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首先要感謝方丈和尚要我今晚上來說幾句話，其次要和各位頂禮，因為你們都是我過去世的父母和未來的諸佛。今晚我要和大家談談我如何掙扎去找尋佛的教導。
我名叫提寧，法名明江，今年六十八歲，一九八五年完成土木工程學博士；一九八四年開始在密蘇里州聖路易市華盛頓大學當教授，十四年了。我已婚，五個孩子都已長大成人。我的學士學位也是土木工程，在越南的大學畢業後我開始工程方面的工作，事業很成功，賺了不少錢。不幸，一九七五年四月南越政府崩潰，越共佔據了整個越南，把我所有的家產，當時價值大約一千萬，全沒收了。我的父親也被共產黨抓到監獄裡去了，很不幸一九八四年在監獄裡過世。
不幸中的大幸，是我全家在越共統治下兩年半後都逃了出來，於一九七八年抵達美國。當時我一貧如洗，只好從頭開始。白天我當土木工程師，全職工作，同時又回學校繼續念書，完成碩士及博士學位，一九八四年開始教書。因為我們辛苦工作，全家人在美國這兒也過得很好。
雖然如此，我總是覺得非常擔心，有挫折感，也覺得非常痛苦，總覺得少了什麼東西似的。我的一顆心常想東想西，像猴子一樣從這個樹枝跳到那個樹枝，從這棵樹跳到那一棵。我奮鬥了很久，想把這個嚴重的問題克服，最後我發覺我實在是需要佛法來幫忙。
退休後的近兩年，我在美國各地到處旅行，看哪個地方教佛法，我就去學去修行。我從東到西，從南到北：從緬甸、西藏、泰國、錫蘭、越南的出家人學習，又到中國的出家人；我奮鬥得非常用心，想找真正善知識，教我正確的方式來修行，達到我的目的。
這是我第三次來到萬佛聖城了；第一次來時沒有法會進行，第二次我是來學打坐，這次是來參加觀音七。雖然我的中文閱讀能力很差，但在這兒我覺得非常舒服，非常祥和，這兒給我幫助很多。我堅信有一天因為我從內心誠心發出的願，我的夢想終會成真！
接下來我向大家報告一下我每天的功課：每天誦經四小時，包括懺悔文，打坐兩小時，誦大悲咒一百零八遍，念阿彌陀佛聖號一萬遍，拜佛一千七百拜。
最親愛的法友們！你們不要像我一樣浪費時間，不要像我一樣愚癡，到老才學道，也不要像我從前那樣，光知道找錢。奉勸大家盡你的力量去找正確的路；這正確的路不是高速公路，是真正的道路，是佛道 -- 佛的教導，就像昨天中午方丈和尚說的，這正確的道路是在我們心裡頭，而不是外頭的101號高速公路。
祝一切眾生快樂安詳，也祝所有的人快樂安詳，也視所有的有情快樂安詳。阿彌陀佛！
現在還有幾分鐘的時間，如果有問題，可以發問。
問：教授是怎麼樣知道萬佛城的？
答：問得很好。其實我的孩子住在這附近，我來這附近很多次，但始終不曉得有萬佛城。一次我孩子給我一張萬佛城的通告，說這兒有打坐。大概是去年，我打電話到萬佛城要一份申請表，這兒也傳真了申請表給我。我填好後傳真過來，希望在這邊留三天，但始終沒有得到回覆。因為我的行程都安排好了，雖然沒得到回覆，我還是飛了來。我到達以後沒有人讓我進來，幸虧方丈和尚慈悲，讓我進到城裡頭來。當時天氣非常非常炎熱，一百多度（華氏），但是我很高興，這裡非常安詳。
那時因為沒有法會，所以我沒學到什麼。當我要回去時，很幸運在辦公室又碰到了方丈和尚；我就向和尚請教怎麼樣打坐，和尚非常慈悲，親自教我，花了十到二十分鐘時間，我受益很多。
問：請教授告訴我們，在美國其他的道場學到了些什麼？
答：回答這個問題要多費點時間，我盡量長話短說。我在一九六二年就已經皈依三寶了，但是我忘了我的皈依師，忘了在哪皈依，更把佛給忘了；我只知道賺錢，這就是為什麼剛剛我奉勸大家不要只知道去賺錢的原因。我現在老了，六十八歲了，在美國這兒我看過很多道場，在這個國家，佛教將來一定會很興盛。西方人有很多希望學佛法的，他們很需要一顆平和的心，唯一的方法是回歸到佛的教導。上人曾說：「在一萬個出家人裡頭，很難找到一個真正的出家人，真正的善知識。所以不要向外找，只有回到自己的家裡來，不過不是101號公路。其實美國人、西方人，他們比我還瞭解我自己，是他們把我推回到佛法裡來的。阿彌陀佛！
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First, I'd like to thank the staff at the City for inviting me to talk today. Second, I'll like to bow to all of you because you were my parents in the past and will be Buddhas in the future. Tonight, I'd like to tell you who I am and how I struggled to find the way of the Buddha's teaching.
