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今天分會共修的功課，是誦〈普門品〉及一○八遍的〈大悲咒〉，師父上人曾說：每天虔誠持誦一○八遍〈大悲咒〉，連續三年，那時以〈大悲咒〉來為人治病，就手到病除。上人希望每個人以〈大悲咒〉的力量，來挽救世界浩劫，讓人們永無災難，令正法永住世間。
今天我們在這裡一起共修、誦經持咒，是相當難得的。有時我在家想持一○八遍的〈大悲咒〉，往往中間會被一些雜事打斷，甚或因為妄想，要花比較長的時間，但在分會藉大家共修的力量，我們可以持續不斷念一○八遍的〈大悲咒〉，這正是親近道場的力量。
能夠親近道場，是很好的。上個星期，我前往萬佛聖城參加聖城的剃度大典，我女兒親玲也在這次出家了。親玲她學佛比較慢，但她來道場才幾次，在法師及師兄的帶領下，就菩提根發芽。這次出家的女眾有八位，其中有五位臺灣人。
在剃度大典的前一天晚上，大家都要上台報告出家的因緣。這八位女眾中，年紀最大的是一位六十歲的美國人，她說是在父母親皆往生後，才滿了出家的願。親玲上台報告時說，她是在唸大一那年（二年前）的暑假，來到聖城擔任兒童夏令營的義務老師，那次她聽到一位法師講了一個故事。法師說曾有一位女孩子想出家，那時她念大一，但是她想：大二時再出家好了；大二那年又想，再等一年，大三時再出家；唸大三時又想，明年再出家吧。
結果，大四她就「出嫁」了。法師說，光陰一走就可能錯過了。這個故事使親玲認真思考修行的事，也促成她日後出家的因緣。
這次，我到美國，是先到法界聖城，然後再到萬佛聖城。萬佛聖城是一個清淨莊嚴的道場，我到了聖城，除了早晚課、拜懺、聽經等各項功課外，也幫忙道場的工作，從早到晚少有空閒能休息，但是除了第一天因為時差的關係，晚上聽經曾打瞌睡外，接著的幾天日子裡，功課、 作再忙，一點也不覺得累，而且身心都覺得很充實，可說是法喜充滿，不像在臺灣上班時，會想睡午覺，會想休息，我想親近道場，其不可思議的力量就在其中吧！
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Today our group practice is to recite the “Universal Door Chapter” once and the Great Compassion Mantra 108 times. The Venerable Master once said, “Having sincerely recited the Great Compassion Mantra 108 times daily for three years, if you use the mantra to heal a sick person, you will cure that person.” The Venerable Master hoped that by relying upon the strength of the Great Compassion Mantra, we would be able to save the world from calamities so that the Buddhadharma would remain forever in this world.
We have gathered here today to cultivate; it is a rare opportunity to be able to recite sutras and mantras. Sometimes at home, when I tried to recite the Great Compassion Mantra 108 times, I would be interrupted by some mundane affairs, or due to random thoughts, it would take me a longer time. Here, through the energy of our collective practice, we are able to recite 108 times without interruption. This is the power of drawing near a Way-place.
It is very good to be able to come to a Way-place. Last week, I attended the Head-shaving Ceremony at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas where my daughter, Chin Ling left the home life. She was slower in the study of Buddhism, but after coming to the Way-place just a few times, her Bodhi roots sprouted under the guidance of the Dharma Masters and her fellow cultivators. Of the eight women who left the home life this time, five were Taiwanese.
On the eve of the Head-shaving Ceremony, everyone had to go up the stage to say why they wanted to leave home. The oldest in this group of eight women was a 60-year-old American lady. She said she was able to fulfill her vow to leave home only after her parents’ death. My daughter reported that when she went to the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas (CTTB) to be a volunteer teacher at the Summer Youth Camp two years ago, she heard a Dharma Master tell the following story.
The Dharma Master said that there was a woman who wanted to leave the home life. At that time, she was a freshman in college, but she thought, “I’ll leave the home life next year when I’m a sophomore.” The following year, she thought, “I’ll wait one more year and leave home when I am a junior.” In her junior year, she thought once more, “I think I’ll wait one more year.”
In the end, in her senior year, she left the “spinster” life and got married. The Dharma Master added, “Once time passes, the opportunity could be lost.” This story inspired Chin Ling to take cultivation seriously and motivated her to leave home.
This time, on my trip to America, I went first to the City of the Dharma Realm before going to CTTB. CTTB is a pure and adorned Way-place. Besides morning and evening recitations, bowing repentance, listening to sutras and various other activities, I also helped in other Buddhist work. From morning till night, there is little free time to rest. Apart from the first evening when I fell asleep while listening to sutra lecture, I didn’t feel tired at all. My whole being felt very fulfilled and full of Dharma bliss. This is quite different from working in Taiwan where I always yearn for afternoon naps and rests. I think drawing near a Way-place, one experiences an incredible energy!
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