小　啟
本刊「沙門的慈悲」一文於345期（本年2月份）文初處，漏列下文，今補上並向讀者致歉。

不久，雖然我們沒有問上人，上人私下開示，說我們根本就不曉得是怎麼回事。上人說這些信徒極為虔誠，上人的加持對他們而言是極為重要的。他們的請求並非迷信的貪求，他們絕對有百分之百的誠意，對上人的信心是極深的。從此之後，我對前來求「加持」的信徒的觀念迥異。這就是沙門的慈悲。

在三藩市，我們曾收到當地醫院的電話。一位患愛滋病的年輕人，請求佛教比丘來訪，並為他解除一些關於佛教的問題。他大概只能再活幾個月了。我想既然我們是佛教徒，當然就不應贊同不合於佛教道德的生活方式啦，所以我們應該拒絕他的要求，何況我還曾多次聽上人說如果社會容忍同性戀行為，認為是無關緊要的，那社會就要從總體上受到傷害。

使我吃驚的是，上人說我們沒有理由不答應他的請求。我們應該有慈悲心，因此我去見他；在不傷害他自尊心的前題下，坦誠地回答了他的問題。他為有這樣請教佛教比丘的機會，感到很高興。

有一天，我和另一位比丘陪上人從灣區去三藩市南邊看房地產。以前我們也這樣出去過許多次。我們出門很早，上人說不用帶便當，我們可以及時趕回金山寺用午齋。可事實上，由於額外又看了好幾處地方，我們直到下午三點鐘才回來。過去上人曾指示過，在特殊情形之下，我們可以晚一點用齋，只要是在下午一點之前就可以。這一次，我們知道定要餓一天了，因為比正常午齋時間晚得太多了。但很意外的是，雖然已經很晚了，上人卻堅持要我們吃飯；他自己不吃，卻不許我們不吃，這是沙門的慈悲。

Announcement
Weaccidentally omitted a section from the beginning of the article "The Shramana's Kindness" in Issue Number 345. The section is given below, with apologies to the reader.

Shortly, thereafter, without being asked about it, the Master privately told us that we really didn't understand what was going on there at all. The Master said that these people were extremely sincere. It was very important to them that the Master blessed them. It was not just some superstitious, greedy seeking on their part. They were absolutely 100% earnest-they had a profound faith in the Master. Thereafter, my perception and attitude towards the people who came daily to be blessed was quite different. This is the Shramana's kindness.

Back in San Francisco, we received a call from a hospital in the city. A young man with the AIDS disease had requested that a Buddhist monk visit him as he had a lot of questions about Buddhism. He had perhaps a few months to a year to live. I thought that, given the fact that we, as Buddhists, of course did not in any way approve of a way of life that was inappropriate to the moral teachings of the Buddhism, we should decline their request. I had heard the Master lecture many times that if a society condones or accepts homosexuality as harmless as opposed to the normal husband and wife relationship, then this would be very detrimental to society as a whole.

To my surprise, the Master said that was no reason to not respond to the individual's request. We should have compassion for him. So I visited him and answered all his questions frankly and honestly according to the Buddha's teachings, yet without putting him down personally. It worked out fine, in that he seemed to be happy to have the opportunity to ask his questions to a Buddhist monk.

One day another monk and myself had gone out with the Master, as we had done many times before, to look at property down the peninsula from the Bay Area. We left very early, and the Master instructed us that we did not need to pack our lunch, because we would be able to return to Gold Mountain Monastery in time for our daily meal. As things turned out, we ended up looking at several ad­ditional properties, and did not return until 3:00 p.m. The Master had, in the past, instructed us that under special circumstances, we could eat a little later, as long as we were done eating before 1:00 p.m. This time we knew we would have to go without eating for that day. It was far beyond the proper time for eating for monks. To our surprise, the Master insisted that we eat, even though it was so late. He didn't eat, but he would not permit us not to eat. This is the Shramana's kindness.