点亮生命的光-5(中英对照)

       默念真经问答       英文翻译 : Lily Zhang 

        Q&A

问：默念真经和一般念佛有何不同？

    What’s the difference between reciting the Fie Word Sutra and Buddha’s names?

    念佛，人人会念，但要念到一心不乱、心不颠倒，才能与佛世界完全感应道交，就像人人会玩水，但不是人人会游泳。

    Everyone can recite Buddha’s names. But it’s hard to recite with total concentration. With a highly-concentrated mind, he can connect the Buddha’s pure land completely. This is like that everyone can play in the water, but not everyone can swim. 

    我们求道时因为先经过传道仪式克己复礼、六根归元的洗礼，然后才传受无字真经。当时我们第一次持念无字真经时，就已处于一心不乱、全神贯注，所以以后再念时，就很容易回到一心不乱。

    Before receiving the Five Word Sutra, we have experienced the solemn ceremony in which we pay highly attention to our Buddha nature without any distractive thought. At that time, we recite the Five Word Sutra with One mind for the first time and total concentration. Therefore, it will be very easy for us to return to and review that state.

    就像曾经持续游泳二十公尺没有沉下去，即使多年没有游泳，再游泳时也很容易就记起如何游。

    It’s like a swimmer who has swum successfully and continuously for 20 meters. Even though he never swims for several years, it will still be easy for him to remember how to swim again.

    另外，默念真经有弥勒佛力加持。这是弥勒祖师对我们的承诺，无论何时何地只要我们在心中呼求他，他都会回应我们、加持我们、救护我们。

    On the other hand, the Five Word Sutra has the great blessing from Maitriya Buddha. This is his promise to us. Whenever and wherever we are, just call his name and he will respond us and save us.

    我们得到这个真经是在求道时无念的状态下，所以念这个真经和念别的佛号不一样，它可以印到你的本心。

    Because we receive the Five Word Sutra with One mind, it’s very different from reciting other Buddha’s names. In this way, it can correspond to our Buddha nature.

问：没有吃素，默念真经效果会不会大打折扣？再则，吃荤念佛，佛会不会责怪？

Q：Will my reciting become less effective if I am not a vegetarian? Will Maitriya Buddha blame me if I eat meat and call his name?

    佛对众生就像父母对孩子，好孩子父母疼爱，坏孩子父母还是一样疼爱，任何一位众生只要愿意念佛，不只是念弥勒佛，念任何一尊佛的佛号甚至称上帝的名，佛都只有高兴而不会生气。

    Buddha treats sentient beings as parents treat their children. Parents love bad kids as well as good kids. For any sentient being, as long as he is willing to call Buddha’s names, Buddha will always be happy.

    就像父母对子女，只要子女愿意回来找父母，父母就有机会救子女，父母只怕子女不来找父母，怎么会设定门槛，一定要吃素才能来找父母？

    Just as parents are to their children, Buddha is like the sentient beings’ beloved parents. They have the chance to teach children as long as children are willing to ask them for help. They only worry that their children won’t come to them. How can they set certain rules for children to follow, like being a vegetarian, before children come back?

    大势至菩萨念佛圆通章说：“十方如来怜悯忆念众生就像母亲时时刻刻思念子女一样，可是如果子女逃逸无踪，母亲再怎么思念也见不到子女，但是如果子女也开始思念母亲，母子相忆必能相见。所以众生念佛，眼前或未来，必定见佛。”

由此可知佛不是我们念他，他才念我们，而是无时无刻不在思念我们。我们一念他，就立刻与他相应。

    As one Buddhist sutra said, “All Buddha and bodhisattvas love and remember sentient beings just as a mother loves and remembers her children. If the children run far away, the mother cannot see them anywhere. However, if the children also start to miss the mother, they will meet each other because of their mutual missing. Therefore, when sentient beings recite Buddha’s name, their will see Buddha at present or in the future. Buddha loves us not because we miss or call him; instead, he keeps missing us all the time. Once we recite Buddha’s name, we will get connected with him.

    就像最前面台大校长李嗣涔作的实验，只要’佛‘字在，佛就现光明来照耀我们的生命。

    This is like the previous experiment done by Dr. Lee in NTU. As long as the word “Buddha” exists, Buddha will give us the brightness to shine our lives.

问：为什么有人默念真经有美好、殊胜的觉受，有人没有，甚至越念心越乱？

Q：why do some people have wonderful and special feelings when reciting the Five Word Sutra? And some others have confusing thoughts?

