修道最好持银钱戒

宣化上人开示于万佛圣城

一九九二年八月十九日

In Cultivation, it is Best to Keep the Precept Against Holding Money

Venerable Master's Instructional Talk at the Sagely City of Ten Thousand Buddhas

August 19th, 1992

 

安详记录 Transcribed by An Syang

 

我们出家人被这个财，累得入地狱去，转饿鬼、转畜生去，都因为钱财不分明，弄得很多错因果的。

 

第二个就是「色」，这个「色」字力量真的大，人的情欲奔放的时候，所谓「贼胆如天」，像天那么大，什么他也不怕。所以出家人有很多死在「色」上，明的不去犯，自己偷偷摸摸的，没人知道的时候，常常有犯戒的，就是这个淫欲念头是不容易收拾得了。这两样佛说过，这「色」字，幸亏只有一个，如果有两个和它同样力量的东西，所有的人没有一个会成佛的，可是它只有一个，你还可以把它摆脱。这个财色很多都是因果分不清，在这里乱用钱。

 

「钱」是一个不干净的东西，所以这叫「不净物」。这种东西上有很多病菌，很多的传染病在这个钱上，这个 money 上。因为这个有不知道多少人用手数过、摸过，每个人手上，都有病菌，你不知道那一个人有什么病菌，甚至于有这个爱死病的菌，有肺炎病的病菌，等你一摸到这个钱，也就会传染到，这是无形无相，所以我们出家人若能持银钱戒最好，你银钱戒一持，没有那么多的妄想。有钱，就想我有多少多少钱，我这个钱干什么用呢？乃至于睡不着觉。

 

「色」也是那么大的力量：「财」也是那样，财、色再加上名、食、睡，这是地狱五条根。所以我们想清净修行，就要持银钱戒。在道场大众有饭吃，我才吃；大众没饭吃，我也饿肚皮。这么样子道业很容易成就，不打那么多妄想。

 

我们万佛城这儿也尊重老人，谁已经老了，我们就要尊重谁。譬如小孩子说我已经变老了，我们也尊重他。为什么呢？我们要敬老怀幼。小孩子我们也一定要重视他，所以要给他一个好的教育，教他怎么做人，这是我们办教育的宗旨。凡是出家人要持银钱戒，生了病，就庙上负责给他治病，用多少钱都是庙上出，因为他持银钱戒没有钱了，一切一切都是由道场来供养，只要他安心能住得下，好好的用功办道就可以了。

 

而不持银钱戒的，有病的人，因为你自己有钱了，要自己出钱去治病，我们这样子，来表示对守银钱戒的人是特别的一种待遇，也不是优待，是我们要照顾这些持银钱戒的人。

 

所以，无论那一位愿意持银钱戒，都要报名。持银钱戒，手就不摸金银财宝，不摸这种东西，你眼不见、嘴不馋、耳不听、心不烦，你要不摸这个钱，也就不打胡思乱想的妄想，能静虑修定力，这是修道的一个好榜样。

 

我以前在东北的时候，也持过银钱戒。我持银钱戒持过几年。为什么我持银钱戒？因为我那时候是沙弥，庙上方丈和尚请我当首座。为什么请我这个沙弥当首座呢？那时我守孝，有个假名是白孝子，他也是个守孝的，他就重视这个孝道，所以虽然我是沙弥，他请我当首座。首座就是除了方丈，就是第二座的，其余是第三、第四是这样子，所以我做沙弥就受到这样的宠待。

 

以后他觉得我当首座还不够，又想要教我做当家的。做当家的一定要数钱，这个钱常常要在手里过，由这个我就持银钱戒。你没法子教我再当家了，方丈和尚要我做当家的，如果我推辞说我不做，这又好像不尊重方丈和尚的意思。我持银钱戒不能数钱，当然就不能当家。因为这个我持银钱戒。持银钱戒大约有两三年吧！

 

每逢搭巴士，我也不拿钱，也不要有一个陪着我到那儿给我买票。我到巴士站往那一站，不用十分钟的时间，一定就会有人给我买票。搭火车也是这样，我到车站往那边一坐，也不管，因为有很多人认识我，甚至于这些人多数我都是救过他们的命，他们有了问题，我救过他们。所以都感激得我坐在那儿，就抢着给我买票。搭火车是这样子。那时没搭过飞机，因为那时飞机也很少的，我所去的地方没有那么远，所以飞机票还没有人买过。去台湾我试过有人给买机票，但是，不是持银钱戒的时候。

 

我总想有一天，我还要持银钱戒，手里不摸钱，一定没有传染病，不会有病菌。可是到今天，因为我要护持这个道场，要养这一班人，所以还没法子放下这一班人的生活，我暂时不要有自私心，我要为大家来服务，要来供养大家，饮食、衣服、卧具、汤药，可是我又把话说明，不持银钱戒的出家人，有病道场不管的。为什么呢？道场没有那么多钱，持银钱戒的，道场要负责任。

 

 we left-home people are burdened by wealth to the point that we fall into the hells, turn into hungry ghosts or become animals. This is simply because we are confused by riches and there by err in cause and effect.

