比丘恒實師：
師父上人、各位師兄、各位同修！吃完飯的人，請坐在自己位置上，還沒有拿飯的人，或剛下巴士的同修，歡迎你們來慶祝觀音菩薩誕辰法會。沒有來過萬佛城的來賓，願你們回去有滿分的福報。這樣就沒有空手而來，空手而回。怎麼做呢？就是歡迎大家願意吃多少就拿多少清淨齋菜，不過你拿多少一定要吃完。希望各位不要把沒有吃完的丟進垃圾桶，這樣就沒有福報了。這是人家供養的，你們願意拿第二次、第三次，非常歡迎，不過千萬不要浪費食物。謝謝各位！
《普門品》有四句偈頌，「妙音觀世音，梵音海潮音，勝彼世間音，是故須常念。」大家聚會到萬佛城來參加慶祝觀音誕，還有觀音七––念觀音聖號和《普門品》一個禮拜。大家知道觀音菩薩有一千隻手，不只一千隻，這些手是用來救度受苦的眾生。觀世音是觀現在這個世界的音；現在這個世界的音，在這幾個禮拜有佛教的消息。怎麼說呢？就是在中東那邊有一些恐怖份子，把兩座世界最大的兩座佛像毀了。
請各位修靜行，吃飯時不講話是最好的，好吧？阿彌陀佛！本來在聖城吃飯不講話，這是我們的規矩。今天有很多新來的人，當然人多了就很難不講，大家都覺得很興奮。那麼到了萬佛城，跟著大家守這個常規，也有它的作用。大家明白了？
那問題在哪裡？就是說這些大石頭佛像，一個一百五十呎高，一個一百二十呎高，是世界上最高的佛像。這些恐怖份子以為他們保護回教，其實他們是違背了回教的教法。《可蘭經》說，「你信你的宗教，我信我的宗教，不會衝突。」這是《可蘭經》裡的兩句話。那麼這些人說他們代表回教，一定要把這些「邪像」毀滅，保護他們的教。這是不對的，是很令人傷心的一件事。因為這些佛像很久了，有一千三百多年了。我手上有玄奘大師去印度取經時的日記。日記上怎麼說呢？
「如是前到梵音度城，有伽藍石一所，徒數千人。」他們是學小乘，說出世部。這是什麼地方？巴米安，就是這個地方，叫梵音度城。日記說，「東北山崖有力士像高百五十尺，像東有伽藍，伽藍東有玉石釋迦立像，高一百呎，伽藍內有佛入涅槃臥像，長一千呎，頂莊嚴微妙。」（編按：《大唐西域記》原文，「梵衍那國…伽藍數十所。僧徒數千人。宗學小乘說出世部。王城東北山阿有立佛石像。高百四五十尺。金色晃曜寶飾煥爛。東有伽藍。此國先王之所建也。伽藍東有口石釋迦佛立像高百餘尺。分身別鑄總合成立。城東二三里伽藍中有佛入涅槃臥像。長千餘尺。…」）
這是第八世紀的日記，玄奘大師看到了這兩尊佛像。你看一千三百年前的佛像，昨天沒有了，上個禮拜被人用dynamic（炸彈），又用爆粉把它炸成碎石了。那麼身為佛教徒應該有什麼反應呢？當然心裡不安。不過有一個好處，就是說在這種情形之下，全世界的宗教徒一致說，「不要這樣做。」甚至於聯合國的科非•阿諾親身到巴基斯坦去，希望可以救回這些石像，應該說這是觀世音菩薩慈悲的音。全世界知道這個事情，都說，「這些佛像是人類的寶貝，人類的藝術產品，不要把它毀滅。」其實這些佛像是回教還沒有到巴基斯坦、阿富汗之前就已經有了。你看玄奘大師去那兒是南傳的地方，是佛教的地方。
最重要的是全世界的回教徒，異口同聲說，「這些毀佛像的神學士派不代表回教，回教並沒有說必須要把不同宗教的什麼毀滅了」我今天提這件事情，希望各位以後聽到人說，「回教毀滅佛教」時，你應該糾正他說，「不是這樣，這只是神學士的一些恐怖份子，百分之零點五的人，不聽他們同參的話，不聽其他回教徒的話，硬要破壞佛像，是少數又少數的一些人才這樣做的。」這令有善心善根的回教徒心裡非常難過。這一點我們可以給他們伸一隻手，保護世界的和平。如果佛教徒說要打回教呢？那完全是跟著塔利邦跑。大家明白這個意思啊？我們怎麼樣都不爭，希望觀音菩薩都會「勝彼世間音」，觀音菩薩勝彼世間音，是故須常念。
