放生

　　Life Liberation

　　“年歲漸長，體魄日衰，盛年不在，暮境即來。”古羅馬詩人盧克萊修的這句話恰到好處地描繪了我的現狀。歲月之流，即將跨入第40個春秋，常言道“叁十而立，四十而不惑。”但作爲一名凡夫，要徹底泯滅業惑煩惱，卻絕非一日之寒。人的一生能有多少個365天？眼看生命的時日不多，如何抓住稍縱即逝的時光，使之過得豐盈飽滿

　　前輩的高僧大德們留下了難以計數的教言，時刻觀察自己的心和行爲，每天哪怕是以論典中的一個偈子來約束自己，也必定會有所裨益。在這新一年的開端，忽然産生這樣一個念頭，記下每一天的經曆和感受，時刻提醒自己要珍惜這難得的暇滿人生，或許對自己、對道友們會有一些益處。這就是我寫這本日記的初衷。

　　“Flying by are the years and ever weakening is my body; gone is my prime and looming near is my demise.” This poem by Lucretius of ancient Rome depicts precisely my present state of affairs. I will soon be 40 years old, one of the life stages as defined by Confucius: “At 30, I planted my feet firmly upon the ground. At 40, I no longer suffered from perplexities.” But for an ordinary person, the eradication of karmic obscuration and confused emotions is not an overnight job: “It takes more than one cold day to freeze the river three feet deep.” How many 365-day years can a human have in life

　　 With not too many days left, how can I catch the fleeting time and use it meaningfully

　　 The supreme beings in the past have left numerous teachings; if I can apply even one verse to discipline myself and watch my own mind and actions, it definitely will be beneficial. On this New Year”s Day I had a sudden urge to write down my experiences and feelings every day. It will remind me to treasure our precious human existence that is hard to come by, and it may bring benefit to others and myself. That”s how I have decided to write this diary.

　　今天是藏曆的大年初一，農曆大年初二，街頭洋溢著濃濃的節日氣氛。很多人都穿著今年最流行的唐裝，到農貿市場買各種鮮活的雞鴨魚兔、蝦蟹蟲鳥回家過年，這幾天也是這些可憐衆生最悲慘的日子。我決定以救護生命作爲新一年的開端。

　　Today is Losar, New Year”s Day on the Tibetan calendar. It is also the second day of the Chinese Lunar New Year, and an intensely festive mood pervades the streets and neighborhoods. Many people put on their most stylish Tang outfits to celebrate, and they go to the marketplace to buy live animals—chickens, ducks, fish, shrimp, birds and so on—as special treats for the New Year. But for these poor animals, this festive period is actually the ultimate doomsday. I resolved to make releasing live beings as my task to commence the New Year.

　　剛進農貿市場，就看見一幕令人觸目驚心的場面。一位青年男子正在以猙獰的神態從竹籠裏抓出一只鹌鹑，毫不留情地活活將它的羽毛拔掉，可憐的鳥兒發出啁哳的叫聲，這叫聲是那麼的虛弱而短暫，以至于不能讓屠夫産生絲毫的猶豫。很快，它的羽毛被拔光，露出粉紅色的身體，一把鋒利的剪刀剖開了它的腹腔，內髒被掏了出來，頭腳被剪下扔到一邊，所有程序的完成不到一分鍾，被掏空的身體發出微微的顫動，扔在一邊的頭睜著不屈的眼，仿佛在控訴它的委屈：“爲什麼？爲什麼？”

　　No sooner had I walked into the marketplace than I was presented with a shocking scene. A young man menacingly grabbed a quail in a cage and mercilessly pulled out its feathers while the bird was still alive. The poor bird twittered painfully, yet its wail was too meek and too brief to affect the butcher in the least. Without any hesitation, he cleared out all of its feathers, exposing fully the quail”s naked pink body. A sharp knife sliced open its body cavity, the internal organs were thrown out, and its head and feet cut off and cast to one side—all this was done in less than a minute. The quail”s body, emptied of its contents, still quivered faintly; its eyes remained open on the discarded head, as if to protest the utterly unfair treatment: “Why

　　 Why

　　”

　　我不忍心再看下去，買下了所有剩余的鹌鹑，共150只，送到郊外的閩南佛學院，使之回歸山林。一邊念著放生儀軌，一邊默默地祈禱：但願當地人能廢除 “天上龍肉，地下鹌鹑肉”、“吃了鹌鹑肉，活到九十九”的陋習。也希望我的後半生能爲放生多做一些貢獻。

　　I could not bear to behold this scene any longer. Buying up all the remaining quails, 150 in all, I brought them to the Minnan Buddhist Academy and released them into the woods. Reciting the lifesaving sadhana, I prayed silently: May the local people abolish their bad habit and the misconceptions “dragon meat in heaven, quail meat on earth,” and that “by eating quail meat, one will live to be 99 years old.” I also hope I will be able to make more contributions to release live beings in the latter part of my life.

　　今天也是學院持明法會召開的第一天，法王如意寶打電話給學院全體僧衆，希望大家好好念咒，他老人家也將與眷屬一起在成都共修。上師的教導帶給大家莫大的鼓勵和安慰，很多人都流下了激動和思念的淚水。

　　Today is also the first day of the Great Prayer Dharma Festival of Vidyadhara (Vidyadhara Puja) at the academy. Our Choeje (King of Dharma) Jigme Phuntsok Rinpoche called from Chengdu to all Sangha members at the academy, advising them to recite mantras diligently and said he himself would do the same practice with others in Chengdu. These words from our revered Guru brought tremendous joy and encouragement to everyone; some could not help starting to cry with tears of gratitude and intense longing.

　　近一個多月以來，爲了聽從醫囑，我不得不離開雪域高原，來到這春色宜人的廈門，獨在異鄉爲異客，難免有浪迹天涯、四處飄零之感。回想在學院的美好時光，不由自主地撥通了弟弟的電話，請他把話筒放在喇叭旁，聽筒裏傳出了悠揚的誦經聲，令人心馳神往。我多麼盼望著冰雪消融、春暖花開、草木複蘇的季節能早點到來，美麗的喇榮能春色常在，學院的僧衆們不再遭受嚴寒的襲擊，能在融融春光裏接受佛法甘露的洗禮啊！

　　Due to medical reasons, I was advised to stay away from the snow-capped high plateau and have been to Xiamen, a southern city with a pleasing spring, for more than a month now. As a lonely visitor to a strange city, I can”t help feeling like a rootless wanderer traveling to the far ends of the earth. How fondly do I miss the days at the academy! On impulse, I called my brother there and asked him to place the phone receiver next to the loudspeaker. Soon a melodious chanting came through the receiver, filling my heart with a deep yearning. How I wish that the snow and ice will melt, and that the warm season for blossoms and green leaves will arrive soon. May the beautiful Larung enjoy spring always and the Sangha members no longer suffer from the bitter winter. May they bask in the warm sunlight of spring and be showered with the Dharma nectar!

　　希望這一天能早日到來。喇嘛欽！

　　May such a day arrive soon! Lama chen!

　　壬午年正月初一　　

　　2002年2月13日

　　1st of January, Year of RenWu

　　Feb. 13, 2002

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