佛光大学 Fo Guang University
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佛光大学 佛教学院/佛教学系2022/09/14 （111-1期初全院集合勉励话语）
今天想要跟大家谈谈的是，我们书院行门生活教育中的两个重要精神：戒与慈。关于这个主题，我想用《维摩诘经．观众生品》「天女散花」的情节来作开始。
Today, I would like to discuss with everyone two integral aspects of the spirit of DBS life education: precepts and kindness. To open this discussion, I want to first recount the episode of the “Goddess Strewing Flowers” from Chapter 7 “Regarding Sentient Beings” of the Vimalakīrtinirdeśa.
故事是说，在经过文殊与维摩二位菩萨一连串问答，得了个「从无住本，立一切法」的结语后，一位天女突然现身，散花讚歎。有趣的是，花朵并不会掉在在场的诸菩萨身上，但却会黏在佛陀的声闻弟子身上，而且即便他们用尽方法，也不能弄掉这些花，因而感到十分狼狈。天女问舍利弗：你们为何要把花弄掉；舍利弗说因为持戒僧人戴花不如法。天女接下来强调无分别心的重要，呼应了维摩居士所说「从无住本，立一切法」。
Within this chapter of the sūtra, after Vimalakīrti finishes his answers to a round of questions from Mañjuśrī with the conclusion: “all dharmas are established on a basis that is baseless,” a goddess suddenly appears, strewing celestial flowers and singing praises. Amusingly, these flowers would not stick to the bodies of the bodhisattvas, only to the bodies of the śrāvakas, who trying as they might could not manage to free themselves of the flowers, left awkward and embarrassed. In reply to the goddess’s question, “Why are you trying to get rid of the flowers?”, Śāriputra explains that flowers are improper for monks. The goddess then responds by underscoring the importance of non-discrimination, in accord with Vimalakīrti’s earlier statement of “all dharmas are established on a basis that is baseless.”
现在，我要对这个故事稍加以重新解读，来说明今天的主题。
Now, let me address today’s topic by way of interpreting this story from a slightly different perspective.
大家来到学院一、二周了，应该知道佛教学院的行门生活教育有许多规矩与工作，这些工作与规矩，可以称之为广义的「戒」。
Having been here at DBS for a week or two now, everyone should be aware that the DBS life-education component involves many chores and regulations. These chores and regulations can be regarded, in a broad sense, as "precepts".
戒（规矩）的目的，一是为了团体生活和合无诤，让生活有了秩序；其次是为了避免外界的讥嫌，让人误会，我们佛教学院学生连自己的生活都没法照顾得好，怎么可能去弘化利生。但我个人觉得上述是都就外部来说，就内在的修行而言，我认为戒（规矩）更重要的目标，是由外而内地转化自己的习性，让自己原本以个我为中心的生活方式，在团体生活中受到激荡瓦解，转而以众人的利益成为自己考量的重点，如此才能增长道心，让自己和大众更趋近解脱一点点。所以，天女所表达的是，要重视戒对自己内在修行的重要性，而不要把戒只当成外在的要求。
The primary purpose of such precepts, or rules, is to ensure that in a collective living situation, everything operates smoothly and everyone can function harmoniously. Secondarily is to prevent misunderstanding on the part of others, otherwise how can we benefit beings if they hold us in contempt for not even being able to handle ourselves properly?These two above-mentioned purposes are externally oriented, but I myself feel precepts (rules) are even more compelling as a vessel for the internal process of spiritual development. Through group living, we continually undermine our previous, habitual self-centeredness, and we begin to consider benefiting others as our foremost priority. Thus, we grow in spiritual conviction, bringing both ourselves and others ever so slightly closer to liberation. So, the moral of the “Goddess Strewing Flowers” story is: focus on your own internal cultivation; do not just treat rules or discipline as being externally imposed.
不过，既然戒的目标是要转化自己的习性，因此如果你在这学习的过程中，感到厌烦、兴起烦恼，请你先不要兴起退转、不如归去的念头，因为人怎么可能那么轻易就改变自己长久以来的生活习性，所以这时生起烦恼是正常的心理现象。
Understandably, there will of course be times when the precepts inconvenience and irritate you; this is normal, since these precepts exist for you to change deep-seated habits, which is never easy. Please do your best not to entertain any excuses in your mind for giving up or giving in to your afflictive emotions.
同时也就是因为这个原因，我要请所有老师和已经习于学院行门教育的学长们，对于新进同学以及至今仍有所抱怨的同学要有慈心，我们要有耐心地协助同学，接受并理解书院生活的所有规矩（戒）的理由以及必要性，越来越能精进在佛教学院的每一种学习，同时也能增进自己的道心。因为大家应该都能体会，要由晚起变成早起，要由閒散自由转成庄重严谨，要由入了大寮手足无措到可以任运自如地操持锅铲，要由不识经论到熟悉佛典，这一切种种都得要有脱胎换骨的功夫。
At the same time, for this very reason, I want to ask our instructors and senior students already acquainted with the DBS life-education component to be benevolent to our new students or returning students with lingering resentments. If we have properly understood and accepted the deeper purpose and necessity of our established rules (precepts), we can choose to meet every task or challenge with enthusiasm as opportunities to learn, thereby strengthening our individual spiritual resolve.
Everyone understands from personal experience that
to go from getting up late to getting up early,
to turn laxity into thoroughness,
to go from being a bumbling kitchen newbie to a masterful adept of the wok,
to go from oblivious ignorance of the voluminous scriptures to intimate familiarity：all of this takes excruciating, dedicated effort.
所以，凡是看到了新进或任何尚未进入状况的同学，请不要先起不耐，而是要思索如何方便引领才能使之成就——这就是慈；新进或还未完全接受书院生活的同学，也切莫利用他人的慈心，只求自己方便，而是要常常思维，如何才能行善去恶——这就是戒。当人人都能戒慈俱行，便可逐渐变化自己的习性，这就是「从无住本，立一切法」。如此，我们也才谈得上，可以更进一步完整学习戒定慧三学增上的佛教教育。
So if you see our newer or less experienced peers struggling, instead of losing patience, please think how to skillfully lead others to success: this is kindness. Likewise, our newer or less experienced peers should not take advantage of others’ kindness and think only of their own convenience; instead, please consider how to develop your own virtuous character and eliminate moral unwholesomeness: that is precepts. If everyone collectively abides with discipline and kindness, this can gradually become transformative at the individual level: that is “all dharmas being established on a basis that is baseless.” Upon such a foundation, we may then begin to manifest a Buddhadharmic education actualizing the three trainings of precepts, concentration, and insight.
最后再提示一句，戒与慈，正是星云大师为佛光大学的所定立的校训：义正道慈。
祝福大家福慧增长，道心日坚。
On a concluding note, precepts and kindness, taken together, precisely mirror the FGU motto formulated by Master Hsingyun: "Integrity and Benevolence."
Best wishes to everyone! May you all continue to grow in wisdom and merit, and may your spiritual resolve grow deeper with each passing day.