Dharma Realm Buddhist Association Gold Sage Monastery 11455 Clayton Road, San Jose, CA 95127 Tel : (408) 923-7243 / Fax: (408) 923-1064

不爭、不貪、不求、不自私、不自利、不妄語 No fighting, no greed, no seeking, no selfishness, no pursuing personal advantage, and no lying.

矽谷梵音 Pure Sound From Silicon Valley

2006年12月 第128 期 Issue 128 Dec. 2006

兩位九十五歲以上高壽的長者為敬老節切素糕

尊老重賢，耆年壽考，

福慧雙圓。

Honor the elderly and respect those with virtue because seniors perfect both blessings and wisdom.

矽谷梵音 第 128 期 2006 年 12 月 2

宣公上人開示/ By the Venerable Master Hua

學 佛的人，有人歡喜

參禪，有人歡喜學

教講經說法，有人歡喜研究律

宗，有人歡喜密宗，有人歡喜

淨土宗。無論歡喜那一宗，你

都要專心致志，用功修行，才

能 達 到 目 的，成 就 自 己 的 希

望。若不專心致志，學什麼也

等於沒有學一樣。參了二天半

禪，就想去念佛；念佛念了半

天，又想去學律；學律不久又

想 學 密。常 把 自 己 的 目 標 弄

亂，而不能專一。為什麼不能

專一？就因為向外馳求，腳踏

兩條船，不知到江北好？或江

南好？這樣就會自誤一生。

所以參禪就要時時刻刻精

進，一分一秒也不躲懶偷安。

參到「山窮水盡疑無路，柳暗

花明又一村。」就別有洞天，

別有一種天然妙趣。但必定要

參到極點，到登峰造極，然後

才有一點點希望，但並不多。

雖有一點點的希望，也不要抱

著 希 望，否 則 又 變 成 頭 上 安

頭。

參禪，就是要老實用功。

首先，要把腿練得聽話，不搗

亂也不痛，怎麼腿會不痛？是

否有個咒可以念一念，腿就不

痛了？或者吃個什麼藥令它不

痛？不是的。必須要經過這個

痛，然後它才聽話不痛。你要

是忍不住，一痛你就要換腿，

休息一下，那麼腿永遠不會聽

話，因你已慣壞它。它一痛，

你就哄它，如哄小孩子似的。

小孩知道父母怎樣也捨不得他

受苦，將來他就什麼苦也不能

受。腿也像小孩子一樣，你若

怕它痛，它什麼時候都會痛，

痛時也要痛，你不想痛時也要

痛，就都因為慣壞了它。

把腿練得聽話，把腰也練

得 聽 話，不 痠 也 不 痛。眼、

耳、鼻、舌、身、意 也 都 聽

話，六 根 不 向 外 馳 求，不 被

色、身、香、味、觸、法 所

轉，皆不為六根六塵所轉，而

能轉回來，這就是聽話。所謂

「眼觀形色內無有，耳聽塵事

心不知。」常常迴光返照，不

向外馳求，總是抓住自己的根

本法門：「念佛是誰？」抓住

根 本，即「但 得 本，莫 愁

末」，對於枝末的問題，也不

用再憂愁了，一點一點都會明

白。

你修參禪法門，不要連坐

都還未練好，也不能結雙跏趺

坐，連單跏趺坐都結不起來，

就想學怎樣參，又如何如何？

你的基礎都未打好呢！

參禪要先打地基。第一個

禮拜，就是在整地。造房子先

要整一整地，等到地差不多平

了。第二個禮拜就可打樁。打

樁須費一番功夫，就是修忍，

忍 痛、忍 餓、忍 飢、忍 寒，什

參禪要先打地基

地基沒打好，房子必不堅固，風一吹就倒，雨一沖就散。

In Investigating Chan, First Lay the Foundation

If you don't lay a good foundation, your house will not be sturdy; the wind will blow it down and the rain will

wash it away.

