who died young are many indeed!" Now I am a left-home person and I hope at all times my mind is attentive to cultivation, that I will be able to strictly uphold the precepts and vinaya, and that I will not disobey my teacher's instructions. Then, even if I am not able to cause Buddhism to spread widely, at least I want to put forth my best effort for Buddhism, so I can repay the four kinds of kindness.
I vow in life after life to enter the Way as a virgin youth, to end birth and death, and to perpetuate the wisdom-life of the Buddhas. I vow to propagate the Dharma for the benefit of beings and learn the spirit of the Bodhisattva's kindness that treats all the same. I vow to always practice the Bodhisattva Way. In the face of any kind of situation I will sustain the faith that "never will I lightly renounce the sash which is the unsurpassed field of blessings." |
