沃果須（Barbara Waugh）居士2024年11月23日星期六晚間講於萬佛聖城大殿

I don’t think my ordinary mind can truly comprehend how Earth Store Bodhisattva (Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva) has benefitted my life. I encountered him in the Venerable Master Hsuan Hua’s teachings and through engaging in Buddhist practices such as recitation of the Earth Store Sūtra and reciting the Bodhisattva’s name. In the short time available I will mention a few things.

我不認為我的凡夫心可以真正理解地藏菩薩給我的人生帶來怎樣的利益。我是通過宣公上人的教導，以及通過念《地藏經》和念地藏菩薩聖號，才認識地藏菩薩的。在今晚有限的結法緣時間裡，我會分享幾點。

Encountering a Buddha is a difficult and rare thing, according to the sūtras. In my life, growing up in America in the 1950’s, there was no such thing. I was looking for answers I couldn’t find in science and was curious about religion.

許多經文中都提到：得遇佛陀是很艱難而稀有的事情。在我的人生中，成長於1950年代的美國，根本沒有這樣的機會。我想要的答案，科學解釋不了，同時我對宗教也產生了好奇。

I had questions that couldn’t be answered to my satisfaction by the Judeo-Christian traditions. For instance: After death, if one doesn’t go to Heaven for eternity, why does that mean one goes to Hell forever? How can someone be happy in Heaven knowing that there is no way out for those suffering unbearably in Hell? It seems too cruel. Surely people can learn from their mistakes, pay their debts, and change their ways.

我有一些問題，而猶太教和基督教的傳統沒有辦法給我滿意的解答。比如：如果一個人死後無法上天堂得永生，為什麼就意味著他要永遠下地獄呢？如果天上的人知道地獄中那些受苦的人無法脫離痛苦，他們又怎麼能在天堂感到快樂呢？這似乎太殘忍了。人們肯定可以從錯誤中學習，償還債務，然後改變自己的命運才對。

FILIAL PIETY 孝順

My mother-in-law, Elizabeth Waugh, was raised as a vegetarian. Her parents were Theosophists. Their five children were life-long vegetarians. As a retired lawyer and a widow, my mother-in-law became ill and moved to Ukiah, in her late seventies, so my husband Ernie Waugh and I could help her. When she passed away at the age of 84, I recited the Earth Store Sūtra for her. I continued on, resolving to recite some part of the Sūtra every day for three years for her sake. After three years I realized other people needed help so I continued cycling through the sūtra, a little at a time, every day when possible, starting over when I finished. At one point I thought, the sūtra says that through devotion to Earth Store, you can see where a relative has been reborn. That night I had a dream. Elizabeth had been reborn in the human realm and was having a very happy and auspicious life as a very confident girl.

我的家婆伊莉莎白·沃從小就吃素。她的父母是神智學家（證道學家），家裏的五個孩子一輩子都是素食者。作為一位退休律師和寡婦，我的家婆在七十多歲的時候生病了，於是她就搬到了瑜伽市，以便我和我的同修沃果必（Ernie Waugh）能照顧她。當她84歲去世時，我為她誦了《地藏經》。當時我決定每天要為家婆誦部分的《地藏經》經文，這樣持續了三年。三年後，我意識到其他人也需要幫助，於是我繼續每天盡可能地念《地藏經》，每次念一部分，這樣重復地念誦，誦完一部《地藏經》後，又從頭開始。有一次我想到，《地藏經》裏說，如果對地藏菩薩生起虔誠的心，我們就可以知道親戚往生後的去處（眷屬生界）。那天晚上，我做了一個夢，夢見家婆伊莉莎白已經投胎人間，過著非常幸福安康的生活，成了一位非常自信的女孩。

After decades of reciting the Earth Store Sūtra, I was happy to hear the Abbot, Dharma Master Heng Lyu, speak about Earth Store Bodhisattva on August 31st, the eve of the Earth Store Session this year. He made me realize how important the themes of filiality and karma were in the Earth Store Sūtra. I think that Karma is a concept of moral causality intrinsic to Buddhism. Simply stated, you create favorable or unfavorable conditions for yourself through your own wholesome or unwholesome past actions of body, mouth, and mind. One definition of wisdom, or prajñā, is understanding cause and effect. When you are creating bad karma for yourself, acting out of greed, anger, or confusion, you may be oblivious to the consequences. When things are not according with your wishes and you are suffering, you are asking, “Why is this happening to me? Is it Fate? An angry god punishing me? Pure randomness? Simply bad luck?

