比丘尼近證法師2025年3月20日晚間講於萬佛聖城大殿

All Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Compassionate Venerable Master, All Good and Wise Advisors.

Amitabha.
Tonight is Bhikshuni Jin Zheng’s turn to tie Dharma affinities with the assembly that has gathered for the Guanyin Session and also to honor Universal Worthy Bodhisattva’s Birthday.

諸佛菩薩、慈悲的上人、各位善知識：阿彌陀佛。今晚輪到比丘尼近證和參加觀音法會的大眾結法緣，同時我們今天也慶祝普賢王菩薩的聖誕。

I’m currently a first year graduate student at Dharma Realm Buddhist University. When I first started writing this talk, I told one of my Dharma brothers that I was going to share a reading list of all of the sutras in which Guanyin, also known as Avalokiteshvara in Sanskrit, Bodhisattva appears.  Then I realized that I was going to be speaking Universal Worthy or Universal Conduct, who is also known as Samantabhadra in Sanskrit, Bodhisattva.  Don’t worry I’m not going to give you two reading lists.  I’m going to give you a short reading list, which has four Mahayana sutras, in which both Bodhisattvas appear. Can you guess which sutras these will be before I name them?

我目前就讀法界佛教大學研究生一年級。當我開始準備今天這個話題的時候，我告訴我的一位師兄，我打算分享一份觀音菩薩出現在所有經典的閱讀清單。後來我意識到，我今天其實要講的是普賢菩薩。不過別擔心，我不會給你們兩份佛典清單。我列了一份簡短的清單，列出了四部大乘經典，觀世音菩薩和普賢王菩薩這兩位菩薩都在這些經典中出現。在我說出這些經典的名字之前，你們能猜到是哪幾部嗎？

The Lotus Sutra. (Guanyin Bodhisattva appears in the Universal Door Chapter – Chapter 25 – which we recite every day of the session twice a day.  Universal Worthy Bodhisattva appears in the epilogue, the very last chapter of the sutra titled “Ch 28 – Bodhisattva Samantabhadra’s Encouragement”. If you want to meet Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, recite this sutra single-mindedly.  Whether walking, standing, or sitting it says that he will appear before you.  It gives his mantra which he uses to protect and support those who recite the Lotus Sutra. )

第一部是《法華經》。（觀音菩薩出現在《法華經第二十五品——〈普門品〉裡面。我們在這個觀音法會期間每天誦念兩次。普賢菩薩則出現在經文的結尾部分，也就是第二十八品〈普賢菩薩勸發品〉。如果你想見到普賢菩薩，請專心誦持這部《法華經》。普賢菩薩說，無論是行住坐臥，他都會出現在你面前。經文還提供普賢菩薩的咒語，用來護持誦持《法華經》的行者。）

The Shurangama Sutra. (Universal Worthy Bodhisattva is called Universal Goodness Bodhisattva in the most recent translation.  He is number 13 of the 25 sages who speak of how they certified to the way.  It is with his ear-consciousness that he is aware of all the thoughts and viewpoints of living beings, and with his mind he listens with complete understanding and discernment.  Guanyin Bodhisattva practices through the Dharma door of hearing and contemplating. Isn’t it wonderful that they are both connected with the ear and listening as their practice?)

第二部《楞嚴經》。（普賢菩薩在最新的英譯本中被稱為「普善菩薩」。他是二十五位聖者中的第十三位，講述了自己如何獲得證悟的方法。他通過耳識來覺知一切眾生的思想和觀點，並以心去理解與辨別。觀音菩薩則通過「聞思修」的法門修行。他們兩位的修行法門都與「耳」和「聽」有關，這不是很奇妙嗎？）

Earth Store Sutra. They both also request the Dharma from the Buddha and ask questions in the Earth Store Sutra. (Universal Worthy Bodhisattva asks the Buddha to tell the names of the hells, and the retributions for offenses committed in Chapter 5. In Chapter 12, Guanyin Bodhisattva praises Earth Store Bodhisattva for his great compassion and pity for those beings who are suffering for their negative karma.  She beseeches the Buddha to “praise the inconceivable events pertaining to Earth Store Bodhisattva for the sake of beings in the present and future and to cause the gods, dragons, and the rest of the eightfold division to gaze at him in worship and obtain blessings.”)