3 Pure Sound From Silicon Valley Newsletter Issue 128 Dec. 2006

麼都要忍，這是很費力的，雖

然費力，但這是必經之路。必

須把地基打好，立好樁，否則

造出的房子必不堅固，風一吹

就倒，雨一沖也就散了，這都

是因樁未打好，基礎沒建立好

之緣故。第三個禮拜才把樑、

棟、柱腳石等都安好，把所有

的柱子都豎建。第四個禮拜就

可以造牆、裝門、安窗戶、蓋

上 屋 脊。所 以 一 點 一 點 的 造

起，不是「一鍬就挖個井」，

不是一下就可以成功的。

參禪如此，念佛是如此，

學教、修密、習律也是如此，

都要念茲在茲，把心弄老實，

不叫它好高騖遠，不要聽人說

密宗好啊！就跑到密宗。我們

人不要迷得死不開竅，食古不

化。明明眼前都擺著事實，還

迷頭迷腦的密密密，密來密去

也 不 知 怎 麼 就 死 了，這 真 是

密！這 不 是「密」，是「迷」

－－糊里糊塗！

各位信佛的人，要研究真

理，不 要 盲 從。要「親 近 有

德，遠避凶人」，凶人就是專

門欺騙人；有德之人即是不欺

騙 人。無 德 的 人 專 用 奸 詐 手

段，所以德存不住；唯獨不欺

騙人者，才能日積月累的修功

立德，故其德行存在。所以你

們觀察人就是從這兒著眼。不

是單單在表面上看，說：「我

看這人有德，是善知識。」根

本沒有確實的標尺。你必須要

設 身 處 地，真 正 了 解 那 人 才

算。末 法 的 人 都 犯 了 一 種 通

病，就 是 好 高 騖 遠，以 耳 代

目，聽人家說什麼好，就往那

兒跑。跑到那兒，好不好也不

知 道，甚 至 被 人 騙 了 還 不 醒

覺。學這種迷信財色，迷信風

水，非常可憐。

今天從報紙上轉載大陸福

建某地，有六個小孩子集體跳

海自殺去成仙。這為什麼呢？

就因為邪說把人迷住了，說人

做壞事就要作鬼，做好事成神

仙。什 麼 叫 好 事？就 是 不 怕

死。在鄉下地方，小孩子天真

純 樸，聽 了 什 麼 也 就 容 易 入

腦。說好人不怕死，死了會成

仙，所以這六個小孩就要集體

自 殺 成 仙 去 － －「以 前 有 八

仙，大概是集體自殺的，我們

現在也要集體自殺成六仙，免

去六道輪迴」，所以他們一齊

自殺想成仙。

他們成不成仙呢？我可以

證明沒有。為什麼不成仙？因

為他們太迷了。成仙的人都很

聰明的，沒有這樣的愚癡，不

懂真理，是非不辨。這樣怎麼

會一起死去就會成仙呢？成仙

若是這麼容易，那麼大家不快

死算了，都會成仙？真是無有

是處。這種鄉愚太可憐了，盲

從迷信邪說，令小孩子都失去

了 方 向，這 是 很 可 憐 的 一 件

事。

話又說回來，為什麼小孩

子寧可死也不怕，而說要去成

仙呢？這也可說是環境壓迫而

成，覺得人活著還不如死，做

人如行屍走肉沒什麼意思，於

是找個大解脫，一起去死。小

孩 子 在 他 們 的 筆 記 簿 上，寫

「死」字寫了一千多個，天天

死死死，一天到晚念死。這些

童 男 童 女 無 知，受 迷 信 之 蠱

惑，而 失 去 真 正 的 目 標 和 方

向。

所以我們信佛的人，不應

該迷信，要破除迷信。什麼是

迷信？就是糊里糊塗地亂信，

別 人 說 什 麼 就 信，信 迷 了。

「迷 信」還 不 打 緊，最 怕 是

「信迷」，信那迷亂顛倒的外

道。有人自作聰明，真的他不

信，假的他反而去信，這就是

「迷中之迷」，不認識真理，

拿真當假，把假當真。好像這

六個小孩，本來「找死成仙」

是一種虛假騙人的方法，而他

們卻相信。若是叫他們要修行

才能成仙，恐怕他們就不相信

了。所 以 世 界 上 可 憐 的 人 很

多，可憐的事也很多，一言難

盡！

矽谷梵音 第 128 期 2006 年 12 月 4

A mong the students of Buddhism, some like to investigate Chan;

some like to study the teachings, speak the Dharma, and lecture on the sutras; some like to investigate the precepts; some en-joy cultivating the Secret School; and some like to practice the Pure Land School. No matter which school you like, you must concen-trate single-mindedly and cultivate with diligence. Then you will be able to achieve your goal and realize your hopes.

But if your mind isn't concentrated, then no matter what you study, it's the same as not studying. So after investigating Chan for two and a half days, you decide to recite the Buddha's name; after reciting the Buddha's name for half a day, you wish to study the Vinaya (moral code). After studying the Vinaya for a while, you decide to study in the Secret School. Since you keep changing your goal, you cannot concentrate. The reason you cannot concentrate is because you are seeking outside. You have your feet in two boats, and you can't decide whether you want to go north or south on the river. In that way, you end up wasting your whole life.

