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聽已能持。持已能誦。誦已能說。說已能書。
若使人書。供養經卷。恭敬尊重讚歎。
聽了之後，這「聽已」。「能持」：聽了《法華經》之後，不是就這麼聽完了就算了；你要能念誦受持這個《法華經》，那麼受持。「持已」：怎麼叫持呢？持就是恆持，恆持就是常常要持，要來學這個《法華經》，這就叫恆持。要不學了呢？那就不恆持了。那麼「持已」，等你受持這《法華經》時間久，就「能誦」；就離開這《法華經》的本子也能誦了，就可以記得了。「誦已」，不是說能念誦，這個持，就是念誦《法華經》，這個「誦」呢？就是背誦《法華經》，離開本子了。對著本子這就叫做持，又叫讀；離開本子這就叫誦了。「誦已能說」：不單能誦了，而且還能講了。「說已能書」：能講了之後，不是單單能講就完了，還要能書寫。這是五種法師，讀、誦、受持、書寫、講說，來做這個法師，「說已」說完了，就「能書」，能寫出來，能把這一部經都寫出來。我那邊有個如蓮法師，這如蓮法師他寫字寫得非常好，他天天就這麼結上雙跏趺坐，坐到自己房間裡就寫這《法華經》。寫完了，他把它影印出來，印了一部《法華經》。他寫字寫得非常好。這位和尚，以前是個做官的。以後出家就專門寫《法華經》。「若使人書」：說自己不會寫字，可以請其他的人來寫。寫完了幹什麼呢？「供養經卷」：寫完了一部經，自己就叩頭頂禮，拜誦這個《法華經》。「恭敬、尊重、讚歎」：恭敬這個《法華經》，讚歎、尊重這個《法華經》，讚歎這個《法華經》。這《法華經》，你看！諸佛都來這兒給證明，多寶如來也來給證明，這是最妙的不可思議了。你有一分的恭敬心，就得到一分這種感應的好處，你有十分的恭敬心，就得到十分這感應的好處。所以你遇到這個《法華經》，不要隨隨便便地就把它空過了。所以你們這些人能聽見《法華經》，這是不可思議的，你們以前的父親、母親、祖父、祖母，乃至於這個祖父的父親、母親，都可以說是沒有聽過《法華經》，現在你們這個後人聽過《法華經》了，這都叫「超祖拔玄」－超過你們的祖宗的德行了，所以這是不可思議的境界，你們各位不要認為這個事情是一個很平常的事情，你們現在來學這個佛法，這都是有大善根、有大德行的，才能來聽經，學習佛法。
那麼再向大家講一講我們佛堂這一個好消息，現在每天晚間都很多人，這個佛堂就很小的，人都是很大的，所以大人坐到這個小佛堂裡，就沒有地方，沒有空餘的地方，所以說是「坐無虛席」。坐無虛席，就是沒有一張凳子沒有人坐的，所有的凳子都有人坐了。那麼在這種情形之下，就要找一個大的地方，所以佛教講堂的比丘、比丘尼、優婆塞、優婆夷，每天晚間就念大悲咒。念咒就說這個佛堂快一點長大，這個講堂快點長大了，好坐多一點人。那麼唸了這麼多天的咒，在這個禮拜我相信這個佛堂會長大的，可以長到多大呢？可以坐到四、五百人，這麼大間佛堂，能長這麼大。長大了，坐了四、五百人，恐怕還有空餘的地方，你們說這妙不妙啊？這一個小佛堂會長大了，你們想不到，等到大的時候，你就知道這是真不可思議了。
那麼今天對大家講一講這個好消息，你們大家回到家裡，也幫著念咒，說佛教講堂快一點長大，中美佛教會也快點往大長。長得有多大？越大越好。那麼越大越好就人多多都可以有地方坐了，好像普陀山那個普濟寺，那個大殿裡，你看的不大。但是你有一千人，這也可以站得開，有一萬人，這個地方也有地方；有十萬個人，這個大殿裡還可以有地方。所以這就是不可思議的一個寶殿。
我們這回，也唸咒唸出來一個寶堂，這個寶堂也就是能大能小。人多一點，它就大一點，人少一點，它就小一點，你們沒有聽說過這麼樣子妙的境界。
我們將來的道場一定就是會這樣子，有這種的功能，人多它就往大一點長，人少它就再縮小一點，你們誰要是不相信，你就試一試。你在佛教講堂或者中美佛教會經過三年的時間你就知道啊！是這樣子，這個佛堂，這個講堂，人多它就大了，人少它就小了，就知道我今天給你們講這個好消息，是真實不虛的。
有的人就會說，我永遠都不相信有這樣的道場；等你看見的時候，你不相信都要相信了。你沒有看見的時候，我叫你相信，你不會相信的。等你看見的時候，我不叫你相信，你也會相信了。所以現在不是相信不相信這個問題，是等到將來你就知道了。在我們第一個暑假班，1968年正月初一，我就對一個，也不知道他是佛教徒，還是一個魔王的弟子說：「今年哪，這美國的佛教要開一朵大蓮花。」他說：「真的嗎？」我說：「將來你會看見的。」那麼，暑假班開始，他不敢看這一朵蓮花，嚇跑了。這朵蓮花開了，他也見不著。
待續 |
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Having heard
it, they will uphold it; having upheld it, they will recite
it; having recited it, they will be able to speak it; having
spoken it, they will be able to write it out; to cause
others to write it out; to make offerings to it; to revere,
honor, and praise it.
