“一言为定”的因缘 A Promise
文/ 净本法师 By Dharma Master Jingben
我是释净本，是马来西亚的华人。在净土宗出家的因缘，大概可以从我十九岁开始讲起。由於高中时期成绩优秀，所以当时我被马来西亚政府安排到印度医学大学就读医学系，以后准备当医生。
🔹I am Dharma Master Jingben, a Malaysian Chinese. The reason I becoming a monk can be traced back to when I was 19 when I was studying abroad. Due to my great performance in high school, I was sent by the Malaysian government to attend Kasturba Medical College in Mangalore, India, to be a medical doctor(MBBS).
净土宗出家因缘 The reason of becoming a monk in Pure Land Buddhism
有一次，我在学校生病了。当时以为只是普通的发烧感冒，没有理会；只是吃些药，在自己的房间休息睡觉而已。没有想到，几乎不吃不喝地睡了三天。到了第四天，我到学校上课，大学教授看到我走路摇摇晃晃的，就要我去医院检查。到了医院，医生吓了一跳，因为当时血压已经很低，医生也很好奇为什么当时我还能自己走到医院。不过，我当时确实特别痛苦，感觉几乎都要晕倒了。
🔹One time, I was very sick in college. I thought that it was just a cold, so I didn’t pay attention to it. I simply took some medicine and lay down. Unexpectedly, I slept for three days and hardly ate or drank. On the fourth day, I returned to class, and the professor saw that I couldn’t walk straight. He asked me to see a doctor. When I went to the hospital, the doctor was shocked because my blood pressure was very low. He was curious about how I could have walked to the hospital in this condition. Indeed, it was very difficult. I felt like I was about to pass out at any time.
要死了？Am I dying?
因为当时学校还在考试期间，所以我就问医生能不能马上出院考试。现在想起来，还真的是很笨，因为医生说如果再晚一点入院，可能就要送进急救室急救了，命都要没有了，还在担心考试，医生当然不同意我出院，一定要我住院。立刻为我办理住院、打点滴、吃很多药，我就这样昏昏沉沉地，一直躺在病床上。到了晚上，突然间，我看到自己短暂一生的回忆，好像电影一样，一幕一幕地飞掠而过。我当时吓了一跳，想到：看到自己一生的回忆不就是接近死亡了吗？我才二十岁，怎么可能要死了？
🔹Actually, I should have been in an exam when I was in the hospital. So, I asked the doctor if I could go back at that time. When I now recall all of these, I would say that it was a stupid idea. The doctor said that I would have been under emergency treatment if I had come in late. I can’t believe that I was still thinking about the exam. Without a doubt, the doctor refused my request and insisted that I stay in the hospital. So, I was there, with intravenous drips, a lot of medicine, and felt dizzy in the hospital bed. At night, all of a sudden, the memories of my short life flashed through my mind, like a movie, from one frame to another. I was terrified. I thought that I must be dying, as I could see my memories. I was only 20, how could it be possible?...
佛号的救度 Salvation from the ‘Namo Amituofo’
在那之前，其实我已经开始学佛了，但并不认真。我喜欢看一些佛书，学一些佛学名词，很喜欢谈玄说妙，说什么空而不空、有而不有的，一些人家听不懂的话。但是到了这种紧急的关头，看到死亡时刻，要空也空不了，回忆一幕一幕跑出来，感觉自己的生命就要用完了，非常地恐怖。
🔹I had started studying Buddhism before then, but was not serious. I had read some sutras, learned some concepts of Buddhism, and talked about abstruse things, such as “Emptiness but non-emptiness, existence yet non-existence… …” Something that ordinary people don’t understand. However, at this life-threatening moment, there was nothing about emptiness anymore. All my memories emerged piece by piece. It felt like I was reaching the end of my life. It was frightening.
那时候，我什么都忘了，就记得一句话，就是「南无阿弥陀佛」，所以我就念起这一句名号。当我一念佛，所有的影像马上就消失了！顿时，我就感到这句佛号不可思议，所以就一直念佛念佛，「南无阿弥陀佛、南无阿弥陀佛……」
🔹At that time, I couldn’t remember anything but one name: “Namo Amituofo.” So, I kept reciting it. As soon as I started reciting, all the images of memories that had flashed in my mind disappeared. I suddenly experienced the miraculous power of this name. Then, I recited again and again, “Namo Amituofo, Namo Amituofo, Namo Amituofo...”
