上人于金峰圣寺开示

一九九二年六月七日

Venerable Master's Talk at Gold Summit Sagely Monastery

June 7, 1992

 

恒法法师记录 Transcribed by D.M. Heng Fa

 

我这一次到西雅图来，可以说是抱着病来的。为什么我要抱病来呢？因为我觉得西雅图这一班善男信女的机缘大约到了，所以我就是流血流汗也不要休息，在我养病的期间，也抱病地来到西雅图；因为我走路没有气力，上下飞机要坐轮椅，这是我的愿力，我的愿力就是流血汗不休息。

 

你们各位要知道，我今天的到来是不容易的。本来我是不想来，可是我也到过了华府，带了二十多个人参加总统的晚餐，如果我这次不到西雅图来，这些人会说：「这个师父，华府都能去，为什么不到我们这边来？我们这些人都很愿意见一见这一位愚痴的师父，为什么不满我们的愿？」果修在电话上问我能不能来时，我一口就答应了，说：「好！我这一去，至少要去五个人，你买好了飞机票，我就可以来了。」但我虽来了，我还要很快地回三藩市去。礼拜天我在三藩市给大家讲经，我这给众生做牛做马的命运是改不了的，所以我答应你礼拜天下午到来，礼拜一下午回去，这是一定的。你不要说：「师父啊！你多住几天吧！我们这儿想你想得要死！」你就要死也不行的。我能到这来，你们各位就要想一想师父这种流血汗不休息的精神，就算旁的你不懂，这一点你大概也可以懂的。

 

  You could say that as I come to see you in Seattle now, I am bringing my illness along. Why is that? Why would I do such a thing? Because I feel that with the good men and good women here in Seattle, the affinities are just about right. My time has come to arrive here. So, I am coming here shedding blood and sweat but not stopping for a rest. During this time of convalescence, I come to see you bringing my illness with me. Actually, I don't yet have enough strength to walk. When I walk, I get very short of breath. That's why I rode the wheelchair at the airport. But my vow strength says that I will sweat blood and sweat and never stop to rest. Those are my vows.

 

It is not very easy to get to Seattle; in fact I did not want to come. But two months ago, I went to Washington D.C. to attend the President's dinner, accompanied by twenty people, and I knew that if I did not come to Seattle, the people here would say, "Oh Master, you're not fair; you went to Washington D.C., how come you can't come here to see us?" Well, since there are people here who want to see this dumb Master, how could I not grant your wish? So, when Gwo Syou called and asked, "Master, will you please come?" I said, "Okay," on the spot. "Five people will accompany me," I said. "If you get the tickets, I will come." So, that worked out and I came.

 

Even though I am here, I have to go back to San Francisco very soon. I delivered a lecture Sunday morning at the Translation Institute to a group of people. I guess I can't avoid being a horse and a cow for living beings; I can't get out of it. So, I agreed and said that I would arrive on Sunday afternoon but on Monday afternoon I have to return. And I must go back on Monday, so please don't beg me to stay a few more days, saying, "Oh Master, we wanted to see you so much, we almost died." Well, even if you have to die I will still have to go back. I want you to look at my situation, think about your teacher who is sacrificing his energy and shedding blood. If you don't understand anything else, you should know this.

 

The Jewelled Repentance of the Emperor of Lyang was written by Ch'an Master Jr Gung, so that Emperor Wu of the Lyang Dynasty could liberate his wife, Syi. But it was not written only for his queen-lady Syi. It was written for all living beings so that we could have a road to walk upon to renew ourselves and change our faults, so that we can repent and change from within, like the wife of Emperor Wu. We can feel as she did at that time when she was rescued. But we have to really repent; we can't fake repentance. We can't just read the text but fail to renew ourselves and turn over a new page. That attitude is not going to succeed. So, coming to repent because you like to sing pretty or sing loud is not the way. What we value is practice, not the music of the repentance. We want to get the true meaning of the ceremony and return to our true selves. We know that in the past we have created many offenses, but we have now met the supreme Dharma, this Dharma treasure, and we should really follow it.