五四

　　May 4th

　　今天是“五·四”青年節，從1919年五四運動至今已經曆了近百年的曆史。隨著時代的變遷，青年們早已不必再爲反封建、反壓迫而戰，他們以各種形式慶祝著這一節日。

　　Today is Youth Day; it was more than a hundred years ago when the May 4th Movement shook the nation in 1919. As time goes by, however, young people these days no longer emphasize fighting feudalism or oppression as their earlier peers did. Instead, they choose to celebrate their day in various ways.

　　我也加入了一幫有很多青年人組成的行列，舉行了一次大規模的放生活動。叁艘船承載著飽受死亡恐懼的海底居民，浩浩蕩蕩地駛往深海，除了廈門本地的信衆，來自各地寺院、佛學院的出家人，福州、臺灣、香港等地的居士，約200名道友都參加了這次放生活動，出家人的紅黃僧衣，在家人五彩缤紛的各式服裝，在藍色大海的襯托下，形成了一道道靓麗的風景。

　　I found myself in the company of young people to carry out large-scale life liberation. Three ships loaded with many sea creatures whose lives were once at grave stake sailed off the coast in an impressive formation. The 200 or so participants included local Buddhists from Xiamen, monks and nuns from nearby monasteries and Buddhist Academies, as well as lay practitioners from Fuzhou, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. Against the blue sea, the maroon and yellow monastic robes and laities” attire of various colors stood out vividly and brightly. It was quite a beautiful sight to behold.

　　在我身居其中的四個月期間，每當午餐和晚餐之時，窗戶外面時常會漂來宰殺海鮮的血腥氣息，使這座沿海城市純淨的空氣受到了玷汙，更使來自藏地的我和同伴食不下咽，將這些可憐的魚蝦從屠刀下解救出來一直是我們未了的心願。雖然今天解救的生靈與整個城市的殺生數量難以相比，但也能讓我們稍感欣慰。

　　During my four-month stay in this coastal city, at lunch or dinner time the stench of seafood being prepared often wafted through the open window, polluting the fresh air of the shore, and making my friend, also from Tibet, and me lose our appetites. We have long wished to save the poor fish, shrimp, and so forth from meeting their ends at the knife, it is only today that we have come to fulfill it. Even though the number of lives we are saving is incomparable with that of being killed in the whole city, we are still grateful for the opportunity.

　　記得曾有一縣令名曰潘公，在他上任期間，製定縣規命令百姓不得入江湖漁捕，犯者加罪。當他後來去任時，水中發出號呼之聲，如喪考妣。當地人聽到後，莫不歎異。不知道什麼時候廈門也能有這樣的好縣令，也能使這些生靈免受刀俎之苦。不過，此地的放生之風還算比較盛行，聽說是一位居士發心印了一萬冊《放生功德文》，廣爲結緣，才使此風日益興盛，繼而流傳下來的。

　　There was once a county magistrate name Poon Gong who forbade his subjects from catching any live fish by instigating severe punishments for perpetrators. Years later when he was about to leave his official post, a wailing sound as grief-stricken as if one”s parents had been lost was heard from the waters, filling people”s hearts with sadness and amazement. I often wonder when such a benevolent county magistrate will appear again in Xiamen such that many beings will be saved from going under the knife. Nonetheless, the practice of lifesaving has been well accepted here, due largely to, I was told, the free distribution of 10,000 booklets of The Merit of Releasing Live Beings by an aspiring layperson. The tradition thus has gradually flourished and come down to this day.

　　據說這是當地近年來規模最大的一次放生。不管規模大小，至少，這也是我們爲這些生靈反對壓迫而舉行的一次抗議。善無大小，唯貴久長，日日增之，月月累之，但願百年以後，生靈塗炭的悲劇不會再上演了。

　　Today”s lifesaving activity reportedly is the largest one in recent years in the area. Regardless of whether the magnitude is large or small, at least we have made a revolt against oppression on behalf of these sea creatures. The value of good deeds depends not so much on their scale but more on their consistency. When virtues are practiced daily and enhanced monthly, we hope that one hundred years from now, the tragedy of taking other beings” lives will no longer exist.

　　壬午年叁月二十叁日　

　　2002年5月4日　　

　　23rd of March, Year of RenWu

　　May 4, 2002