|
吾進門後坐於炕上，與其晤談，問彼曰：「誰教汝如日日向父母頂禮？」德答云：「因有親屬王某，世居雙城縣，而該縣有十四位孝子，皆叩禮雙親。故發心效法之耳。」
余又問其父母：「曾行何陰騭而得如此孝順子？」其父曰：「我自有生以來，未做任何善事，也許是我祖先曾植福德，故得孝子賢孫，使我老夫婦二人無憂無慮，無煩無惱，家庭快樂，佛光護祐，陽春滿室爾。」
「吾進門坐於炕上」：我到他家之後坐於炕上。「與其晤談」：就和鄭德對著面談話。「問彼」：誰教你五歲就給父母親叩頭？「德答云」：鄭德說他有個親戚，姓王。「世居雙城縣」：住在雙城縣。「世居」就是好幾輩，祖父、父親。「該縣有十四位孝子，皆叩禮雙親」：都是早晚跟父母叩禮。「故發心效法」：所以就發這種心盡孝道。
「余又問其父母：曾行何陰騭而得如此孝順子？」：我問他父母親你們做過什麼善事，而得如此孝子？「其父曰：我自有生以來到現在未做任何善事，或者是我祖先曾植福德」：或者他們那時候做過好事，做過有德行的事。
「故得孝子賢孫」：所以得到孝順兒子、賢明的孫。「使我老夫婦二人無憂愁也無掛慮，無煩無惱；快樂的家庭，佛光護祐。」佛的光明保護。「陽春滿室爾」：滿屋子裡都是快樂歡喜的樣子。
談論畢，余欲起座離席，而鄭德迅速將吾鞋收藏他室，然後返回長跪言曰：「今天師父初至德家，務請賞光在此午膳。我亦無甚佳餚供養，衹很簡單吃一點家常飯而已。」余點頭允諾。飯食已訖，余令鄭德取鞋與吾。
吾問鄭德曰：「汝今皈依吾，稱吾為師，是欲聽師教耶？抑欲師依汝教耶？」
答云：「遵師訓誨，依教奉行。」
吾復曰：「汝留吾食，為何先收藏吾鞋？此乃強制手段，對師為大不敬。」德即長跪頂禮悔過，誓不要犯錯誤矣。教其專修淨土法門，勤策三業，一心念佛、念法、念僧，棲神安養，除讀書作課外，有暇即念南無阿彌陀佛萬德洪名不輟。
「談論畢，余欲起座離席」：我正要起身想要穿鞋子的時候。「鄭德迅速」：他看我要下地，就趕快把我鞋拿起來。我以為他給我穿鞋，很懂得招待人。「將吾鞋收藏他室」：他把鞋子搶起來，藏到他媽媽的房子裡。
「返回長跪言」：他藏起來之後，見了我長跪就說。「今天師父初至德家」：今天師父頭次到我家裡。「務請賞光在此午膳」：我希望你賞一點光，在我家裡吃午飯。「我亦無甚佳餚供養」：我沒有什麼菜供養師父，隨隨便便吃點家常菜飯而已。
「余點頭允諾」：我就點點頭答應了；允就是答。「飯食已訖」：吃完之後。「余令鄭德取鞋與吾」：我叫鄭德把鞋交給我。「吾問鄭德曰」：我問鄭德說。「汝今皈依吾」：現在你皈依我。「稱吾為師」：你稱呼我師父。
「是欲聽師教耶」：你還是願意聽師父教導你？「抑欲師依汝教耶」：或者想師父依照你所教的道理？「遵師訓誨」：我尊重師父教訓，「依教奉行」。「吾復曰：汝留吾食」：你留我吃飯。「為何先收藏吾鞋」：你沒有得到我的同意，就把我鞋拿走。
「此乃強制手段」：這種手段就是強制的手段，沒有得到答應就這麼做。「對師為大不敬」：這種行為你認為是好意，留我吃飯怕我不答應，把我鞋拿走，但卻是對師父最大的不恭敬行為。「德即長跪頂禮悔過」：鄭德聽過後趕快跪下頂禮悔過。「誓不更犯錯誤矣」：說以後再也不敢對師父有這種行為了。
「教具專修淨土法門，勤策三業，一心念佛念法念僧，棲神安養，除讀書作課外，有暇即念南無阿彌陀彿萬德洪名不輟。」（此段及下段缺註解。）
隨授一偈曰：
念佛能念無間斷，口念彌陀打成片；
雜念不生得三昧，往生淨土定有盼。
終日厭煩娑婆苦，纔將紅塵心念淡；
求生極樂意念重，放下染念歸淨念。
全文完
公告
萬佛聖城將於六月舉行華嚴法會，以中、英、越三種語言各誦《華嚴經》一部，紀念宣公上人涅槃四週年。法會於十九日晚間灑淨，廿日開始誦經，七月十日結束。有意參加者請向萬佛聖城或法總各分支道場登記。
|
|
Text:
I entered the door and took a seat on the
brick bed, and chatted with him. I asked him, "Who taught you to bow to
your parents every day?" De replied, "We have a relative by the name
of Wang, whose family lives in Shuangcheng County. That county has had
fourteen filial sons, all of whom adopted the practice of bowing to
their
parents.Therefore, I resolved to emulate them."
I then asked his parents,
"What secret acts of virtue have you performed in order to be blessed
with such a filial son?"