就这样，我和死魔纠缠整整一个晚上。可能是因为在医院，阴气很重，而且自己身体也比较弱了，所以就看到一些好像幽灵的东西，一直在我面前飘来飘去。也不知道是不是因为我在念佛，所以都没有伤害我。
🔹I kept fighting with death for the whole night. It was probably caused by the gloomy atmosphere in the hospital, and I was so fragile that I saw something like ghosts fluttering around me. However, none of them touched me. I guessed it might be the fact that I was reciting the Buddha’s name.
当护士进来时，我问她现在几点了？她告诉我，是凌晨四点左右。我才知道，原来我一整夜都没睡，念佛念了一个晚上。之后，病也就这样好转了。记得当时康复得很快，因为第二天，就感觉自己恢复的差不多了；几天后，我就出院了。
🔹When a nurse came in, I asked her what time it was, and she told me that it was around 4 am. I realized that I hadn’t slept, but had recited “Namo Amituofo“ for the whole night. By then, my illness turned out to be better. I remember that I recovered very soon. The next day, I felt that I almost fully recovered, and I was discharged a few days later.
寻找“南无阿弥陀佛”到底是什么？Seeking for the meaning of “Namo Amituofo”
经过这次的事件，我开始认真学佛──寻找这一句「南无阿弥陀佛」到底是什么？当时我还在医学院读书，虽然平常很忙，但是再怎么忙，即使忙到半夜，我也一定会看佛书，寻找「南无阿弥陀佛」的意义。在这之前，我是看不起念佛的，认为那是老太婆、不识字的人所学习的，而我是受过高等教育的，应该多读一些高深的佛经才对，怎么可以单单念这一句佛号？
🔹After that experience, I started studying Buddhism seriously. I tried to investigate what “Namo Amituofo” is. I was still busy with my studies in medical school. However, no matter how busy I was, even until midnight, I would study the sutras and search for the meaning of “Namo Amituofo”. I used to look down upon Nianfo (reciting “Namo Amituofo”). I thought it was a practice for old ladies or illiterate people. I was a highly educated person; I should study something as profound as sutras. How could I settle on such a simple name?
但是没有想到，读再多的佛经，懂再多的道理，面临死亡，竟然什么也用不上。从那时候起，我放弃了其他，因为讲得再多、再好，也都只是理论而已。如同在银行帮人数钱，钱始终是别人的，不是自己的。还是念佛最实际，自己被佛号「救过」，所以就不敢轻视念佛了。我要认认真真来了解阿弥陀佛。
🔹What I never expected was, no matter how many sutras I had read, no matter how many theories I had recognized, when I was standing in front of death, there was no way they could help me. From then on, I gave up everything because they were just theories. For example, if you work in a bank, you only count others’ money, never yours. It was more realistic to recite “Namo Amituofo” since I was saved by him once. Hence, I dared not despise Nianfo anymore. I wanted to understand Amitabha Buddha earnestly.
找来找去，后来找到了善导大师一脉的净土宗传承。才知道阿弥陀佛原来是大慈大悲救苦救难，就念这句「南无阿弥陀佛」，我们众生就能被救度。不管什么样的众生，就算自己的罪业再重、烦恼再多，只要这一生念佛，都能靠上阿弥陀佛的力量，往生极乐世界，永远摆脱六道轮回的痛苦。我们这一生能遇到这个弥陀救度的法门，真的是「太幸运」了。
🔹I spent a lot of time surveying; in the end, I found the lineage of Master Shandao of Pure Land Buddhism. Then I learned that Amitabha Buddha is the most compassionate and the greatest deliverer. All living creatures can be liberated just by reciting his name. No matter who you are, no matter how much you are suffering by your karmic deeds and your vexation, if you recite “Namo Amituofo” in this lifetime, you can rely on his power to be reborn in his Pure Land after death. You will get rid of the pains of the endless rebirths among the six realms. We are more than lucky to find the Pure Land Path so that we can be delivered by Amitabha Buddha.