In investigating Chan, you must be vigorous at all times; don't be lazy for a single minute or second. You should investigate until:

The mountains disappear and the waters vanish, and you doubt there is a road ahead. Beyond the dark willows and the bright flowers is another village.

At that point there is another

heaven, another natural paradise. But you must investigate to the utmost point and reach the summit. Then there's a bit of hope, but not much. Although there's a tiny bit of hope, don't hang onto it, because that would be superfluous (adding a head on top of a head).

To investigate Chan, you must honestly put in the effort. First of all,

you must practice sitting until your legs are compliant--until they don't hurt or cause any trouble. How can you get your legs to stop hurting? Is there a mantra you can recite to stop the pain? Is there a medicine you can take to keep them from hurting? No. You must endure the pain, and then they will become obedient and stop hurting. If you cannot endure it, and you move your legs and let them rest as soon as they start hurting, your legs will never become obedient because you are spoiling them. Whenever they hurt, you simply placate them as if placating an unhappy child. If the child knows his par-ents cannot bear to see him suffer, he won't be able to endure any suffering in the future. Your legs are just like a child; if you fear the pain, they will hurt all the time, even when they aren't supposed to hurt. That's because you've spoiled them rotten.

You must train your legs and your back to be compliant, so that they won't ache or hurt. When your eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and mind are all compliant, so that they don't seek after sights, sounds, smells, tastes, objects of touch, or dharmas; when you are not influenced by the six sense organs and six sense objects, and you can turn your attention inwards, that's true obedience. As it is said,

The eyes see forms, but inside there is nothing. The ears hear sounds, but the mind does not know.

You constantly reflect within instead

of seeking outside, and you always stick to your basic Dharma-door: "Who is mindful of the Buddha?" Holding to what is basic, you "only attain the root, and don't worry about the branchtips." There's no need to worry about unimportant matters; bit by bit, everything will become clear to you.

In cultivating the Dharma-door of investigating Chan, you shouldn't try to learn the details of how to investigate

when you haven't learned how to sit in full lotus, or even half lotus. You haven't finished laying the foundation yet! To investigate Chan, you must first lay the foundation.

During the first week, you can clear the land. When you want to build a house, you must first make the land level.

In the second week, you can drive in the stakes. Driving in the stakes requires some effort--this is where you must cultivate patience and endure the pain, hunger, and cold. You must endure everything, and it takes a lot of strength. It's arduous, but you must travel this path. You have to lay a good foundation and drive in good stakes. Otherwise, your house will not be sturdy; the wind will blow it down and the rain will wash it away. That's the consequence of not driving in the stakes well and not setting a good foundation.

In the third week, you can put up the beams, rafters, column bases, and columns.

During the fourth week, you can erect the walls, install doors and windows, and put up the ridgepole. That's how a house is constructed, step by step. You can't "dig a well with one thrust of the shovel"; there's no instant accomplishment.

This is true not only of investigating Chan, but also of reciting the Buddha's name, studying the teachings, cultivating the Secret School, and practicing the Vinaya--in any of these, you must devote your full attention to the task at hand. Make your mind honest, and don't yearn for what is lofty and distant. Don't run over to join the Secret School just because you hear someone talk about how wonderful it is. We shouldn't get so deluded that we obstinately refuse to see the truth and rigidly hold onto old ways. The facts are right in front of us, but with addled brains, we still chase after what's "secret, secret, secret" until we die for no apparent reason. That's truly secret! Actually, it's not secret, it's confusion; it's totally muddled.

5 Pure Sound From Silicon Valley Newsletter Issue 128 Dec. 2006

Buddhists should study true principles. Don't blindly follow others. You should draw near virtuous people and stay away from bad people. Bad people are those who do nothing but cheat others. Virtuous people do not cheat others. People without virtue use all sorts of fraudulent means--that's why they can't preserve their virtue. Only those who don't cheat people can store up the merit and virtue they cultivate over the days and months. That's why their virtue endures. Pay attention to this when you observe people. Don't just judge by appearances and say, "That person looks virtuous; he seems to be a Good and Wise Advisor." You don't have any real way to determine that. You must really get to know him thoroughly before you can make such a statement. In this Dharma-ending Age, we all have the same problem, which is that we like to seek what is lofty and distant. Instead of using our eyes to see, we let our ears do the "seeing" for us. When we hear someone say something is good, we rush over. When we get there, we have no idea of whether it's really good or not, and without realizing it, we get duped. People who confusedly put their faith in wealth and sex and in geomancy are really pathetic!

