顏琛講於2024年8月21日晚 萬佛城大殿

諸佛菩薩，師父上人，各位法師，諸位同修，阿彌陀佛！我是顏琛. 今晚，我很榮幸與大家分享我在萬佛聖城工作的一些經歷。

Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, Venerable Master, Dharma Masters, and fellow practitioners, Amitabha! My name is Daniel Yan. Tonight, I would be honored to share some of my experiences working in the City of the Ten Thousand Buddhas.

要和大家分享的是幾個小故事。因為這些故事有提到幾位師兄，請大家無須深究到底是哪一位。重點是我們可以從這些小故事裡面得到了什麼啟發。也請師兄們不要對號入座，等會跑來罵我。

I want to share with you a few short stories. Because several disciples are mentioned in these stories, there is no need to go into details about which one is which. The point is what inspiration we can get from these short stories. I ask everyone not to think of these stories to have any bad intention, so you won’t have to come scold me later.

消業障

Diminishing karmic obstruction

我要分享的第一個故事叫消業障。我初來聖城的時候就聽說，修福報最好去齋堂和君康素菜館，但是想消業障要去哪呢？於是我就去向師兄們請教。有個師兄就告訴我，根據他本人的經歷，消業障最快就是被人罵，而且最好是無緣無故的，罵得越厲害越好。他當年在金山寺幫忙，在完工的最後一天，已經感覺到極度的疲憊了，但是為了能夠完成工作，還是咬牙硬撐著。結果有個人莫名其妙的跳出來，指著他的鼻子開始破口大罵。他可能當時被罵愣住了，就站在那裡讓那個人罵，罵了好一陣子，突然一股清涼從頭頂灌下，透體清涼，疲憊頓消。

The first story I want to share is called diminishing the karmic obstruction. When I first came to CTTB, I heard the best places to cultivate merits are the dining hall and Jyun Kang restaurant, but where should I go if I want to eliminate my karmic obstruction? I ask senior disciples for advice. One disciple told me that based on his own experience, the quickest way to eliminate karmic obstruction is to be scolded, and it is the best if the scolding is for no reason at all. The more severe the scolding, the better. He was helping out at the Gold Mountain Monastery, and on the last day of completing the work, he felt extremely tired. However, he continued working in order to finish the project. A man came of nowhere, pointed at his nose and started yelling at him. The disciple might have been stunned, so he just stood there and let the man scold him. After a long while, he suddenly felt a wave of coolness poured down from head to toe, cooling the whole body and took away his fatigue.

我正聽得歡喜讚嘆，旁邊就有一位師兄插話了：“你要消業障是不是？還要挨罵消業障是不是？哎呀這個我擅長啊，包在我身上了！”我還在奇怪什麼時候邀請了這位師兄，但是從那天開始，他一天來罵我三次 – 早上、中午、晚上，一個禮拜罵我五天 – 因為他禮拜六、日休息。我被他罵得受不了了，就跟他商量：“師兄你可不可以以後改成中午罵我？他問：為什麼你要挑中午呢？”我說：“因為我早晚會受不了你。”他說：“哎呀年輕人不行哦，才罵幾天就受不了了，這樣業障什麼時候才能消完呢？”我說：“師兄啊，有時候我覺得你並不是在幫我消業障，而是在罵人罵得很高興呢！”他說：“錯覺，完全是錯覺。”

Just as I was listening and exclaiming in delight, another disciple standing next to us interrupted: you want to eliminate karmic obstruction, right? You want to do so by getting scold? Oh, I’m very good at this, it’s all on me! As I was wondering since when I invited him to do that for me, from that day on, this disciple came to scold me three times a day – morning, noon, and afternoon; five days a week because he had Saturday and Sunday off. Finally, I couldn’t stand being scolded by him anymore, so I asked him to maybe tune it down a bit. He said, “Young man, it’s only been a few days and you can’t take it anymore? When will your karmic obstruction be eliminated this way?” I told him sometimes I felt that he wasn’t really helping me eliminating my karmic obstruction, but simply just enjoyed scolding me. He said it was my illusion to feel this way.

我這個被罵的人的業障有沒有消，我不是很確定，因為我被罵時並沒有清涼從頭頂灌下，倒是有好幾次感覺一股火氣湧上心頭。應該還是有消掉一些業障的吧，但是不好的消息是：我消的這些業障有可能跑到了這位勇敢獻身罵我的這位師兄的身上去了，結果讓他的身體出了問題。現在他看到我都是笑咪咪的，不再罵我了。我的結論是如果自己的功德不夠，最好不要輕易嘗試用罵人的方法來幫別人消業障。

I’m not sure whether my karmic obstructions have been eliminated by getting scolded, because when I was scolded, there was no coolness pouring down from my head to my toe, there was, a surge of anger rising from my heart several times. There should still be some relief, I guess. However, the bad news is that I am afraid the karmic obstructions that eliminated from me may have transferred to this disciple who bravely sacrificed himself to scold me. As a result, he suffered physical problems. Now he smiles when he sees me, no more scolding. My conclusion is unless you have a lot of merits yourself, it is best not to help others to eliminate their karmic obstruction by scolding them.