在念誦《地藏經》幾十年之後，我很高興聽到方丈和尚律法師在今年8月31日，即地藏法會的前一晚，講述了有關地藏菩薩的點滴。他讓我意識到，《地藏經》中的孝道和業力主題是如此重要。我認為，業力是佛教中的道德因果觀念。簡單來說，就是通過你自己過去身、口、意三業所造的善惡行為，造就了對自己日後或者有利或者不利的後果。智慧或般若的其中一種定義就是明白因果。雖然你因爲貪、嗔、癡而造了惡業，但你可能對後果毫無察覺。然後當事情不如你所願的時候，正當你在受苦的時候，你會問：「為什麼會發生這種事？是命運嗎？是神生氣了所以在懲罰我嗎？還是說，只是純粹的偶然？或者就只是走霉運？」

The workings of Karma, as described in Buddhist texts, can seem inexplicable. Not so in the Earth Store Sūtra, which was spoken by the Buddha to his mother, Lady Maya, in the Trayastriṃṣa Heaven. Karma is spelled out in very concrete terms.

經典中所描述的業力運作，似乎難以理解。然而，在《地藏經》裏説的，就不會那麽難理解了。這部經是佛陀在忉利天對他的母親摩耶夫人所講的。其中，佛陀非常具體地闡述了有關業力的種種。

According to the VM Hua’s commentary, the “Sūtra Of the Past Vows of Earth Store Bodhisattva was translated in the Tang Dynasty (from Sanskrit into Chinese) by Tripiṭaka Master Śīkṣānanda of Khotan”. Master Hua says, “all of Earth Store Bodhisattva’s vows are for the sake of filial piety.” (1974, p 22) I love the theme of devotion displayed to mothers in the sūtra. I had the benefit of being raised by a wonderful mother who lived to be 96 and never stopped teaching and helping me. After I met and took refuge with the VM, she did the same.

根據上人的淺釋，《地藏菩薩本願經》是唐代于闐三藏法師實叉難陀從梵文翻譯成中文的。上人說：「地藏菩薩的所有願力，都是為了孝道。」我喜歡經文中所表現出來的對母親誠心這樣的一個主題。我很幸運，得以由一位了不起的母親撫養長大，她活到了96歲，一生都沒有停止過教導和幫助我。在我遇到並皈依上人後，她也一樣皈依了上人。

The VM Hua lectured the Earth Store Sutra in 1968 and 1969. I first met him in 1970. The first English translation of the Sutra, along with the VM’s commentary was published by the Sino American Buddhist Association in 1974. At some point before that I had asked the VM if there was some text I could translate. He handed me a Chinese copy of the Earth Store Sutra. I was in school at UC Berkeley studying Chinese and Sanskrit. I was shocked. “Aiya,” I thought. “There’s no Sanskrit version and my Chinese is not up to this” I didn’t dare say anything. DM Heng Ching translated it with help from other disciples. It was the first English translation of the sutra published.

上人在1968年和1969年講解了《地藏經》。我第一次見到他是在1970年。《地藏經》的第一部英文翻譯版本和上人的淺解，由中美佛教會於1974年出版。在那之前的某個時候，我曾問過上人是否有我可以翻譯的經文。他當時就遞給了我一本《地藏經》的中文本。我當時正在伯克萊大學念中文和梵文。我很震驚：「哎呀!」我心想，「沒有梵文版，而我的中文也還沒有達到這麽高的水平可以翻譯。」 但我不敢說什麼。但後來恒清法師在其他弟子的幫助下，翻譯了這部經文。這是《地藏經》首次出版的英文翻譯版本。

I think Shr Fu knew that I didn’t understand filiality. My family was having difficulties and I all but turned my back on them, until I found my Buddhist family. I think the VM understood that I couldn’t truly cultivate without understanding filial piety. It took me a while to understand. The Ven Master didn’t give up on me.

我想師父知道我不懂孝道。我的家庭正面臨一些問題，我幾乎對他們置之不理，直到我自己組建了一個佛教家庭。我想上人明白，如果我不理解孝道，我是沒有辦法真正修行的。我花了一段時間才明白，上人沒有放棄我。

Recently, In Dharma Master Chih’s Śurangama Mantra class, we learned that one of the lines in the Śurangama Mantra contains a transliteration of Kṣitigarba Bodhisattva’s name. (Line 54: Na Mwo Qie She Ju La Ye) According to the VM’s commentary this line refers to the Northern Division of Amoghasiddhi Buddha, the Karma Division, and is associated with Earth Store Bodhisattva. This makes sense. Lady Maya expressed compassion for beings suffering in the Hells. Thinking someone else’s suffering is just “their karma” is a dismissal of compassion. Earth Store doesn’t do this. He does not tire of using his extraordinary merit and virtue, wisdom and samadhi, to help even the most recalcitrant living being find the way out of suffering.

