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十月十一日是聖城的敬老節，一大早，萬佛城培德中學與育良小學的師生就忙了起來；賓客也從四面八方匯聚到聖城，興緻盎然。有來自本地的瑜伽市，還有的來自舊金山、聖荷西等更遠的地區。雖然來的地區可能不同，可是促成隨喜這「敬老尊賢」活動的心願卻是一致的。
「敬老尊賢」是中華民族的美德。依傳統的教育理念，孩童從小應「學孝」，以後再將所學的這份敬誠之心奉獻給國家，將慈母嚴父那裡所感受到的仁愛之心奉獻給天下蒼生。「敬老尊賢」正是古聖先賢所嚮往的「選賢與能，講信修睦」，「老吾老，以及人之老；幼吾幼，以及人之幼」的大同世界的理想。不幸的是，近代社會動盪，科學昌明，逐漸使許多人醉心於感官的享受，不但不知敬老尊賢，甚至於連自己的根本——父母，也不知道孝順。這種本末倒置的追求，不能給人帶來長久的快樂。古人說：「夫天者，人之始也；父母者，人之本也；人窮則反本，故勞苦倦極，未嘗不呼天也；疾痛慘怛，未嘗不呼父母也。」如果我們平時不留意安身立命的根本所在，只等陷人逆境苦厄時，才憶及父母的關愛，才想到報恩，恐怕早已自顧不暇。到頭來，留在心中的只是無窮的慚愧和悔恨罷了。
當前世上，人心不古，物欲橫流，人類不但不能相互仁愛，反而相互爭鬥不已。更有的人以假仁假義招搖撞騙於世，致使在許多國家和地區大眾普遍對道德的價值產生了懷疑。問題的癥結在哪兒呢？依佛法來考察一下，答案並不難找。經上說「以欲為本故，母共子諍，子共母諍，父子、兄弟、親族展轉共諍。……以欲為本故，王王共諍，民民共諍，國國共諍。」——《中阿含---苦陰經》。由此可見，依佛教的道理修行，降服乃至息滅貪嗔癡，才是拯救社會的根本辦法。千裏之行，始於足下，出世法不能沒有世間法做基礎。「孝道」﹑「敬老尊賢」，正是對治當前社會弊病的良藥。如果我們能夠克誠奉行，在逆境中、在內心煩惱現起的時也不動搖初衷，我們的行為就是「克己復禮」的君子行為；如果在此關頭，我們不僅能降服住煩惱，還能迴光返照，依智慧之力看清楚執著的所在，破除煩惱，那我們就成就了一分出世的功德。這也就是「本立而道生」的道理所在。
上人設置敬老節，就是為了讓我們藉由對老人感恩；感激他們為社會所做出的貢獻，對我們的恩澤，以提醒世人勿忘自己的根本。
今年敬老節的慶祝活動從上午九時在道源堂開始。培德中學與育良小學男女校的學生，為老人家們表演了精心準備的節目，將自己的感恩心表現在歌聲中，話劇裡，與一張張的祝福卡片中。節目雖不盡善盡美，可其中蘊含的這片敬誠之心，卻會長久地留在與會者的心中，乃至成為將來無量世間與出世間功德的因緣。
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October 11 was Honoring Elders Day at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas. In the early morning, a busy day started for teachers and students of Instilling Goodness Elementary and Developing Virtue Secondary Schools. Guests gathered at the City, filled with anticipation. Some came from Ukiah, others from more distant places, such as.San Francisco and San Jose. No matter where they came from, they all shared the wish to support and joyfully take part in activities for “honoring elders and respecting the worthy.”
“Honoring elders and respecting the worthy” is a hallmark of Chinese culture. In traditional Chinese education, children are taught filial piety at home at a young age. Having learned to be respectful and sincere, they grow up and devote themselves to their country. With what they have learned from firm fathers and kind mothers, they can educate and inspire people all over the nation. “Honoring elders and respecting the worthy” is a quality of the ideal society envisioned by many ancient Chinese sages. In the ideal society, “Worthy and capable people are selected to serve the country; trustworthiness and harmony are valued.” “People not only respect their own parents and love their own children, but do the same with the parents and children of others as well.”
Unfortunately, in modern times dramatic social changes and the development of scientific technology have led many people to indulge in sensory pleasures. They totally ignore the matter of “honoring elders and respecting the worthy.” They even forget that they should be filial to their own roots— their parents. This upside-down situation can never bring any lasting happiness to them. An ancient saying goes, “Heaven is our origin; our parents are our roots. In times of hardship and extreme suffering, people always pray to Heaven; in times of sickness and pain, people always cry for their parents.” If we ignore our spiritual life and only think of repaying our parents' kindness after we find ourselves in extreme difficulty, by then we may be too caught up in our own affairs to help them, and all we can do is feel endless shame and regret.
In today’s world, people are not as kind-hearted as in ancient times. People not only fail to be compassionate with each other, but they engage in endless strife. Some even do evil in the name of kindness and justice, which makes people in many nations begin to doubt the value of virtue. Where is the crux of the problem? The answer is easy to find in Buddhism. According to a Buddhist Sutra, “Because desire is regarded as the basis of human life, the mother fights with her son; the son fights with his mother; fathers and sons, brothers, and relatives all fight with one another. Because desire is regarded as the basis of human life, kings fight with each other; citizens fight with each other; and nations fight with each other.” (Madhyamagama—Sutra of Suffering and the Aggregates) It is clear that to save the world; the most fundamental method is to follow the path of Buddhist cultivation, to subdue and to wipe out the three poisons: greed, hatred, and delusion. In real life, we must start from the most basic issue in order to achieve a great goal. Without a solid foundation in worldly practices, there is no way for us to approach transcendental Dharma. The ideas of filial piety and “honoring elders and respecting the worthy” are good medicines for the ills of our present society. If we can faithfully abide by these virtues even in the face of great difficulty and vexation, then we are behaving as a person of perfect virtue should, “subduing our desires and returning to propriety.” If in addition to subduing our afflictions, we can reflect upon ourselves and use wisdom to recognize our attachments and wipe them out, we will have earned some merit for transcending the world. This shows why, “When the roots are established, the course of the Way comes forth naturally.”
The Venerable Master initiated the Day for Honoring Elders. This celebration reminds us to feel grateful to our elders and appreciate their contributions to society and their kindness to us. In this way, we remind people not to forget their roots.
This year’s celebration began at 9:00 am in Daoyuan Hall. The boys and girls of Developing Virtue Secondary and Instilling Goodness Elementary Schools presented their carefully prepared performances. They expressed their gratitude to elders through songs, skits, and greeting cards. Their performances may not have been perfect, but they expressed genuine sincerity and respect, and will be remembered for a long time, becoming the seeds of boundless merit and virtue—both worldly and transcendental—in the hearts of those who attended in the celebration.
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