|
深秋，碧藍的天上，點綴著幾朶白雲。微風輕拂在華氏七十度的氣溫中，輕霜點過的楓樹和一些結了像黃豆般大小果實的樹上。楓葉和一串串的果實由綠變紅了；橡樹葉子已開始脫落；金黃色的二拱山門卻依然閃閃發光。
萬佛城大佛殿裡朱紅色的地毯上坐滿了信眾，正在聽上人開示：「你們都是佛的種子，將來一定會種在拔苦田裡。」
「大悲咒的妙用是很靈的，首先念十大願，然後念大悲咒一百零八遍或四十九遍，放上一杯水。大悲咒能治八萬四千種病，中西藥治不了業障，只有大悲咒能治業障。」
藥無貴賤，癒病者良；法無優劣，契機者妙。上人講的法是根治貪、瞋、癡的法，一切業障皆由貪、瞋、癡而生。
午後二點三十分，上人的侍者果英居士來叫我的父母親、我大姐白淑雲和我一起去三號房和上人敘話。我和大姐陪著父母親一起去了。
叮鈴！……叮鈴！……上人的侍者鳳寶、果寶兩居士一起過來開門。
「三爺、三奶、景學、淑雲請進！」
上人上身穿著白色線衣坐在沙發上，果英、鳳寶、果寶三位在沙發右側合掌站立。
爸爸媽媽合掌向上人問訊；我和大姐向上人頂禮三拜。
「坐下吧。」上人微笑，指著左邊兩個沙發椅子，叫我的父母親坐下來和上人說話。
父母親坐在沙發椅子上，我和大姐則在父母親左側的地毯上跪著，合掌面向上人。
上人：「怎麼樣？最近的身體還好吧？我每天都很忙，也沒有時間去看看你們。」
「我很好。我從大陸來一直到現在，你總惦著我。我不但不能死，還沒有病，再有十年八年沒問題。」爸爸的耳朶很聾，可是上人說的話他都聽見了。
上人問我爸爸：「五八（1958）年我們見過面你還記著沒有？」
「記得。什麼時候我都不能忘。」
「五八年，我犯傷力、吐血、拄著棍子什麼也不能幹。一天中午，我順桌腿旁就睡著了。我做了個夢，說是要開大會了——那時搞大躍進，每天都開大會，我就去了會場。會場裡面擺滿了椅子，一個人也沒有，我在裡面等了一會，就看見你從門外進來了。你問我：『三哥，你犯傷力了吧？』我說可不是唄。你又說：『喝點黃錢紙皮子就能好。』我說這年頭掃除迷信，去哪裡找黃錢紙皮子去？我就看你從懷裡掏出黃錢紙皮子焚了，隨後給我說：『三哥，你把這個喝下去。』我拿過來順手就喝了。醒了以後，嗯，好了，不吐血了。
「六五年我還和你見過一面。」父親繼續回憶他的故事。
「六五年，我又犯傷力吐血，一天強挺著，拄著棍子走路。又是一天中午，我睡著了做了個夢。」
「我拄著棍子往南走，走著走著前面突然出現兩座又高又陡的山，有兩條妯蜒道（羊腸小路），一股奔西南的山頂，一股奔東南山頂。」
待續
|
|
It was late autumn; the clear blue sky was decorated by a few clusters of white clouds. The light breeze gently blew in the 70 degree temperature, while dustings of frost were sprinkled upon the maples and other trees that were growing pea size fruits. The maple leaves and the medleys of fruits were turning from green to red, and the oak leaves had begun to fall. In contrast, the two golden-colored entrance gates were still shiny and aglow.
In the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, the Buddha Hall was brimming with faithful believers who sat upon the crimson-colored carpet, listening to the Venerable Master's instructional talk: "You are all seeds of the Buddha, who surely will be planted in the pastures that uproot suffering."
"The use of the Great Compassion Mantra is miraculously effective. Start by reciting the Ten Great Vows, then chant the Great Compassion Mantra 108 times or forty-nine times, and then make an offering of one cup of water. The Great Compassion Mantra can treat 84,000 kinds of diseases; neither Chinese nor Western medicine can cure karmic hindrances; only the Great Compassion Mantra is effective against karmic hindrances."
There is no discrimination of superior and inferior among medicines; as long as it cures the illness, it is good. The Dharma is neither excellent nor poor; as long as it meets the need, it is wonderful. The Dharma spoken by the Venerable Master is the Dharma which cures greed, anger, and delusion at their roots; all karmic hindrances take form from greed, anger, and delusion.
At two-thirty in the afternoon, the Venerable Master's attendant, lay disciple Guo Yin, came to summon my parents, my elder sister Shuyun Bai, and myself to Cottage Number 3 for a conversation with the Venerable Master. So my elder sister and I accompanied Mother and Father in going together.
Ding-dong! The door was opened by the Venerable Master's attendants, lay disciples Fengbao and Guo Bao.
"Third Brother, Third Sister-in-law, Jinxue, Shuyun, please come in!"
The Venerable Master, who wore a white sweater, was seated on a sofa, while Guo Yin, Fengbao, and Guo Bao stood on the right side of the sofa with their palms together.
Father and Mother placed their palms together to pay respect to the Venerable Master; my elder sister and I bowed three times in respect to the Venerable Master.
"Sit down," said the smiling Venerable Master, as he pointed to the two sofa chairs to the left, motioning to my parents to sit down and talk with him.
Father and Mother sat on the sofa chairs, while my elder sister and I knelt on the carpet to the left of our parents, facing the Venerable Master, with our palms joined together.
The Venerable Master spoke: "So? How has your health been recently? I've been very busy every day, so I haven't had time to go visit you."
"I am very well. From the time I arrived from the Mainland until now, you've constantly been concerned about me. Not only will I not die, I will not fall ill either. Another ten or eight years would be no problem." Father's ears were very deaf, but he could hear all the words spoken by the Venerable Master.
The Venerable Master asked my father: "We saw each other in 1958, do you remember?"
"I remember. I will never be able to forget it.
"In 1958,1 overexerted myself and was vomiting blood. Leaning on a walking cane, I could not do a single thing. One afternoon, I fell asleep while leaning against the leg of a table. I had a dream, in which there was word going around about a general meeting. At that time the Great Leap Forward Movement was going on, and every day a general meeting was held, so I went to the meeting auditorium. The auditorium was set up with chairs, but not a single person was there. I waited for a while, and then I saw you coming in through the door. You asked me, 'Third Elder Brother, you overexerted yourself?' I said, 'That's right!' You then said, 'Drink some Yellow Paper Money and you will get better.' I replied that nowadays the policy is to eliminate superstition, so how would one be able to find Yellow Paper Money? I then saw you reach into your shirt and pull out some Yellow Paper Money, which you burned. Handing me the ashes, you said, 'Third Elder Brother, drink this.' I took it and drank it. When I awoke, hmmm! I was well and no longer vomited blood.
"In 1965 I saw you once more," Father continued recollecting his story.
"In 1965, I again overexerted myself and vomited blood. I forced myself to stand up straight and walk about while leaning upon a walking cane. One afternoon, I had another dream.
"Leaning on the cane, I walked toward the south. As I walked, two high and steep mountains suddenly appeared before me, with two tiny foot paths, one leading straight up to the southwestern peak and the other going straight up to the southeastern peak."
To be continued
|