In today's newspaper, there was an article about six children in the Fukien province of China who committed suicide together by jumping into the sea, hoping to become immortals. Why did they do that? They had been misled into believing that people who do evil become ghosts, and

people who do good turn into immortals. And what did "doing good" mean? It meant not being afraid to die. Children in rural areas are quite naive and will believe whatever they hear. Since someone told those six children that good people are not afraid to die and will become immortals after death, they decided to kill themselves as a group and become immortals. They thought, "The Eight Immortals of the past probably committed suicide together. Now we can commit suicide together and become the Six Immortals and escape the cycle of rebirth in the six paths." Then they killed themselves, hoping to become immortals.

Well, did they become immortals? I can guarantee that they didn't. Why? They were too confused. People who become immortals are very intelligent. They aren't as foolish as these children, who had no understanding of true principles and couldn't tell right from wrong. How could they all die together and become immortals? If becoming immortal were that easy, everyone should just hurry up and die and become immortal. But that's impossible. How pitiful those foolish villagers are, blindly following this superstitious and deviant theory and leading their children astray. This is very sad.

But why were those children so eager and unafraid to die, saying they were going to become immortals? You could say their environment forced them to feel that life wasn't worth living, that it would be better to die than to be living

corpses. So seeking liberation, they all went to their deaths together. The children had written the word "death" over a thousand times in their notebooks. Every day, it was "death, death, death." They thought of death from morning to night. In their ignorance, those boys and girls were seduced by super-stition and lost their true goal and direction.

Buddhists should not believe in superstition. You must break through superstition. What is superstition? It is being reckless and confused in your belief. You simply believe anything people say, and you end up all muddled. Being confused in your belief is still not that serious. It's only to be feared that you believe in confusion, that you believe in the confused, upside-down teachings of externalist ways. Some people try to be clever; they don't believe in what is true but instead believe in what is false. This is a case of being confused within confusion. They don't recognize true principles. They take the true to be false, and the false to be true. For example, in the case of the six children, the theory that "death leads to immortality" is actually just a false claim meant to cheat people, but they believed it. If someone had told them they have to cultivate before they can become immortals, they might not have believed that. There are many pathetic people and many woeful situations in the world; we could never finish speaking of them!

若人靜坐一須臾，

勝造恆沙七寶塔。

If one can sit perfectly still for even a split second, One's merit surpasses that of building pagodas of the seven gems in number like the Ganges' sands.

矽谷梵音 第 128 期 2006 年 12 月 6

Layout and cover design help needed for the following English books published by BTTS/DRBA. If you are interested please contact Heng Dzu Shi directly in English through email: hengdzu@gmail.com Thank you. 本會出版下列英語書籍需重新排

版及封面設計，有意者請直接以英語電郵聯絡 hengdzu@gmail.com 多謝！ 1) The Fifty Skandha-Demons States (453 pages) The final section of the Sutra describes how, in the break-down of the five skandhas of form, feelings, thinking, formations, and consciousness, various states occur. The Buddha teaches us (unasked) that these states will not be harmful if we remain unmoving and are not swayed by them. But the Buddha also lets us know that if we become attached to or arrogant about these experiences when they occur, then demonic states may arise. The text is an invaluable manual for those who practice meditation. 2) Sutra of the Past Vows of Earth Store Bodhisattva (with commentary) (235 pages) This Sutra tells how Earth Store Bodhisattva became known as Foremost in Vows. Also called the Sutra of Filial Piety, this text describes several of the bodhisattva’s past lives. It is a clear, practical manual for how to handle the circumstances or life, death, and rebirth. 3) World Peace Gathering (125 pages) A collection of instructional talks on Buddhism commemorating the successful completion of the bowing pilgrimage of Bhikshus Heng Ju and Heng Yo in August 7th 1974. 4) Three Steps, One Bow (153 pages) The daily journals of American Bhikshus Heng Ju and Heng Yo, who during 1973 & 1974 made a pilgrimage for world peace from San Francisco to Marblemount, Washington, bowing once every three steps.

