徐士捷2025年2月17日講於萬佛聖城大殿

尊敬的法師們、善知識們、諸位法友:

Respected Dharma Masters, wise advisors, and Dharma friends,

我叫徐士捷，法名親捷。我每週有兩天左右，在萬佛城建設與維修部門協助科技相關的工作。從（舊金山東灣）佛利蒙市來，單程車程約三小時。 常有人問我開車會不會累，其實沿途風景隨季節變換很美麗。今天我想跟大家分享 一些我來到法界佛教總會（法總）的因緣，以及在柏克萊聖寺和萬佛城的一些經歷。

My name is Jerry Hsu, my Dharma name is Chin-Jie. I come to the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas (CTTB) about two days a week from Fremont to help in the CTTB Building and Ground department on technology related projects. The drive takes about three hours one way. People often ask me if the drive is tiring, but it’s actually quite beautiful, and scenery changes with the seasons. Today I want to share a few stories on how I came to the DRBA, and a few stories I encountered at the Berkeley Buddhist Monastery and the CTTB.

1995年我母親往生後，我開始尋找生命的答案，想知道母親去了哪裡，她過得好不好。在這個過程中，我遇到一位佛學老師，指導我透過寫日記觀察自己的心，特別留意情緒和對事物的反應。就這樣，我開始注意到自己內心的變化和情緒，彷彿發現了一個全新的世界。我 很喜歡這個修行方法。

When I lost my mother in 1995, I began searching for answers about life—where my mother had gone and how she is now. During that process, I met a Buddhist teacher who guided me to observe my mind through writing journal, paying attention to my emotions and reactions to events. With that, I started to notice the movement of my heart and emotion. It felt like discovering a whole new universe. I really like that practice.

1996年我因工作來到灣區。我繼續尋找一位能指導我觀察內心的老 師。在金聖寺，我遇到了恒實法師，很喜歡他富有邏輯淺顯易懂又生 活化的講法。我開始固定參加他在金聖寺的週日課程。

In 1996, I came to the Bay Area for work. I searched for a teacher who can guide me to find out what’s going on in my mind. I found Rev. Heng Sure at the Gold Sage Monastery and really liked his teaching. I began attending his Sunday classes at the Gold Sage Monastery regularly.

一直到幾個月後，我才第一次拜訪實法師所住持的柏克萊聖寺。當我進入佛殿時，我的心裡震動，我不由自主地流下眼淚。那一刻，我感覺像是一個在外漂泊許久的孩子終於回到家。我站在那裡望著佛像，等待心情平靜下來。突然，我想起：萬佛城不就是我祖母剃度成為比丘尼並住過一段時間的地方嗎？那一刻，我感覺因緣圓滿完整了。即使我沒有刻意的追求，不知不覺中，我的腳步走向了宣公上人的教法。

A few months later, I visited the Berkeley Buddhist Monastery for the first time. When I entered the Buddha Hall, my heart shook and tears started flowing down my face for no reason. I felt like a child who had been wandering in the world for a long time and had finally found home.

I stood there, looking at the Buddha image for a few minutes, waiting for my heart to calm down. Then, I suddenly remembered: Isn’t the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas where my grandma was ordained as a bhikṣunī and had stayed for some time? At that moment I felt a circle had been completed. Somehow my family is connected to the Venerable Master

Hua, and even without consciously looking for Venerable Master’s teaching, I walked my steps toward him.

現在每當我在萬佛城走動時，總會想到這裡曾是祖母生活和行走過的地方。我們的足跡在同一個空間交會，只是在不同的時間。我一直希望能找到祖母在萬佛城時的照片，但在家裡的相簿中都找不到。有一天，在恒薰法師的線上講座中，她分享了上人九〇年代在台灣弘法時的照片。當她展示一張比丘尼們圍繞在宣公上人身邊的照片時，我驚呼：「那是我祖母！旁邊那位是我姑姑！」我很高興能看到祖母和上人的合照。

Now as I walk in the CTTB, I think about my grandma, that this is where she lived and walked. My path crosses her path in the same space, though at different times. I was hoping to find a picture of her at CTTB but I couldn’t find one in my family album. One day, during a Zoom lecture of Dharma Master Heng Syun, she shared pictures from Venerable Master Hua’s Dharma tour in Taiwan in the 1990s. As she shared a picture of bhiksunis surrounding the Venerable Master, I exclaimed, “That’s my grandma! And that’s my auntie next to her!” I was overjoyed to finally have a picture of my grandma with the Venerable Master.

我祖母的法名是恒安。她一直對我很慈祥。有一次我回台灣，看到祖母在家裡的佛堂裡，在（觀音）菩薩像前，她慈祥地握著我的手說：「士㨗，如果你有什麼煩惱，都可以告訴菩薩，她都會聽，也不會告訴別人。」她溫暖的聲音和慈祥的話語至今仍在我心中。

My grandma’s Dharma name is 恒安(Héng Ān)。She has always been very kind to me. On one of my trips back to Taiwan, I saw my grandma in the praying room in front of the Bodhisattva, and she kindly held my hand and said, “士㨗 (Shi Jie), if you have any sorrow, you can always tell it to the Bodhisattva, she will listen to you and won’t tell anyone.” Her warm voice and kind words have stayed with me to this day.