還有一個好消息，法界佛教青年會去年冬天利用寒假到萬佛城來學《楞嚴經》，是他們自願的。那麼今年春天有一個禮拜的春假，這最寶貴的時間他們邀請僧團和居士們和他們一起學習《普門品》。他們到萬佛城來有三天的時間隨眾做早課，學習《普門品》，這是很好的消息。所以事有陰陽，物極必反，勝彼世間音，是故須常念。阿彌陀佛！
比丘尼恒音師：
師父上人、各位善知識、各位佛友！今天慶祝觀音菩薩的聖誕，在2001年這個世界情況是很危險的，但是大部份人都不這麼認為，因為他們追求享樂，不想其他。可以說現在社會科技發達，但倫理道德卻破產了，因為大家只追求五欲享受，不管地球物質快被用完，空氣也污染，將來的人也不會有好的生活環境。生物科技「進化」的程度，使我們快可以複製人。核子武器充斥，戰爭不停，這個地球很可能有一天就毀滅了。在這個電子時代，人在網路上住在一個虛幻的世界裡。幾十年前上人說過電視和電腦都是妖怪，把小孩的心靈都給吞了下去，現在我們看到上人講的話已經成為事實。越來越多的家長忙著賺錢，沒有時間照顧孩子，讓他們在電視機前跟網路上長大。
當然電子科技讓我們傳達訊息，工作更方便有效，但是有一種很重要，具有人性的東西失去了，因為大家都對著電腦講話，不面對面講。還有，整天坐在電腦前，身體也不健康。
我們的價值觀念，倫理道德也都忘了，家庭也不健全。家長常常不在家，孩子沒人照顧陪伴，沒人教育他們發展成身心健康的人。最近麼多的校園暴力行為，告訴我們如果忽略了倫理道德是很危險的事。
可是在這種讓人絕望的情形下，我們不要絕望，因為佛法給了我們希望。佛陀怎樣改造我們的命運，轉換我們的業力呢？從基本開始就是守五戒，行十善，更進一步發菩提心讓更多人可以學佛。佛介紹觀音菩薩給我們，觀音菩薩說，「任何眾生在苦難中，念誦觀音菩薩就會有感應。」我們念觀音菩薩時，就把自己心裡的貪、瞋、癡都清除了；心清淨時，我們本有的智慧和自性裡的快樂就現出來了，整個地球也就會更和平。
我們如果能簡化生活，吃長素，不隨那麼多的欲望轉，用倫理道德來規範我們的生活，也可以讓我們的孩子學好。譬如，我們城裡的中小學都是注重孝道，忠於國家的。
今天大家來萬佛城，這是因為觀音菩薩發的大願，我們一定要有信心；只要誠心念觀音菩薩的聖號，改變自己的習氣毛病，我們一定可以轉換世界的危機。
最後，我並不是說不該用電腦等科技，因為它們有它們的用處。但是我們要知道，文明越進化，科技越發達，我們就越快接近世界的末日。因為我們所傳達的訊息，不是真正的知識，只是information（資訊）。真正的知識是認識自己，知道自己生從哪來，死到哪去。我們念觀音菩薩，就可以恢復我們本有的自性，得到真正的自在。我們心裡面自在了，也可以影響周圍的人，讓他們也和平自在，更進一步影響全世界。阿彌陀佛！ |
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Bhikshu Heng Sure Shi:
This is Guanyin Bodhisattva's Anniversary and people have gathered from all over to celebrate. There's a verse in the Universal Door Chapter that says: "Wondrous Sounds, Contemplator of the World's Sounds, a Brahma Sound, pure as the ocean tide, a sound that surpasses every other worldly sound, Guanyin's forever on my mind."