“停屍房、解剖室”的人生启发 Enlightenment in mortuaries and dissection rooms
康复后，我开始思考：人生到底为什么而活？人生到底什么最有意义？尤其在印度医学大学，几乎每天要到「停屍房、解剖室」对着屍体（上课解剖）。那些屍体基本上连男女都已经分不清楚了（因为人死后会慢慢干枯）。这一想，就深刻感到，人生不管如何风光，到最后也只剩下一具屍体，什么都没有。更不用说面前解剖的这具屍体，最后什么也没留下。那么，人生中最有意义的事情到底是什么？
🔹After I recovered, I started thinking about what the purpose of life was and what the most meaningful thing in life was. In medical school, I had to be in a dissection room or a mortuary to dissect cadavers nearly every day. Because the bodies desiccated after death, I couldn’t even distinguish their genders. As I thought about it, I deeply felt that there was nothing left at the end of life. No matter how outstanding you had been, you would end up being a dead body. Not to mention the kind of body in front of me, leaving nothing after dissection. Then, what was the most meaningful thing in life?
当时是读西方医学系，课程非常多，生活非常忙碌。每天大概只睡四个小时而已，晚上十一点睡，半夜三点起身，或者从半夜十二点到凌晨四点。考试时甚至只睡两个小时，有些同学甚至是彻夜没睡的，非常的忙。但是忙了这么多的东西，突然生病躺在病床上的时候，一点都帮不上忙。想想当一个医生，虽然可能忙忙碌碌地用大半辈子帮助别人，但是毕竟只是治病，不能治命；能医好身病，但是能医好众生的心病吗？
🔹I was in school studying western medicine. There were a lot of courses to take; hence, I was very busy. I could only sleep four hours a day, from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m. or from 12 a.m. to 4 a.m. If there was an exam, I would only sleep for two hours. Some of my classmates wouldn’t sleep at all. We were swamped. However, when I was lying on the hospital bed, what I learned from medical school did not help. If I were a doctor, I would be busy my whole life helping people. Doctors can treat physical problems, but they can’t make dead people come alive again. They can heal the disease of the body, but can they cure the ‘disease of the mind’?
尤其面对人的生老病死、无量劫流转的苦，医生更是无能为力。想想自己已经轮回无量劫了，难道还要继续下去？我生生世世肯定也当过医生，肯定也当过大官，肯定也当过普通人，也一定在三恶道流转过，那到底「终点」在哪里呢？既然人身难得今已得，也遇到最殊胜的「净土宗」，於是，出家的念头就这样开始萌生了。
🔹Especially about the pains of life, such as birth, age, illness, and death, and the endless birth and death cycles, these are things for which a doctor can do nothing. Since time immemorial, I have been through samsaric transmigrations countless times; am I to continue it indefinitely? In my previous lives, I must have been a doctor, someone big and prominent, or someone small and insignificant. I must have been to the three evil realms as well. Where is “the end”? Since it is hard to be born in the human realm, and since I know now the best path is “Pure Land Buddhism,” I was thinking of taking the tonsure and becoming a monk.
何去何从？Where should I go?
就是这几种因缘，使我决定放弃医学系。当时很多人不理解，认为我不懂事。为什么？因为我拿的是全额奖学金，一分钱都不用出，就可以完成学业，而且以后的工作也已经得到保证，一生稳定的生活可以说已经确定下来了。在马来西亚，这份奖学金可以说是非常稀有的。我不仅放弃这样的机遇，而且还要「出家」，一般人自然就会责备。不过，有时候就像古人讲的，「燕雀安知鸿鹄之志哉 」，哈！
🔹It is due to these reasons that drove me to give up the medical school. Many people didn’t understand and said that I was naïve. Why? Because I got full funding for this program, I didn’t have to pay anything to finish my degree, and my job was guaranteed, and the rest of my life could be stable. It was a rare scholarship opportunity in Malaysia. For this reason, when I said that I would give it up and be a monk, it was natural that people put the blame on me. However, it was just like the ancient proverb says: “How can a slight sparrow know the lofty aspiration of a stately swan?” Ha!
不过虽然想要出家，也要等待成熟的因缘。当时还没有直接接触到净土宗教团，本地马来西亚也还没有分会道场，当时放弃了一切，却不知接下来怎么走？想出家，也不知道该怎么做？
🔹Even though I had an aspiration to be a monk, the timing was not there yet. I didn’t have any direct connection with any Pure Land school, and there was no local Pure Land Buddhist temple in Malaysia. I didn’t know where to go and what to do at the moment to be a monk.
