..續本文上一頁people in the world. While bowing to heaven, I made a wish that the really bad, evil people on earth would change their ways, reform, and become wholesome.
這樣子增加下去，最後增加到八百叁十個頭，每次要叩兩個半小時的頭，早晚兩次，需要五個小時。我在院中，無論刮風下雨，照叩不誤；就是冬天下雪，也是在院中叩頭，用我的愚誠來祈求風調雨順，國泰民安。
I kept adding bows in this way, until the total number of bows reached 830. The entire course of bows took two and a half hours to complete, and I bowed twice each day--morning and night. I spent five hours in the yard each day; regardless of rain or wind, the bowing still went on. Even during the winter while the snow fell, I continued to bow in the courtyard. I used a stupid sincerity to fuel my bowing, and I sought for the winds and rains to be regular and harmonious, for the country to be stable, and for the people to be at peace.
這樣叩了幾年，母親往生後，我在母親墓上守孝叁年，仍然繼續叩頭。出家之後，開始研究經典，覺得佛經是世界上最完善的經典，也是世界上最豐富的經典，其他宗教的經典，簡直是望塵莫及。
My practice of bowing continued for several years. After my mother passed away, I observed filial mourning by her graveside and continued bowing. The period of mourning completed, I left the home-life and began to study the Buddhist Sutras. These Sutras were, in my opinion, the most complete and wholesome texts on earth. I found them to be the richest and fullest resources. The spiritual classics of other religions were simply left in the dust; they couldn”t compare.
我在未出家之前，參加各種宗教的活動，曾經參加天主教的彌撒儀式、基督教的安息會，還參加了旁門左道的法會。總而言之，到處尋覓了生脫死的方法，到最後很失望，找不到根本解決的方法，各宗教的教義，都不徹底、不究竟。但是發現天主教和基督教，能夠普遍令一般人所接受。爲什麼？因爲他們將《新約》和《舊約》，翻譯成各國文字，義理淺顯，容易明了。
Before I left the home-life, I occasionally joined the activities of other religions. I took part in a Catholic Mass and joined a Christian service. I also sat in the assemblies of the various heterodox sects and cults. To sum it up, I took every opportunity to look into the methods for resolving the matter of birth and death; and, frankly, I wound up disappointed by my inability to find any approach that dealt with the fundamental problem. The various methods proposed by the religions were not thoroughgoing and not ultimate. However, I realized that Catholicism and Christianity had been widely accepted by many people. Why
Because their Old and New Testaments had been translated into the languages of each country, and because the principles they contained were quite shallow and easy to understand.
佛教的教義，雖然很圓滿，但是文字太深，不是一般人所能明了，所以信仰的人很少。當時，我發了一個空願，決心將叁藏十二部經典譯爲白話文，再翻譯成世界各國文字。可是我不懂世界語言，也沒有機會學習，也沒有這種智慧，不知能否實現呢？
The principles of Buddhism in the Sutras, although perfect and complete, were presented in very learned prose which was beyond the understanding of the average reader. Thus believers in Buddhism were very few. At this point, I made a futile vow, making up my mind to translate the entire Three Storehouses and Twelve Divisions of the Buddhist Canon into colloquial speech, and, further, to translate them into the languages of every nation on earth. The vow was "futile" because I myself didn”t understand all the languages on earth, nor did I hope to get a chance to learn them. I lacked this wisdom, and didn”t know whether or not I could achieve my vow.
一九六二年，我來到美國弘揚佛法。到機緣成熟時，美國弟子們，便開始翻譯經典，完成我的志願。經過多年的努力，翻譯的成績頗佳，可是離目標尚有一段距離，希望大家再接再厲，努力工作。從事這種使命，乃是神聖的、清高的、無上的。把叁藏十二部全譯成英文，是功德無量的。
In 1962 I came to America to propagate the Buddhadharma, and when the opportunities ripened, my American disciples began the work of translation in order to fulfill my vow. After several years of effort, they”ve had a bit of success, but are still far short of the ultimate goal. I hope they will all forge ahead and work hard. If they can carry out this instruction, they will be doing the work of the sages; it is exalted and supreme work. The merit and virtue of this task, once the Three Stores of the Buddhist Canon are all translated into English, is truly limitle…
《宣化老禅師出家的因緣 The Story of the Venerable Master Hsuan Huas Leaving the Home-life》全文未完，請進入下頁繼續閱讀…