第三部是地藏經。他們兩位也都在《地藏經》中向佛陀請法並提問。普賢菩薩在第五品（地獄名號品）中向佛陀請法，請佛講述地獄的名稱以及眾生造惡業的果報。在第十二品（見聞利益品）中，觀音菩薩讚歎地藏菩薩對那些因惡業受苦的眾生所展現的大慈大悲。她懇請佛陀為現在及未來的眾生讚歎地藏菩薩的不可思議，並讓天龍八部對地藏菩薩瞻仰禮拜，獲得菩薩的加持。

Most especially you should read the Avatamsaka Sutra’s Chapter 39 and 40. You can find the text on cttbusa.org under Buddhadharma and then Sutra Texts. You can read about how the Youth Sudhana goes to Manjushri Bodhisattva to learn how to practice the Bodhisattva path, and after he has been directed to 53 teachers, Manjushri pulls him across time and space to spend time with Universal Worthy Bodhisattva to complete Sudhana’s certification.

我特別推薦你們閱讀《華嚴經》的第三十九品（入法界品）和第四十品（普賢行願品）。你可以在cttbusa.org的「佛法」欄目下的「經典」中找到這些內容。你可以讀到善財童子如何向文殊菩薩學習修持菩薩道，善財童子在參訪了五十三位善知識後，文殊菩薩跨越時空將他帶到普賢菩薩身邊，完成善財童子的證悟。

But the sutra text, I will mention tonight comes from the last chapter of the
Avatamsaka Sutra, also known as the Flower Adornment Sutra, The Chapter on Entering the Inconceivable State of Liberation of the Conduct and Vows of Universal Worthy Bodhisattva.
但今晚我要提到的經文是《華嚴經》的最後一品，也被稱為《大方廣佛華嚴經》的〈入不思議解脫境界普賢行願品〉。(萬佛城每週六早上會誦這一品。)

Every morning at morning ceremony, we recite Universal Worthy’s ten vows:
“The first is to worship and respect all Buddhas;
the second is to praise the Thus Come Ones;
the third is to extensively cultivate making offerings;
the fourth is to repent of karmic obstacles and reform;
the fifth is to follow along with and rejoice in merit and virtue;
the sixth is to request the turning of the Dharma wheel;
the seventh is to request that the Buddhas remain in the world;
the eighth is to always study with the Buddhas;
the ninth is to constantly accord with living beings;
the tenth is universally transfer all merit and virtue.  (Avatamsaka Dharmas, 7)

每天早課中，我們都會誦念普賢菩薩的十大願：
「一者禮敬諸佛；
  二者稱讚如來；
  三者廣修供養；
  四者懺悔業障；
  五者隨喜功德；
  六者請轉法輪；
  七者請佛住世；
  八者常隨佛學；
  九者恆順眾生；
  十者普皆迴向。」

But I myself didn’t come to really know Universal Worthy Bodhisattva, until I discovered this book, on the book table in 2015. Before reading this, I only knew he was a great Bodhisattva who rode an elephant with six tusks and liked to spend time with Manjushri Bodhisattva.  I felt I knew a lot about Guanyin Bodhisattva and Earth Store Bodhisattva, but I hadn’t truly met this Bodhisattva until I was able to read the English translation of this chapter from the Avatamsaka Sutra.

I read this passage and I felt like I had been struck by lightning:

我自己直到2015年在結緣書桌上發現這本書時（法界佛教總會1999年出版的《華嚴經普賢行願品》《華嚴普賢行願懺儀》《華嚴經疏序》合集），才開始真正認識普賢菩薩。在此之前，我只知道他是一位騎著六牙白象、常與文殊菩薩相伴的大菩薩。我覺得我自己之前對觀音菩薩和地藏菩薩了解更多，但直到我讀到《華嚴經》這一品的英文翻譯時，我才真正遇見了這位菩薩。