This verse of course comes from the name "Guanyin" which means "to contemplate the sounds." People know that Guanyin has an image with a thousand hands. That's just a symbol of the many hands that Guanyin has, it doesn't stop at a thousand. Right now in the world when you look out there's a sound that is a very worldly sound and it's the sound of images of the Buddha crashing to the ground. The news from Afghanistan is that the leaders of the new government there have issued an order to destroy images of the Buddha. Two of them in particular are noteworthy; one of them is 150 feet tall and the other 120 feet tall. They have been there since the third century A.D.. Afghanistan, particularly this region which was known as Bamiyan, is right on the Silk Route. All of the traffic that went from China and the Far East to Rome and Greece passed right through there. Master Hsuan Tsang, the monk who made a pilgrimage to India to bring the Sutras to China, traveled right through the country of Bamiyan. Let me read from his biography a passage that I found. It says:
"The Master made slow progress but finally reached the capital of Bamiyan. On the hill to the northeast of the royal city was an image made of stone a hundred and fifty feet high. To the east of the image stood a monastery, and to the east of the monastery, there was a standing image of Shakyamuni Buddha made of bronze, a hundred feet high. In the monastery, was an image of the Buddha lying down in the posture of entering Nirvana, one thousand feet in length. All of these images were made in a stately and beautiful manner."
Master Hsuan Tsang traveled through Afghanistan on his journey to India in the 8th century. That was thirteen centuries ago. 1300 years ago, those images were standing and our pilgrim, Master Hsuan Tsang, saw them and recorded them in his journal which you just heard.
According to today's report in the news, the Taliban Government says that they have destroyed eighty percent of these images, 150 feet tall, 120 feet tall. It's over, it's too late. That's not good news, that's the worldly sound. But, inside that worldly sound, there's another sound that I think is equally important, which is the response of the whole world to this news. The secretary general of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, went to Pakistan to talk to one of the ministers of the Taliban government, to plead with them to stop and not destroy the images. Voices the world over, from UNESCO to Japan to Sri Lanka to America, Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike united to say "Please do not destroy these images. These are, number one, a priceless heritage." Obviously, they're old and they are the two biggest Buddha images in the world. But they are also the treasuries of humanity. There's not that much monumental art from the 3rd century anywhere. We can really take heart that people the world over united with their spirit to say, "Save these images of the Buddha who is a teacher, not a false god, not an idol, but a teacher, a human being who got free and then taught others how to do it."
The other, I think, very important thing and something I hope that people will consider as they think about this news, this part of the Dharma Ending Age, is that Muslim governments around the world, from Egypt to Pakistan to Saudi Arabia, governments who ordinarily support the Taliban, with a single voice said, "This is wrong, stop this!!" But unfortunately, this particular group of fundamentalists, originally students, militants, are a fringe group and do not represent Islam. I received an e-mail from a professor who is a Muslim in India who said to me in the e-mail: "I am mortified. I am ashamed. I don't know what to say. Words fail me to describe my feelings as I know what some disciples of Islam have done to the art of the world." So I think it's important for us, and that's why I decided to talk about this today instead of talking about Guanyin's name.
Thus it's really important that Buddhists don't fight. Suppose people who know that you're a Buddhist or who are in sympathy with the Dharma say to you, "Isn't that terrible how the Muslims are destroying our images?" You should say to them, "In fact the Muslims are not destroying our images. There's a fringe element of extremists who give all of religion a bad name. Islam, with a single voice was saying, 'Please do not destroy these images; they were there in Afghanistan before Islam.' "If you can say that and say, "In fact, what we can do is recite the name of Guanyin Bodhisattva and transfer the merit to the poor people who made the decision to destroy images that have had Dharma Protectors and Bodhisattvas around them for thirteen centuries. These people have unfortunately created terrible karma for themselves. If we are really compassionate, we will show compassion for the stupidity and the ignorance of those deluded individuals who decided to dynamite a sacred image. You can imagine the retribution ahead of somebody who sheds the Buddha's blood this way." You can flip it over. On one hand we can say that it's terrible and it makes you sick at your heart. On the other hand, the whole world with a single voice said, "We want these images in the world." That's a good thing. Number two, have compassion in your hearts for the poor kind-hearted, well- meaning, devout Muslims who see some part of their religion, some fringe element behaving like this and who feel sick and sad, and don't label the whole of Islam as terrorists. This was the action of a few.
