所以我們現在念南無阿彌陀佛，再沒有比這重要的事了。你看昨天晚間下雨，現在就晴天了。等一等我們大家一齊發願，不准它下雨，要停止下雨，因為這幾天我們要在這裡用功修行，我是沒有這個力量，你們大家要是都發願，不准下雨。昨天我叫果童——因為他很懶惰，一個人不work（工作），現在大家都指定這個工作，我們唸佛就不要下雨；最低限度，感應不下雨了，我們在這兒用功修行。這幾天晚間黑，路途那麼泥濘，你們男界不知道，女界很辛苦的，過那個河，也不知道是渡誰，也不知道是誰渡。但是我告訴你們，迷時師度，悟時自度；覺悟了，就自己度自己，自己給自己開手電筒。
就在這個時候，果航打了一個妄想。他想跑到山上去住。對不對？果航。
果航：是的。
上人：要是閉著眼睛，就是有手電筒也沒用，還是會跌倒。記得大家要發願不准下雨，要是不下雨就證明你們大家有誠心；要是下雨，就是證明你們大家都沒有誠心，與我一點關係都沒有。不關我事，下雨不下雨是你們的事。
金山寺來的人，有很多都睡得入睡覺三昧，因為他們坐著睡慣了，所以坐著就可以睡，他們這些新來的人都是不行的，辦不到。
1975年8月18日星期一晚
弟子：這個故事是我在金山寺時，每一個人都在時講的，但是現在這裡有許多新人，我想再講一遍。有一位八十歲的老太太，在香港到山上的廟裡，走上去要走八百步。上次我講的時候，細節弄錯了，上人糾正我，所以我現在知道究竟是怎麼回事了。
這位老太太的耳朵是聾的，但是她每天上山去廟裡聽上人講經說法，聽不見她也一定要去。過了一個時期，在唱誦時，她忽然聽得見了。這全因為以前有一天晚上，她做了一個夢，夢中有三個胖胖的小孩，進入她的肚子。從那以後她每個鐘頭都要吃東西；在聽經聽一半時也得出去煮點吃的，吃完再回來聽經。這樣過了一個禮拜，她決定要告訴上人了。
那時上人每天一早起身，帶著材料到一個島上造廟，晚上再回來講經。當上人拾級而上時，她等著上人，告訴她這個夢。上人告訴她半夜時點一支香，她回去半夜點了香，看見韋馱菩薩來了，還帶了一碗麵。這三個小孩來吃麵時，韋馱菩薩抓著他們的耳朵，就把他們抓出去了。上人說韋馱菩薩把他們送去坐監了。從那以後她的病就好了。
她得這個病的原因，是因為過去生中她的一個朋友得了這個病。她不相信，說她朋友捏造出來的，所以她今生受這個果報。她得這病時也有許多人說她裝出來的，那些人以後也會有這種果報。
上人：你現在講，你們有誰要說話，我現在給你們一點機會說話。
問：我們唸經誦咒的時候，還沒有完全告訴他們在什麼地方，唸什麼。他們新來不知道，所以金山寺的人，最好派人告訴他們唸哪個地方，他們才可以跟著唸。
上人：那好的。你們大家應該教大家什麼地方，現在開始。這個不像金山寺；在金山寺，一兩個人來，我們就可以叫大家知道。
上人：你們今天一早什麼時候開始？
弟子：七點鐘……。
上人：有沒有做早課？
弟子：做了……。
待續 |
|
We now recite "Namo Amitabha Buddha" and there is nothing more important than this work. Don't you see? Last night it was raining and today the sky is clear. In a moment you are all going to make a vow to stop the rain. The rain has got to stop because we are working hard here at our cultivation. I myself don't have the strength, but if you collectively say, "IT IS NOT ALLOWED TO RAIN!..." Yesterday I admonished Guo Tong because he was being lazy and not working hard. Now we should all do this work together. For these few days while we are cultivating here, the least response we can expect is a clear sky. Otherwise it will be pitch dark at night, and the paths are very muddy. The men don't know this, but the women are really roughing it over there. They have to cross the river, and it is never certain whether they are going to cross the water or whether the water is going to cross them. But I'll tell you:
When you're confused, the teacher takes you across.
When you're enlightened, you take yourself across.
When you become enlightened, you take yourself across; you carry your own flashlight.
At just this moment Guo Hang has struck up a false thought. He wants to run into the mountains to live. Isn't that right, Guo Hang?
Guo Hang: Yes...
Ven. Master: But you have to open your eyes. If you keep your eyes shut, even if you have a flashlight, it will be useless. You'll fall down anyway. Remember, you've all made a vow that it is not allowed to rain. If it doesn't rain, that proves you are all sincere. If it does rain, that will prove that you are not sincere. It has nothing whatever to do with me. It's none of my business. The rain is your business.
Most of the people from Gold Mountain Monastery have entered the sleep samdhi, because they're used to sleeping sitting up, so they can sleep while they sit. The newcomers aren't able to do this.
August 18, 1975, Monday evening
Disciple: This is a story I've already told everyone at Gold Mountain Monastery, but there are so many new people that I'd like to tell it again.
There was an eighty-year old lady. When Shi Fu was in Hong Kong, he had a temple built on top of a mountain and you had to walk up eight hundred steps to get there. I wasn't clear about the details last time and Shi Fu had to tell me, so I know them now.
This eighty-year-old lady was deaf, yet every day she would go to Shi Fu's Dharma lecture. She insisted on going even though she couldn't hear. After a while, one day when everyone was chanting, all of a sudden she could hear them. On the night before this, she had had a dream in which three fat children ran into her stomach, and from then on, she had to eat every hour. She had to go down in the middle of the Sutra lectures and cook something for herself and go back to the lecture. This went on for about a week and then she decided to tell Shi Fu.
Shi Fu would get up very early in the morning and take supplies to an island where he was building a temple, and he would return in the evening for the Sutra lecture. The elderly lady got ready to meet him as he was coming up the steps. She told him her dream. Shi Fu told her to light a stick of incense at midnight. She went back and lit incense at midnight, and then she saw Weitou Bodhisattva take the children by the ear and drag them away. Shi Fu later told her the Bodhisattva was taking them to jail. Afterwards she was cured of her hunger ailment.
The reason she had it in the first place was because in her past life her friend had had that ailment and she had not believed it. She had accused her friend of making it up. That was why she had received this retribution in this life. When she herself had the ailment, a lot of people said she was faking it. Those people will receive a similar retribution in the future.
Ven. Master: If anyone wants to say anything, I'll give you an opportunity to speak right now.
Question: We haven't told people on what page in the Recitation Handbook the Sutras and mantras we'll be reciting are. The newcomers won't know, so people from Gold Mountain should tell them where we are in the book so they can follow along in the recitation.
Ven. Master: Good. You should tell everyone where we are starting. It's not like at Gold Mountain where we only have a couple of new people. Here we should announce it to everyone.
Ven. Master: What time did you start this morning?
Disciple: 7 o'clock.
Ven. Master: Did you do Morning Recitation?
Disciple: Yes.
To be continued |
