|
比丘恆實：
現在向各位介紹三位大德，中間是錫蘭來的潘那絡卡長老，明天他給戒子們祝福。他右手邊是西拉維瑪拉法師，住柏克萊；他從1976年我受戒那年就每年來傳戒，是聖城的老朋友了。他跟宣公上人的緣份很深。
我右手邊這位是瓦波拉﹒毘雅那達法師，也來萬佛城很多次了。事實上，多年前他第一次來美國時，我到機場去接他的。他第一次來三藩市，就直接去金山寺，師父上人是第一個跟他說話的人。他在洛杉磯弘揚佛法很成功，建廟，出版刊物，教化眾生
。我現在請西拉維瑪拉法師講幾句話。
西拉維瑪拉長者：
各位萬佛城長老、法師、居士們：
就像恆實法師講的，我跟毘亞難達長者倆20年前到美國時，就開始親近金山寺和萬佛城。我們的師父是〈美京〉華盛頓佛教精舍的住持，他在美國建立了第一座南傳寺廟，是上人很近的朋友，上人還請他擔任學院的教授。
上人一有萬佛城時，我有幸隨我的老師毘亞難達法師來到聖城。雖然令我只是個年輕的出家人，不知為什麼我常受到宣公上人的邀請，來參加萬佛聖城的各種活動，包括每次的傳戒。
今天非常感激恒實、恒律兩位法師，讓我們有機會參加這個具歷史性的隆重法會。若沒有僧團，恐怕佛法僧三寶也沒有辦法繼續。各個佛教國家，包括泰國、錫蘭、緬甸、韓國、日本及中國，都有大德高僧到美國來。他們都很誠心，其中宣公上人無疑是最偉大的一位。
在道德沉淪的世界，佛法一天天衰弱，宣公上人非常堅定地認為出家人一定要以戒為師，以戒為基礎：這很重要。當東方的和尚，將佛法連同修行帶來時，這個國家很多人都相信戒律是限制自由的，但是東方來的真正大德高僧，都知道戒律並非限制人的自由。
戒律，可讓人得到最高的解脫；持戒，不但自己，連周遭的人也可得到最高的安樂。如果你有幸跟持戒的人在一起，你生活必定安樂。佛的這些重要的，有價值的教導，宣公上人都知道，所以他不論到什麼地方，都叫人遵守戒律。因為這個，他鼓勵有意學佛修行的人都有「遵守清淨戒」的教誨。因為上人堅持淨戒，所以他的僧團都能依教奉行，因而自己和僧團都得以安樂。
所有僧團，特別是明天登壇受具足戒的人，都非常幸運。你想，在這個國家和全世界，有多少人有這麼大的福報，這麼大的佛緣，可以受具足戒，發心修持清淨戒呢？非常少的。持戒，不但可利益自己，同時可利益他人；不修戒就得不到定力，沒有定力就談不上智慧。持戒，就會有定力
，定力從安詳的心靈來的；心安靈詳，是由持戒而成，戒品修成了，內外都會和合；心裏不和，外邊就有煩惱；有煩惱就表示沒有定力。
我們心裏什麼時候平靜了，什麼時候就會認清一切境界；什麼時候心裏有定，什麼時候就會看到一切的因果：因果是人生的主要基礎。如果你認不清因果，一切問題恐怕都很難解決。我們心裡有戒，身體就有戒；心裏就有定，就會清淨明白；心裏清淨明白，因果都會現出來。你認清楚因果了，就能很快地解決人生問題、社會問題、國家問題等，都能解決。當我們有能力解決問題時，外邊都會有和諧的環境，這個環境幫助我們持戒。哪裏有戒，就有定；哪裏有定，就有慧；智慧般若出現了，就會有戒律。宣公上人為什麼叫我們堅持戒律？因為他自己有很大的智慧，看得清楚。各位發心明天登壇受具足戒，也是因為有多多少少的智慧在。
上人很願意講經說法，不但自己講，還請了許多大德高僧來講，因為他希望啟發人的智慧。各位很有福報，能經常聽聞佛法；常聽法，就有聞、思、修的聞德，就能聽到佛法的一種智慧。我們注意聽聞佛法，慢慢就會聽出很多真理；那個真理就是智慧；智慧示現了，你就認識持戒的重要性了。所以戒、定、慧，哪個在先？三位一體分不開，是同時存在的。
你常聽聞佛法，你的文宇般若就強了；你回去再想想，想多了就會發現觀照般若；你的觀照般若實現了，你就想多聽，就會持戒守規矩。你的觀照般若增長，就會發心修禪定打坐；你聽聞佛法聽多了，就能持戒堅固，慢慢就有了實相般若。文字般若就因為聽聞佛法聽多了，慢慢就會修成觀照般若；有了觀照般若，你看到持戒的重要性，就會支持實相般若；實相般若出來了，自己就能認識宇宙間的一切人和事。我們有實相般若，你會知道原來持戒對人人有這麼多好處
；能修定，對一切眾生有這麼大好處，甚至於我修般若，就是給誰很多意義，你就會想為大家說說佛法。
釋迦牟尼佛就是這樣到處為人說法，宣公上人也是盡量為人說法；因為他證得了佛法的好處，心裡有強烈的度生之願，要把佛法教導給他所認識的眾生。無論誰，有機會遇到佛住世，都是非常有福報的
。
任何人有機會認識龍樹菩薩和佛鳴大師及所有其他大師，也是非常有福報的；有機會接近宣公上人，聽聞佛法，也是非常有福報的。所以不要把這機會看得很平常。我很感激宣公上人，讓我有機會來萬佛城，因為在這裡有很多大法師、大德高僧，激起我們發心。我們在這裡也是追隨釋迦牟尼佛，接近佛法，修行佛法。在萬佛城受具足戒的出家眾，你們發心一輩子修行佛法，可說是非常富有的。
明天有許多沙彌、沙彌尼登壇受具足戒，你們上去後要更高一層地修道，希望你們繼續聽聞佛法，真正修行佛法，然後用觀照般若知道心裡，發起修真正戒品的心；戒品清淨的話，定力都會現前，你們知道佛法令你們的生命改善，這是我對你們的希望。我代表在座的潘那絡卡長老，非常感激明天有機會能跟你們在一起為遵證，明天一切所傳的都如法成就。祝各位明天準備受其足戒的沙彌、沙彌尼，給你們所需的力量，祝你們道業圓滿成就。因為你們準備上路，而你們的工作，可說是全宇宙最不容易做的。祝你們健康快樂。
待續
|
|
Bhikshu Heng Sure:
Sitting in the middle is Venerable Pannaloka who is from Sri
Lanka. He has come here to bless the Precept ordination
tomorrow... He is the elder here. Sitting to his right is an
old friend of the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, Bhante
Seelawimala. I think he has been here for every precept
ordination since mine in 1976... so many years and so many
times. He and Venerable Master Hsuan Hua had strong
affinities. Sitting to my immediate right is Venerable
Bhante Walpola Piyananda, who also has been to the City of
Ten Thousand Buddhas many times. In fact, I think I went to
the airport to greet him when he first came to America many
years ago. He came to Gold Mountain Monastery and I think
Ven. Master Hua was the first person who spoke with him. He
has gone to Los Angeles and introduced the Buddhadharma
there and has great success with starting temples, issuing
publications and teaching and transforming living beings. So
I am going to ask Bhante Seelawimala to say a few words and
I'll translate into Chinese. Then possibly we can get