我的岳母也是虔誠的佛教徒，和我一起參加金聖寺的週日課程。她聽說恒實法師常常週日早上在金聖寺講課，下午又要開車到萬佛城晚上講法，然後再開車回來，這樣長途開車很辛苦。有一天她建議我：「為什麼不幫忙載恒實法師去萬佛城呢?」於是我就開始幫忙。

My mother-in-law is also a devoted Buddhist. She joined me for the Sunday classes at the Gold

Sage Monastery. She heard that Rev. Heng Sure often taught at the Gold Sage Monastery on Sunday mornings, then drove to CTTB in the afternoon to give a lecture in the evening, and then came back that night. That’s a lot of driving. She suggested, “Why don’t you help drive Rev. Heng Sure to CTTB?” So, I did.

有個下雨的週日晚上，恒實法師在萬佛城說法後，法師和我從萬佛城回到柏克萊聖寺。我把車停在聖寺前面。恒實法師揹著背包走向前門，我提著他其他的包包站在車旁。只見恒實法師走得很慢，低頭看著地面，好像在找什麼。他在樓梯前停下來，彎腰撿起什麼東西，把它移 到旁邊的花園裡。然後又撿起另一個，做同樣的事。原來他在把蝸牛 從走道移到花園裡！他邊移動蝸牛邊跟我說：「下雨天很多蝸牛會爬 到走道上，所以要走慢一點，不要踩到牠們。」移完蝸牛後，他站起來繼續往門口走。那個彎腰移動蝸牛的身影，至今仍然深深的刻在我的腦海裡。

On a rainy Sunday night, Rev. Heng Sure and I came back to the BBM from the CTTB after the evening lecture. I parked the car in front of the BBM. Rev. Heng Sure stepped out of the car with a bag on his shoulder and walked toward the front door. I carried the other bags and stood by the car. Rev. Heng Sure walked slowly, looking at the ground as if he were searching for something. He stopped before the stairs and bent down to pick up something, moved it to the garden on the side. He then picked up another one and did the same. He is moving snails! He told me as he moved those snails, “It’s a rainy day, many snails come out on the walkway so you’d want to walk carefully and not to step on them.” After moving snails to the garden, he stood up and continued to walk toward the door. That pose of bending down and moving the snails to the garden left a strong impression in me till today.

我家門前也有一條走道，記得很多下雨天裡，我匆匆趕著上班，踩到蝸牛時，聽到「喀嚓」一聲，我通常只是說聲「哎呀」就走了。看到恒實法師的舉動，讓我意識到自己做了多麼殘忍的事。從那以後，我決定改變自己，在下雨天總是小心走路，也會把蝸牛從走道移到花園裡。

I also have a walkway in front of my house. I remembered on many rainy days, when I walked at a fast pace to my car, I stepped on snails and heard the “crack” sound when the snail was smashed under my foot. I would just say “Oops” and keep walking. Seeing what Rev. Heng Sure did made me realize what a cruel thing I had done. I decided to change myself. Since then, I walk carefully on rainy days, and have moved many snails from the walkway to the garden.

即使只是一個彎腰（移動蝸牛）的動作也能說法。我希望有一天能把我記得的這一幕畫下來，告訴更多人這個故事，這樣就有更多蝸牛得以獲救。

Even a simple act of bending down (to move snails) can speak Dharma. I hope someday I

can draw a picture of the scene I remembered and tell this story to more people so more snails can be saved.

目前我在萬佛城建設與維修部門幫忙，這個部門負責萬佛城的飲水、污水、電力、網路等設施。直到我和建設維修部門的成員一起工作，才意識到有一群人在默默付出，維持著整個萬佛城的運作。他們的工作通常是在幕後進行，很多人可能不知道他們的辛勞。我有機會近距離看到他們工作，我想藉這個機會分享一些我看到的故事。

Currently I’m helping in the CTTB’s Building and Ground (B&G) department which is in charge of the CTTB’s utilities such as water, sewage, electricity, internet, and more. It wasn’t until I worked closely with the B&G team that I realized there’s a group of people doing the hard labor to keep the City (CTTB) running. I had the opportunity to see them work closely. They usually work behind the scenes so most people may not know about their work. I’d like to take this opportunity to share a few pictures and stories of what I saw.

