記得在七、八年前，膝蓋曾經非常痠痛，上下樓梯都痛；上樓梯固然痛，下樓梯更加痛，真的很難過！
I tremember around seven or eight years ago, I had terribly sore kneecaps. They hurt when I climbed up the staircases and even more so when I walked down. It was extremely difficult.
那時我正準備製作一些錄影資料，要去拜訪一位長者。我找到他的時候，他正在一間素菜館請人吃晚飯。當時時間還蠻早的，所以天色很亮。他聽到我的來意，就招呼我坐下來一塊吃。
At that time I went to visit an elderly man because I was collecting materials to make a video. He was hosting a dinner at a vegetarian restaurant when I got hold of him. It was still early for dinner and the sky was bright. When he heard why I was coming, he told me to sit down and have dinner with him.
那天不是六齋日，所以我也就坐下來一塊用餐。後來看天色慢慢黑了，我就不敢再吃了，只喝清湯。我那時候是有一個這樣念頭：因為天黑了，餓鬼都出來了，但是他們不能够吃到東西；看我們吃，他們會很難過。因為他們沒有辦法吃，所以我也不吃，以免他們難過。我就起了這樣一個念頭。
It wasn’t one of the fasting days for precept-holders, so I sat down and had dinner with him. When it got dark, I stopped eating and only had some clear soup. I thought that when it’s dark, hungry ghosts all come out, yet they can’t eat anything and they get upset when seeing people eat. So I stopped eating dinner in order not to upset them. Somehow, that was just the way I thought about it.
不曉得為什麼，當時膝蓋就覺得有一陣冷風吹過。那種冷風就好像是受幽冥戒的時候，我們常常會感覺到的那種陰寒的風。那種風吹著我的膝蓋，我當時也不曉得是怎麼回事，所以也沒有想太多。結果很奇怪，第二天早上醒來後，上樓下樓忽然發覺膝蓋不疼了。原來那種很痛的痛感，完全消失了，膝蓋就這樣好了，一直到現在。
And then I felt cold wind blow over my knee caps for some inexplicable reason. The cold and strange wind was like the type we feel during the ceremony of receiving the precepts for the deceased. I didn’t think much about it since I didn’t know why the cold wind was there. However, when I woke up the next morning, I felt no pain in my knee caps at all when I climbed up and down the staircases. The excruciating pain was gone completely. My knee caps have been well until now.
人們膝蓋痛，有的還要動手術，換膝關節什麼的，非常麻煩，但是我就這樣好了。所以那時候就發覺，做人不僅要與人為善，也要與鬼為善。為什麼這樣講呢？因為現在天災人禍很多，在空間有許多我們看不見的眾生，到處都是。我們若跟他們廣結善緣，對他們也好，對我們也好：冥陽兩利，大家都好。
Some people with knee problems undergo surgeries to replace their kneecaps. It’s very troublesome for them. It was such a surprise that I got well so effortlessly. So at that time, I discovered that we need not only do good deeds for other people but also for ghosts. Why do I say this? It’s because there have been many disasters nowadays so there are many invisible beings everywhere. If we can have a good relationship with them, it will be beneficial to everyone.
我那一次才發現，原來不吃晚飯還有這個好處，可以跟鬼結善緣。當然不是每一個人都能夠不吃晚飯；尤其很多在家人，平常在外面，到晚上不吃飯是很難過的。所以，不吃晚飯雖然是跟鬼結善緣的好方式之一，但是還有很多其它的方式。比方說，像念佛、拜佛都是與鬼為善的好方法。
I discovered from the experience that we can have a good relationship with ghosts by fasting after noon. Not everyone can do it, though. Especially if one is a layperson living outside the monastery, it can be difficult not to have dinner. Although it’s one way of creating a good relationship with ghosts, there are other ways such as reciting the Buddha’s name and bowing to the Buddhas.
我們的師父宣公上人生前講過：「我們好好念佛，誠心念佛的話，那麼來往的這些鬼魂亡靈他們聽到了，都可以往生了，這也是一種放生。」所以放生，除了花錢去買那些會被殺的動物，讓牠們能夠重獲自由之外，我們好好念佛也是一種放生。
Our teacher, Ven. Master Hua said, “If we can recite the Buddha’s name sincerely, ghosts passing by will be able to get reborn in the pure land upon hearing our recitation. This is also a form of liberating life.” So to liberate lives, we can spend money to buy those animals waiting to be killed so that they can regain freedom. We can also recite the Buddha’s name to liberate lives.