His father said, "I do not
recall having done any good acts in my life. Perhaps it is on account
of my ancestors' cultivation of blessings and virtue that we are now
rewarded
with such a filial and worthy offspring. He causes my wife and me to be
free
from worries, cares, and afflictions. Our family is happy, the Buddha's
light protects us, and our house is always as if filled with the spring
sunlight."
Commentary:
I entered the door and took a
seat on the brick bed, and chatted with him.I had a face-to-face
chat with
the boy. I asked him, "Who taught you to bow to your
parents every day starting from the age of five?"
Zheng De
replied, "We have a relative by the name of Wang, whose family lives in
Shuangcheng County and has been there for several generations—his
grandfather and the father also lived there. That county
has had fourteen filial sons, all of whom adopted the
practice of bowing to their parents in the morning and in the
evening. Therefore, I resolved to emulate them
and perfect the practice of filial piety."
I then asked his parents,
"What secret acts of virtue have you performed in order to be blessed
with
such a filial son? What good
deeds have you done?"
His father said,
"I do not recall having
done any good acts in my life. Perhaps it is on account of my
ancestors' cultivation of blessings and virtue that we are now
rewarded with such a filial and worthy offspring. My ancestors must
have
done some good deeds of virtue, and so now they have such a filial and
worthy
descendant. He causes my wife and me to
be free from worries, cares, and afflictions. Our family is happy, the
Buddha's light protects us, and our house is always as if filled with
the
spring sunlight. Our house is also full of joy and happiness."
Text:
After
the chat I was about to rise from my seat. Right then De quickly
snatched away my shoes and went to hide them in his room. Then he came
back and knelt
before me, saying, "Today my teacher has come to De's home for the
first time.
I pray that you will grace our house and stay for lunch. I do not have
any good food to offer, but can only invite you to partake of our
ordinary,
simple fare." I nodded to show my consent.
After the meal I told Zheng De
to return my shoes. Then I asked him, "Today you have taken refuge with
me and call me your teacher. Do you wish to listen to your teacher's
instructions, or do you want your teacher to listen to your
instructions?"
The
boy answered, "I will obey my teacher's instructions and do as he
says."
Then
I said to him, "When you asked me to stay for lunch, why did you first
hide my shoes? By trying to force me to stay here, you were being
blatantly
disrespectful toward your teacher."
De immediately
knelt on the floor, bowed and
repented, and vowed never to make the same mistake. I then taught him
to specialize in cultivating the Pure Land Dharma door, to diligently
spur
on his three karmas, and to singlemindedly recollect the Buddha, the
Dharma,
and the Sangha. I advised him to nurture a serenity of the spirit, and,
besides
attending to his school work, to use every spare moment to recite "Namo
Amitabha Buddha" without cease.
Commentary:
After
the chat I was about to rise from my seat and put on my shoes. Right
then, seeing that I was about to stand up, De quickly
snatched away my shoes. I
thought he was going to help me put on my shoes and was being
especially courteous. But instead, he grabbed the shoes and went to
hide them in his mother's room. Then he came back and
knelt before me, saying, "Today my teacher has come to De's home for
the first time. I pray that you will
grace our house and stay for lunch. I do not have any good food to
offer, but
can only invite you to casually partake
of our ordinary, simple fare." I nodded to show my consent.
After the meal I told Zheng De
to return my shoes. Then I asked him, "Today you have taken refuge with
me and call me your teacher. Do you wish to listen to your teacher's
instructions,or do you want your teacher to listen to your
instructions?"
The boy answered, "I willhonor and
obey
my teacher's instructions and do as he says."
Then I said to him, "When
you asked me to stay for lunch, why did you first hide my shoes before
you gained my consent? By trying to force me to stay here,
you
were being blatantly disrespectful toward your teacher. That was a
forceful
maneuver. You wanted to keep me here for lunch and was afraid I might
not
agree, so you took my shoes away. You thought you were acting on good
intentions, but what you did was most disrespectful to your teacher."
Zheng De
immediately knelt on the floor, bowed and repented, and vowed never to
make the
same mistake. He promised to never, ever behave that way toward
his teacher
again. [The next section has no commentary.] I then taught
him to specialize in cultivating the Pure Land Dharma
door, to diligently spur on his three karmas, and to singlemindedly
recollect the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. I advised him to
nurture a
serenity of the spirit, and, besides attending to his school work, to
use every
spare moment to recite "Namo Amitabha Buddha" without cease.
I then spoke a verse for him:
If in reciting the
Buddha's name you can recite without a break, while
your mouth is reciting "Amitabha,"
you'll become one with him.
When confused thoughts do not arise, one attains samadhi, and will
certainly have hopes to be reborn in the Pure Land. All day long you
should grow
weary
of Saha's pain, and lessen your desires for the red dust.
Instead,strengthen your intent to seek rebirth in the Pure Land. Put
down defiled thoughts: just that is pure thought.
The End
Announcement
The City of Ten Thousand Buddhas
will hold the Avatamsaka Dharma Session in June, with recitation of the
Avatamsaka
Sutra in Chinese, English, and Vietnamese to commemorate
the Fourth Anniversary of the Venerable Master's Nirvana. The Purifying
of the Boundaries will take place on the evening of June 19th.
Recitation
of the Sutra will begin on the 20th. The session will end on
July 10th.
If you would like to attend, please register at the City of Ten
Thousand
Buddhas or its branch temples.
|
