建寺功德殊勝行 The Extraordinary Merit of Building Temples（中英字幕 English subtitle）-- 美佛寺性仁法師 Ven. Xingren

末法時代，三寶在哪裡？
末法时代，三宝在哪里？
In the Age of the Degenerate Dharma, where are the Three Jewels?
宣講於洛杉磯美佛寺 2023.04.20
《華嚴經》云：『諸供養中，法供養最』。在所有的一切供養當中，最能夠令諸佛菩薩歡喜的，即是法供養。修繕寺院，添磚加瓦，能夠令正法久住世間，能夠令佛法傳播出去。在一切的供養當中，功德最大，受用也最為快速，一般現生就會得到果報。如果以亡者的名義供養建寺，尤其是剛剛逝世之後的七七四十九天之內，亡者就能夠當下生天，或者往生佛國凈土。諸位，為什麼建寺會有如此大的功德呢？為什麼建寺的果報來得如此快速呢？這個道理很簡單。大家知道，在佛教裡面，有佛、法、僧三寶，這個是佛教當中最為重要的，所以稱之為『寶』。我問大家，佛陀圓寂了之後，現在正處於末法時代，我問大家：三寶在哪裡？三寶存在於哪裡？三寶以什麼樣的形式存在？我跟諸位同修講，三寶就是存在於寺廟當中。怎麼說呢？讓我慢慢道來。因為一個寺廟裡面，有佛菩薩像，這個是佛寶；凡是任何的寺廟，一定都會有講經說法，一定都會有印經流通，這個是法寶；當然一個正法的寺廟，離不開出家法師在裡面住持正法，讓佛法能夠代代相傳下去，這個是僧寶。一個寺廟當中，佛、法、僧三寶具備，建寺安僧，塑造佛像，佛經流通，這也是三寶弟子供養三寶的最好方式，最好護持三寶的方法。我們大家作為三寶弟子，不管你做什麼樣的功德，都比不上這個功德來得大。這些功德不僅大，並且受用來得非常地快速。佛祖曾經說過：『濁世中，我以佛殿與文字的形象出現，供養佛殿和文字等於供養我的真身，功德永遠不會耗盡』。佛殿即是佛像殿堂，文字即是經典流通。一個寺院有法寶流通，一個寺院有講經說法，那眾生就有依托了，所以修建寺院的功德很大很大，原因就是在這裡。會造福一方百姓，會令無數的眾生從輪迴當中解脱出來。在佛教歷史上，我相信大家都有聽說過這麼一個故事，梁武帝信佛的故事。有一天，梁武帝問誌公禪師：『我今身為帝王，緣何有此大福報？』誌公禪師告訴梁武帝：『你前身為樵夫。有一天，上山砍柴，遇見一個破廟。裡面有一尊古佛，日曬雨淋的，無人侍奉。你將自己頭上的斗笠蓋在了佛像的身上，是故今生有如此大的福報。』建寺捐瓦添磚，甚至修繕，也是一樣的道理，功德不可思、不可量、不可稱、無有邊、不可思議。你如果明白當中的原理和道理，我跟諸位同修講，你有錢都會拿去布施建寺，因為這個是功在當代，利在千秋。不僅可以為你自己植福，更為你的子孫後代累積凈業資糧；如果迴向剛剛去世的先人，那他們就可以當下得到超生，從此往生佛國凈土，離苦得樂。

[@AmericanBuddhistFellowship]

The Avatamsaka Sutra states, "Among all offerings, the offering of the Dharma is supreme." Of all offerings, the one that brings the most joy to Buddhas and Bodhisattvas is the offering of the Dharma. Repairing temples and adding bricks and tiles can ensure the longevity of the Dharma in the world and help spread Buddhism. Among all offerings, this brings the greatest merit and the fastest benefits, generally manifesting in the current lifetime. If a temple is constructed in the name of a deceased person, especially within the 49 days following their death, the deceased can immediately be reborn in heaven or the Pure Land of a Buddha. Fellow practitioners, why does building a temple bring such great merit? Why are the rewards so immediate? The reason is simple. As you know, in Buddhism, there are the Three Jewels: the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha, which are of utmost importance and thus called "jewels". Let me ask you this, after the Buddha's Parinirvana, we are now in the Age of the Degenerate Dharma, I ask everyone, where are the Three Jewels? Where do the Three Jewels exist? In what form do the Three Jewels exist? Fellow practitioners, the Three Jewels exist in temples. How so? Let me explain. It's because in a temple, there are statues of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, which represent the Jewel of the Buddha. Every temple will certainly have Dharma teachings and sutras printing for distribution, representing the Jewel of the Dharma. And of course, a temple of Right Dharma is home to monks who uphold teachings of the Righteous Dharma, ensuring that the Dharma is passed down from generation to generation, and this is the Jewel of the Sangha. Since a temple comprises the Three Jewels, building temples to house monks, to make Buddha statues and to distribute sutras are the best ways for disciples to make offerings to the Three Jewels, the best way to support the Three Jewels. As disciples of the Three Jewels, no matter what meritorious deeds we do, nothing compares to the greatness of this merit. This merit is immense and brings benefits very quickly. The Buddha once said, "In the turbid world, I manifest in the form of Buddha halls and scriptures. Offering to Buddha halls and scriptures is equivalent to offering to my true body, and the merit will never be exhausted." Buddha halls refer to the halls with Buddha statues, and scriptures refer to the distribution of Buddha sutras. If a temple has the Jewel of the Dharma for distribution, if a temple has Dharma teachings, sentient beings will have a place of refuge. This is why the merit of building temples is immense. It will benefit the local populace and liberate countless sentient beings from the cycle of reincarnation. In Buddhist history, I believe everyone has heard of the story of Emperor Liang Wu's conversion to Buddhism. One day, Emperor Liang Wu asked Zen Master Zhi Gong, "Why do I, as an emperor now, have such great blessings and good fortune?" Zen Master Zhi Gong replied, "In your past life, you were a woodcutter. Once, you went to a mountain to cut wood and came across a dilapidated temple. Inside, there was an ancient Buddha statue which was exposed to the sun and the rain, being left unattended. You placed your straw hat on the statue to protect it. This is why you have such great fortune in this life." Building temples, donating tiles and bricks, and even repairing them follow the same principle; the merit is inconceivable, innumerable, immeasurable, limitless and beyond comprehension. If you understand the underlying principles and reasoning, I tell you fellow practitioners, if you have money, you will donate it for temple construction, because this brings immediate benefits and lasting advantages for generations. Not only can you cultivate fortune for yourself, but you can also accumulate pure karma and provisions for your descendants and future generations. If dedicated to recently deceased relatives, they can immediately attain rebirth in the Pure Land, getting rid of suffering and attaining happiness.