放生

Life Liberation

“年岁渐长，体魄日衰，盛年不在，暮境即来。”古罗马诗人卢克莱修的这句话恰到好处地描绘了我的现状。岁月之流，即将跨入第40个春秋，常言道“三十而立，四十而不惑。”但作为一名凡夫，要彻底泯灭业惑烦恼，却绝非一日之寒。人的一生能有多少个365天？眼看生命的时日不多，如何抓住稍纵即逝的时光，使之过得丰盈饱满?前辈的高僧大德们留下了难以计数的教言，时刻观察自己的心和行为，每天哪怕是以论典中的一个偈子来约束自己，也必定会有所裨益。在这新一年的开端，忽然产生这样一个念头，记下每一天的经历和感受，时刻提醒自己要珍惜这难得的暇满人生，或许对自己、对道友们会有一些益处。这就是我写这本日记的初衷。

“Flying by are the years and ever weakening is my body; gone is my prime and looming near is my demise.” This poem by Lucretius of ancient Rome depicts precisely my present state of affairs. I will soon be 40 years old, one of the life stages as defined by Confucius: “At 30, I planted my feet firmly upon the ground. At 40, I no longer suffered from perplexities.” But for an ordinary person, the eradication of karmic obscuration and confused emotions is not an overnight job: “It takes more than one cold day to freeze the river three feet deep.” How many 365-day years can a human have in life? With not too many days left, how can I catch the fleeting time and use it meaningfully? The supreme beings in the past have left numerous teachings; if I can apply even one verse to discipline myself and watch my own mind and actions, it definitely will be beneficial. On this New Year’s Day I had a sudden urge to write down my experiences and feelings every day. It will remind me to treasure our precious human existence that is hard to come by, and it may bring benefit to others and myself. That’s how I have decided to write this diary.

今天是藏历的大年初一，农历大年初二，街头洋溢着浓浓的节日气氛。很多人都穿着今年最流行的唐装，到农贸市场买各种鲜活的鸡鸭鱼兔、虾蟹虫鸟回家过年，这几天也是这些可怜众生最悲惨的日子。我决定以救护生命作为新一年的开端。

Today is Losar, New Year’s Day on the Tibetan calendar. It is also the second day of the Chinese Lunar New Year, and an intensely festive mood pervades the streets and neighborhoods. Many people put on their most stylish Tang outfits to celebrate, and they go to the marketplace to buy live animals—chickens, ducks, fish, shrimp, birds and so on—as special treats for the New Year. But for these poor animals, this festive period is actually the ultimate doomsday. I resolved to make releasing live beings as my task to commence the New Year.

刚进农贸市场，就看见一幕令人触目惊心的场面。一位青年男子正在以狰狞的神态从竹笼里抓出一只鹌鹑，毫不留情地活活将它的羽毛拔掉，可怜的鸟儿发出啁哳的叫声，这叫声是那么的虚弱而短暂，以至于不能让屠夫产生丝毫的犹豫。很快，它的羽毛被拔光，露出粉红色的身体，一把锋利的剪刀剖开了它的腹腔，内脏被掏了出来，头脚被剪下扔到一边，所有程序的完成不到一分钟，被掏空的身体发出微微的颤动，扔在一边的头睁着不屈的眼，仿佛在控诉它的委屈：“为什么？为什么？”

No sooner had I walked into the marketplace than I was presented with a shocking scene. A young man menacingly grabbed a quail in a cage and mercilessly pulled out its feathers while the bird was still alive. The poor bird twittered painfully, yet its wail was too meek and too brief to affect the butcher in the least. Without any hesitation, he cleared out all of its feathers, exposing fully the quail’s naked pink body. A sharp knife sliced open its body cavity, the internal organs were thrown out, and its head and feet cut off and cast to one side—all this was done in less than a minute. The quail’s body, emptied of its contents, still quivered faintly; its eyes remained open on the discarded head, as if to protest the utterly unfair treatment: “Why? Why?”

我不忍心再看下去，买下了所有剩余的鹌鹑，共150只，送到郊外的闽南佛学院，使之回归山林。一边念着放生仪轨，一边默默地祈祷：但愿当地人能废除 “天上龙肉，地下鹌鹑肉”、“吃了鹌鹑肉，活到九十九”的陋习。也希望我的后半生能为放生多做一些贡献。

I could not bear to behold this scene any longer. Buying up all the remaining quails, 150 in all, I brought them to the Minnan Buddhist Academy and released them into the woods. Reciting the lifesaving sadhana, I prayed silently: May the local people abolish their bad habit and the misconceptions “dragon meat in heaven, quail meat on earth,” and that “by eating quail meat, one will live to be 99 years old.” I also hope I will be able to make more contributions to release live beings in the latter part of my life.

今天也是学院持明法会召开的第一天，法王如意宝打电话给学院全体僧众，希望大家好好念咒，他老人家也将与眷属一起在成都共修。上师的教导带给大家莫大的鼓励和安慰，很多人都流下了激动和思念的泪水。

Today is also the first day of the Great Prayer Dharma Festival of Vidyadhara (Vidyadhara Puja) at the academy. Our Choeje (King of Dharma) Jigme Phuntsok Rinpoche called from Chengdu to all Sangha members at the academy, advising them to recite mantras diligently and said he himself would do the same practice with others in Chengdu. These words from our revered Guru brought tremendous joy and encouragement to everyone; some could not help starting to cry with tears of gratitude and intense longing.

近一个多月以来，为了听从医嘱，我不得不离开雪域高原，来到这春色宜人的厦门，独在异乡为异客，难免有浪迹天涯、四处飘零之感。回想在学院的美好时光，不由自主地拨通了弟弟的电话，请他把话筒放在喇叭旁，听筒里传出了悠扬的诵经声，令人心驰神往。我多么盼望着冰雪消融、春暖花开、草木复苏的季节能早点到来，美丽的喇荣能春色常在，学院的僧众们不再遭受严寒的袭击，能在融融春光里接受佛法甘露的洗礼啊！

Due to medical reasons, I was advised to stay away from the snow-capped high plateau and have been to Xiamen, a southern city with a pleasing spring, for more than a month now. As a lonely visitor to a strange city, I can’t help feeling like a rootless wanderer traveling to the far ends of the earth. How fondly do I miss the days at the academy! On impulse, I called my brother there and asked him to place the phone receiver next to the loudspeaker. Soon a melodious chanting came through the receiver, filling my heart with a deep yearning. How I wish that the snow and ice will melt, and that the warm season for blossoms and green leaves will arrive soon. May the beautiful Larung enjoy spring always and the Sangha members no longer suffer from the bitter winter. May they bask in the warm sunlight of spring and be showered with the Dharma nectar!

希望这一天能早日到来。喇嘛钦！

May such a day arrive soon! Lama chen!

壬午年正月初一　　
2002年2月13日

1st of January, Year of RenWu
Feb. 13, 2002