後來有一天我在修下水道。下水道的空間非常的狹窄，所以當抽水卡車的抽水管抽水的時候有時會被石頭等東西卡住，所以要升出下水道清理乾淨後再伸回去繼續工作。抽水管快要離開下水道管孔的時候，位置剛好就在我的頭頂，裡面的髒水就會滴下來。我怕當時跟我一起工作的一個年輕的工人沒有經驗，在抽水管剛好在我頭頂的時候把抽水的開關關閉，那我就會馬上“屎到淋頭”。於是我站在下水道裡大聲向他喊，“千萬不要關閉抽水！”當時機器很響，他只聽到我在喊，沒聽清內容，“你說什麼？”他向我大聲喊。我又重複了一遍，“千萬不要關閉抽水！”“你說什麼？這個抽水太大聲了，你等會。”他說完就把抽水的開關關閉了。於是當時抽水管裡所有的髒水“嘩”的一下子把我從頭淋到了腳。人家師兄是一股清涼從頭到腳，我呢是“屎到淋頭”。不過說來也奇怪，雖然確實是又髒又臭，但是我突然覺得好像脫掉了一件很重的衣服，全身非常的輕鬆，心裡很清楚自己的業障消了很多。雖然我也不能解釋為什麼，但就是明白那種感覺是業障消了。

Then one day I was working on a sewer line. The space in the manhole was very narrow. We had to periodically pull out the suction pipe of the Hydrovac truck to clean it because it got stuck by rocks and other objects. Every time we raised the suction pipe, it would be right on top of my head before it left the manhole, and the dirty water inside would drip down on me. I was afraid that the young worker who was working with me at the time was inexperienced that he would accidentally turn off the suction when the pipe was above my head. I would immediately take a shower with the dirty water. So, I stood inside the manhole and shouted to him, “Do not turn off the suction!” The machine was very loud, the young worker could only hear me shouting, but not sure what I just said. “What did you say?”, he shouted back to me. I repeated again, but he still couldn’t understand what I was trying to say. “Hold on a second, the suction is too loud.” He turned the suction off. Needless to say, all the dirty water inside the pipe splashed down on me from head to toe. The other disciple’s experience was a wave of coolness pouring down, mine was dirty water pouring down. Strangely, although it was indeed dirty and smelly, I suddenly felt as if I had taken off a heavy piece of clothing, my whole body felt so much lighter! I knew very well that a big chunk of my karmic obstruction was gone at that moment. Although I couldn’t explain it, I just knew that feeling was the karmic obstruction diminished.

我覺得我和那位師兄的消業障的例子也許是我們個人的特例，不能作為大家參考的對象。因為又有幾個人會有機緣來萬佛城修下水道呢？大家要根據自己的情況去找到適合自己的修行方法。

I think the experience of me and the other disciple eliminating our karmic obstruction may be just our personal cases, and cannot be used as a reference for everyone. Because how many people will have the opportunity to come to the CTTB to repair sewer lines? Everyone should find a practice method that is suitable for them based on their own circumstances.

龜兔賽跑

The Tortoise and the Hare

我要分享的第二個故事叫龜兔賽跑。我們應該都聽過伊索寓言裡的龜兔賽跑的故事。我原本也認為這種故事是講給小朋友們聽的，因為在現實世界中從來沒有看到哪一隻烏龜真的能夠跑得贏兔子，也不會有哪一隻兔子決定和烏龜比賽跑步了，還會中途睡一覺的。我覺得這一定是只存在於童話中的情節，卻不知道現實生活有時候比童話更離奇。

The second story I want to share is called the story of the tortoise and the hare. We should all have heard the story of the tortoise and the hare in Aesop’s fable. I originally thought that this kind of story was meant for children, because in the real world I have never seen a tortoise really be able to outrun a hare, and no hare would ever decide to race a tortoise, and then take a nap in the middle of the race. I thought this must be a plot that only existed in fairy tales, but I didn’t know that real life is sometimes more bizarre than fairy tales.

有一次我在後山清理雜物，有兩位師兄在我旁邊激烈的爭論著一項工作的細節。他們為了這項工作已經吵了兩天了，可是各執己見，誰也不能說服對方。我聽他們吵了半天，把方法都聽明白了。出於好奇，我跑去那項工作那裡，材料和工具都在，於是按照一位師兄的想法做一點，看起來不錯；又按照另外一位師兄的方案做一點，看起來也可以。我就這樣用烏龜的速度，一點一點的做完了。做完了以後我回去清理雜物，那兩位師兄還在吵。 爭吵的內容已經從工作的細節上升到了誰更有經驗，以及誰自開工以來犯的錯比較多。 也許有人想說哪個師兄那麼喜歡吵架啊？不會是第一個故事裡那個喜歡罵人的師兄吧？ 你猜對了。

Once I was cleaning up at the WEBI project, and two senior disciples were arguing fiercely next to me about the details of a job. They had been arguing about it for two days, but they insisted on their own opinions and no one could convince the other. I listened to their argument for a long time and understood all the methods. Out of curiosity, I went to the job site. The materials and tools were all there, so I did a little bit of the work according to one disciple’s idea, and it looked good. I also did a little bit of work based on another disciple’s plan, and it looked OK as well. I went ahead and finished it bit by bit at the speed of a turtle. After I finished, I went back to do the cleanup. The two disciples were still arguing. However, the content had changed from the details of the job to who was more experienced, and who had made more mistakes since the WEBI project started. Some of you may wonder, who likes to argue that much? Is he the one from story one that likes to scold people? You guess it right!