Help Needed 誠徵志工

7 Pure Sound From Silicon Valley Newsletter Issue 128 Dec. 2006

我 們每年舉辦的敬老

節，一年比一年更

盛大，為什麼？因為太多的老

人家，他們都非常非常的希望

能夠來參加敬老節；我們今年

籌備的時間可以說非常緊湊，

只有幾個星期的時間，就有兩

百六十幾位老人家希望能夠來

參加。老人家能夠來廟上，可

以說是給我們非常好的禮物，

大家看起來好像是我們在這一

天舉辦敬老；但是另一方面，

是 給 大 家 一 個 修 福 修 慧 的 機

會，所以非常感謝各位長者們

的前來。

這 幾 年 這 麼 多 的 老 人 家

來，我們在想，怎麼樣才能給

老人家最好的禮物？剛才說把

禮物都帶回去，可是帶回去的

禮物，有一天或許就舊了，對

不 對？這 個 禮 物 總 不 會 常 在

的，因為它是有形有相的，它

不會永遠跟著我們。

所以我們希望給大家一些

永遠的禮物，這些永遠的禮物

將隨著你生生世世。生、老、

病、死是人生的過程，這是我

們每一個人都要面對的。我們

希望這些禮物，能夠讓你永遠

永遠帶著，不會說隨著這一期

生 命 結 束，這 些 禮 物 就 不 見

了。那 麼 這 些 禮 物 去 那 裡 開

採，去那裡取呢？這可以說佛

陀很早就已經告訴我們了。來

到 佛 教 的 道 場，來 參 加 敬 老

節，佛 教 基 本 上 不 是 一 個 宗

教，祂是一個智慧教，什麼是

智慧教呢？就是把我們本有的

智慧，開採出來。

佛可以成佛，我們每一個

人可不可以成佛？可以。我們

每一個人都可以成佛，可是佛

的種子在那裡？在我們自己這

兒。看 到 大 家，我 有 很 多 感

觸，為什麼？我覺得聖荷西這

個地方，長者們真是有福報；

而你們的聰明智慧，這也不用

說。現在人生勵練的結晶、精

華都在你們這裡，但這些精華

還可以把它發揮得更光明、更

透徹！

所以我們希望，每一個人

都 把 自 己 這 種 本 有 寶 貴 的 禮

物，開採出來。佛教有很多修

行 的 法 門，禪 宗、教 宗、密

宗、律宗、淨土宗，對老人家

來說，淨土宗這個念佛法門，

是一個非常適當的法門；你去

買東西要錢，去做什麼都需要

錢，但這個念佛法門，不需要

恆雲法師於2006/10/1開示於金聖寺敬老節 By Dharma Master Heng Yun on Oct. 1, 2006 at GSM 英譯/王親國 English Translation By Grace Wang