Venerable Piyananda to say a few words as well.
Venerable Bhante Seelawimala:
Namo Tassa Bhagavato Arahato Samma Sambuddhasa, Nama Tassa
Bhagavato Arahato Samma Sambuddhasa. Venerable Heng Sure,
and other senior monks and nuns and lay devotees.
As Venerable Heng Sure mentioned we have
very close affinities with Ven. Master Hua since Bhante
Piyananda and I arrived in this country about twenty years
ago and started this close relationship with Gold Mountain
Monastery and the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas. My teacher,
who was the head of the Washington Buddhist Vihara and
founded the first Theravada Buddhism in this country, was
one of the closest friends of Ven. Master Hua and was one of
the members of the faculty.
As soon as Ven. Master Hua moved to the
City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, I was fortunate to come with
my teacher, Venerable Master Piyananda. For some reason,
although I was a young monk, Venerable Master Hua had a
special liking for me and he never failed to invite me to
all the auspicious occasions at this temple, including all
these ordination ceremonies.
Today, I'm very grateful to Ven. Masters
Heng Sure and Heng Lyu for giving us an opportunity to still
come here and participate in this very historic occasion
every year. Without the Sangha members, the Sasana [Buddhist
teachings] would not continue in any country. All the
masters have arrived in this country from various countries
like Thailand, Sri Lanka, Burma, Korea, Japan, and China.
All these masters were very dedicated, and one of the
greatest monks, as you see, has been Venerable Master Hua.
In the time of decadence, which we call
Kaliyuga, when the Dharma is becoming weaker and weaker,
Master Hua strongly believed in the fact that monks and nuns
should have strong practice and strong Sila [morality] and
follow the Pratimoksha [disciplinary code]. "When the
eastern monks brought the teachings of the Buddha with the
practice, America was full of those who believed that Sila
was restricting their freedom of life. But the greatest
leaders and teachers, who came from the East,knew that Sila
does not restrict life.
Sila is giving the maximum highest
freedom to all lives. Following Sila gives the maximum
security for oneself and for the people around you. If you
are fortunate to live around people who practice Sila, your
life is very secure and your happiness is guaranteed.
Knowing this very valuable, very important fact told by the
Buddha, Master Hua always insisted that we should all
practice Sila. For this reason, he encouraged all the young
people who are interested in learning and practicing Dharma
to follow the precepts to the letter. Because of Master
Hua's very strong insistence, all the Sangha members, monks
and nuns, were fortunate to be able to follow that advice,
and by doing that to secure themselves and secure the
community.
All these monks and nuns, especially
those who are going to observe higher precepts tomorrow, are
very fortunate for being able to do so. If you think of the
millions of people who live in this country and other parts
of the world, how many of those people become fortunate
enough to commit themselves to the practice and teachings of
the Buddha, and by doing so help themselves and others?