人生遇到无路可走的时候，最好的办法就是找阿弥陀佛。那个时候，我就想：既然我这一生已经得到阿弥陀佛的救度，已经决定往生极乐世界，这一世过得怎么样，也无所谓了。世间的事一下子就过了，都是梦幻泡影，不值得留恋，也不值得我们在这里造业造罪，一切就交给阿弥陀佛安排。净宗法师说过，这一生能往生净土，即使睡在天桥下也能笑着醒来。大概就是这一分小小的信念，使得我心力再一次坚强起来，「但行好事莫问前程」。
🔹If you find no way to go, the best thing is to pray to Amitabha Buddha. I thought: “Since I have Amitabha Buddha’s salvation, and I have decided to be reborn in the Land of Ultimate Bliss, it doesn’t matter what will happen in this life. Everything in this world is like a dream, a bubble, a shadow, which is not worth attaching to and for which it is not worth committing more sins and karma. I will let Amitabha Buddha take care of my destiny. Master Jingzong said that if we could be reborn in the Pure Land, even if we sleep under the bridge, we would be awoken by laughing.” Depending on this faith, I felt stronger again. “Do good deeds; Ask not what may lie in the future”…
峰回路转 弥陀安排 Every twist and turn in life is arranged by Amitabha Buddha
但是没有想到，峰回路转，从印度回来一两个月，我遇到了一个当地的佛教团体，还得到了英国法律大学录取通知书和奖学金。佛教团体的主事者，看到我对佛教的渴望；法学院对我的好成绩表示赞赏，决定提供我包括生活费在内的全额奖学金。希望我未来用自己的能力护持佛法。我看到这样特别的因缘，一来是让自己有一段过渡期，二来可以同时为佛法贡献（当时住的地方靠近念佛堂，就可以一边读书，一边亲近阿弥陀佛）。就想，或许这是阿弥陀佛为我安排的因缘吧，所以我就接受了。从此，从医学大学生转成法律系的大学生。
🔹There was an unexpected twist of fate in that, a couple of months after I had come back from India, I met a local Buddhist group and also got an offer and scholarship from the Law School(LLB). The Buddhist group recognized my aspiration in Buddhism; the law school appreciated my good grades, and decided to grant me a full scholarship including living costs. They hoped that I could use my capability to support Buddhism in the future. It was a special opportunity that not only gave me a transitional period but also allowed me to devote my time to Buddhism. I lived very close to the Dharma site, so I could go to the place to practice Buddhism after school. I thought that it was the ‘blessings’ that Amitabha Buddha had arranged for me, so I accepted it. I thus became a law student after quitting medical school.
有些人或许感到很奇怪，从科学的医学到文学的法律，这么大的跨越不会不习惯吗？其实对我来说，世间的学业、事业只是一个过渡期，过过日子而已，我的心里始终是属於阿弥陀佛极乐世界的。所以世间的东西，我也没有特别喜欢什么，或者不喜欢什么。过日子也不用太在意，遇到什么就做什么，不会的事情慢慢学就好。所以来到法律系，成绩还是一如往昔，优秀过关。只不过如果问到内心深处，我还是希望能够真正走上出家之路。
🔹Some people might wonder if I ever had any difficulty transitioning from medical science to law. For me, studying or working in this world are only a means for benefiting this life. In my mind, I belong to the Land of Ultimate Bliss. I didn’t have any preference for mundane work; especially, as it was just for passing the time and making a living. I just did what I should do and learned what I should learn. Even when I was in law school, I got high grades as usual. However, deep in my heart, I hoped that someday I could become a monk.
那个时候出家心愿更强了，在佛教团体一段时间以后，我看到本地还没有净土宗僧团道场，本土专弘净土宗的法师基本上没看过，往往都是外国的僧众。当时我就想，既然我有这样的信仰，就应该由我来承担这样的事。信受的人不承担，难道给不信受的人承担吗？要等待因缘，不如自己去创造因缘。
🔹I felt more strongly about the renunciation. After staying in the Buddhist group for a while, I found that there wasn’t any Pure Land Buddhist group or association in the city, and I had not met any local master who propagated Pure Land Dharma either. Monks here were mostly foreigners. I thought: “Since I have the faith, I should be responsible for this. That’s right! If the one who believes in Amitabha Buddha is not responsible for propagating the Dharma, who would be responsible for it?”
