紀念恩師二三事 In Memory of My Humane Mentor

緬懷長老的慈悲風範。
缅怀长老的慈悲风范。
Remembrance of His Venerable's compassionate demeanor.
紀念了寬長老百年誕辰
2022.10.11 宣講於洛杉磯美佛寺
今年，正好是我的剃度恩師了寬長老誕辰一百週年。國內的眾師兄弟，特別成立紀念籌備會，發起三天的追思紀念活動。我作為法子，理應回去參加追思，以報師長教導之恩。但由於疫情未能前往，倍感遺憾！為了彌補我的小小遺憾，今天的這個開示，算是用來紀念我的恩師，特別緬懷老人家的慈悲風範。我們在座的許多弟子，大家都沒有見過他，可能不了解他的事跡，因為他從來沒有來過美國。在這裡，我有必要簡單介紹一下他老人家的生平簡歷。我的恩師出生於1923年，圓寂於2017年，到現在有五年的時間了。雖然時間過去了五年，但他的慈悲形象歷歷在目，猶如昨日。每當我回憶他老人家的時候，久久不能平靜！我的恩師是一位非常慈祥、和藹可親的人，持戒非常地嚴格，護戒如護命。他沒有任何的架子，特別地平易近人。在我的印象和記憶當中，他默默修行，受持念佛法門，晝夜六時，一句佛號從來沒有間斷過。『將此深心奉塵剎，是則名為報佛恩』。師父為佛法，為眾生，為溫州地區，甚至為整個浙江的佛教事業做出了應有的貢獻，是中國佛教界不可多得的一位高僧，永遠是我們後人學習的楷模！我本人於一九八八年八月，來到海雲寺追隨老和尚出家，了寬長老就是我的剃度師父。大家知道，我們出家人修行，一生當中需要很多的好因緣，會遇到很多的善知識，依止的師父會很多。幫我們剃頭出家的，那叫『剃度師父』；之後去各地求學去參學，教導我們佛法的，那叫『授業恩師』；我們出家人要受三壇大戒，受戒的時候，我們又有『得戒師父』；如果有哪個大和尚看中你，給你傳法，那我們還有『傳法師父』。我們一生的修行當中，會有不同的依止師父。所謂『一日為師，終身為父』。了寬長老就是我學佛道路上的第一位師父。他幫我剃發，我才有機會出家，才有機會開始正兒八經地學習佛法。這是我人生路上的一個分水嶺，也是我生命當中最為重要的一個轉折點。我師父對年輕出家法師的教育，非常地關心和重視。他把所有的弟子都送去佛學院讀書。我就是得到師父的愛護和栽培，從最初的廈門閩南佛學院學習，然後到北京中國佛學院深造，之後再去斯里蘭卡留學，學習巴利語，學習南傳上座部佛教，學習他們的禪修，最後來到美國攻讀博士學位。在我的求學過程當中，他老人家非常地支持我，關心我的學業，關心我的修道。特別鼓勵我講經說法，弘法利生。讓我感到特別欣慰的是，他老人家從來沒有要求我，學業完成之後一定要回去幫忙他。雖然他身邊缺少人手，缺少講經說法的法師，但是他沒有要求我一定要回去。他一直跟我說：只要哪裡眾生需要佛法，你就去哪裡。哪裡有用得到我，那你就到哪裡去講經弘法。可謂是『心包太虛，量週沙界』，他沒有一點自私自利之心。這種高瞻遠矚，這種格局，這種心胸，我跟大家講，這個就是偉大菩薩的一個示現。一般人不可能有這麼高的境界。這是我特別欣賞和感恩老和尚的地方，感恩他的生命再造之恩。我之所以現在能夠在美國講經說法，跟大家廣結法緣，有老和尚的一份功勞，他老人家功不可沒。我的師父一生生活特別地簡樸，從不奢侈浪費，他個人從不蓄錢，他沒有小金庫，寺院從不存錢。