當我讀到這段經文時，感覺自己彷彿被閃電擊中：

With regard to  “constantly according with living beings,” he further says:
“I will accord with and take care of all these many kinds of beings, providing all manner of services and offerings for them. I will treat them with the same respect I show my own parents, teachers, elders, arhats, and even the Thus Come Ones. I will serve them all equally and without difference.  I will be a good doctor for the sick and suffering. I will lead those who have lost their way to the right road. I will be a bright light for those in the dark night, and cause the poor and destitute to uncover hidden treasures. A Bodhisattva impartially benefits all living beings in this manner. Why is this? If a Bodhisattva accords with living beings, then he accords with and makes offerings to all Buddhas. If he can honor and serve living beings, then he honors and serves the Thus Come Ones. If he makes living beings happy, he is making all Thus Come Ones happy.  Why is this? It is because all Buddhas, Thus Come Ones, take the mind of great compassion as their substance. Because of living beings they bring forth great compassion. From great compassion the Bodhi mind is born; and because of the resolve for Bodhi, they accomplish equal and proper enlightenment. It is like the great king of trees growing in the rocks and sand of a barren wilderness. When the roots get water, the branches, leaves, flowers and fruits will all flourish. The Bodhi-tree king growing in the wilderness of birth and death is the same. All living beings comprise its roots; all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas comprise its flowers and fruits. By benefiting all beings with the water of great compassion, one can realize the flowers and fruits of the Buddhas’ and Bodhisattvas’ wisdom. Why is this? If Bodhisattvas benefit living beings with the water of great compassion, they themselves can attain anuttarasamyaksambodhi. Therefore, Bodhi belongs to living beings. Without living beings, no Bodhisattva could perfect the unsurpassed proper enlightenment. (Avatamsaka Dharmas, 1999, 33 – 36)”

關於「恆順眾生」，他進一步說道：
「如是等類。我皆於彼。隨順而轉。種種承事。種種供養。如敬父母。如奉師長。及阿羅漢。乃至如來。等無有異。於諸病苦。為作良醫。於失道者。示其正路。於闇夜中。為作光明。於貧窮者。令得伏藏。菩薩如是平等饒益一切眾生。何以故。菩薩若能隨順眾生。則為隨順供養諸佛。若於眾生。尊重承事。則為尊重承事如來。若令眾生生歡喜者。則令一切如來歡喜。何以故。諸佛如來。以大悲心而為體故。因於眾生。而起大悲。因於大悲。生菩提心。因菩提心。成等正覺。譬如曠野沙磧之中。有大樹王。若根得水。枝葉華果悉皆繁茂。生死曠野菩提樹王。亦復如是。一切眾生而為樹根。諸佛菩薩而為華果。以大悲水。饒益眾生。則能成就諸佛菩薩智慧華果。何以故。若諸菩薩。以大悲水。饒益眾生。則能成就阿耨多羅三藐三菩提故。是故菩提。屬於眾生。若無眾生。一切菩薩。終不能成無上正覺。」（普賢行願品、普賢懺、華嚴疏序合集，1999年中英雙語版，中文32–36頁，英文33-36頁）

And I thought, yes, this is how I want to learn to practice the Bodhisattva path.  This resonates in every fiber of my being. I want to express my gratitude for all those who translated these sutras into English so that those of us who speak English might have the opportunity to encounter and read them.

我心想，是的，這就是我想要學習修行菩薩道的方式。這段話深深觸動了我的內心。

我想對所有將這些經典翻譯成英文的工作人員表達感謝，因為他們的努力，讓我們這些使用英語的人，有機會接觸並閱讀這些經典。

If you want to help play a role in the translation of sutras, this is not only the work of scholarly monastics, but something that everyone can have a share in. We have several translation teams working on various sutras and compilations of Dharma talks.  Some of these teams are working not just to translate into English, but also Spanish and a few other languages.  You can find a list of some of these teams on our Buddhist Texts Translation Society website at buddhisttexts.org under Translation.  

如果你想參與佛經翻譯的工作，這不僅是學者型出家人的工作，也是每個人都可以參與的事。我們有幾個翻譯團隊正在進行多部佛經和佛法開示的編譯工作。不僅翻譯成英文，還翻譯成西班牙文和其他幾種語言。你可以在我們的「佛教翻譯委員會」網站（buddhisttexts.org）的「TRANSLATION」頁面找到這些團隊的名單。

You can also find free books to download including titles such as The Path Within (which is a collection of Dharma talks given by several of Venerable Master’s senior disciples including the abbot of CTTB, Rev. Heng Sure, Dharma Master Chih, and others);
the Shastra on the Door to Understanding the Hundred Dharmas by Vasubhandu Bodhisattva;
and Chapter 25 of the Lotus Sutra which is the Universal Door Chapter of Guanyin Bodhisattva with the Venerable Master’s commentary which was translated in 1998.  