尤其讲到要弘法利生，劝大众念佛，还是出家最理想，若是在家的身分，不知道要花多少时间在世俗生活上。以我来说，读过的医学系、法律系都是要花大量的时间去研读，这样怎么可能还会有心力学佛？就算有时间，也是小小的一部分而已。想想还是出家最理想，能够全副心力放在佛法。但是出家缘分毕竟还没有成熟，一直还没有遇到有净土宗教团可以成就我的出家路。所以暂时只能这样。
🔹Furthermore, being a monk would be the best way to propagate the Dharma and encourage people to recite Amitabha Buddha’s name. Lay Buddhists have to spend a lot of time making a living. Taking myself as an example: I spent so much time studying medicine and law; how could I have any spare time or energy for Buddhism? Even if I did, it would be very little. I wanted to put all my energy into. But, the ‘timing’ of being a monk hadn’t ripened yet. I still hadn’t met any master from a Pure Land school who could ordain me as a Buddhist monk. Hence, I could only maintain the status quo.
不过，阿弥陀佛似乎已经在冥冥当中安排了。不久，我就收到慧净师父要来马来西亚弘法的消息了！
🔹However, Amitabha Buddha seemed to start making the arrangement. Soon, I received information that Master Huijing was coming to Malaysia to give lectures on the Pure Land Dharma!
慧净师父来马来西亚 Master Huijing comes to Malaysia
一开始，我并没有打算要前去面见慧净师父的，因为慧净师父弘法的地点比较遥远，是马来西亚另外一个岛(东马)，要搭飞机才能到。那个时候又要学期考试，自己也还是学生，没有多余的零用钱可以坐飞机，所以就没打算要去。可是刚好遇到一位本门莲友，他很热心，也不知道为什么，一定要我去见慧净师父。他说飞机票他一手包办，只要我人到就好。就这样，我就参加了慧净师父的开示法会了。没有想到，这次的相遇，竟是我人生的「大转折」。
🔹Originally, I didn’t plan to go because the place Master Huijing was going to was far away from where I lived. It was on another part in Malaysia. I would have to fly over there. As a student, I didn’t have spare money to buy a plane ticket. It was also approaching the final exam. Therefore, I couldn’t go. However, there was a very kind lotus dharma friend, and I don’t know why, who insisted that I should go to meet Master Huijing. He said that he would pay for the trip, and I only had to go. Hence, I went there. What I had not expected was this was the turning point of my life.
你应该要来出家才是 You should join our monastery
到了慧净师父弘法的道场，隔天，我一大早就起床，打算陪陪师父散散步，跟他说说马来西亚的情况。我就站在师父房门前等他出来。之前我没和师父见过面，也没联络过，师父当然不认识我。
🔹The next morning, after I had arrived at the Dharma-site, I woke up early planning to wait for Master Huijing at his room door so that I could talk to him about the current situation in Malaysia. I had never met or contacted Master Huijing before, so he definitely would not have known me.
没有想到，师父一见到我，第一句话就说：「这么年轻就学佛念佛，已经得到阿弥陀佛的救度，是时候应该站出来为净土宗做一些事情了。这么年轻，应该现出家相来弘法，不辜负弥陀，不辜负青春。」说实在的，当时听到师父的话，真的吓了一跳，师父居然一开口就要我出家。
🔹Unexpectedly, as soon as Master Huijing saw me, he said: “You have been studying Buddhism at such a young age and have been saved by Amitabha Buddha. You should come forward and do something for Pure Land Buddhism. While you are so young, it would be good to propagate Dharma as a monk. Do not waste your youth.” To be honest, I was surprised when I heard this. It was the first time I met Master Huijing and the first words Master Huijing said were asking me to take the tonsure.
不过我也想到，缘分似乎到了，那个时候，我也做好一些思想准备了。因为为了出家，我早就习惯过简单的生活，家里从来没有任何装饰品，平常也没有参与任何娱乐活动，也刻意不交男女朋友，身旁的朋友都有交往对象，我就是特意斩断所有的缘。忙完大学的功课，其他时间就是看佛书、念佛、去佛堂当义工。对我来说，学校比较像是副业，佛法才是我的正业。内心当中，确实感到没有比念佛、劝人念佛更让我欢喜了。就如净宗法师讲过的，唯有弥陀才真正让我们开心。
🔹On the other hand, I thought: “It is probably that the proper ‘time’ finally comes.” I had been preparing for a while to be a monk, and I had gotten used to a simple life like a monk. There was no decoration in my place. I didn’t participate in any entertaining activities, nor did I make any relationship on purpose. My college friends were dating, but I cut off any possibility of it. After school work, I read sutras, recited “Namo Amituofo”, and worked voluntarily in the Buddhist chapel. For me, studying in school was like a part-time job; studying Buddhism was my full-time job, ha! Inside my heart, there was nothing more delightful than reciting “Namo Amituofo” and encouraging people to do so. Like Master Jingzong said: “Only Amitabha Buddha can give us true happiness.”