如果有弟子供養他，他就把錢拿出來去印經，印好的經書分給大眾廣結法緣。當時的信眾，在我們溫州當地，許多人都稱他為『印經和尚』。如果提起『印經和尚』，在我們溫州當地，無人不知，沒人不曉。大家知道嗎，在早期，法寶和經書是非常地稀有，非常地奇缺，不像現在滿大街都是。現在我們大家也不看經書，都是在電腦和手機上看。但是在早期，他老人家的印經、付出，為佛法的宣傳起到了很大的作用。可能是他老人家讀書不多，也可能是他性格好靜，他老人家從不高談闊論，他不是那種誇誇其談、滔滔不絕的人。我發覺，出家這麼多年，我跟隨很多的高僧大德，我得到一個經驗是，所有的修道人，真正的修道人，都是這副德性，我的師父就是這樣。他從不廢話，講話簡明扼要，直指人心，見性成佛。每每有居士向他請教佛法，他總是以最為簡單的『持戒、念佛、修福、惜福』開示於人，直接了當，從不拐彎抹角，這個就是他的風格。但是，他對我們出家弟子要求又是非常地嚴格。我記得我當初剛剛出家的時候，那個時候習氣非常地重，毛病非常地多，當然現在也是很重很多。那個時候，我特別喜歡追劇，像我們在座的許多同修一樣，喜歡看電視劇，尤其喜歡看武打電視劇。特別羨慕武打電視劇裡面的那些俠客。我曾經跟大家說過，我小時候有一個大俠夢，我內心深處住著一位大俠。當然這個也是我出家之後的一個心願，一直想要當一個灑脫的大俠，能行走江湖，能夠行俠仗義，那個時候是我的一個夢想。喜歡看電視劇，也是跟這個有關。在那個年代，電視不像現在如此地普及，更不用說手機了，想看隨時都可以看。那個時候沒有的，那個時候不是這樣的。你家裡如果有一個黑白的電視機，那你家不得了，上天了，那是多麼有面子的一件事情。我到現在還記得清清楚楚，當時我跟我的師兄弟們，為了能夠去看當時正在熱播的《神鵰俠侶》，我們做晚課念經念得特別快。我負責敲鼓，我師兄敲木魚，還有一位老師兄做維那敲大罄。我們《彌陀經》念得飛快。這個時候，我的師父正好從外面回來。聽到我們念經的速度，當場把我師兄的木魚錘拿下，把維那痛打痛罵了一頓：『你這是要趕著去投胎嗎？』把木魚錘直接朝我敲木魚的師兄扔過去，像一個原子彈一樣，威力十足。老和尚這種棒喝的教育方式，對我們這些小和尚來說太有效了。我們當下就傻眼了，我們師兄弟當下就被他鎮住了。我們狂躁的心一下也停了下來，歇即菩提。他老人家以身作則，帶著我們從頭開始重新做晚課。等晚課做好的時候，我的電視劇也播完了，我的大俠之夢也徹底涼菜了。自那以後，我們師兄弟做早晚課，都是一板一眼的，再也不敢開快車。直到現在，我們美佛寺的共修念經速度，同修如果有注意的話，我個人不喜歡太快。這個可能是吸取當時的教訓，可能受我師父的影響吧。回顧長老的一生，是願力宏深的一生，是勤儉節約的一生。他從不居名利，樂善好施，嚴以律己，一心為教。他的慈悲精神，他的高風亮節，他的為人處事，猶如一盞明燈繼續照亮著人間！是我們弟子前進的力量，是我們弟子弘法利生的力量，也是我們弟子不可多得的精神財富，永遠值得我們後人學習。由於時間有限，我在這邊講幾件印象特別深刻的事情，以此來紀念我師父平常而又偉大的一生。最後，值此老和尚百年誕辰之際，我想藉用中峯禪師的一句話，做了一點小小的修改：『了則頭頭見佛，寬來步步西方』。祈願師父慈悲，不捨眾生，早日乘願再來！也祈願本次的追思活動圓滿舉辦，與會四眾弟子安和吉祥！感恩大家，大家辛苦了。性仁在美國洛杉磯向大家問安！阿彌陀佛！