除了好好念佛之外，我想我們拜萬佛懺，同樣也是一種放生。拜萬佛除了佛經上講的那些功德之外，還有一個大家可能沒想到，但是師父生前提到過的，就是放生的功德。因為很多我們沒有看到的眾生，在我們誠心禮拜的時候，他們聽到這佛名，也許就往生到這佛土去了。十方諸佛這麼多的佛淨土，他們有機會去往生，拜佛的人 也得到了放生的功德。
In addition to reciting the Buddha’s name, bowing the Ten Thousand Buddha Repentance is also a way of liberating lives. There are many forms of merit and virtue that come from bowing to ten thousand Buddhas; one form that we may not usually think of is that it also liberates lives. Ven. Master Hua mentioned this before. Many invisible beings might be reborn in various Buddhalands when they hear our chanting while we bow sincerely to Buddhas. There are so many pure lands of Buddhas in the ten directions. When ghosts reborn in these Buddhalands, the person bowing to the Buddha will also gain the merit and virtue from liberating them.
上人在世的時候對我們的教化很多，也非常嚴格。我記得一則真實的故事，是萬佛城裡的一位居士親口告訴我的。她說，她那時候在廚房幫忙，有一次有位外頭來的居士問她：「廚房缺什麼，我去買。」
Ven. Master Hua had a lot of teachings for us and was very strict when he was alive. One account is given by a layperson living in the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas (CTTB). She said that there was once another layperson from outside the monastery who asked her, “What’s needed in the kitchen? I’ll go and buy it.”
這位居士這麼發心，很好啊！所以告訴我這件事情的這位在廚房忙的居士就說：「我們沒有豆腐了。今天沒豆腐了！」這位外頭來的居士就說：「OK，那我去買。」結果，師父上人不曉得怎麼就知道這件事了，就訶責在廚房幫忙的這位居士說：「妳是不是要餓死了，連沒有豆腐了都要告訴人家！」
Since this layperson was very sincere, the person working in the kitchen said, “We don’t have tofu today.” Somehow, Ven. Master Hua learned about it and scolded the layperson working in the kitchen, saying, “Are you starving to death? Why did you tell others such a minor issue that we are out of tofu?”
我聽到這件事情時，心裡就想，「哇！真是太嚴格了！」因為人家發心願意來供養，對我來講好像也沒有什麼不對；可是以師父的標準來講，這就是一種攀緣。所以師父的標準是很嚴格的。
When I heard this, I thought to myself, “Wow! That’s really strict!” It seemed to me that there was nothing wrong with it since the layperson from outside was very sincere about making an offering. However, it was a form of “asking for something”, according to Ven. Master Hua’s standard. So Shi Fu was very strict.
師父住世的時候，我其實是蠻怕的，因為他罵起人來也很兇。可是師父走了以後，尤其是現在天災人禍這麼多，我就真的很懷念師父了！因為師父在的時候，曾經發過這樣的願，只要他在哪個地方，哪個地方就不會有災難。
When Ven. Master Hua was alive, I was kind of afraid of him because he was very strict, especially when he scolded people. However, after Ven. Master Hua passed away, I started missing him a lot, especially when I see so many natural and man-made disasters. When Ven. Master Hua was alive, he made a vow that wherever he stayed, there would not be disasters.
所以，災難很嚴重的時候，我常常想，如果是師父在那個地方的話，那個災難就可以化解掉了，就不會造成這麼多、這麼慘重的傷亡；不要說大的災難，就是小病，師父也教了我們一些方法。
So whenever there is a large-scale disaster, I often feel that if Ven. Master Hua was at that place, the disaster would not have happened and there would not be such a horrible death toll or injuries. Not to mention huge disasters, Ven. Master Hua even taught us methods to avoid small illnesses.
像現在很多人感冒，我是前一段時間才聽一位師父的老弟子講的，說師父住世的時候曾經教過一個咒，短短的。怎麼唸呢？我相信這裡很多人都知道，就是「唵，室哩哆，室哩哆，軍吒利，薩嚩訶」。這個咒，師父說只要一天念三百遍，就不會生病。而且，師父還說念久了，日久功深，還可以幫人家治病的。
Now there are many people who have gotten the flu. Recently I learned a short mantra taught by Ven. Hua from a senior disciple of his. I believe many people here know how to recite it which goes, “Nan Shi Li Duo Shi Li Duo Jun Ja Li Suo Wa He.” Ven. Master Hua said that if we recite it 300 times a day, we will not fall ill. We can even help cure other people’s illnesses when we recite it for a long time.
