莲池

Lotus Pond

闽南佛学院大殿前有一泓宽阔的莲池，晚春临近，池中的荷花也相继开放。一场春雨过后，霁日从云层里露出笑颜，照着花瓣和叶子上凝聚着的晶莹雨滴，使之散发出五彩的光芒，将白色的花儿映得分外妖娆。翠绿的荷叶，如凝脂般地透出雍容华贵的气质，将莲池装点得生机盎然。蜻蜓、点水鸟穿梭其间，肆无忌惮地享受着花叶的芬芳；放生的鱼儿遨游浅底，向莲茎诉说着自由的舒畅；岸边的树木新绿荡漾，为归燕谱写出春的乐章；往来的僧众步履悠闲，是否已体会到“春在枝头已十分”的境界？

Right in front of the main hall of the Minnan Buddhist Academy, there is a large lotus pond; late in the spring, lotus flowers start to blossom one after the other. When the sun comes out smiling from behind the clouds after a shower; the crystalline water droplets on leaves and blossoms sparkle brilliantly. White flowers, reflecting a riot of colors, become notably charming to the eye. Verdant lotus leaves, ever elegant and poised, give the pond exuberant vigor; dragonflies and birds glide smoothly over the pond, taking in the flowers’ fragrance to their hearts’ delight. Fish whose lives have been saved are now swimming at will in the pond, chitchatting to the flowers of the marvel of freedom. The trees around the bank are bedecked with green baby buds, as if composing a spring symphony to welcome the returning swallows. Monks promenade leisurely and meditatively; have they felt in the air that “spring is making a full display of itself over the treetops”?

这令人陶醉的春色莫非是佛菩萨的化现？身临其间，不仅身心通泰，更令我体会到“青青翠竹，无非般若；郁郁黄花，尽是法身”的深刻涵义。

This spring scenery is utterly enchanting; could it be anything but the display of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas? As I immerse myself fully in it, not only do I feel refreshed mentally and physically, but also am inspired to realize the profundity of this Zen poem:

Bamboos, all green and vibrant, are nothing but the display of wisdom
Flowers, all yellow and lush, are entirely the expression of Dharmakaya.

修建莲池的法师，可谓具有真知灼见，在修建莲池之初，即在四周建造了围墙，使这里远离了世间的喧嚣，为修行人提供了一个寂静的场所。难怪连一墙之隔的厦门大学的学子，也喜欢到此温习功课，享受这佛门独具的幽静。

The layout of this pond was well conceived by the monks who built it. Having a wall built around it, the pond is isolated from the noise and busyness of the city and provides a quiet retreat for practitioners. No wonder even students from next-door neighbor Xiamen University also like to visit here, to enjoy the unique seclusion of the monastery while doing their homework.

想起曾见过的一副对联：“风声、水声、虫声、鸟声、梵呗声，总合三百六十五天击钟声，无声不寂；月色、山色、草色、树色、云霞色，更兼四万八千丈峰峦色，有色皆空。”

An antithetical couplet comes to my mind:

The sounds of wind, water, insects, birds, and chanting, all together with those of gongs of 365 days—there is no sound that is not silence.
The forms of moon, mountain, grass, tree, and sunset, as well as those of 48,000 mountains—all forms are nothing but emptiness.

若能将之题于大殿，也许也能给人以一些启迪吧。

This couplet, if posted inside the main hall, may invoke some inspiration in people who read it.

在如此的环境里修行，真是令人惬意的事。我多么希望喇荣圣地也能有这样的一汪莲池啊！

To do one’s spiritual practice in such a setting is quite a blessing. How I wish we could have a lotus pond just like this at Larung Gar!

壬午年三月初七　　
2002年4月19日 　
书于莲池畔

7th of March, Year of RenWu
April 19, 2002
By the Lotus Pond