宣化老禅師出家的因緣
The Story of the Venerable Master Hsuan Hua”s Leaving the Home-life
從事譯經工作，乃是神聖的、清高的、無上的。
Translating the Sutras is the work of the sages: it is exalted and supreme work.
【編按】：宣公上人是吉林省雙城縣人氏，俗姓白，父富海公，一生勤儉治家，務農爲業。母胡太夫人，生前茹素念佛，數十年如一日，從未間斷，爲人好善樂施，爲善最樂，有求必應，鄉裏稱贊不已，稱爲活菩薩。戊午年叁月十六日夜間，太夫人夢見阿彌陀佛降臨，身放金光，照耀世界，震動天地。驚醒之後，方覺異香撲鼻，香味異常，清澈肺腑，真是不可思議的境界。不久，宣公降生人間，連哭叁天叁夜而止，蓋覺娑婆世界之苦不堪忍受故。今將宣公上人自述出家的因緣，摘錄如下：
Editor”s Commentary: The Venerable Master Hsuan Hua is a native of Shuangcheng ("Twin Cities") County, Jilin ("Lucky Grove") Province, of Manchuria, China. He was surnamed Bai, His father, Mr. Bai Fuhai,was thrifty and frugal in managing the household, and was a farmer by occupation. His mother”s maiden name was Hu. A vegetarian for her entire life, she recited the Buddha”s name without cease for years, and was by nature a charitable and generous person who gave to anyone who asked. Her attitude was, "doing good deeds is the utmost happiness." As a result, her neighbors praised her constantly and gave her the name, "The Living Bodhisattva." On the night of the sixteenth day of the third lunar month, Mrs. Bai (Madame Hu) dreamed that Amitabha Buddha, his body shining with golden light that illuminated the entire world, came down, and the earth trembled and shook. Startled awake, she smelled an unusual fragrance that she had never known before. The scent was pure, and permeated her lungs and midriff; a truly inconceivable state of being. Soon after this experience, the Venerable Master was born. He cried incessantly for three days and three nights, perhaps feeling that the suffering of the Saha World was simply too painful for people to bear. The following is the Venerable Master”s account of how he came to leave the home-life.
我在十二歲以前，脾氣很倔強，倔強到什麼程度呢？凡是有人惹我的時候，就會哭，一哭起來，就沒有完的時候。父母的話也不聽，非常任性，有時候不吃不喝，拼命地哭，令父母也沒有辦法。當時的想法，知道父母非常疼愛我，我若是不吃東西，父母的心會軟，會向我投降。我那時就是這麼樣不孝，不能體會父母的辛苦，現在想起來，實在不應該這麼樣不乖。
Before I reached age twelve, I was obstinate to the extreme. How stubborn was I
Whenever anyone provoked me, I”d always start to cry; and once I began to cry, I wouldn”t stop. I disobeyed my parents, and did only what I pleased. Sometimes I refused to eat and drink, and cried my eyes out; my parents simply couldn”t handle me. I knew at the time that my father and mother were very fond of me, and if I stopped eating, their hearts would yield, and I would get my way. That”s how unfilial I was as a child. I had no appreciation of the trouble my parents went to on my behalf. Reflecting on my behavior, I regret that I was so naughty.
有一次，鄰居的小孩子來到我家，那時我剛會爬，他也是在爬的階段，我們在炕上爬，看誰爬得快？我爬到前頭，不料他用嘴來咬我的腳。愚笨的我，不知反抗，只知道大哭，現在想起來，真可笑！
One day the neighbor”s boy came over to play, and I”d just learned to crawl. He too, was a new toddler, and we both started to crawl on the bed; we held a race to see who could crawl faster. I took the lead, but then he started to bite my heels from behind. Stupid as I was, it didn”t occur to me to resist or fight back; all I could do was to sob and cry. Thinking back on it, it was pretty funny!
在十一歲那年，和同村的小朋友到郊外去玩，發現一個嬰兒的屍體。我從來沒有見過這種事情，認爲這小孩子在睡覺，但是叫也叫不醒，看他眼睛閉著，又不喘氣，我莫名其妙，所以回家問母親：「爲什麼小孩子在郊外睡覺呢？」母親說：「那小孩子死了。」我又問：「爲什麼會死呢？怎麼樣才不會死？」當時，有位親戚便說：「若想不死，除非出家修道，才能不死。」那時候，我對死很怕，也就是不願意死，又覺得生生死死沒有意思，遂起了出家的念頭，想要去修道以了生脫死。
In my eleventh year I went to the countryside with some other children to play, and discovered the dead body of a small child. Having never before witnessed the phenomenon of death, I assumed that the baby was just sleeping. When I called to it, however, it didn”t wake up, and I noticed that its eyes were closed. Further-more, its breath had stopped. I couldn”t figure it out, and ran home to ask my mother what the matter was. "Why was the child sleeping out in the countryside
" I asked. She answered, "That child was dead." "Well, why…
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