童話裡的兔子就好比利根的修行人，烏龜就好比鈍根的修行人，一般來說烏龜是無論如何都不可能在跑步上贏過兔子的。但是如果兔子覺得中途睡一覺也沒有問題，或者兔子決定去跟另外一隻兔子吵架去了，烏龜才有領先兔子的可能。利根的修行人如果睡覺不修行，或者去跟另外一個利根的修行人去爭論誰的修行方法更好，修行更高，就有可能被鈍根的修行人超過去了。

The hare in the fairy tale is like a cultivator with sharp roots, and the tortoise is like a cultivator with dull roots. Generally speaking, it’s impossible for the tortoise to beat the rabbit in running. However, if the hare thinks it’s okay to take a nap, or decides to get into an argument with another hare, then the tortoise may be ahead. If a cultivator with sharp roots does not cultivate, or decides to argue with another cultivator with sharp roots about whose practice method is better or whose level is higher, he may be surpassed by a cultivator with dull roots.

應無所住

Abides nowhere

我要分享的第三個故事叫放下執著。我向一位資深弟子請教，聖城的維修工作千頭萬緒，複雜無比，他這麼多年是怎麼處理過來的。這位資深弟子思考片刻，告訴我如果遇到做一項工作有人強烈反對，或者因為種種奇怪的原因困難重重的時候，不妨暫且擱置。一項工作不順利，也許是時間不對，要到了對的時間才能開始；也許是人不對，要讓對的人去做就會很順利的完成。反正要做的工作很多，沒必要在一個地方死磕，浪費時間和精力。

The third  story I want to share is called let go of the attachment. I asked a senior disciple for advice on how he managed to deal with the complicated maintenance situation of the CTTB for all these years. This senior disciple thought for a moment and told me that if someone strongly opposes a task or it is strangely difficult for various reasons, we should put it aside for the time being. If a job does not go well, it may be because the timing is not right, and it cannot be started until the right time; or it may be because it’s not the right person. It will be completed smoothly if it’s done by the right person. There is a lot of work to do anyway, so there is no need to freeze to one place, and waste time and energy.

過了不久，這位資深弟子要做的一項工作遭到了不少人的反對，也因種種奇怪的原因困難重重。可是他卻決定迎難而上，因為男子漢大丈夫豈能因為有困難就退縮呢？於是與人大吵一架後，不顧大家的勸阻一意孤行，結果造成了不好的後果。等情況穩定，他的情緒也冷靜下來以後，我問他：”不是你前不久才跟我說如果一項工作有人強烈反對，或者因為種種奇怪的原因困難重重的時候，應該暫且擱置的嗎？怎麼你這次卻一意孤行呢？”他說：”道理是如此，勸別人容易，勸自己難。當事情出現在自己身上，業力現前的時候，往往好像你的心智被什麼東西蒙蔽了，只被業力牽著鼻子走，直到事後才會醒悟。”

Not long after, a job that this senior disciple wanted to do met with strong opposition from many people, and was met with difficulties due to various strange reasons. Yet he decided to proceed, because how can a man give up just because of some difficulties? After a big argument with someone, and ignored everyone’s dissuasion, he carried on the job and resulted in bad consequences. After the situation was stabilized and his mood calmed down, I asked him: didn’t you tell me not long ago that if someone strongly opposes a job, or it is difficult for various strange reasons, it should be put on hold? Why did you insist on going your own way this time? He said: this was true, but it was easy to say that to others yet it was hard to apply to yourself. When things happen to yourself and karma appears, it often seems that your mind will be blinded and your action will be led by karma, and you won’t realize what’s happening until everything is said and done.

我們應該如何對治這種情況呢？金剛經有云：“應無所住而生其心”。因為無所住，所以沒有執著。沒有執著並不是什麼工作都不要做的意思，而是在做工作的時候，不要專注於這是“我的”工作，那是“他的”工作，這是“一定”要做的工作之類的種種妄想分別。而是應該收斂心神，專注於當下。這樣練習久了，也許慢慢就可以達到隨時拿得起，也隨時放得下，“你要隨時都可以拿去做”這樣的心境。

How should we deal with this situation? The Diamond Sutra says, “You should produce the thoughts which abides nowhere”. Because abiding nowhere, there is no attachment. No attachment does not mean not doing any work, it means not focusing on this is “my” work, that is “his” work, this “must” be done, etc. We should not let our minds flow with these various delusions. Instead, you should concentrate and focus on the present. If you practice like this for a long time, you may gradually be able to pick it up and put it down, and have the state of mind that “you can take it at any time.”