    默念真经专注程度不同效果自然不同，如果默念真经是打电话像弥勒祖师求救，一念电话就接通了，但话筒有没有靠近耳朵？有没有专注在听？如果话筒离太远，即使电话已接通也听不到。

    Different levels of concentration will bring different effects. If reciting the Five Word Sutra is calling Maitriya Buddha, it is definitely that we can get in touch with Maitriya Buddha when reciting. However, if you put the receiver far away from your ear or don’t focus, it will be hard to get Maitriya Buddha’s message. 

    如果妄念太多，没有专心听，电话接通还是听不到。

    If you have too many distractive thoughts or don’t concentrate, you won’t get the benefits even if the phone call is communicated.

一样默念真经，用百分之一的专注，和用百分之百的专注，就决定和弥勒祖师契合程度，决定能不能听到来自佛国的讯息。若能专注到百分之十以上，就足以和弥勒祖师感应道交。

    Concentration in reciting can decide whether you can hear the message from pure land. One percent or one hundred percent concentration makes the difference whether you can be connected with Maitriya Buddha or not.

    常有道亲告诉我，每当他们有疑问困难不知如何解决时，就在心中默念真经，念着念，答案就自动浮现心中，照着去做就顺利解决了问困难。

    Some Tao members tell me they have the habit of reciting the Five Word Sutra whenever they have trouble. During the reciting, the answer will automatically appear in their mind. If they follow it, they usually solve the problem easily.

问：如果只念真经，都不去佛堂、不参与办道，也可以成道吗？

Q: If I just recite the Sutra at home and don’t go to the temple or help transmit the Tao, will I return to Maitriya Buddha’s pure land?

答：到佛堂，不管是拜拜也好、参班、服务…都有佛堂的佛光普照、仙佛加持。

    就像生病，如果能去医院最好，如果有不得已的因素，无法到医院就医，只好把药带回家服用。

    我们众生都患了种种或轻或重的身、心、灵疾病，佛堂就像医院，有仙佛医疗团队为我们做全面的身心灵医疗，能入院接受医疗当然最好，如果不能或不愿意，至少把药带回家天天吃，总比完全不就医也不吃药好。

A: When Tao members go to the temple to worship or serve people, they will get blessing and from Buddha and bodhisattvas. We can compare the Buddha temple to a hospital and the Three Treasure to the medicine. As the sick people go to the hospital for best cure, so practitioners return to the temple for best blessings. If the patient cannot go to the hospital, he can take the medicine home for recovery. Likewise, if practitioners cannot return to the temple, they can use the Three Treasures at home.

    We sentient beings all have certain kind of sickness in body, mind and soul. The

Buddha temple is like the hospital, where the group of Buddha and bodhisattvas serve as doctors to cure our diseases in body, mind and soul. It’s better for us to stay in the hospital temple) for healing. However, if there is no chance to stay there, at least taking medicine home using Three Treasures) will make us feel better.

问：常默念真经会不会惊动仙佛？

Q: will our reciting bother Maitriya Buddha?

答：许多道亲对仙佛的恭敬不敢随意默念真经，害怕惊动仙佛，甚至触怒仙佛。虽然出发点是恭敬的，却误解仙佛的定义。

    “佛”是如如不动的，金刚经说：“如来者，无所从来亦无所去。”所以佛是不来不去的，绝不是念了就来，不念就去。而是无所不在，无时不照。

    就像阳光普照大地，如果我们门窗紧闭，处于黑暗，念佛就像开启门窗让光明射入一样，佛力和光明福德，也因为念佛而照进我们的生命之中。

A: a lot of Tao member dare not recite the Five Word Sutra any time because of their respect for Buddha and bodhisattvas. They are afraid it may bother them or even offend them. Though their thinking is good, they misunderstand what Buddha is.

    Buddha is All. The Diamond Sutra says, “Buddha comes from nowhere and goes nowhere.” So, Buddha is not someone movable. He doesn’t come because we are calling his name and leave because we don’t call his name. He exists everywhere and blesses any time.

    This is just like the sunshine shining on earth. If we close the door and windows and stay in darkness, reciting Buddha’s names is like opening the door and windows to let sunlight in. Then, Buddha’s power, blessing, and bright merits will shine into our lives by reciting.

问：为什么默念？

Q:  Why do we recite the Five Word Sutra silently?

    念佛，原本就应该默念。

    达磨破相论有说：“念佛者当须正念，正念必得往生，念者忆也，念在于心，不在于言，若心无实，口诵空名，诵在口中，即是音声之相，执相求理，终无是处。”

A:  Correct reciting is to recite silently with heart.

     Master Dharma says, “ Practitioners who recite Buddha’s name in the right way are sure to return to pure land after death. Reciting means remembering. The importance of reciting lies in your heart, not in your words. If you don’t recite by heart and just speak out the words, it will only be the sound. To apply the sound to pursue the truth will never succeed.”(未完待续)

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