(6) The Academy – The Ideology of Transformation

This is the sixth (albeit completed out of order, sorry ’bout that!) page of translation from this Chinese source: Intro to Xuecheng Da Heshang

This is the last page in the series:(5) Xuecheng Da Heshang’s Bodhisattvic Lifestyle

两院建设 培育英才 Building two venues, the nurturing of the gifted.

（一）学院 1. The (Fujian Buddhist) Academy

福建佛学院于1983年4月1日由已故当代高僧圆拙老法师等发起，报经福建省人民政府与国家宗教事务局批准成立的，属于省级佛教院校，是中国改革开放以来创办较早的佛教院校之一。学院分男众、女众两部，男众部设在莆田广化寺内，女众部设在享有“江南第一女众丛林”美誉的福州崇福寺内。

The Fujian Buddhist Academy was started on April 1, 1983 by the late high monks of that time such as Yuanzhao, etc., established when the report was ratified by the Fujian provincial government and the National Bureau of Religious Sects. It is a provincial-level Buddhist Academy, and it was one of the early Buddhist academies launced after the Chinese Revolution prevailed. The Academy is devided into male and female student bodies. The male student body is set up in Putian’s Guanghua Temple, and the female student body is set up in the prosperous “premier female monastery south of the Yangtze,” – in the famous Chongfu Temple of Fuzhou.

身为院长的学诚法师承前继后，在赵朴老提出“当前与今后相当时期内佛教最重要的工作：第一是培养人才，第二是培养人才，第三还是培养人才”的目标引导下，根据多年的修学体悟以及观摩国内外各大道场办学方式的经验，针对现代丛林修行方式不同于古代隐居丛林这一实际状况，以三大语系并融、八大宗派并弘的胸怀，前瞻性地提出并实践 “丛林学院化，学院丛林化；修学一体化，管理科学化”的“四化”办学理念。学院以“悲、智、愿、行”四大菩萨之精神为院训，以恭敬三宝、尊师重道、都摄六根、修改习气、培养信心、树立正见、刻苦修学、积福耐劳、解行相应、清净和合十条为修学原则，培养具备“志、道、德、才、学” 素质的现代出家众。

From beginning to end as president of the Academy, Xuecheng Fashi adopted the goal introduced by old Zhaopu “from this day forward and henceforth, these are the most important tasks of Buddhism: The first is nurturing talent. The second is nurturing talent. And the third is still nurturing talent.” In accordance with the realizations from many years of practice, together with the experience of observing and laying hands on the methods of running schools in every great Dharmakshetra at home and abroad, and aimed at the fact that today’s methods of monastic practice are not in as realistic circumstances as those of the hidden monastery residents of the past, he combined the three language systems, and per his forward-looking nature he advocated and practiced the “Four Transfomations” of “Academia becoming monastic,” “The monastery becoming academic,” “The generalization (or holomorphing) of learning,” and “Management becoming scientific.” The academy took the four great Bodhisattvic motivations of “Compassion,” “Wisdom,” “Vows,” and “Conduct” as the school’s examples. He took the ten provisions — venerate the Triple Jewel; honor the teacher and emphasize the Path, collect the six roots, reform habitual tendencies, cultivate sincerity, establish Right View, work hard at learning, accumulate good fortune and endure hardship, understanding corresponding to conduct, purity and harmony — to be the basic principles of learning, to nurture up modern era left home people prepared with the essences of “aspiration, direction, merit, talent, and learning.”

法师牢记赵朴老“当前佛教最首要的问题是培养人才”之教诲，多年来一直致力于育僧工作，一大批德才兼备、品学兼优的青年法师脱颖而出，他们或走上讲坛，或从事佛学研究工作，或开创慈善事业，或住持一方领众熏修，或到海外弘法。法师以纯朴的作风和坚定的信念，向一届又一届佛学院师生传递着爱国爱教的思想情操及“庄严国土，利乐有情”的崇高理想。

Dharma Master, clearly remembering old Xhaopu’s guidance with respect to “present day Buddhism’s most important problem is cultivating talent,” has put out effort continuously for many years towards the education of the Sangha. Dharma Master, with nothing but brilliance, has sent out a big cohort of youth having both merit and preparation, both educational qualifications and excellence, whether they go to lecture, or undertake Buddhist research studies, or initiate philianthropic projects, or take chage of a place to lead the masses in fragrantly practicing, or go abroad to propagate the Dharma, By means of a pure and simple workstyle and solid conviction, Dharma Master transmits to his students the ideological sentiment of loving their country and loving their religion, and the supreme ideal of “Dignify the country, and benefit and rejoice sentient beings.”