最近，在持法師的《楞嚴咒》課程中，我們學到《楞嚴咒》中的一句，包含了地藏菩薩名字的音譯（第54句：南無伽闍俱囉耶）。根據上人的講解，這一行提到的是北方羯磨部的不空成就佛，並與地藏菩薩相關。這是有道理的。摩耶夫人對在地獄中受苦的眾生表達了悲憫。認為別人的苦難只是「他們的業力」，是一種沒有悲憫心的態度。地藏菩薩不會這樣。他不厭倦地運用自己殊勝的功德、智慧和禪定，幫助即使是最頑強的眾生也能找到解脫的道路。

The Earth Store Sūtra lays out the Buddhist theory of karma in radically concrete terms. In Buddhism, karma is the underlying mechanism of morality that describes the workings of causality for sentient beings, and provides an opportunity for people to transform themselves and their circumstances in a world of impermanence. Earth Store Bodhisattva vows to help people entangled in the suffering generated by unwholesome past deeds, even the slow learners, even to the point of leading them out of the hells. The sūtra teaches methods to generate wholesome karma and merit through various practices including methods for mindfulness of Earth Store Bodhisattva.

《地藏經》以極其具體的方式闡述了佛教的業力理論。在佛教中，業力是描述有情眾生因果作用的基本機制，是道德的根本原理，並為人們提供了在無常的世界中改變自己和轉變環境的機會。地藏菩薩發願幫助那些因為過去造惡業而陷入苦難的衆生，甚至包括那些學得比較慢的衆生，直到把他們從地獄中引導出來。經文教我們可以通過各種修行方法來做善業和功德，其中之一就是持念地藏菩薩聖號這個法門。

The origin story of Earth Store Bodhisattva’s vows, occurs in Chapter One. A virtuous Brahman woman makes offerings to Enlightenment-Flower Samādhi Self-Mastery King Tathāgata, wanting to know where her recently deceased mother was reborn, and wanting to help her mother attain a good rebirth. As the Buddha relates to Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva, she fears her mother’s bad habits may have caused her to be born in the lower realms and sells her house to make offerings. She gazes at the image of Enlightenment-Flower Samādhi Self-Mastery Buddha and suddenly hears his voice. Following his instructions, she finds herself in the hells, conversing with the ghost king, Poisonless, who tells her that her mother had been reborn in the hells. But her mother and others born there with her that day had been released and were experiencing bliss in the heavens, thanks to her daughter’s virtue and meritorious deeds. The Brahman woman awoke, as from a dream, and vowed that “until the end of future eons I will respond to beings suffering for their offenses by using many expedient devices to bring about their liberation”. She is now Earth Store Bodhisattva.

地藏菩薩發願的故事源起於《地藏經》第一品。一位德行高尚的婆羅門女供養覺華定自在王如來，想要知道她剛去世的母親投生何處，並希望幫助母親獲得善道的投生。佛陀對文殊菩薩說，這位婆羅門女擔心她母親的不良習氣可能導致她投生到下界，於是她賣掉了房子做供養。她瞻禮覺華定自在王如來的像，突然聽到佛陀的聲音。按照佛陀的指示，她發現自己進入了地獄，並與鬼王無毒對話，鬼王告訴她，她母親先前已墮地獄。但是她母親和一同投生到地獄的其他眾生，同一天已經解脫，正在天界享受天福，這一切都因她女兒的德行和功德。婆羅門女像從夢中醒來一樣，發願「願我盡未來劫，應有罪苦眾生，廣設方便，使令解脫」。她（婆羅門女）如今就是地藏菩薩。

DANA PĀRAMĪTA 佈施波羅蜜

At the beginning of the Earth Store Sūtra, the Buddha emits light clouds and wondrous sounds. Included is the wondrous sound of dana pāramitā. “Dana” is Sanskrit for giving, the first pāṝamitā. To me, giving creates a fundamental movement in the attention of the heart-mind from selfishness to compassion. Filiality is a foundation for compassionate giving and an essential practice in the Earth Store Sūtra, an instruction manual for escaping the endless round of suffering in the Saha world.

在《地藏經》開頭，佛陀放出大光明雲和微妙之音。其中包括佈施（檀）波羅蜜音。「佈施」是梵語，意指給予，是第一波羅蜜。對我來說，給予在心念的關注上，創造了一種從自私轉向慈悲的根本轉變。孝道是慈悲佈施的基礎，也是《地藏經》中的一項重要修行，它是從娑婆世界無盡苦海中解脫的修行指南。