..續本文上一頁rinciples of the Buddhadharma. Some cultivate asceticism, with fasting of one week, or three weeks; some fast as long as thirty-six days, and even up to seventy-two days. Such a vigorous ascetic regimen is unparalleled in the history of Buddhism in America, and can be considered extremely rare! There are also some who, for the sake of world peace, have vowed to bow once every three steps, and they have done so continuously for two and a half years. Undaunted by the wind or rain, they practice this in order to serve as models for all Buddhists. Inspired by the Venerable Master”s exalted virtuous conduct, they strive to emulate the Master”s spirit of forgetting himself for the sake of others to practice the Bodhisattva Way.

　　上人教導有方，弟子們循規蹈矩，認真修行，遵守佛製，時時搭衣、日中一食、夜不倒單。可以說，全世界現在找不到第二個地方；所以萬佛聖城是世界的佛教中心，對所有佛弟子有不可思議的啓迪作用。

　　The Venerable Master”s teaching methods are effective; his disciples are well-behaved. They cultivate earnestly and observe the Buddha”s regulations of always wearing their precept-robes, eating one meal a day at noon, and not lying down to sleep. It would be hard to find another place with comparable standards. Therefore, the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas has become a center of world Buddhism and serves as an inspiration for all Buddhists.

　　上人于一九六二年，攜正法西來，曆年來創辦法界佛教總會(前身爲中美佛教總會)，又成立萬佛聖城及美、加、臺、馬等地各分支道場。爲培養世界棟梁之材，特在萬佛聖城設立法界佛教大學、培德中學、育良小學。爲令正法久住，造就行解兼顧之佛教人材，遂設立僧伽居士訓練班。爲使佛經流通于全世界，又成立國際譯經學院，現有許多僧尼、居士，埋頭苦幹，致力于將佛經翻譯爲英文。現已出版一百余部中、英及其他西方語文之經書，流通世界各地。

　　In 1962, the Venerable Master brought the Proper Dharma to the West, and in the years that followed, he founded the Dharma Realm Buddhist Association (formerly the Sino-American Buddhist Association), the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, and other Way-places in the United States, Canada, Taiwan, Malaysia, and other countries. In order to educate people to become good citizens of the world, at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas the Venerable Master established Dharma Realm Buddhist University, Developing Virtue High School, and Instilling Goodness Elementary School. For the sake of causing the Proper Dharma to remain in the world and to train Buddhist workers in both theory and practice, he established the Sangha and Laity Training Programs. He also founded the International Translation Institute so that Buddhist Sutras might circulate throughout the world. Many monks, nuns, and laypeople are now diligently working to translate the Sutras into English. Over a hundred volumes of Sutras and Buddhist texts have already been published in Chinese, English, and other languages and are being circulated worldwide.

　　上人一生堅苦卓絕，爲法忘軀。時至今日，法界佛教總會之分支道場，雖已遍及美、加與亞洲各地，然而上人仍保持一貫謙遜淡泊之態度，自稱是「一只小螞蟻」，處在人人之下，絕對不和任何人爭。他曾說：「萬佛聖城不是私人的機構，是屬于全世界佛教徒所有，甚至全世界宗教徒也包括在內。目前在聖城的住衆，終日埋頭苦幹，我只是做一個守門人，一個清道夫，等著有緣的衆生到這裏共同修行。你們不要把自己抛到門外，你們都是萬佛聖城的成員，將來都要成佛。」

　　The Master”s whole life has been one of hardship and distinctive achievement, of selfless dedication to the Dharma. Although the branch monasteries of Dharma Realm Buddhist Association have spread throughout the United States, Canada, and Asia, the Venerable Master remains as humble and modest as ever, calling himself a tiny ant that walks beneath everyone else and would never contend with anyone. He has said, "The City of Ten Thousand Buddhas is not a private institution; it belongs to all the Buddhists of the world, and in fact, the followers of all religions have a share in it. The people living at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas are putting their nose to the grindstone everyday; I am just the person who watches the door, a custodian waiting for those living beings who have affinities to come here and cultivate together. None of you should stand outside the door and be afraid to come in; all of you are members of the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, and in the future you will become Buddhas.

　　一九八一年禅七七月十六日至廿叁日開示于萬佛聖城萬佛殿

　　A talk given during a Chan Session from July 16-23, 1981 The Hall of Ten Thousand Buddhas, The City of Ten Thousand Buddhas

《宣化老禅師出家的因緣 The Story of the Venerable Master Hsuan Huas Leaving the Home-life》全文閱讀結束。