|
恆然師，台灣人，祖父為前清秀才，因中日戰爭，自小失學。出家後才學會看書認字，現在上人的開示錄全看得懂。
出家前公公膝蓋腫大，痛苦異常，醫藥罔效。恆然師夜深時在院中跪地唸觀音菩薩聖號四十分鐘，三個月後不藥而癒，感動公公信佛持齋。一九八一年上人赴臺，公公隨她一起皈依上人；上人走後她又幫忙組織臺北法界印經會流通上人的開示及經典淺釋。
皈依後的公公專修淨土法門，往生前兩日直念：「我要回家了！阿彌陀佛叫我回家，念佛很好。」餐飲業友人來探望時，暗中塞一個紅包在他枕下。他立即改口大喊：「不好了！不好了！會咬人！」待恆然師把紅包拿走，喊叫才停止。
恆然師於一九八六年到聖城，上人即將廚房交她負責，並教她以做菜滿眾生願。四個月後她告訴上人學問不夠不敢出家，上人說：「沒關係，我設一個掃地大學給妳們唸。」
出家後家中曾不安寧，上人說要去看看，說畢家中即平靜下來。小兒子曾從八樓摔下，全身多處破裂，奄奄一息，醫院拒收；經上人加持，不但傷癒亦無殘廢。恆然師對上人充滿感激。
上人對她說：「只要拿出真心誠心，在廚房工作和在大殿是一樣的。」更以六祖不識字專行苦行來應機說法，叫她修念佛法門。恆然師默默地念佛，希望大眾吃得歡喜，發大菩提心。正是：
恆以妙味滿眾願，真誠忍辱心泰然；
日用苦行皆上法，師誨念佛即金蓮。 |
|
Heng Ran Shi is from Taiwan. Her father-in-law had been a scholar during the Qing dynasty, yet she didn’t finish elementary school because of the Sino-Japanese War. She learned to read after becoming a nun; now she is able to read the Venerable Master’s instructional talks.
Once, before she became a nun, her father-in-law suffered from extremely painful swollen knees, on which the medicines had no effect. In the still of the night, Heng Ran Shi knelt in the courtyard and recited Guanshiyin Bodhi-sattva’s name for 40 minutes. Her father-in-law recovered without medicine three months later, and was moved to become a Buddhist and a vegetarian. When the Master went to Taiwan in 1981, her father-in-law followed Heng Ran Shi in taking refuge. After the Master left, she helped organize the Dharma Realm Buddhist Books Distribution Association in Taipei, which circulates books about the Master’s lectures and explanations of Sutras.
After taking refuge, her father-in-law concentrated on cultivating the Pure Land Dharma door. Two days before he died, he kept saying, “I’m going home! Amitabha Buddha is calling me home. Reciting the Buddha’s name is great!” When a colleague in the restaurant business visited him and slipped some money under his pillow, he started yelling, “Oh, no! It’s going to bite!” He didn’t stop yelling until Heng Ran Shi took the money away.
Heng Ran Shi arrived at the City in 1986.The Master made her the kitchen manager and taught her how to cook . When she told the Master four months later that she didn’t have enough education to leave the home-life,the Master said, “No problem; I’ll start a University of Sweeping Floors for you to attend.” Her house was haunted once. The Master said he would go take a look, and the situation returned to normal. When her young son fell from the eighth floor, he was so severely injured that no hospital would admit him. Through the Master’s blessing, he recovered completely. Heng Ran Shi is deeply indebted to the Master for his help.
The Master told her, “If you are sincere, working in the kitchen is the same as being in the Buddha Hall.” He added that the Sixth Patriarch had been illiterate and had done menial chores, and he instructed her to cultivate mindfulness of the Buddha. Heng Ran Shi silently recites the Buddha’s name, hoping that everyone will bring forth a great Bodhi resolve.
Constantly using wondrous flavors to fulfill living beings’ wishes,
With true sincerity and patience under insult, her heart is at peace.
Her daily routine of bitter toil is just the supreme Dharma.
Her teacher taught that mindfulness of the Buddha leads to the golden lotus. |