他們經常需要在我很不願意進去的地方工作，像是狹窄陰暗的空間。 有天早上，我去客房大樓查看為什麼網路不通， 我看到Bob看著地下室的窗戶。我問他知不知道為什麼停電了？他說：「知道啊！工作人員正在地下室升級電路。」 我知道客房大樓另外一側有地下室，但不知道這邊也有。我從窗戶往裡看，那哪算是地下室？那是在水泥和泥土中的夾層， 我看到Angel和Jacob在極其狹窄的空間裡更新電路。 Bob在外面 注意他們的安全。

Very often they work in places that I would hesitate to go into, such as crawling spaces. On a cool morning, I went to the Guest Building to check why the internet was down, and found Bob was looking into a basement window. I asked, “Do you know why the building lost power?” He said, “Yes, the crew are working in the basement to upgrade the electricity.” I know the Guest Building basement, but I don’t recall there’s a basement this side. When I looked through the window, I saw that it wasn’t a basement at all. Angel and Jacob were working in this extremely narrow crawling space updating the electricity circuit. Bob was there outside to watch over their safety.

他們也要在有老鼠出沒的地方工作。有一天，麒麟精舍的住戶報告網路斷線，原來是老鼠咬斷了光纖電纜。修理光纖是個非常精細的工作，又必須在現場完成。麒麟精舍的地下室很老舊髒穢，還有老鼠，完 全不是我想待的地方。但Angel和Jacob毫不猶豫地準備了桌子和設備， 開始修復網路。

They also work in places where rats left lots of droppings behind. On another day, residents in the Unicorn reported the internet was down. It turned out that rats had bitten the fiber optic in the Unicorn basement. Fixing fiber optical cable is an extremely delicate job and needs to be

done at the location. Unicorn basement is dirty and has rat droppings—it’s not a space I’d want to stay. Without hesitation, Angel and Jacob prepared a table and equipment and started the work to restore the network.

不只是男性，女性也投入維持萬佛城運作的工作。在修好光纖的幾天後，住戶又報告網路斷線。這次是老鼠咬斷了乙太網電纜。在那個我不想進去的空間裡，Amy捲起袖子修理電纜。

Not only men, but also women are taking on the work of keeping the City running. A few days later, residents reported the internet being down again. This time rats bit the Ethernet cable. Still in that space I didn’t want to go into, Amy rolled up her sleeves to fix and protect the cable.

他們在艱難的環境中工作，也面對各種天氣。一月份有幾天特別冷，到處都結霜了。早上八點左右，我開車進城，看到Danny已經在路邊工作。 我走向他說：「今天這麼冷，你在外面工作，而且看起來已經完成了很多。」Danny說：「今天是很冷。我七點開始工作的時候，天更冷更暗。」

They work in difficult environments, but also in all kinds of weather. There were a few days in January that were very cold, it was freezing and frosting everywhere. It was around 8 am when I drove into the City and saw Danny doing work on the roadside. I walked toward him saying, “It’s so cold today, and you are doing the work outdoors here. Looks like you have already done so much work.” Danny said, “It’s indeed cold today. It was even colder and dark when I started at 7 am.”

他們在寒冷的日子裡工作，也在炎炎夏日中工作。去年夏天正午時分，他們在正午大太陽下修補道路。

The work is done in all kinds of weather. On a hot summer day at noon, the crew worked on patching the road.

他們在各種環境中工作，只要工作需要，他們就會前往。工作人員在及膝深的溝渠裡，安裝污水自動化系統的電纜。有一天污水泵壞了，污 水溢出來了很臭。John（史果霑）雖然不久前才做過膝蓋手術，還是走下去查看問題。Andrew扶著他以保持平衡。

They work in all conditions, wherever duty calls. The crew worked in the knee-deep trench to install cables for the sewage automation system. This is a day the sewage pump stopped working and overflowed. It was smelly. John had a knee surgery not long ago but he walked down to investigate the problem. Andrew gave him a hand to keep him steady.

而在今晚這個寒冷的夜裡，我們待在室內，Roger和團隊卻正在水塔和建築物之間，忙碌地解決水壓的問題。

In this cold night, as we are in this heated room, Roger and crew are busy running between water tank and buildings to resolve water pressure issue.

這些就像我在法總各分支道場看到的許多故事一樣。 為了心中的願景，建立一個弘法與修行的環境，人們毫不猶豫地做著我看來艱難的工 作。看到他們如此無私的奉獻，我怎能不去盡力幫忙這些令我敬佩的人呢?

It’s like many other stories I have seen in the DRBA community across various branches. People are doing work I see as difficult, without hesitation for the community and for the Venerable Master Hua’s vision. How can I not be inspired to support these people?

這是多麼奇妙的因緣：出生在我的家庭，讓我遇到我的祖母和母親。失去母親讓我開始探索佛法，進而找到恒實法師。再有岳母的善意建議，讓我更親近法總，也因此今晚能在這裡和大家分享這些故事。

It’s a miracle how one thing leads to another, with everything interconnected. Being born into my family led me to my grandma and my mother. Losing my mother led me to investigate Buddhism, and that led me to find Rev. Heng Sure. My mother-in-law’s kind suggestion led me to getting close to DRBA and that led me to be here tonight sharing these stories with you.

我希望能繼續種下善因，未來能繼續和善知識們一起學習佛法。阿彌陀佛！

I hope to continue planting good seeds so that, in the future, I may be among good Dharma friends to study the Dharma. Amitabha!