这一切似乎是冥冥中安排，让我能够有因缘马上毫无顾虑地出家。本来以为出家因缘的成熟，可能要读完书，甚至十多年退休以后的事情，没有想到这一天来得这么快。记得慧净师父当有说：「世间不缺医师，也不缺律师，就是缺少净土宗出家弘法的法师，等到几十年以后再出家，太慢了。现在可以考虑过来台湾了（毕竟当时在本地还没有教团）。」慧净师父在马来西亚弘法的那几天，几次在大众面前鼓励我出家，连用餐前也说。在短短的几天提了好几次。看来我出家的缘分成熟了。
🔹It appeared that fate had created the chance for me to be a monk. I thought it would be after college, even after my retirement. I didn’t expect that it would come so soon. I remembered that Master Huijing told me: “We don’t lack doctors, we don’t lack lawyers, but we do lack Dharma masters to disseminate Dharma for the Pure Land School. It will be too late if you wait for decades. You can consider coming to Taiwan now (after all, there wasn’t a local group here yet on that time).” During Master Huijing’s stay, he encouraged me to become a monk several times in front of everyone, even during meals. He asked so many times in such a short period that it made me feel, “it is the time…”
一言为定 The promise
最后，在送慧净师父离开机场前往新加坡的时候，临别之前，师父把他手上的佛珠交给我，我当时也不知道是什么原因，可能当作信物吧。师父跟我说：「我们就一言为定，我等你。」我当时心里真的很感动，眼泪差一点就掉下来。我感受到师父那一分爱护、护念之心。那时候，只有一个念头，就是当场跪下来，向师父说：「一言为定，我一定会到台湾的。」
🔹At last, we accompanied Master Huijing to the airport. Before leaving for Singapore, he gave me his prayer beads. I didn’t know the reason; I thought it might be a keepsake. Master told me: “Please remember your promise!！I am waiting for you.” I was so touched and almost cried. I felt the love and protection from Master Huijing. At that moment, I got on my knees and told him: “I give you my word: I will be in Taiwan.”
一个改变人生的决定 A life-changing decision
与慧净师父在机场分开、回到家里的第二天，刚好家里都没有人在。我想，可能「时间到了」。要在娑婆世界，尤其这个时代出家，因缘一错失，可能一辈子就不会再遇到了。当时我觉得不能等，直接上网买飞往台湾的机票（几个小时以后起飞的飞机），什么也没带，连旅行箱都没有，背了一个小书包冲到机场，立刻飞到了台湾。
🔹The day after seeing Master Huijing off at the airport, I happened to be home alone. I thought: “It’s time.” In the Saha world, in this lifetime, if I missed this rare chance of becoming a monk, I would never be able to do it. I couldn’t wait any longer, so I bought a plane ticket to Taiwan online. I would be leaving in a few hours. I brought nothing, not even a suitcase, just a backpack. Off I went to the airport and flew to Taiwan.
当时，我本来是打算在慧净师父从新加坡返回台湾之前到达机场的，因为既然要拜慧净师父为师，身为弟子理当要早一点到，在机场等候。但是没想到，到了机场，我才发现：糟糕，机票买错了，我比师父早好几天抵达台湾！那是我第一次到台湾，师父的道场我没去过，身上也没有多少钱。所幸，那时背包里有《净土宗双月刊》，里面有道场的地址。人生地不熟的，只好用身上所有的钱搭计程车到师父的道场。机场到道场路途其实很远，也不知道身上的钱够不够……。我当时想，如果钱不够，我就在半路下车，走路到道场。还好弥陀加持，钱刚好足够，只是，身上的钱也都用完了。
🔹I was planning to arrive at the airport before Master Huijing had returned to Taiwan from Singapore. Since I would ask him to be my master, I should be at the gate, waiting for him. However, when I was at the airport, I found that I was way too early; I had arrived several days before Master Huijing was to arrive. It was my first trip in Taiwan, and I had never been to his Dharma site before. Moreover, I didn’t bring many things, and I didn’t have much money. Luckily, I had the magazine of Pure Land Buddhism in my bag, which had the address of the association. I didn’t know anybody, so I used all my money to take a taxi to the association. It was very far from the airport. I was not sure if I had enough money. I was thinking that if I didn’t have enough, I would have to get out of the taxi halfway and walk to the association. Luckily, I got the blessing from Amitabha Buddha; it was just enough to get there, though I had no money left.