這次參加「萬佛寶懺」，有這麼多人感冒，我看了就想，「糟糕！這感冒起來很難過！」所以，每天我走到佛殿，到齋堂，這樣走來走去的時候，就趕緊念這個咒；這樣念來念去，相信也有三百遍了。
During this Ten Thousand Buddhas Jeweled Repentance session, there have been so many people catching the flu. I thought to myself, “Oh no! It would be terrible to get the flu.” So I kept reciting this mantra when I walk to the Buddha Hall or to the dining hall. I believe I recited at least 300 times when I walk from place to place in CTTB.
因為很專心在佛前念三百遍的話，大概十幾分鐘也就念完了，因為這個咒很短。所以每天這樣在萬佛城走來走去這時間，絕對是不止十幾分鐘的，一定是可以念完三百遍的。我也很幸運，到現在還沒有感冒，所以趕快跟大家分享一下這個很好的，短短的咒：「唵，室哩哆，室哩哆，軍吒利，薩嚩訶」。
If you recite it single-mindedly in front of the Buddha statue, it only takes a little over ten minutes to finish 300 recitations since it’s a very short mantra. It takes more than ten minutes to walk around in CTTB every day, so if we recite while walking we can surely complete the 300 recitations. I’m really lucky not to have the flu so far, so I want to share this wonderful and brief mantra. Again, it is, “Nan Shi Li Duo Shi Li Duo Jun Ja Li Suo Wa He.”
當然有人也會問，師父既然會這個咒，為什麼自己還生病呢？師父講過他不會為自己做任何一絲一毫的事，他都是幫別人的。
Some people may wonder that since Ven. Master Hua knew this mantra, why did he still fall ill himself? Ven. Master Hua said he would not do anything to help himself. Everything that he did was to help other people.
當年，記得我的父親在我們搬進來萬佛城之後，因為不太放心，所以特地從臺灣飛來美國看我們。那個時候他的腳已經不太能夠走路了，可是他還是硬撐著，一定要走。
I remember when my family moved to CTTB, my father was worried about us so he flew from Taiwan to visit us. He could barely walk at that time but he insisted on walking by himself.
他來到這裡後，看到我們一見到師父就叩頭禮拜，他心裡蠻不是滋味的；因為這一生我跟爸爸就只叩過一次頭，就是我結婚的那天。因為要離家，按照習俗要跟父母叩頭；就是那麼一次，以後也沒有再當面拜過我父親，沒有當他的面拜他。可是我們一見到師父就猛叩頭，所以我爸爸可能心裡覺得不是滋味。
When he got here, he saw us bowing to Ven. Master Hua whenever we met him. My father did not feel good about it. I only bowed once to my father in my life, which was on my wedding day and it was because it was customary to bow to our parents then. That was the only time I bowed to my father in front of him. I hadn’t done it since then, and when he came he saw us bowing Ven. Master Hua so many times. I guess my father didn’t feel good about it.
後來，師父就讓我爸爸去師父住的地方見師父。師父每講一句話，我爸爸就會說：「不是這麼說，不是這麼說」；反正凡是師父講的話，我爸爸就說：「不是這麼說」，一定要反對到底就是了。
Later, Ven. Master Hua asked my father to go see him. Whenever Ven. Master Hua said a few words, my father would oppose him by saying “That’s not the case. That’s not the case.” My father completely opposed Ven. Master Hua’s words, no matter what he was saying.
可是，我爸爸離開萬佛城回到臺灣以後，他在電話裡告訴我：「好奇怪，我這次到美國也沒吃藥、也沒開刀，怎麼我的腿都好了！」我心裡明白就是師父幫助我父親，把我父親的業擔過去了，但我父親當然也不相信這些。
However, after my father went back to Taiwan, he told me over the phone something strange had happened, which was that without taking any medicine or undergoing surgery, his legs got well for no reason after his trip to CTTB. I knew that it was Ven. Master Hua taking on my father’s karma. However, my father would not believe it.
光是我父親這個親身經歷，就可以知道宣公上人幫眾生擔了多少業，這只是其中一個小小的例子而已。
From my father’s experience, one can imagine how much evil karma Ven. Master Hua took on for others. This is only one small example out of many.
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