法师身先士卒，带领全院师生二时课诵、过堂用斋、出坡劳动、布萨诵戒、结夏安居、念佛禅修等，如法如律、井然有序，形成了学修一体、解行并重的修学氛围。学院现在师资力量雄厚，男众部教务工作先后由智敏、界诠、慧海、圣悦、演莲、妙峰，法空、达阳、菩提、振宇等法师负责；教学方面主要有济群、瑞印、照明、贤空、法辉、寂相、演悟、般舟等法师。同时，全院师生在院长的带领下，积极投身于社会主义精神文明建设的行列中，与全国人民一道为国家繁荣、社会稳定、民族团结、世界和谐而努力。

Dharma Master’s visible leadership, and leading the dharma masters of the whole academy in the twice-daily chanting sessions, the ritual ceremonies at mealtime, the labor of getting off the bank, giving to the Bodhisattvas and chanting the Precepts, setting the summer Retreat, Buddha Recitation, sitting meditation and so forth, according to the Dharma and the rules, in a methodical and orderly manner, has formed the whole learning process, and an ambiance of understanding practice and its priority. The Academy’s pool of qualified teachers is now strong and solid, the teaching of duties to the male student body, from beginning to end have been executed by: Zhi Min (智敏), Zie Quan (界诠), Hui Hai (慧海), Sheng Yue (圣悦), Yan Lian (演莲) Miao Feng (妙峰), Fa Kong (法空), Da Yang (达阳), Pu Ti (菩提) Zhen Yu (振宇), and other dharma masters. The important individuals on the education side have included Ji Qun (济群), Rui Yin (瑞印), Zhao Ming (照明), Xian Kong (贤空), Fa Hui (法辉), Ji Xiang (寂相), Yan Wu (演悟), Ban Zhou (般舟) and other dharma masters. At the same time, under the leadership fo the Academy elders, the teachers and students have enthusiastically given themselves over to the progressive building up of the culture of the spirit of socialism, and together on the same path with the whole populace of the country, have labored for the prosperity of the country, the stability of society, the unity of the national minorities, and an harmonious world.

福建佛学院迄今已有十一届毕业生，毕业、结业者1400多名。目前学院设有中专班、大专班、研究班三个梯次，每个梯次学制三年，在校学僧220名，法师 30名，外聘教师10名。学院毕业生到世界各国留学、弘法、住持寺院的有50多名，在全国各地佛教协会工作的有100多名，在各初、中级佛学院任教的有 60多名，还有的在各地寺院担任重要执事。这些佛教人才给佛教事业注入了新的生机与活力，为佛法的弘传做出了贡献。

To date, the Fujian Buddhist Academy has had eleven graduating classes, and graduates and those completing their courses number 1400. At present, the Academy has an intermediate curriculum, an advanced curriculum, and a research curriculum. Each level of study requires three years. There are 220 student monks at the school, 30 teachers, and three visiting teachers. 50 of the Academy’s graduates are studying abroad, propagating Dharma, or taking charge of temples. There are over 100 more doing Buddhist Society work in every area throughout China. Of those, over 60 are teaching at beginning and intermediate levels in every Buddhist Academy, and others are taking responsibility for important affairs in temples everywhere. These gifted Buddhist have brought new life force and vitality into Buddhist enterprize, and have contributed to the propagation and transmission of Buddhism.

学院这二十几年所取得的成就与法师多年来无我无私的利他悲愿是分不开的。有一次，学院有些老师遇到困难想离开，法师却说：“哪怕只留下我一个，也一定要把佛学院办下去。中国佛教僧才缺乏，亟需培养，要十年二十年紧抓不懈地努力，才会有成效。”法师还十分关心佛学院基础设施建设，于1999年亲自设计图纸筹建风格独特的新教学大楼，增设电教室等多项硬件设施，大大改善了办学条件。在他的带领下，福建佛学院不断焕发出勃勃生机。

The Academy’s accomplishments over these twenty odd years cannot be separated from Dharma Master’s long-standing and compassionate vow to benefit others. There was a time when some old teachers, on encountering difficulties, wanted to leave, and Dharma Master said: “As for that dreadfulness, if I was left here alone, I would still continue to take care of the Buddhist Academy. With respect to the shortcomings of personal capacity in China’s Buddhasangha, it is extremely necessary to cultivate (talent). We must labor, grasping on tightly for ten or twenty years, and only then can it become a school.” ((The only reason Xuecheng was not a poet is that he had a greater priority in his life; i.e., to save Chinese Buddhism from extinction. Here, his choice of roots literally evokes gripping claws vs. scuttling crabs, and this is 100% untranslatable. –xp)) Dharma Master has also been closely invilved with the Academy’s basic facility construction, and in 1999 personally planned a design papaer in preparation for a special and stylish new mulit-story school structure. Hew also set up many hardware facilites for electronic classrooms, and hugely changed conditions in the school’s administration. Under his leadership, the Fujian Buddhis Academy has enthusiastically flashed with enthusiastic life force.

((To Be Continued))