到了道场，已经晚上十一点多了，当时就想，这么晚了，如果道场关了，就只好在便利商店睡一觉了（因为身上没钱，无法住旅店了）。还好，当家法师还在那里等着。原来慧净师父一早有来电交代，说可能会有一个海外的年轻居士会来道场。啊！师父这么慈悲，原来都已经安排好了。
🔹When I arrived at the Dharma site, it was already after 11 pm. I thought that if there was no one in the association, I would have to spend the night in a convenience store since I had no money. Fortunately, the head-master was waiting there. That was when I learned that Master Huijing had called them in the morning and said that they should expect a young lay-Buddhist coming from abroad. Ah! So compassionate of them. They had already arranged everything for me.
慧净师父回来台湾后几天，就在当年的佛诞日，我剃度出家了。
🔹Several days after Master Huijing returned, on Sakyamuni Buddha’s birthday on that year, I was tonsured to become a monk of the monastery.
自信教人信 担当向前行 Having faith and teaching others to have faith; Forging ahead with your responsibilities
出家的时候，也是我这一生第一次正式皈依佛门，因为从小到大附近也没有道场、法师举办皈依，所以一直以来都没有正式皈依过。我第一次皈依佛门也是出家那一天。所以慧净师父不止是我的剃度师，还是我的皈依师。
🔹My ordination was also the first time I officially took refuge in the Three Jewels. I had never done this before since there wasn’t any temple or Dharma master nearby who could bestow the refuge ceremony. Therefore, the first time I took the refuge was the day I became a monk. So Master Huijing is not only my tonsure master but also my refuge master.
记得剃度那一天，慧净师父开示说，要「自信教人信，担当向前行」。那一天刚好是佛诞日，师父就说：「今天是佛诞节，二千六百多年前的今天，世尊降诞於世，二千六百多年后的今天，你发心出家，继踵佛陀，承续法灯。为了佛教的法灯相传，为了众生的慧命获救，舍去了轮回的、无常的、污秽的、造罪的生活，归入了永恒的、常住的、清净的、修行的佛门。因此，今天是你一生之中最有意义的日子，也是你新生命、新生活的开始，必得诸佛欢喜，龙天护持。佛教大乘法门最重发心，所谓发菩提心、行菩萨道，因此，发心出家，住持三宝，要有担当的心，承担法门的重责大任，勇於承担，爬坡越坎，负重前行，不负重托。尤其弥陀救度的法门，更应能自信教人信，担当鼓舞向前行。」
🔹I remember the day I was tonsured, Master Huijing instructed me to “Uphold your faith and teach others to have faith. Carry forth your responsibilities.” It was Sakyamuni Buddha's birthday, and Master Huijing said: “Twenty-six hundred years ago today, the Buddha came to the Saha world to teach the Dharma. Today, twenty-six hundred years later, you have come forward to follow in his footsteps and carry his Dharma torch. You have abandoned the samsaric life of defilement, impermanence, and wickedness. And now you are on the Dharma-path, beginning a life of purification, eternity, and permanence to cultivate and practice Buddhism. Therefore, today is the most meaningful day in your life, the beginning of a new life that is under the protection and delights all Buddhas. Bodhicitta is the most important aspect of Mahayana Buddhism; that's what we call bringing forth the Bodhi mind and cultivating the Bodhisattva path. All renunciates who propagate the Three Jewels must understand the sense of responsibility and courageously take on the heavy burden, overcoming all hurdles and never betraying the trust of the Buddha, especially the way of his deliverance. Forge ahead with your responsibilities. Teach others to uphold faith in the Buddha as you uphold yours.”
