我與觀音菩薩的緣
My Affinity with Guan Yin Bodhisattva
比丘近永 2017年7 月12日講於萬佛聖城佛殿
A talk by Bhikshu Jin Yong at the Buddha Hall in the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas on July 12, 2017
上人、諸位法師、諸位佛友，大家晚安！阿彌陀佛！今晚輪到近永和大家結法緣。
Venerable Master, Dharma Masters and friends in the Dharma, Good evening and Amitabha!
今天是觀音菩薩成道的正日，我們中午用齋的時候，聽到上人多年前在慶祝觀音菩薩成道大法會上的開示；大家還記得上人問弟子們什麼問題嗎？
Today is the actual day of Guan Yin Bodhisattva’s enlightenment. At lunch, we listened to a talk the Venerable Master gave many years ago at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas on Guan Yin Bodhisattva’s enlightenment day. Do you remember what the Venerable Master asked the audience at the beginning of his talk?
上人說：「我們紀念觀世音菩薩成道，我們應該問問自己什麼時候成道？」
The Venerable Master said: 「Today we celebrate Guan Yin Bodhisattva’s enlightenment, and we should ask ourselves when we will become enlightened.」
近永很慚愧，沒有辦法回答這個問題，所以無法和大家談什麼時候可以成道；我想和大家談談自己修行的經過。
I am ashamed that I cannot answer the Venerable Master’s question. Instead, I will talk about my practice.
上個月在臺灣，有居士問近永：「法師，您修什麼法門？」因為從來都沒想過這個問題，所以我愣了一下，不曉得該怎麼回答。我想一想後就說：「觀音法門吧！」
During my visit to Taiwan last month, a layperson asked me: 「Dharma Master, what is your method of practice?」 I had never thought about that question, so I paused a little while and then with some reservation, said, 「I practice Guan Yin’s Dharma door.」
今天因為要準備晚上結法緣，所以我就想當時的回答是不是正確？接下來就和大家談談我修行的歷程，你們可以決定我那天的回答對不對。
While preparing for this evening’s talk earlier today, I pondered if my answer to that layperson was correct. I will now explain to you how I practice, and you can then decide if my answer was correct.
近永第一次到萬佛聖城是在二十八年前——1989年的觀音菩薩成道紀念日。那時我連三皈依都不懂，因為受朋友的委託到洛杉磯的金輪寺去見上人；無意中看見金輪寺的通告，說幾天後有巴士要到萬佛聖城來。基於好奇，我就報名參加，隨團來聖城。
My first visit to the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas was the weekend of the celebration of Guan Yin Bodhisattva’s enlightenment in 1989, 28 years ago. At that time, I did not know anything about Buddhism, not even the three refuges! A couple of weeks before that, I had gone to see the Venerable Master at Gold Wheel Monastery in Los Angeles on behalf of a friend in Taiwan. I saw an announcement there for a bus tour to CTTB in mid-July. Out of curiosity, I signed up for the tour.
二十八年了，近永對當年那個慶祝觀音菩薩成道的周末，已經沒有什麼印象。我相信上人那時候在聖城，也作了開示，但是我不記得他講了些什麼，大概也聽不懂他的開示。印象最深刻的是，聖城參天的古樹；齋堂、如來寺、行政辦公室旁等處都有高聳的橡樹，這是我唯一記得的事情。
Since it was a long time ago, I don’t remember clearly but I believe the Venerable Master was at City of Ten Thousand Buddhas that weekend and gave a lecture at lunch on Sunday. I don’t remember what he said, though, probably because I did not understand his talk at all. What impressed me the most were old trees reaching to the sky. There were towering oak trees next to the Dining Hall, near the Tathagata Monastery and even around the Administration Building.
回洛杉磯以後，近永就經常周末到金輪寺去參加法會。因為我第一次去的時候，非常喜歡那裡，覺得好像回到家一樣。我記得很清楚的是，那兒星期天用完齋以後，十二點半開始拜《大悲懺》。
After returning to Los Angeles, I went to Gold Wheel Monastery almost every weekend. I liked it there and I felt at home even during my first visit. They practiced Great Compassion Repentance at 12:30 after lunch on weekends.
相信很多人都拜過《大悲懺》，《大悲懺》當然會有維那領眾。但是那時候的金輪寺沒有維那；維那是個錄音機——放錄音帶，大家就跟著錄音帶拜。參加的人也不多，大概只有五六個人左右。雖然人不多，也沒有維那，但是我在那邊拜《大悲懺》，卻拜得很高興！
I believe that most of you have bowed Great Compassion Repentance. Of course you need a proctor (wei nuo) to lead the ceremony. However, that was not the case at Gold Wheel Monastery then; the participants followed a tape recording instead! At most 5–6 people attended the ceremony. Despite of all this, I very much enjoyed the Great Compassion Repentance there.
當時近永是在臺灣工作，所以夏天過後，就回到臺灣去；有好一陣子我把《大悲懺》當作是早課。當然《大悲懺》要整個拜完是要一個多小時，我因為還在工作，沒有那麼多時間，所以就取了一部分，天天跟著錄音帶唱誦。
I was working in Taiwan at that time, so I had to return there after the summer. For a long period of time when I used a tape recording to bow the Great Compassion Repentance almost every morning. Due to the constraint of time, I could not do the whole thing; I did only the part that I enjoyed most.