給老人家一份永遠的禮物─

法的宴席 An Everlasting Gift for the Elders—– A Feast of Dharma

8 矽谷梵音 第 128 期 2006 年 12 月

你 花 一 分 錢。你 只 要 專 心 念

佛，那阿彌陀佛有很深切的願

望，誰專心念祂的名號，就接

引誰到極樂世界去。

今天在這裡，這麼豐盛的

宴席，而這個宴席，不只是菜

而已，有一種是法宴，法的宴

席，希望大家把這法的宴席帶

回去。你們有時間的話，可以

看一些佛書，外面有很多佛書

和大家結緣，還有給每一位長

者的一份禮物，裡面也有書，

你們可以看一看；也希望你們

多多念佛，這個佛號，永遠都

會跟著你的。

最後我跟大家講一個故事──

佛在世的時候，有一個老

人家因為生活非常的困難，他

就想去出家，可是他能不能出

家呢？他到佛那兒去，那天佛

剛 好 不 在，那 些 佛 的 弟 子 一

看，都說：「你沒有 善根，不

能出家。」不給他出家，所以

他很難過，就怎麼樣？要去做

什麼？就要去自殺，他到海邊

去，要去跳海了。這個時候，

佛過來了，說：「你為什麼要

自殺？」他說：「因為我很想

跟著佛出家，而且我年老孤苦

無依，可是我想出家，也不能

出 家，我 看 人 生 沒 什 麼 意 思

了，我要跳海。」這個時候，

佛說：「沒有關係，你跟我回

去，我 就 是 佛，你 跟 我 出

家。」

因此他就出家，出家後很

快就證果了。這些佛的弟子們

非常的懷疑，說：「我們看這

個老人家，幾萬大劫以來都沒

有 善 根 啊！為 什 麼 他 可 以 證

果？」佛這時候就說了：「因

為在八萬大劫以前，這個老人

家是一位在山上砍柴的樵夫，

有一天他到山上去砍柴，這個

時候有一隻老虎要咬他，他就

趕快跑，跑、跑、跑….最後爬

到 樹 上 去，沒 想 到 他 爬 到 樹

上，這隻老虎也很聰明的，就

咬那棵樹，眼看著樹就要倒下

來了，就要被老虎吃掉了！在

這個很急的時候，他就大聲念

〝南無佛〞，念這麼一聲，老

虎就走了。可是念那麼一聲，

以後就沒有再念了，八萬多劫

來，他 一 聲 都 沒 有 再 念。但

是，因為他八萬大劫前種了那

麼一個善根，所以這一輩子，

佛 來 到 我 們 這 個 世 界 上 的 時

候，他善根就成熟了，就出家

證果了。」

各位長者，你們想想看，

你的善跟是不是比他深厚？我

想你們不只念一聲佛而已，你

們有很多、很稀有、很寶貴的

O ur annual celebration of Honoring Elders’ Day has

become grander and grander with each passing year. Why is that? Because there are so many elders who really want to participate in the Honoring Elders’ Day. This year we had a fairly tight schedule preparing for this day. However, within a few weeks, there were more than 260 elders who wanted to come and join us today. Having elders come to the monastery is a wonderful present for all of us. In addition to honoring the elders today, we are also given an opportunity to cultivate blessing and wisdom. Therefore, we really appreciate all of you elders who are with us.

Since so many elders came these years, we have been thinking about what is the best gift that we can present them. Because even when you bring all these presents home, they will be worn out one day, for anything with a form and shape won’t last forever.

Thus, we want to give you some everlasting gifts that you can carry with you life after life. Birth, age, sickness, and death are the stages of life that we all need to face. We hope you can have these presents with you forever, and they won’t vanish when this life ends. Where can we find such presents? Buddha told us the answer a long time ago. We can find these everlasting presents by coming to Buddhist Way-places and participating in the Honoring Elders’ Day.

善根，所以希望大家用這個善

根，來幫助你自己；也可以用

這 個 善 根，來 利 益 大 家。最

後，祝大家身體健康，精神愉

快，法喜充滿！

9 Pure Sound From Silicon Valley Newsletter Issue 128 Dec. 2006

Basically, Buddhism is not a religion. It is a teaching of wisdom. What is a teaching of wisdom? It teaches us how to discover our inherent wisdom.

The Buddha has realized Buddhahood. Can each one of us realize Buddhahood, too? Yes, for everybody can become a Buddha. But where is the seed of Buddhahood? It’s within us. I have a lot of feelings by seeing all of you here today. Why? I feel that elders who live in San Jose truly have many blessings, and I don’t need to mention your intelligence and wisdom. Now, you all have experienced the quintessence and the best of life, but your experiences can be even more brilliant and thorough.

Hence, we hope everybody can extract his/her precious inherent gift. There are many Dharma doors to cultivate in Buddhism -- the Chan School, the Teaching School, the Secret School, the Vinaya School and the Pure Land School. A very suitable Dharma door for elders is the Pure Land School, which is reciting the Buddha’s name. You need money to buy things and to do anything; however, you don’t need to spend a penny to recite the Buddha’s name. All you need to do is to concentrate on reciting the Buddha’s name. Amitabha Buddha has made great vows; whoever recites his name sincerely, Amitabha will guide that person to the Land of Ultimate Bliss.

Today, this sumptuous feast not only includes a feast of food but also a feast of Dharma, and I hope you can take the feast of Dharma home with you. You can read some Buddhist texts in your spare time. Outside, we have many free Buddhist texts that you can take home. Also, each elder will receive one present that contains some books for you to read as well. I hope you can recite the Buddha’s name often, because the Buddha’s name will be with you forever.

Lastly, I would like to tell you a

story. During Sakyamuni Buddha’s lifetime, there was an elder who wanted to become a monk because he had a very difficult life. But, was he able to leave the home-life? He went to where the Buddha was staying, but the Buddha wasn’t in that day. The disciples of the Buddha took a look of him and said, “You can’t be a monk as you lack good roots.” As a result, the elder felt really bad. So, what happened? What did he do? He wanted to commit suicide. He went to the seashore and was going to jump into the ocean. At that moment, the Buddha came to him and asked, “Why are you taking your own life?” The elder replied, “It’s because I really want to follow the Buddha and leave the home-life; besides, I am old and have no family. Although I want to be a monk, I am not allowed. I want to jump into the ocean because life is meaningless for me.” At this time, the Buddha said, “It’s all right, you can come back with me. I am the Buddha, and you can follow me and leave the home-life.” So, the elder became a monk and thereafter quickly attained accomplishment in his cultivation.