你還可以在網站上找到免費下載的書籍，包括以下幾本：

• 《內心之道》（這是由幾位上人的資深弟子，包括萬佛聖城方丈恒律法師、恒實法師，恒持法師等法師所講的佛法開示集，目前僅有英文版）；
• 世親菩薩所著的《百法明門論》英譯本；
• 以及《法華經》第二十五品〈觀世音菩薩普門品〉，這是由上人淺釋並於1998年英譯的版本。

I was most delighted just last week to discover that we are offering many books by Kalavinka Press for free download, translated by Dharma Master Heng Shou, who also is called Dharmamitra, including several translations of Nagarjuna Bodhisattva’s texts and the recently published Avatamsaka Sutra in its entirety.  Some of the Kalavinka Press books are also bilingual in Chinese and English.  His introductions also offer a lot of interesting historical context for the text. I was also delighted when I started reading Nagarjuna On Mindfulness of the Buddha, and noticed that it also had both Traditional and Simplified Chinese characters.

上週我更驚喜地發現，網站上還提供了許多由Kalavinka Press（迦陵頻伽出版社）出版的書籍供免費下載，這些書籍是由前恆授法師（又號Dharmamitra法友）翻譯的，其中包括龍樹菩薩的多部著作以及最近出版的完整版《華嚴經》。Kalavinka Press的一些書籍還是中英雙語的。他的導讀也為經文提供了許多有趣的歷史背景。當我開始閱讀《龍樹菩薩論念佛三昧》時，還注意到書中同時包含了繁體和簡體中文，這讓我感到非常高興。

If you help with translation projects, if you invest your time and energy, in studying and sharing the Buddhadharma, through daily cultivation up to and including studying in the graduate program at DRBU, or even maybe for a few of you, leaving home to become monastics, you are making an offering of Dharma, and Universal Worthy has something to say about that:
“Good man, of all offerings, the gift of Dharma is supreme. That includes offerings such as the offering of cultivating according to the teachings, the offering of benefiting all living beings, the offering of gathering in all living beings, the offering of standing in for all beings to undergo their suffering, the offering of diligently cultivating good roots, the offering of not forsaking the deeds of a Bodhisattva, and the offering of not renouncing the Bodhi mind. Good man, the immeasurable merit and virtue created from making those offerings, when compared with the merit and virtue from a single thought of offering Dharma, does not equal one part in a hundred, one part in a thousand, one part in hundreds of thousands of kotis of nayutas, one part in a kala, one part by reckoning, one part by calculation, one part that can be demonstrated by comparison, or one part in an upanishad. None of them measure up to a single part. Why is that? It is because all Thus Come Ones honor the Dharma. Cultivating according to the teaching gives birth to all Buddhas. If all Bodhisattvas make the offering of Dharma, they perfect the making of offerings to all Thus Come Ones. Cultivation in this manner is a true offering, a vast, great, and most supreme offering” (Avatamsaka Dharmas, 1999, 15-17)”

如果你參與翻譯項目，投入時間和精力來學習並分享佛法，無論是通過日常修行，還是就讀法界佛教大學（DRBU）的研究生課程，甚至有些人可能會選擇出家，你都是在進行法供養。對此，普賢菩薩有這樣的開示：

「善男子。諸供養中。法供養最。所謂如說修行供養。利益眾生供養。攝受眾生供養。代眾生苦供養。勤修善根供養。不捨菩薩業供養。不離菩提心供養。善男子。如前供養無量功德。比法供養。一念功德。百分不及一。千分不及一。百千俱胝那由他分。迦羅分。算分。數分。諭分。優婆尼沙陀分。亦不及一。何以故。以諸如來尊重法故。以如說修行出生諸佛故。若諸菩薩。行法供養。則得成就供養如來。如是修行。是真供養故。此廣大最勝供養。」（普賢行願品、普賢懺、華嚴疏序合集，1999年中英雙語版，中文15-16頁，英文15-17頁）

May each and everyone of you be safe, peaceful, happy, and totally at ease.
May you cultivate well and have all of your wholesome wishes and good aims fulfilled.

Namo Samantabhadra Bodhisattva
Namo Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva
Namo Amitabha Buddha.

最後願你們每一位都平安、祥和、快樂，自在無礙。
願你們修行順利，所有善願皆得圓滿。

南無普賢菩薩
南無觀世音菩薩
南無阿彌陀佛