因為很喜歡《大悲懺》，所以開車的時候，我也放著《大悲懺》來聽。別人大概會覺得很奇怪：這個人為什麼一天到晚聽這個？但是我也不管別人的想法，只要自己喜歡就好。就是這樣子和觀音菩薩結了緣。
I liked the Great Compassion Repentance so much that I listened to it while driving also. People might feel that I was weird; however, I didn’t care what others thought of me. That was how I established my affinity with Guan Yin Bodhisattva.
第二年夏天，我又回到聖城來；那次是來幫忙暑期班。當時我在臺灣教書，有法師知道了，就建議我暑假到萬佛城來幫忙暑期班。那時候的暑期班有三四周之長。我十歲的兒子，聽說我要到聖城，居然也要來；我當然是求之不得，就把他帶來參加暑期班。暑期班結束，準備回去時，碰到一個居士，他說他是來參加觀音七的。我問他，為什麼老遠從洛杉磯來打觀音七？
I came back to City of Ten Thousand Buddhas the following summer to help with the summer session at the Boys』 School, which lasted 3 or 4 weeks. A monk had suggested I do so after he learned that I was teaching in Taiwan. My then ten-year-old son volunteered to come with me. Of course, I was delighted to bring him here to attend the summer session. Just before we were about to return home, I met a layman who had just arrived. He said he came to attend the Guan Yin Session. I asked him why he came all the way from Los Angeles to participate in a session here.
他解釋說：「在萬佛城參加觀音七是最殊勝的；佛殿裡有這麼一大尊莊嚴的觀音菩薩像，在他面前打觀音七，哪裡找得到這麼殊勝的地方？」我當時聽了也不當一回事，像鴨子聽雷一樣，就離開了。
He explained to me, 「CTTB is a very special place for a Guan Yin Session. Look at the big beautiful Guan Yin image in the Buddha Hall! Where can you find a better place to attend a Guan Yin Session than here before the Guan Yin image?」 I did not take his words seriously and left as planned.
但是再過了一年以後，我自己卻回來參加觀音七。而且不只一次，接下來三四年，每一年都回來參加觀音七。
However, I did come back to attend the Guan Yin Session the following summer, and the for 3–4 summers after that.
那時候雖然上人在，但是參加觀音七的人並不多；在男眾這邊，我可以任意挑位子站。還記得有一年也是碰到戒期，女眾戒子都排到男眾這邊來，我就站在女眾戒子後面。
Although the Venerable Master was around at that time, very few people came to participate in the Guan Yin Session. I had the luxury to choose any seat I wanted. One summer happened to be the precept-training period as well. The female preceptees were bowing on the men side right in front of me.
這三四次的觀音七，給近永帶來非常多的益處；最主要的是，決定把臺灣的工作辭掉。當時近永在臺灣的工作還不算差，要把工作辭掉，不是一個小的決定，因為那時候我的兩個孩子還在讀中學。我到美國來的目的是要修行，不會再找工作了。所以把工作辭掉到聖城來，不但對我個人，對全家都是一個非常大的改變。
I benefitted a great deal from those sessions. It was during that time that I made the important decision to quit my job in Taiwan, even though it was a pretty good job. It was not an easy decision for me to make because I was married and had two teenaged children. I did not plan to work in US; I wanted to practice at CTTB instead. So, it was a big decision not only for myself but also for the whole family.
我們打觀音七或者修行其它法門，如果專心的話，內心會很平靜。當心平靜的時候，我們往往對事情可以看得清楚，而能作出正確的決定。就像一個裝了渾水的瓶子，靜止一段時間以後，沙泥會沉澱下來，上頭的水就澄清了；水澄清後，我們就可以清楚地看透它。同樣的，我們的心定下來後，智慧就會顯現出來；這也就是所謂的「因定發慧」。近永就是在這種情境下，深深體悟到應該把臺灣的工作辭掉，到萬佛聖城來。
During a session like this, or other kinds of practice, if we practice diligently, our minds can become very calm. With a calm mind, we can see things clearly and make good decisions. An analogy is a bottle filled with muddy water. After you let the bottle sit for a while, the mud will settle at the bottom and the water will become clear. 「Our wisdom is revealed with samadhi.」 With a very calm mind, I realized that I should quit my job and move to CTTB.
一九九五年七月近永搬來聖城常住。二十多年來，不曾後悔當初的決定；唯一遺憾的是：來得太晚，因為上人已經圓寂了！
I moved here in July 1995. It has been over two decades, and I have never had any regrets about my decision. The only regret I have is that I came too late—the Venerable Master had entered nirvana one month earlier!
大家好好地打七，相信你也可能作出，或許改變你一生的重大正確決定。
If you practice hard during the session, I believe that you can also make good decisions that may change your life!
【近永師簡介】
出生於臺灣，臺灣大學物理學學士、加州大學舊金山醫學中心生理學博士。
在加州大學聖地牙哥分校及位於密西根州底特律市郊的通用汽車研究部，從事生物力學研究工作六年。1987年回臺灣，任教於臺北的陽明大學。
1989年夏天有緣首次到洛杉磯的金輪聖寺，拜見上人。當時內心油然生起回到家的感覺，深慨「踏破鐵鞋無覓處，得來全不費工夫！」一個月後在金輪聖寺皈依上人，開始學佛的歷程。
拜讀上人的開示並參加萬佛聖城及分支道場的法會後，越加了解佛法的究竟及科學的極限，遂於1995年毅然辭去臺灣的教職，到萬佛聖城擔任義務老師。2002年底終於如願以償出了家，並於2005年受比丘戒。目前在萬佛聖城常住，主要從事譯經及負責居士訓練班的課程。
【編按】摘錄自《萬佛城金剛菩提海》月刊（2017年8月期，NO. 567）