[@ggsherry1990]

感恩师父开示分享 阿弥陀佛

[@蓮池海會]

南无阿弥陀佛

[@kenkong7509]

佛法無量無邊 名師出高徒 🙏 南無阿彌陀佛

[@xiuyiyoeng8789]

南無阿彌陀佛

[@sebuyikongkongbuyise377]

阿弥陀佛，祈愿了宽长老早日乘愿再来！

[@AmericanBuddhistFellowship]

This year happens to be the centenary of my shaving mentor, Venerable Liaokuan's birth. My Dharma brothers in China have specifically set up a memorial organizing committee to launch a three-day memorial activity. As a Dharma descendant, I should go back and participate in the memorial activity to repay my mentor's kindness for teaching. But due to the pandemic, I can't go, and I feel so sad! To make up for regret, today's lecture is to commemorate my mentor, especially his compassionate demeanor. Many of our disciples here have never met him and may not know his deeds because he had never been to the United States. Here, it is necessary for me to briefly introduce his life. My mentor was born in 1923 and passed away in 2017. It has been five years now. Although five years have passed, the image of his compassion is still vivid in my mind, just like yesterday. Whenever I recall him, I will be uncalm for a long time! My mentor was a very kind and amiable person who upheld precepts very strictly and guarded precepts like his life. He didn't have any airs and was very approachable. In my impressions and memory, he cultivated quietly, practiced the Chanting method, and he chanted the Buddha's name day and night with no breaks. "Dedicate one's deep mind to as many worlds as dust, and this is called repaying the Buddha's kindness." For Buddhism, for all beings, for Wenzhou region, even for the whole of Zhejiang's Buddhist cause, my mentor had made due contributions, and he was a rare eminent monastic in Chinese Buddhist circles. He will always be a role model for us descendants to learn from! In August 1988, I came to Haiyun Temple to follow Venerable to become a monk. Venerable Liaokuan is my shaving mentor. As you all know, to practice, we monastics need a lot of good conditions in our life, we will meet many good teachers, and we will rely on many masters. Those who shave us to become monastics are called "shaving mentors"; after that, we go to various places to study, and those who teach us the Dharma are called "teaching mentors"; we monastics need to take the great precepts of the three altars, and when we take the precepts, we have "precept mentors"; if there are any great monastics who like us and transmit us the Dharma, then we also have "Dharma mentors". In our lifelong cultivation, there will be different masters to rely on. "Teacher for a day, father for life". Venerable Liaokuan was my first mentor on my path of learning Buddhism. He shaved me, so that I had the opportunity to become a monastic and had the opportunity to start studying the Dharma seriously. This was a watershed and the most important turning point in my life. My mentor cared and attached great importance to the education of young monastics. He sent all his disciples to study in Buddhist academies. It was because of my mentor's care and fostering that I first studied at the Buddhist Academy of Southern Fujian in Xiamen, then went to the Buddhist Academy of China in Beijing for further studies, and then went to Sri Lanka to study Pali, the Theravada Buddhism, and their meditation practices, and finally came to the United States to study for a Ph.D. During my study process, he was very supportive of me, cared about my studies, and cared about my cultivation. He especially encouraged me to spread the Dharma to benefit beings. What made me particularly gratified was that he never required me to go back to help him after finishing my studies. Although he was short of helpers, short of monastics who could preach, he did not require me to go back. He kept telling me to go wherever sentient beings need the Dharma and go wherever I was needed to preach and spread the Dharma. He was really like "the heart includes the universe, and the mind covers all places." He had no selfishness at all. This kind of foresight, this kind of state, this kind of mind, I tell you, this is a manifestation of a great Bodhisattva. Ordinary people can't have such a high-level state. This is what I particularly admire and appreciate about him, and I am grateful for his grace of recreating my life. The fact that I am now able to preach in the United States and broadly form Dharmic connections with you is due to him, and his contribution is indispensable. My mentor lived a very simple life, was never extravagant or wasteful, never saved money personally, did not have a small treasury, and the temple never saved money. If disciples made offerings to him, he would take the money to print sutras and distribute printed sutras to the public to widely form Dharmic connections. Many of the believers at that time, in our local Wenzhou area, called him "the monk printing sutras". If you mention "the monk printing sutras", in our local Wenzhou area, everyone knows. Do you know that in the early days, Dharma Treasures