The last thing I want to say was, how does Guanyin Bodhisattva's sound surpass worldly sounds? There's good news too. The good news is that the youth of the Dharma Realm Buddhist Association, DRBY, Dharma Realm Buddhist Youth, during the winter asked the Sangha and the laity to help them study the Shurangama Sutra. That's how they wanted to spend their winter break from school. Well, they put in another request: during the spring break they want to study the Pu Men Pin (Universal Door Chapter). They're going to take their precious spring break to come to the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas if it's okay with the abbot and with the assembly, and study the Pu Men Pin for three days and learn to meditate. So, in every dark cloud there's definitely a silver lining, and what goes around comes around.
Bhikshuni Heng Yin:
On Guanyin Bodhisattva's Birthday in 2001, the world is in a precarious situation, yet most people are unaware of it as they pursue pleasure and wealth. You could say our society is technologically advanced but morally bankrupt. Citizens in this hedonistic, consumer society know only how to consume and indulge. They do not care that they are polluting the planet and depleting its resources, ruining it for future generations. With biotechnology, human cloning will soon be possible. With the proliferation of nuclear weapons and the never-ending political and religious wars, the earth could be blown away at any moment. In this new electronic age, people live in a "virtual" world on the computer and Internet. Decades ago, the Venerable Master called television and computers "monsters in disguise" and accused them of devouring children's brains. Now we are seeing his prediction come true. More and more parents are allowing their children to grow up in front of the TV and computer, and on the Internet, because they themselves are too busy making a living to pay attention to their children.
Electronic technology allows us to work and communicate more quickly and efficiently than ever, yet something vital and human is lost when people spend most of their time interacting with or through computers instead of face to face. Speaking from experience, I know that our physical health also suffers when we sit in front of a computer all day.
With the loss of moral values and widespread divorce, the family has broken down. Parents are not there for their children, and children have no ongoing nurturing relationships to help them develop into well-balanced, confident, healthy individuals. The increasing incidence of school violence should warn us that neglecting to teach children values has serious consequences.
In this desperate age, we must not give in to hopeless despair. Instead, the Buddha taught us very clearly what we must do to change our karma and our destiny. He gave us the Five Precepts and the Ten Good Deeds. He also introduced us to the Dharma of Guanyin Bodhisattva, the Bodhisattva who Observes the Sounds of the World. Guanyin Bodhisattva promises to save beings from any danger or hardship as long as they recite his/her name. If we recite sincerely, there will certainly be a response. By reciting, we purify our minds of greed, anger, and delusion. When our minds are pure, we can find true happiness and wisdom within ourselves and increase the peace and wellbeing of the planet.
On a more concrete level, we could all simplify our lives and live more frugally, be vegetarian, and model basic values that we want our children to live by. For example, the elementary and secondary schools at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas teach filial respect and social responsibility. Students learn to recognize their parents and teachers' great kindness and seek to repay it, as well as aspiring to work for the benefit of society in the future.
All of us have gathered at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas today because of Guanyin Bodhisattva's great vows. We must have faith that if we all recite her name sincerely and change our own faults, then world's situation can be turned around.
On one last note, I am not saying that we should shun computers and other technology, for they have their usefulness. However, we should be aware that the more advanced civilization becomes, and the more we know and the faster we know it, the more quickly we are heading towards the end of the world. This kind of knowledge is not true knowledge. It is simply information. True knowledge is knowledge of who we are, of where we came from when we were born and where we are going after we die. By being mindful of Guanyin Bodhisattva, we can return to our inherent true nature, which is free and at ease. Once we find peace within, we can be a peaceful influence for those around us and the world in general. May we all encourage one another towards this. |