Without following the Sila, there cannot exist samadhi in
any mind. Without samadhi, there cannot be prajna, which is
wisdom "When you practice Sila, the rules and regulations
are designed to secure you and bring you peace of mind. In
that mind there arises samadhi. The result of a meditation
practice arises only when there is Sila in the practice, in
that person's life. "Where there is Sila, there is harmony
internally and externally. When there is no harmony, lit
there is constant conflict. When there's constant conflict
within and : without, there's no peace, which is samadhi.
When the mind is focused, when the mind
is calm, and when the mind is peaceful, then you begin to
see things clearly for yourself. When samadhi or the clarity
of seeing things is there, that's where you see cause and
effect, which is the main foundation of all existence.
Without seeing cause and effect, there's no solving of
problems. When there's Sila, there's samadhi and when
there's samadhi, there's clarity of seeing things. When
there's clarity of seeing things, you see cause and effect.
When you see cause and effect, you are able to become very
effective in solving and understanding and resolving these
problems of life, problems of community, and problems of
society and so on. When you have the ability to see problems
and to solve them, then there begins the harmony that is
generated from Sila again. When there is Sila, there is
samadhi, when there is samadhi, there is prajna. When there
is prajna, there's Sila again.
Master Hua insisted that we should all
have Sila because he had a lot of prajna, which is wisdom.
All of you who are committing yourselves to follow the Sila,
are doing it because you had some level of wisdom. Master
Hua was very eager to teach Dharma every opportunity that he
had, and he invited all the great teachers to teach you
Dharma for the purpose of generating wisdom in general. All
of you are very fortunate to hear Dharma very often. By
doing so, by experience, by listening to the Dharma, you
generate suta-maya-panna which is the wisdom that is
generated from listening, which is basic wisdom. When you
listen to the teachings, you listen to the Dharma closely.
You begin to see things, to some extent clearly, and as a
result, you begin to see how important it is to follow the
Sila. Here, you can see one thing is not first. Which one is
first? Is it Sila, or samadhi, or prajna? You cannot tell.
They go together simultaneously.
By regularly listening to Dharma, you
develop suta-maya-panna, wisdom that comes from listening to
the Dharma, and then you go home and start thinking about
it. Then you generate wisdom called cinta-maya-panna, wisdom
that is developed through contemplation. When you listen to
the Dharma, and when you contemplate those facts that you
learn from the Dharma, you develop a desire to follow the
guidance, follow the rules and the regulations which is Sila,
and also to practice meditation. When you keep listening to
the Dharma, and you keep following the Sila, you develop
further prajna, which is called "prajna that develops into
direct experience."
We begin with suta-maya-panna, wisdom
that is generated from listening, and then we develop wisdom
that comes though contemplation and, finally, by following
the practice, you can fully realize the facts of life and
the facts of existence, which is the Dharma.
When you begin to see things clearly for
yourself... how Dharma is so beneficial to everyone,
following the Sila is so beneficial to everyone, practicing
of samadhi is so beneficial to everyone, you will develop
the desire to share that knowledge with others. That is what
Shakyamuni Buddha did originally, and the later great
teachers did the same thing, sharing the Dharma as much as
possible. Master Hua was one of the greatest examples who
realized the Dharma and had the strong desire to share with
others, and guide the other fellow members of the community
in the same path.
Anyone who had the opportunity of meeting
someone like Shakyamuni Buddha is very fortunate. Anyone who
had the opportunity to meet a great teacher like Nagarjuna
or Buddhaghosa or any of the other great teachers are very
fortunate themselves. All of you who have been sitting here
for many years at this temple, meeting and listening to a
great teacher like Master Hua are very fortunate. You should
not take this opportunity lightly. I am really grateful to
Master Hua and all the other great teachers who have given
this inspiration to all of you to follow the teachings of
the Buddha, and by doing so healing thousands of minds in
this country and other parts of the world. Most of the
Sangha members who received ordination here, and who became
the disciples of the Master, all monks and nuns, have been
dedicating their lives as much as possible, for the practice
of sharing the Dharma.
Tomorrow, a certain number of monks and
nuns are receiving higher ordination which is the "go ahead"
and the assurance for higher practice. You are very
fortunate and I hope that you will really listen to the
Dharma, study the Dharma, read the Dharma and contemplate
it. By doing so, generate the desire to follow the Sila and
generate the desire to gain samadhi and meditate. By doing
so, improve your own life and help to improve the lives of
all living beings. On behalf of Venerable Pannaloka Maha
Thera, who is sitting here with me, and also Venerable
Piyananda Maha Thera, I am grateful to all the Sangha
members here for giving us the opportunity to sit and
witness this ceremony tomorrow morning, as we have done in
the past years. I wish all the novice monks and nuns, who
will be receiving high ordination tomorrow and becoming
bhikshus and bhikshunis, all the strength to follow the
teachings of the Buddha and be successful. The mission,
which is the hardest mission in the whole universe, is the
practice and sharing of the Dharma. All of you who are
sitting here this evening, I wish you good health and
happiness.
~ To be continued
|
