文：郭清源博士
Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Venerable Master, Dharma Masters and Fellow Cultivators, Amitabha.
諸佛菩薩，上人， 法師們， 諸位同修， 阿彌陀佛！
Disciple, Qing Ben （親本）, is grateful to have the opportunity to tie Dharma affinity with everyone in this assembly. I would be very grateful to receive any suggestion and criticism if what is said is not in accord with the proper Dharma.
弟子親本感恩有機會與大家結法緣。如果有講得不如法的地方， 感恩大家慈悲指正。
My encounter with the proper Dharma was due in part to the passing of my non-biological mother in November 2014, and to a very kind gesture by a former colleague, Dr. Ping-Hong Yeh, who placed a one-month rebirth plaque for my mom at Avatamsaka Vihara (華嚴精舍). Dr. Yeh encouraged me to place another one-month plaque for my deceased mother at Avatamsaka Vihara and to participate in the weekly Sunday Dharma ceremony there so that I could accrue and transfer merits for my deceased mother. Further, I was told that the first 49 days are critical for the deceased. At that time, I had just started a new position for about 6 weeks in the same department where Dr. Yeh worked. In retrospect, Dr. Yeh’s kind gesture was a wonderful and skillful mean that crossed me over from not having any faith of any kind to having a strong faith in Buddhism.
我接觸到佛法起源於我的大媽在 2014年往生。當時一位同事， 葉炳弘居士發心在華嚴精舎為她老人家設了一個月的往生牌位。葉居士鼓勵我為大媽再加一個月的牌位， 並且鼓勵我參加每周日的法會，以所做功德迴向給我的大媽。 葉居士告訴我往生的頭49天是極為重要的。 那時， 我剛剛開始在新的單位工作六個星期，與葉居士在同一部門。 回顧那段經歷， 我意識到葉居士以他的慈悲方便度化了我，使我從沒有信仰轉變到對佛法生起堅定的信心。
In the 10 years since that moment, I maintain my daily morning and evening meditation/recitation practice. I also try to the best of my ability to help relatives, friends, colleagues, or neighbors in the form of placing a rebirth plaque for their karmic debtors whenever such an occasion or need arises. This special practice, as you can tell, is deeply influenced by and connected to Dr. Yeh’s kind gesture.
自那以後的十年，我一直堅持每天做早晚課。我也盡我所能幫助我的親戚，朋友，同事，及鄰居。在他們有需要時爲他們設立牌位，超度冤親債主。這也是深受葉居士善行的影響。
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I would like to share one story of efficacious response of placing rebirth plaques for karmic debtors of a family friend’s niece.
在此，我想分享一則為一位朋友的外甥女設立超度冤親債主牌位的感應故事。
We have known this family friend, Theresa, for more than 20 years. She is a Catholic. One evening in early October of 2023, she sent out an urgent message to her close friends seeking prayers for her niece who was 17 years old at the time. Her niece had just gone through 5 (internal) head-shunt surgeries in six weeks to manage her medical condition known as hydrocephalus, a condition in which excessive cerebrospinal fluid accumulates in the cranial cavity, but these surgeries were not successful. Therefore, her niece was put on an external shunt to manage her critical condition.
特雷莎是我們認識了20年的老朋友。她是一位天主教徒。 2023年十月的一天， 她給她的好朋友們發了緊急的求助信息， 希望大家為他的17歲外甥女祈禱。 她的外甥女患有腦積水症，這種病症是由於腦顱內的腦脊髓液增加，造成顱內壓上升。在過去的六個星期中她已做了五次體内腦積液分流手術， 但都不成功。因此醫生暫時放置了體外的分流器來控制她的嚴重病情。
I asked Theresa for her niece’s full name. We talked over the phone for a bit. During the conversation, I expressed my intention of placing a plaque for crossing over her niece’s karmic debtors and urged her to talk with her niece to be a vegetarian or to eat vegetarian meals as often as possible. After placing a rebirth plaque for her niece at CTTB, her niece went for her sixth surgery two days later. I received her next message and it said, “Surgery went well!” Her niece made it home one day after surgery! To our family friend, it was like a miracle. To me, it is a testament of the Venerable Master’s as well as all the cultivators’ merits and virtues who call CTTB home.
我與特蕾莎通過電話交談幷問了她外甥女的名字。 在電話中， 我告訴特蕾莎我想爲她的外甥女設立超度冤親債主牌位，並讓她鼓勵她外甥女吃素或儘可能多吃素。在萬佛城設立牌位兩天後，她的外甥女做了第六次手術。之後我收到她發來的短信：“手術很順利！” 她的外甥女手術後第二天就回家了。對她來講，這簡直是奇蹟。我知道這是對上人及萬佛城修行人功德的見證。
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I would also like to share another story of efficacious response. This real-life story spanned many years. One of my 8 sisters, Cheng Cheng (清清), had always wanted to run a small restaurant but for one reason or another she was not able to and was recruited by one of my brothers-in-law to help out in his night business running a Karaoke bar around 2017. My brother-in-law even let her daughter work in the Karaoke bar. It was like a family business because my other sister (清麗) was also working there as a cook.