and sutras were very rare and very scarce, unlike today when they are all over the place. Now we don't read paper sutras, we read sutras on computers and mobile phones. But in the early days, his printing and dedication played a great role in promoting Buddhism. It might be that he didn't go to school, or it might be that he had a quiet personality, he was never a big talker, not rhetorical or talkative. I have found that, for so many years since I left home, I have followed many eminent and great monastics, and I have gained an experience that all cultivators, true cultivators, have this kind of virtue, and my master was like this. He never talked nonsense, his speech was succinct and to the point, directly pointing to peoples' minds to let them see their nature and become Buddhas. Whenever lay people asked him for Buddhist teachings, he always taught them the simplest way, which is "upholding precepts, chanting the Buddha's name, cultivating blessings, and cherishing blessings", very straightforward, never beat around the bush, and this was his style. However, he was very strict with us monastic disciples. I remember when I first became a monk, at that time, my habits were very heavy, and my faults were so many. Of course, they are still very heavy and so many now. At that time, I especially liked watching TV, like many fellow practitioners here, I liked watching TV series, especially martial arts TV series. I especially envied those knights in martial arts TV series. I have told you that when I was a child, I had a dream of being a hero, and there was a hero living in my heart. Of course, this was also a wish of mine after I became a monk. I always wanted to be a free and easy hero, walking in the world, being chivalrous, and it was a dream of mine at that time. The fact that I liked watching TV shows was also due to this. In those days, television was not as common as it is now, let alone cell phones that you can watch whenever you want. We didn't have them at that time, and it wasn't like that at that time. If you had a black-and-white TV in your home, then your family was incredible, mabulous, and it would be a symbol of prestige. I still clearly remember that at that time, my Dharma brothers and I, in order to be able to watch "The Return of the Condor Heroes", which was being broadcast at the time, we recited the scriptures very fast in the evening rite. I was drumming, one of my senior Dharma brothers was knocking the wooden fish, and another of my senior Dharma brothers was playing the big bell as the karmadana. We read "Amitabha Sutra" very fast. At this time, my mentor just happened to come back from outside. Hearing how fast we recited, he took down my Dharma brother's wooden fish hammer immediately, beat and scolded the karmadana severely, "Are you rushing to reincarnate?" He threw the wooden fish hammer directly at my Dharma brother who knocked the wooden fish, like an atomic bomb, full of power. His blow and shout way of educating was very effective for us young monastics. We were dumbfounded at the moment, and my Dharma brothers were immediately stunned by him. Our manic minds also stopped immediately. Stopping is Bodhi. He led by example and led us to do evening rite all over again from the beginning. By the time the evening rite was done, my TV series had been over, and my hero's dream was completely dead. Since then, we Dharma brothers did morning and evening rites all strictly and never dared to do fast. Now, the speed of chanting sutras at our ABF's group practice, if fellow practitioners pay attention, I personally don't like it too fast. This might be a lesson I learned at that time, and I may have been influenced by my master. Looking back on the life of the Venerable, it was a life of great vows and a life of diligence and thrift. He never sought fame or fortune, he was benevolent, self-disciplined, and dedicated to Buddhism. His spirit of compassion, his brilliance, and his way of treating others, are like a beacon that continues to illuminate the world! It is the strength for us disciples to move forward, the strength for us disciples to spread the Dharma and benefit beings, and also a rare spiritual wealth for us disciples, which will always be worth learning by future generations. Due to limited time, I just talked about a few particularly impressive things here to commemorate my mentor's ordinary and great life. Finally, on the 100th birthday of Venerable, I would like to quote a line from Zen Master Zhongfeng and make a slight modification: "Be enlightened to see the Buddha and be tolerant to go to the West." I pray that our mentor will be merciful, will not give up on beings, and come back as soon as possible! I also pray that this memorial event will be held successfully, and the four groups of disciples participating in the event will be peaceful, healthy and auspicious! Namaste, thank you all for your hard work. Xingren greets everyone in Los Angeles, USA! Amitabha!

[@ggsherry1990]

师父居然曾经也喜欢追剧 阿弥陀佛