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清早三點半，板響，隨之展開了一天的作息。穿著層層衣服，披著厚厚圍巾，大眾緩步進入佛殿。中、英語輪換的早課完畢後，念三遍楞嚴咒。法界佛教總會（法總）所有分支道場的每日功課差不多都是如此，只是這次很特別的是在澳洲。
位於在澳洲昆士蘭的金岸法界，是法總的最新道場。佔地二十英畝，座落在慕茱拉芭郊區，是優美的修行好地方。佛殿、禪堂、圖書館、寮房，分別設在不同的建築物內，就像一個「迷你」聖城。還有一條羅漢道，提供了經行及曬太陽的地方。
楞嚴法會在今年五月二十七開始，由比丘尼近含法師首先開講，詳述本經大綱，又與比丘尼恆持法師合講本經的頭三卷。比丘恆實法師，接著講述五十陰魔的種種境界。
講習班期間每天二堂講經，一堂複習，外加運動、打坐、出坡。現有六位法師及二十六人與會；其中年齡由20至32的有七位（六人來自北美和一位馬來西亞），五十歲以上（二位澳洲人、紐西蘭、新加坡和印尼各一，其餘來自馬來西亞）。人人精進用功，學習《楞嚴經》及楞嚴咒。
金岸法界有許多頭一遭：上星期日在大殿傳三皈五戒，之後在室外羅漢道邊傳幽冥戒。當天天氣很好，鳥也來觀禮了。其中有一種特別的鳥，叫笑翠鳥，在儀式進行中也來護法。幾天後，一位在家居士潘蜜拉落髮了，成為法總在澳洲的第一位沙彌尼，她的法名是近海。
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At 3:30 a.m. the boards are hit, signaling that it’s time to begin the day. Everyone wearing layers of clothes and wrapped in a scarf, slowly marches into the Buddha Hall. After the morning ceremony, done in English or Chinese, we recite the Shurangama Mantra three times. This seems to be the daily routine at all Dharma Realm Buddhist Association (DRBA) branches, but this time, we’re doing this in Australia.
Gold Coast Dharma Realm (GCDR) is one of the new DRBA branches, located in Queensland, Australia. Located on a twenty-acre piece of property out in Mudgeeraba suburb, it is a beautiful place to practice the Dharma. With separate buildings for the Buddha Hall, Chan Hall, library and living quarters, it is almost like a mini City of Ten Thousand Buddhas (CTTB). There is even an Arhat Trail for walking or sitting out in the sun.
The Shurangama Sutra Retreat started on May 27, 2006, with Jin Han Shr as the first lecturer, giving an outline of the sutra. She also explained the first three rolls of the sutra with Dharma Master Heng Chih. Afterwards, Dharma Master Heng Sure explained the 50 Skandha Demon States.
Each day there is a review period and two lectures, along with a busy schedule of exercise, meditation and community work. As of today, there are 26 participants [We have 7 young people ages 20-32, 2 guys, 5 girls, all from North America except for 1 from Malaysia, and the rest of the participants are over 50. Most people are from Malaysia. There are two people from Australia, 1 from New Zealand, 1 from Singapore, 1 from Indonesia.] and 6 Dharma Masters, all vigorously studying and practicing the Shurangama Sutra and Mantra.
GCDR had many firsts; over the past weekend, we had the Three Refuges & Five Precepts ceremony in the Buddha Hall and then held the Precepts for Deceased ceremony outdoors in the arena by the Arhat Trail. The weather was beautiful and the birds came to watch. There was one particular bird, a kookuburra, that came to protect the Dharma during the ceremony. A few days later, one of the laywomen shaved her hair and became the first Shramanera of DRBA in Australia.
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