My name is Thiet Nguyen and my Dharma name Ming Jiang. I'm 68 years old. I received a Doctorate of Science in Civil Engineering at the University of Washington in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1984. I am married and have five children who are all grown up. After I got my first bachelor degree in Science in Civil Engineering, I started my own business and became very rich. Unfortunately, in April 1975 when South Vietnam collapsed, the Vietnamese Communists confiscated all of my properties, which were worth about ten million dollars. I also lost my father, who died in jail in 1984.
In the midst of misfortune, my entire family was tremendously fortunate in being able to escape Vietnam two and a half years after it became communist. We reached the United States in 1978. I was totally destitute and had to start all over. During the day I worked fulltime as a civil engineer, and at night I continued my studies and earned a Masters and a Ph.D. In 1984 I started teaching. Through hard work, our family now has a comfortable life in the United States.
I have always felt frustrated and suffer as if I am missing something. My mind keeps wandering like a monkey, jumping from branch to branch and from tree to tree. I have struggled a lot to overcome this serious problem. Later, I knew that I badly needed the Buddha's teaching to help me out.
In the past two years after retiring from the University, I have traveled all over the country, to cultivate, to learn, and to practice the Dharma and the Buddha's teaching wherever it was offered. I traveled from east to west, from north to south. I have learned from Burmese, Tibetan, Thai, Sri Lankan, Vietnamese, and Chinese monks.
In this respect I have also struggled a lot. I have worked hard to find the true way and true teachers who can teach me the right method to cultivate and to reach my goal. This is the third time I have come to CTTB [the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas]. The first time, I led a normal life at the City because there was no session going on. The second time, I learned meditation, and this time I have learned recitation.
I have a hard time understanding Chinese, but over here I feel so comfortable and peaceful. Being here has helped me a lot. I strongly believe that one day, with my sincere vow from the bottom of my heart, my dream will come true. The following is my daily schedule:
4 hours of Sutra recitation, including repentance
2 hours of meditation
108 recitations of the Great Compassion Mantra
10,000 recitations of "Namo Amitabha"
bowing 1,700 times
My dear Dharma friends! Do not waste time like I did. Do not be as stupid as I was or wait until you're old like I did. Do not look for money like I did. Try your best to find the right way but not Highway 101. Find the Buddha way, the Buddha's teaching, as the abbot said yesterday. Go to the end of the right way, but not Highway 101. May all beings be happy and peaceful. Amitabha!
Now we have a couple of minutes. If you have any questions about me you may ask.
QUESTION: How do you get to know about CTTB?
ANSWER: This is a very good question. I didn't know this place even after I came many times because my children are staying here. One day my child gave me a flyer about a meditation session here. At that time, I called this place and asked them to send me an application. They sent the application to me by fax. The next day I sent it back and asked to stay for three days. Unfortunately, there was no session then. I didn't get any answer, but flew here anyway because it was in my schedule. I met the abbot and his assistant and they allowed me to stay. And I was so happy and peaceful living here for three days. At that time, it was 103 degrees but I didn't feel it at all. I'd like to add one more thing. At that time I knew nobody here and at the last minute before I left to fly back home, I went directly to the abbot's office to ask him about meditation, because there was no session going on. I had to learn something before I went home and he so kindly talked to me for about ten or twenty minutes.
QUESTION: Could you please tell us about what you learned from the other Buddhist monasteries that you have visited?
ANSWER: This is a long answer, but I'll make it brief. Actually, I took refuge in 1962. Don't laugh at me, but I forgot about the teacher, the temple, and the Buddha, and I went looking for money. That's why I ask you not to waste time looking for money but now I try my best. I challenge you. In this country, Buddhism appears to be strong and flourishing because many Americans and foreigners try to learn Buddhism. Since they are so materialistic, they want to cultivate in order to find peace of mind. And there is one way to help them, which is to go back to the Buddha's teaching. But our Master said that out of 10,000 monks and nuns, it's very hard to find a real one. We have to know that. We have to go back to our house and not look outside. Do not go down Highway 101. Actually, the Americans and the foreigners have helped me to return to the Buddha's teaching. Amitabha!
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