虽然出家仪式简单，但是师父每一句开示我始终铭记在心。确实，在往生极乐世界之前最有意义的就是出家自信教人信了。就是这个因缘，我也成为慧净师父最年轻的出家弟子。
🔹The ceremony was simple, but I will always remember these enlightening words from Master Huijing. Indeed, his word is the most meaningful thing before rebirth in the Land of Ultimate Bliss. Since then, I have become the youngest disciple of Master Huijing.
之后，我也劝我的亲哥哥出家。因缘成熟，哥哥也出家了，法号「净先」，当时也是二十多岁，也成了慧净师父最年轻出家弟子之一。过后我们回到马来西亚和新加坡，成立道场，开始弘法布教，陆续在各地成立道场，让更多人信受此法、安心念佛，也持续成就本地人出家的因缘，在各地分会带领共修。这是让我感到欢喜的，因为不必像我当年一样，虽然有心，但因本土没有净土宗教团，还要等待成熟的因缘到来。如今至少本土有了教团，就能够接引有心的人。这一切都要感恩弥陀慈父加持，慧净师父和净宗法师的指导，教团的为后盾，以及大众的护持，才能成就如是殊胜因缘。
🔹Afterwards, I encouraged my older brother to take the tonsure as well. And he did. He is “Venerable Jingxian.” He was in his twenties at that time and was also one of the youngest disciples of Master Huijing. I started setting up recitation centres in Malaysia and Singapore, and propagating the pristine Pure Land Dharma since then to allow more people to take faith in Amitabha Buddha’s deliverance and recite his name with ease in a group effort. More local lay-Buddhists also joined the monastery and are leading the recitation groups in the local associations now. This is something I am really delighted to see. It wasn’t like this before: Even though I was inspired to be a monk, I had to wait passively until the time arrived because we had not had a local pristine Pure Land Buddhist Association. Now that we have the local centers, we are able to help those who have the aspiration to become Pure Land Buddhist monks. This is totally due to the blessing of the compassionate father Amitabha Buddha, the guidance of Master Huijing and Master Jingzong, the assistance of the Pure Land Buddhist Association, and the support of the local people. That’s why we can have such a remarkable accomplishment today.
回想起慧净师父有开示：
Recalling the enlightening instructions of Master Huijing:
把青春生命献给佛教
让阿弥陀佛作我主人
Devote the lifetime to Buddhism.
Let Amitabha Buddha be our Master Guardian.
荷担如来家业 绍隆佛种
光大净土法门 普度群生
Undertake the Tathagata’s Dharma work; carry on the flourishing of Buddha seeds.
Make the Pure Land path prosper; deliver universally all sentient beings.
俗家难舍今已舍 佛门难入今已入
誓弘弥陀救度法 广度众生生净土
The obsession of the mundane life has been abandoned;
the hindrance of pursuing Buddhism has been cleared.
I have entered the gate of Dharma.
I vow to propagate the deliverance of Amitabha Buddha, and
Lead multitudes of sentient beings to be reborn in the Land of Ultimate Bliss.
愿，往后更多众生能
Wishing that more and more sentient beings:
信受弥陀救度
专称弥陀佛名
愿生弥陀净土
Have faith in, and accept Amitabha Buddha’s deliverance,
Recite Amitabha Buddha’s name exclusively, and
Aspire to rebirth in Amitabha's Pure Land.
南无阿弥陀佛
Namo Amituofo
文/ 净本法师
By Dharma Master Jingben
净土宗英文组翻译
Translated by the Pure Land School Translation Team
简介
净本法师，生于马来西亚。曾就读印度医学系以及英国法律系，后因弥陀慈悲感召护念，因缘成熟，在净土宗弃学侍佛出家。
目前，法师担任各地净土宗道场之总住持，常年在各地以及网络弘扬弥陀慈父对念佛众生无条件的救度，并策划举办活动，引导大众称念弥陀佛名；同时接引、成就、培养有缘人在此出家，作为净土宗僧才、成弥陀手脚，在各地净土宗道场领导共修，带众生归故乡。
法师的开示往往深入浅出、幽默风趣地带出弥陀慈悲；其所讲演之影片都以精美制作在Youtube、Facebook、微信等网络平台发布流通，因此广受大众的欢迎，聆听者纷纷能安心念佛。法师所讲之系列有：《净土三经》系列、龙树菩萨《易行品》、天亲菩萨《往生论》、昙鸾祖师《往生论注》、道绰祖师《安乐集》、善导祖师净土思想等净土宗经论著作。