我還想分享另一則感應的故事。這是一個經歷多年的真實故事。清清是我的八個姐姐之中的一個。 她一直都希望能開一間小餐館，但由於種種原因而未能如願。於是2017年左右我的一個姐夫請她去在他開的卡拉OK酒吧幫忙。我的姐夫也讓他的女兒在酒吧幫忙。這間酒吧就像家庭生意，我的另一個姐姐清麗也在那裏做厨師。
I visited the Karaoke bar in one early morning when I was in Malaysia. It was closed for cleaning but the stench of cigarette and liquor was very unbearable. I realized then that if my sisters and my niece continued to be in this business, they were going to run into health problems (especially lung cancer) in very near future. I pray to Guanyin Bodhisattva and the Venerable Master with the sincere hope that my sisters and my niece could get out of their predicament. At first, it almost seemed hopeless because the business was in great momentum. I continued my prayers, and lo and behold, Covid-19 pandemic came and the business had to be shut down.
我在馬來西亞時曾在一天早上去過這間卡拉OK酒吧。 當時酒吧關閉正在進行打掃清潔， 但烟酒的臭味實在讓人無法忍受。我意識到如果我的姐姐和外甥女繼續從事這種行業，一定會影響到她們的健康， 尤其可能會導致像肺癌這樣的疾病。我就向觀世音菩薩和上人祈求，真誠希望我的姐姐和外甥女能從這種困境中解脫出來。 最初，事情看來毫無希望， 因爲酒店的生意正蒸蒸日上。我繼續祈求。出人意料的是，新冠疫情爆發，酒店於是只得關閉了。
Since my sister had always wanted to run a restaurant, I encouraged her to open a vegan (without any alliaceous [or pungent] plants like onion, garlic, leek, chive, and shallot ) restaurant. I told her this small business can help a lot of relatives and people.
因爲我的姐姐一直想開一間飯店，我於是鼓勵她開一間素食餐舘， 提供不含五辛的素食。我告訴她， 這間餐館可以幫助許多自己的親人以及其他人。
Initially, I helped her set up a website for her small business (only three tables in the restaurant!). My wife and I agreed to set aside some funds annually to offer free vegan meals to all customers during the three special days related to the Guanyin Bodhisattva. After the first year or two, other patrons also picked up the practice of tying wholesome affinities by offering free vegan meals to customers during special events such as the 1st and the 15th of the lunar month, the three special days of Guanyin Bodhisattva and Wesak Day. Other patrons also practice making offering of meals to all Dharma masters who visit the restaurant. There are other patrons who donate free vegan meals to local charities like orphanages, old folk homes and houses for the disabled. Some other patrons donate vegan meals to local Buddhist centers or associations during some special Buddhist events.
剛開始時， 我幫她的小餐廳設計了一個網頁， 店裏只有三張桌子。我同修和我商量，我們在每年與觀世音菩薩有關的三個特別的日子（觀音誕、觀音菩薩成道日、觀音菩薩出家日）裏，出資贊助她給顧客提供免費午餐。之後的一兩年，有其他的施主也開始效法結善緣，在每月農曆初一、十五， 與觀世音菩薩有關的特別日子， 及佛誕日，出資提供免費午餐。 也有其他施主供養來店裏用齋的法師。還有施主捐款為當地的孤兒院， 老人院， 及殘疾人團體提供素餐。還有施主為當地佛教中心及機構在佛教重大的日子裏提供素齋。
All in all, there is a wholesome trend in Penang. A Dharma friend who visited Penang recently mentioned to me that her family ran into similar events at other vegetarian restaurants in Penang where vegan meals were free and had been paid for by some other patrons! This was rare just a few years ago! When my sister first ran such an event, she was really surprised when some strangers just gave 50 dollars as a contribution to the next event like this one. I told her it is an honor system and encouraged her to help her patrons to broaden the sphere of wholesome affinity. Three other sisters, my brother regularly help at the restaurant and some of my nephews and nieces also pitch in during those special events mentioned above.
總之，在檳城形成很好的風氣。有一位佛友最近去檳城， 她跟我提到，她和家人去檳城另一家素餐舘吃飯時也有相似的經歷，當他們用餐畢付費時，被告知他們的午餐是免費的，已有人代付了。這樣的事在幾年前是很少聽説的。當我的姐姐第一次開始做這樣的免費贈送午餐的活動時，她很驚訝當時就有一位陌生人捐了50元給下一次的免費贈餐活動。我告訴她，這是一種信任的體制，鼓勵她幫助顧客廣結善緣。我的其他的姐姐們和我的哥哥平常都在餐館幫忙， 我的一些外甥， 外甥女也會在上面提到的特別的日子來店裏幫忙。
Finally, three of my sisters including the one who runs the restaurant took the Three Refuges at Deng Bi An (Dharma Realm Guan Yin Sagely Monastery in Kuala Lumpur) this summer! I sincere hope a few more will take the Three Refuges next summer at Deng Bi An.
我的三個姐姐，其中包括開素食餐館的那個姐姐，這個夏天在登彼岸道場（吉隆坡法界觀音聖寺）受了三皈依。我希望還會有更多的家人在明年夏天在登彼岸受三皈依。
I will end my talk here. Amituofo. 我今天的結法緣就到這裏。阿彌陀佛。