出家

　　Monastic Ordination

　　一名來自丹東的女大學生到我這裏來要求出家。看到眼前身材修長、面目清秀、正值青春韶華的年輕人，我想起了世間人對他們的種種不解，今天何不利用此機會打探一下她的想法呢？也可以此衡量她的決心。

　　A female college student from Dandong came to me and asked to be ordained as a nun. Tall and slender, she has pretty and delicate features and is at the prime of her youthful years. Her decision, no doubt, must have fallen beyond the comprehension of many worldly people. Why not take this opportunity to find out what is in her mind

　　 Her answer will also help to gauge the strength of her determination.

　　“你爲什麼要出家？很多人認爲像你這種年齡的青春少女出家，無異于尚未怒放的花朵遭到了摧殘，是滅絕人性的，你對此有何看法？”

　　“Why do you want to become a nun

　　 Many people think that for a young lady like you to enter a monastic life is akin to trampling on a pretty flower yet to bloom—it is inhuman. What do you think

　　”

　　聽了我的提問，本來顯得十分腼腆的她仿佛打開了話匣子，滔滔不絕地向我傾訴起來：

　　Hearing my question, she lost all of her shyness and poured out her answers fluently:

　　“在很多人看來，在家可以滿足物質和精神方面的種種需求，比如：乘洋車、住洋房，還有他們一贊叁歎的所謂愛情。爲了這一切，他們付出了畢生的代價，然而卻往往事與願違。爲了物質財富，即使絞盡腦汁，也不一定能滿足日益增上的貪欲。縱然腰纏萬貫，一呼百應，但又有幾人能不被牽累，來去自由，抽身于爾虞我詐的名利場？

　　“To many people, worldly living can certainly satisfy a human”s thirst for physical and mental comfort, like owning cars, fine houses and enjoying the much-glorified love relationship. To these ends they invest all their lives” effort, yet what they get in return is usually at odds with their wishes. Striving as they may, they can never feel content, because the desire for wealth and possessions only gets stronger each day. A person can boast of extreme wealth or large retinues at their beck and call, but in a world where everyone tries to cheat or outwit the other, how many people can find real freedom from all the trappings and entanglements

　　再說所謂的世間情愛，又有幾對能真的相約到老？大多數都只落得一拍即散、勞燕分飛的結局，能不反目成仇，已算是萬幸。這樣的在家生活真稱得上是幸福嗎？

　　As to the so-called love relationship, how many couples have made it till the end

　　 Most love unions end up in smoke, to have a breakup without bitterness is considered to be quite lucky. Now, would you deem such worldly living as happy

　　出家不但不是滅絕人性，反而更能讓我們在修行中，找到真正的自我。人生最大的幸運，莫過于出家！”

　　To live a monastic life is not inhuman; on the contrary, it provides a way for us to find the true self through spiritual training. There is no greater happiness than to live a monastic life!”

　　聽了她的講訴，我釋然了。看來她不是處于一時沖動，而是經過認真思索才作出的決定。

　　I was relieved after hearing her point of view. It is clear that her decision to become a nun has emerged from serious and careful deliberation, rather than on an impulse.

　　《大智度論》雲：

　　 In Great Treatise on the Perfection of Wisdom it says:

　　“孔雀雖有色嚴身，不如鴻雁能遠飛；白衣雖有富貴力，不如出家功德勝。”

　　Well-adorned is a peacock with splendid feathers, yet it is no better than a goose that can fly long distances.

　　Wealth and power a common person may possess, yet such blessings pale in comparison with those of the ordained.

　　願我們都能擁有鴻雁翺翔滄溟，海闊天空的廣大胸襟，不要被孔雀沈重的華麗羽毛，拖累了我們遨遊法界天空的翅膀。

　　Let”s hope we will have the spreading wings of the goose, flying up into the expansive sky with an open mind. Let”s crave not the dazzling plumage of the peacock, as it weighs on our wings and prevents us from flying freely in the Dharma realm.

　　壬午年七月十二日 　

　　2002年8月19日 　

　　12th of July, Year of RenWu

　　August 19, 2002