Consequently, the disciples of the Buddha were all in doubt. They said, “When we looked at this elder, he didn’t have any good roots in several thousand great kalpas. How can he

attain accomplishment in cultivation?” The Buddha then explained, “More than eighty thousand great kalpas ago, the elder was a woodcutter in a mountain. One day when he was cutting wood in the mountain, there was a tiger that wanted to bite him. He quickly ran and ran, and finally he climbed up a tree. Unexpectedly, the tiger was very smart; it started to gnaw at the tree. Pretty soon the tree was going to topple over, and the tiger would be able to eat him. Right at this very dangerous moment, he recited “Namo Buddha” at the top of his voice and the tiger just walked away. However, he merely recited the Buddha’s name just this once, and never recited it again for eighty thousand great kalpas. Nevertheless, he had planted a good root eighty thousand great kalpas ago. Therefore, when his good root matured in this life, he was able to become a monk and attain accomplishment while the Buddha is in this world.”

All elders! Think about this. Aren’t your good roots deeper than the woodcutter’s? I think you don’t just recite the Buddha’s name just once. You have a lot of rare and precious good roots. So, I hope all of you can utilize your good roots to help yourselves and benefit others as well. Finally, I wish you all good health and happy spirit, and be full of the joy of the Dharma.

矽谷梵音 第 128 期 2006 年 12 月 10

八 月中旬、接到法師

的通知，開始了一

年一度的敬老節籌備會。同

時發覺，來參與的義工也越

來越多，我想大家都是受到

宣化上人的佛法與精神所感

召。整體的籌備工作，在法

師與義工的通力合作下順利

的展開。

今年的十月一日是一個風

和日麗的日子，似乎是專為

敬老節來一塊兒湊熱鬧的。

八點不到就有許多的義工來

到金聖寺，開始各就其位的

工作，其中最辛苦的、要數

香積組與清潔組的義工們，

由前一日就開始忙碌的準備

工作，當天更是需要不停清

洗 碗、盤。更 值 得 一 提 的

是，今年首度採用了投影機

的 義 大 利 美 聲 歌 唱「Core

Ngrato」；江國城居士連續

兩年最受歡迎的口琴獨奏─

「小 夜 曲」、「南 屏 晚

鐘」；以及劉怡君的民族舞

蹈─「甜」。今年不但節目

多，而且每個節目都性質不

同、各具特色，難怪獲得長

輩們喜愛。

最後；法師的叮嚀是最讓

大家受益的，也就是回家之

後能多念佛號

─南無阿彌陀佛。

與大銀幕，來傳遞大殿的實

況，讓坐在帳篷內的長輩，

也能清晰的看到節目進行、

與各項表演。當然，這要歸

功於明光的父親，使用了幾

十個小時來架設與測試，也

希望明年他能繼續來支持。

今年的開場節目，蔡淑英

的養生之道，或是長青佛學

班學員的談古說今，都講得

十分的貼切，長輩們都給與

熱烈的掌聲。至於表演的節

目，更 是 受 到 長 輩 們 的 歡

迎。其中包含了育良佛學班

可愛的小朋友，做心經的背

誦與演唱；四街長輩們的精

彩 合 唱 ─「花 好 月 圓」及

「祝你幸福」；劉靜婷、劉

瑋 婷 姐 妹 兩 難 得 一 見 的 琵

琶、古箏合奏；蔣康耀先生

敬老節一瞥

暼

文 / 方治欽 / Daniel Fang

英譯 / 李海慈 / Lotus Lee

Respecting Elder’s Day At a Glance

Pure Sound From Silicon Valley Newsletter Issue 128 Dec. 2006 11

laborious jobs were the cooking and the cleaning. The cooking staff had to start preparing the day before, and the cleaning volunteers had to wash dishes non-stop. In order for the elders sitting in the tent to see the programs clearly, Mr. Lee, Trent’s father, spent more than ten hours installing a projector and a screen to make it possible.

In the morning, there were talks from Ms. Tsai, and story sharing from the members of the senior Buddhist studying class from Gold Sage Monastery. They were all well received. During lunch, there were more programs to entertain the elders. They included the recitation of the Heart Sutra, from the children of the Instilling Goodness Sunday Class at

Gold Sage Monastery; there was a senior chorus group that sang their favorite songs; the Liu sisters performed a duet with Chinese musical instruments; Mr. Jeang soloed the Italian song “Core Ngrato”. Back by popular demand, Mr. Jiang performed two Chinese folk songs with his harmonica; there was also a dance performed by a high school student from Palo Alto. There was a big variety of programs this year, and they were all very special. It was a great entertainment for everyone who attended.