Having heard it, they will uphold it. They won’t just
listen to the Dharma Flower Sutra and then forget it. They
will reread and recite it, accept and uphold it. They will
constantly uphold this Sutra and always study it. If one
does not study it, then one cannot be considered to be
constantly upholding it. Having upheld it for a long time,
they will recite it from memory, without having to look at
the book. “Upholding” the Sutra means reading it from the
book. “Reciting” it means reciting it from memory. Having
recited it, they will be able to speak it; having spoken it,
they will be able to write it out. It isn’t enough to just
be able to lecture on the Sutra. One must also be able to
write it out. This refers to the Five Kinds of Dharma
Masters: those who (1) read, (2) recite, (3) receive and
uphold, (4) write out, and (5) explain the Sutras. I once
knew a Dharma Master named Ru Lian whose calligraphy was
excellent. Every day he sat in his room in full lotus and
wrote out the Dharma Flower Sutra. It was later published.
Previously he had been an official but later he left home
and exclusively wrote out the Dharma Flower Sutra.
They will also be able to cause others to write it out; to
make offerings to it; to revere, honor, and praise it. If
one cannot write it out, one can ask others to write it out.
After the Sutra is completely written out, one can bow to
and revere it, praise it, make offerings to it, honor it,
and recite it.
All the Buddhas, including the Buddha Many Jewels, certify
that the Dharma Flower Sutra is the most wonderful and
inconceivable of dharmas. For every part of sincerity you
bring, you will receive that much of a response. If you have
ten parts sincerity, you will receive ten parts of benefit
in response. You should not take it for granted and waste
your time. It is inconceivable to be able to hear the Dharma
Flower Sutra. Your parents, grandparents, and great
grandparents never heard it, but you get to hear it. You
have outdone your ancestors in this regard in terms of merit
and virtue. This is an inconceivable state; don’t think it’s
ordinary. Your study of the Buddhadharma now means that you
have great good roots and virtuous practice.
I have some good news. Now, every night many people gather
in this small Buddhahall and there is not enough room. It is
standing room only. Every seat is filled and there are no
empty seats. So we need to find a bigger place. Every
evening all of you Bhikshus, Bhikshunis, Upasakas, and
Upasikas have been reciting the Great Compassion Mantra
hoping to enlarge the lecture hall! You have been reciting
for so many days, and I believe the hall will get bigger.
How big? Large enough to hold four or five hundred people. I
think it will happen this week! Is that wonderful or not?
You wouldn’t think this little lecture hall could grow so
large; wait until it happens and you’ll see it’s really
inconceivable. You can recite at home, too, to help the
Buddhist Lecture Hall and the Sino-American Buddhist
Association expand quickly. The bigger they get, the better.
The more people the better. Then even when many people come,
they will all have a place to sit.
At Putuo Mountain, the Great Hall in Puji Temple appears to
be one size, not too big, but it expands to accomodate a
thousand people, ten thousand people, or even a hundred
thousand people, with more space remaining. This is an
inconceivable jeweled hall.
We want such a hall here, that will expand to fit exactly
the number of people who come. If you don’t believe we will
have that here, just wait three years and see what happens.
That’s my true, real good news for the evening.
Some people think, “I’ll never believe it.” Wait until you
see it happen. When it happens, you will believe in what you
don’t believe. If you haven’t seen it and you don’t believe
it, there is nothing I can do to make you believe it. Once
you see it for yourself, I won’t have to convince you. It’s
not a question of believing or not believing it; it’s a
matter of waiting until you see it. Then you will know.
On January 1, 1968, the year of the first Summer Session, I
said to someone—I don’t know if he was a Buddhist disciple
or a demon king’s disciple—I said, “A great lotus flower is
about to bloom in American Buddhism.” “Really?” he asked.
“Wait and see,” I said.
The Summer Session got underway, but he didn’t have the
courage to see the lotus flower blossom. He ran off and
never got the chance to see it.
To be continued
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