住道場要隨衆

　　When Living in a Way-place, Follow the Assembly

　　你不做早晚課，就是輕視道場；輕視道場，就是輕視佛。

　　If you don”t do morning and evening recitation, you are showing disrespect for the Way-place.

　　Disrespect for the Way-place implies disrespect for the Buddha.

　　道場的規矩，就是有事情大家一起做，吃飯一起吃，做工一起做；可是還有例外，譬如真正會用功打坐的人，天天靜坐，旁的事情可以少做一點，爲什麼呢？因爲他已經在修行了。或者念佛，或者拜佛，他已經在那裏用功修行。如果有這種特殊情形，那就另當別論，否則絕對不可以躲懶偷安，一律要守道場的規矩。

　　At the Way-place we have the rule that when there”s work to do, people do it together. They eat together and work together. However, there are some exceptions. For instance, people who truly work hard sitting in meditation day after day can do a little less of the other work. This is because they are already cultivating, either reciting the Buddha”s name or bowing to the Buddhas. They already work hard in cultivation. But these are special exceptions; ordinarily we cannot be lazy in our work. We must abide by the rules of the Way-place.

　　你不是時時都在打坐，也不是時時都在拜佛，做早晚課沒有時間，講是講非卻有時間。或者在做早晚課時，拖延時間，你來晚，我來晚，他也來晚，那麼這樣早晚課由誰來做呢？修行人不做早晚課做什麼呢？在道場中做早晚課是常住的公事，任何人都不能避免的。你不作早晚課，就是輕視道場；輕視道場，就是輕視佛；輕視佛，等于輕視住持；若是輕視住持，那就不能共住，也就是不能與大家在一起修行。

　　Other people don”t always sit in meditation or bow to the Buddhas, and yet they don”t have time to attend morning and evening recitation. In spite of this, they find time to gossip. Or they drag their feet when going to morning and evening recitation. If everyone comes late, then who does morning and evening recitation

　　 If cultivators don”t do morning and evening recitation, what do they do

　　 In a Way-place, doing morning and evening recitation is the duty of the residents. No one can be absent. If you don”t do morning and evening recitation, you are showing disrespect for the Way-place. Disrespect for the Way-place implies disrespect for the Buddha, which in turn implies disrespect for the Abbot. If you have no respect for the Abbot, then you cannot live and cultivate with everyone else.

　　除了做早晚功課的時間以外，其余的時間可以隨自意去做，願意翻譯經典的人，就翻譯經典；願意看佛書的人，就閱讀佛書；願意講是非的人，就去講是非；願意聽是非的人，就去聽是非。沒有人會幹涉你，沒有人去限製你，可是呢，到了做早晚課的時間，必須參加，因爲早晚課是道場必修的法門。

　　Apart from the time spent in morning and evening recitation, you can do whatever you want at other times. People who like to translate Sutras can translate them. People who like to study Sutras can study them. People who like to gossip can gossip. People who like to listen to gossip can listen. No one will stop you from doing what you want to do. However, when the time comes for morning or evening recitation, you must attend, because morning and evening recitations are required for all cultivators at a Way-place.

　　修道人要護持道場，要尊重道場，要遵守道場的規矩。聞到鍾鼓聲，就要把工作放下，准備上殿，不可落後，要有爭先恐後的精神。如果對于早晚課不當一回事，或者敷衍了事，那簡直是在道場中等著下地獄，所謂「地獄門前僧道多」，無論是出家人，還是在家人，在道場必定要隨喜功德，認真做佛事，不可以隨梆唱影。如果不這樣子，那太沒有出息了！

　　Cultivators must protect and maintain the Way-place, respect the Way-place, and abide by the rules of the Way-place. Upon hearing the bell and drum, one should stop doing the work at hand and eagerly get ready to go to the Buddha Hall. If one does the morning and evening recitations perfunctorily and does not take them seriously, one is simply waiting to fall into the hells. “There are many Sanghans at the gates of hell.” Whether you are a left-home person or a layperson, you should participate and rejoice in meritorious activities, do the Buddha”s work in earnest, and not just absent-mindedly follow the beat and go along with the crowd, for that would really be pointless.