Before the day ended and everyone left, the Dharma Master reminded everyone to recite the Buddha’s name as much as possible. —Namo Amitabha.

T he annual preparat ion for Respect ing Elders

Day star ted in the middle of August, when I received notice from the Dharma Masters. At our first meeting, I noticed that there were more volunteers than before; I believe that they were in-fluenced by the Venerable Master’s Dharma teachings and compassionate spirit. Under the cooperation of the Dharma Masters and the volunteers, the preparation proceeded smoothly.

It was a beautiful and sunny day on October 1st; it was as if the weather was celebrating Respecting Elders Day too. Many volunteers arrived at Gold Sage Monastery before 8 o’clock and started carrying out their duties. The most

M y name is Destynnie Tran. I have been going to Gold Sage Monastery’s Instilling Goodness Sunday Class for two years. It was

my pleasure performing to the elders on Respecting Elders Day. It was fun going up on stage and reciting the Heart Sutra. Seeing the elders’ happy faces was the best part of all. My favorite part of the day was when we helped pass out the goody bags to the elders. The elders seemed so happy when they left the temple. This has been a great exciting experi-ence to serve on that day, and I will do it again next year.

我 的名字叫陳依琪，是金聖寺育良佛學班的學生，我很高興在敬老節

那一天表演節目給爺爺奶奶看。上台背誦心經是一個很有趣的經

驗，而最精彩的地方是在我們表演的時候，看到老人家們充滿歡喜的臉。

我做的最高興的是，當爺爺奶奶們要離開的時候， 我們送一袋一袋的禮

物給他們， 他們笑得好開心。我覺得能在這一天為他們服務是很有意義

的事，也是很好的經驗，我明年還要再來。

敬老節那一天

During Respecting Elder’s Day

By / Destynnie Tran (11 years old) 中譯 / Lotus Lee

法界佛教總會網址: www.drba.org (英文) www.drbachinese.org (中文) 11455 Clayton Rd., San Jose, CA 95127 / Tel: 408-923-7243

法會通告 GOLD SAGE MONASTERY ANNOUNCEMENT OF DHARMA ASSEMBLIES

週日 Sunday

12 / 3 金光明經講座 ( 9:00 AM~11:00 AM ) Lecture on The Sutra of Golden Light

12 / 10 念佛共修法會 ( 8:15AM~ 4:00 PM ) Dharma Assembly of Buddha Recitation

12 / 24 金光明經講座 ( 9:00 AM~11:00 AM ) Lecture on The Sutra of Golden Light

12 / 31

楞嚴法門 ( 8:00AM~ 3:00 PM ) The Shurangama Dharma Door 早上： 誦楞嚴咒 楞嚴大綱開示 下午：誦楞嚴經 打坐 Morning: Recite The Shurangama Mantra Introduction to the Shurangama sutra Afternoon: Recite The Shurangama sutra Meditation

十二月份活動 Buddhist Events in Dec. 2006 日期 Date 地點 Place

阿彌陀佛聖誕法會 Celebration of Amitabha buddha’s Birthday 12/17 萬佛聖城 (CTTB) 金聖寺將安排巴士前往聖城參加法會，請於12月14日以前報名。Gold Sage Monastery will

arrange bus tour for same-day travel. Please sign up before December 14.

長青學佛班 Elders’ Dharma Study Group 12 / 2 週六 2:00 PM ~ 4:30 PM

金聖寺 Gold Sage Monastery

念佛共修法會Dharma Assembly of Buddha Recitation 12 / 10 週日8:15 AM ~ 4:00 PM

大悲懺法會 Great Compassion Repentance 每日 1: 00 PM ~2:30 PM

一月份活動 Buddhist Events in Jan. 2007 日期 Date 地點 Place

阿彌陀佛聖誕法會 Celebration of Amitabha buddha’s Birthday 1 / 5 週五 8:30 AM ~ 10:30 AM

金聖寺 Gold Sage Monastery

大悲懺法會 Great Compassion Repentance 每日 1:00 PM ~2:30 PM

金光明經講座 Lecture on The Sutra of Golden Light 1/7, 21 週日9:00 AM~11:00 AM

念佛共修法會Dharma Assembly of Buddha Recitation 1 / 14 週日 8:15 AM ~ 4:00 PM