 

The power of sexual desire is truly formidable. When peoples' desires are unleashed, it is like the saying, "The audacity of a thief is as great as the skies." There is nothing he fears. Many left-home people die from sexual desire. They may not violate this precept in public, but they will secretly break this precept in private for it is not easy to subdue the thoughts of sexual desire. The Buddha said that it is fortunate that there is only one thing like sexual desire. If there were another force as powerful as this, then no one would be able to realise Buddhahood. But since there is only one, you can get rid of it. Most people are unclear about the causes and effects behind wealth and sex. They spend money at random. Money is unclean. That is why it is called an "impure thing".

 

There are a lot of germs and contagious diseases on bills because they have been counted and handled by countless people, and there are germs on everyone's hands. You do not know what kind of germs each person has. There are even germs from AIDS, pneumonia, etc. and as soon as you touch this money, you will be contaminated by it. This happens invisibly. So it is best for left-home people to keep the precept against holding money.

 

When you hold the precept of not touching money, you will not have so many false thoughts. If there is money then you will think, "Oh, I have such-and-such an amount of money; what shall I do with it?" to the point that you cannot even fall asleep. Sexual desire also has such power. Wealth, sex, fame, food and sleep are the five roots to the hells. So, if we want to cultivate purity, we should keep the precept against holding money.

 

In a Wayplace, if everyone has food to eat, I will eat. If no one has food to eat, I will go hungry too. If you can be like this, it is very easy to accomplish the way and you will not strike up so much false thinking.

 

In the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, we also respect all people. We should respect the elderly. For instance, if a child says that he is already old, we should also respect him. Why? Because we want to respect the old and nourish the young. We should also treat children well: we want to provide them with a good education and teach them how to be a person. This is our goal in education.

 

Left-home people should keep the precept against holding money. When they are unwell, the monastery will be responsible for the cost of treating their illness. No matter how much it is, the Wayplace will pay for it. Everything will be provided by the Wayplace. One only needs to settle down, reside here and apply effort in cultivation.

 

If those not keeping his precept against holding money become ill, then since they have their own money, they should pay their own medical expenses. This is the special consideration we render to those who keep the precept against holding money. This is not to bestow some favored treatment, for we want to protect those who wish to keep the precept of not holding money. So, those who intend to keep the precept of not holding money should register their names. In upholding this precept, you should also refrain from handling gold, silver, precious gems and so on. You do not want to hold such things anymore.

 

When the eyes don't see, the mouth will not water. When the ears don't hear, the mind will not be moved. If you do not touch money, you will not strike up false thoughts. Your mind will be purified and you can develop samadhi. This is a fine situation for cultivation.

 

When I was in Manchuria, I kept the precept against holding money for several years. Why did I uphold this precept? During that period I was a novice. The abbot of the temple asked me to be the head of the assembly. Why did he ask me to be the head? Because I was practicing filiality and I had a false name Filial Son Pai. The abbot had also practiced filiality and honored this virtue. So, although I was a novice, he told me to head the assembly. The head of the assembly is the position next to the abbot's. Then there is the third seat, the fourth seat, etc. I received such favorable treatment when I was a novice.

 

So later, feeling that it was not enough to make me the head of the assembly, he wanted to appoint me as the manager too. But a manager has to count money; money often has to pass through one's hands. Because of this, I began observing the precept against holding money so that no one could make me a manager. If I had declined when the abbot asked me to be the manager, it would have been disrespectful. But, if I uphold the precept against holding money and thereby cannot count money, then I obviously will be unable to become the manager. Because of this, I upheld the precept against touching money, maintaining it for two or three years.

 

I did not bring any money with me when I needed to take the bus. I did not request anyone to accompany me to buy me a bus ticket either. I just went and stood at the bus stop. But, in less than two minutes, someone would always buy me a bus ticket. When I needed to get on a train, it was the same. I just went and sat at the train station without paying any attention to other things. However, many people knew me for I had aided them before. When they were in difficulty, I saved them. So, out of gratitude they would jostle with each other to buy a ticket for me. At that time, I did not ride airplanes because there were few planes, and the places I went were not too far. So, no one bought me plane tickets. When I went to Taiwan, someone did buy me an airticket, but this was not during the period when I was upholding the precept against touching money.

 

However, I hope that someday I will again uphold this precept of not touching money. When my hands do not touch money, I will certainly not be infected by contagious diseases and germs. But, up to now, I've had to maintain this Wayplace to support these people and I simply cannot ignore their subsistence.

 

Temporarily, I will be unselfish. I will serve the public. I will make offerings of food, clothing, bedding and medicine to everyone. But I need to specify that if those left-home people who are not keeping this precept against holding money fall sick, the Wayplace will not pay their bills. Why? Because this Wayplace is not very well-off. This Wayplace will be responsible only for the medical expenses incurred by those who uphold the precept against touching money.