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花蓮東凈寺開示
上人：我到臺灣來過很多次，花蓮這個地方還是頭一次。這花蓮也就是蓮花，蓮花的地就是佛地、是菩薩地、是聲聞、緣覺地，我們在這塊土地上居住，都應該是與佛有緣的，就不管信佛沒有信佛都得到佛光普照，雨露均霑。在這個土地上可以把它創造成極樂世界，創造成清涼安樂的一個土地。三年以前，有董委員正之先生，陸建鏗老居士，和王大任代表，聯名要求我到臺灣來做護國息災觀音法會，前前後後寫了有十多封信邀請我，我始終是抽不出時間到臺灣來。今年在這個沒有時間之中，我抽出兩個禮拜的時間，來到臺灣和各位善知識，諸山長老，大德高僧，以及善長仁翁、長者居士再一次見面，共同研究佛法，希望能把這個世界災劫消滅於無形。
世界為什麼這麼多的災難？為什麼又地震、又有颱風、又有種種的疾病來侵擾一般人的心裏，令一般人終日惶惶、戰戰兢兢？都是由我們人的這個貪、瞋、癡所造成的。我們只知道貪圖自己的利益，而忘了其他人的利益，貪不到就生出怨天尤人的思想，生怒氣、發脾氣，自己和自己就開了戰，這善念勝不過這個惡念，就生出一種愚癡的行為和思想。你有愚癡的思想才有愚癡的行為，愚癡的行為一發展出來了，就是危害國家、危害社會、危害個人的身心性命，這都是一念造成的這些災劫。有這些災劫，所以人才知道恐懼；其實這些災劫都是在我們一開始的時候不小心，所以到「因地不真，果遭紆曲」的時候，才知道恐懼。
三年以前董委員寫信告訴我，說是颳颱風死了幾十人，房子吹倒了幾千多間，財產的損失不知道有多少，所以要求我來做這個護國息災觀音救民的大悲法會。可是我當時很對不起沒有來，以後接接連連的，不斷的給我寫信，催促我快一點到臺灣來做這個法會，所以在今年就是現在，我在百忙之中，把美國一切的事務放下才能和各位見面。
我所要說的話，就是大家都能回心向善，做種種的功德，化戾氣為祥和，把瞋恨心要除去，把煩惱心要除去，把發脾氣的心要除去，總而言之把一切一切的惡念頭要改成善念，改成菩提心，這樣子一切災難自然都不會發生的，這是非常要緊的道理，這也是治本的辦法，根本解決問題很重要的方法。那麼再能配合不爭，我們心裏要不爭，家裏也沒有爭爭吵吵；家裏沒有爭爭吵吵，就和睦在一起；家裏既然和睦了，社會也就安定了；社會安定了，一切麻煩也都沒有了，這時候我們國家也會富強，也會一天比一天興盛。
國要富，須要民強，這個「強」不是剛強的強，這個強就是很強壯的，沒有什麼愛死病，沒有什麼癌病，沒有什麼奇難雜症，和取不出名的這些怪病，這些問題自然都解決了。今天和大家非常有緣，我說的話聽來是很淺顯，可是你要會用它，是微妙不可思議的力量在裏頭包容著。希望各位用你的智慧，來選擇你走的光明正大的道路，世界也和平，國家也安定，人也沒有災難了。
待續
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 Instructional Talk at Eastern Purity Monastery, Hualien
Venerable Master:
I’ve been to Taiwan many times, but this is my first visit to Hualian (Flower Lotus). Hualian is the land of lotus flowers (lian hua), of Buddhas, of Bodhisattvas, of Hearers and Those Enlightened to Conditions. Anyone living here should have affinities with the Buddha. Whether or not you believe in the Buddha, you are pervasively illuminated by the Buddha’s light and nourished by his dewdrops. You can turn this area into the Land of Ultimate Bliss, a cool and peaceful place.
Three years ago, Chairman of the Board Lu Jiankeng and Representative Wang Dareng asked me to come to Taiwan to hold a Guanyin Bodhisattva’s Dharma Assembly to Protect the Nation and Quell Disasters. They sent more than a dozen letters, but I never had the time in my schedule. This year, I took two weeks of my time though I have no time. I have come to Taiwan again to see you good advisors, leaders of various monasteries, greatly virtuous ones and eminent Sanghans, elders, and laypeople. I hope to study the Buddhadharma with you and dispel the world’s calamities.
Why are there so many disasters in the world? Why are there earthquakes, typhoons, and diseases that distress people so that they live in constant fear and anxiety? This is all because of people’s greed, anger, and delusion. People are only greedy for their own gain and forget to benefit others. Unable to have their wishes fulfilled, they complain about gods and blame people. They become angry. They are fraught with internal battles. When their good thoughts can’t defeat their evil thoughts, they give in to those ideas and act upon them. Since their thoughts are foolish, their actions are foolish. Acting on those thoughts, they harm their country and hurt their inherent nature and existence. This is all because of one thought. People in turn become fearful because of these disasters. Actually, all these problems originate because we are not careful at the start. Untrue on the ground of causes, we attract distorted results. We only know to be scared when we face the consequences.
The Chairman of the Board wrote to me three years ago, telling me that a typhoon had killed several dozens of people, knocked down several thousand houses, and caused an unknown amount of damage. He therefore asked me to come and hold a Great Compassion Dharma Assembly to protect the nation and save its people. I apologize for not being able to make it then. Later, he continued to write and urged me to come to Taiwan soon for this Dharma Assembly. This year, I have dropped everything that I needed to take care of in the United States so that I could come and see all of you.
What I want to say is that all of you should focus your mind on goodness and do all kinds of merit and virtue, turn violence into auspiciousness, eliminate hatred, afflictions, and temper. In general, turn all your evil thoughts into good thoughts, into the resolve for Bodhi. That way, you will naturally prevent all disasters from occurring. This is an extremely important principle and a solution that resolves problems at their root. We need to complement this with non-contention. If we do not contend as individuals, there will be no contention in our families. Our families will be in harmony. Following that, the society will be at peace and as a result, there will be no problems. By then, our nation will become more and more prosperous by the day.
For the nation to become rich, its people must be strong. “Strong” here doesn’t mean “obstinate”, but healthy—where no one has AIDS, cancer, or other incurable, bizarre, and nameless diseases. Without these diseases, problems will naturally disappear.
I have lots of affinities with all of you here today. The things that I say seem basic, but if you know how to put them to use, they contain the most subtle, wonderful, and inconceivable powers. I hope that all of you will use your wisdom to choose the correct path to brightness. The world will then be at peace, the nation will be stable, and people will be free from disasters.
To be continued
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