(7) Guanghua Temple – the Three Do Nots

This is the sixth in a series of translations from introductory material about Xuecheng Da Heshang that can be found here:

Intro to Da Heshang

This is the last page in the series:

(5) Xuecheng Da Heshang’s Bodhisattvic Lifestyle

（二）寺院 Monasteries

（1）广化寺 Guanghua Temple

福建莆田广化寺是八闽佛教一大丛林。从寺院建设到组织规划、从人事安排到管理制度、从寺院教育到丛林生活、从自身修养的提高到整体素质的加强，法师样样操劳，尽职尽责，在他的住持领导下，住众由原来的百人左右增加至二百六十多人。多年来，广化寺始终坚持“不卖门票，不设商业网点，不赶经忏”的“三不”原则，把寺院的职能真正落实到教化众生、和谐社会上去。住众单资是全国同类丛林中最少的，生活条件也是一般水平，在这样的环境下，寺院培养出了一批批道心坚固、信仰纯正、德行高洁、安贫乐道的法门龙象，并在佛教界以坚守佛教传统戒律和重视佛教文化教育事业两方面的成绩而立为榜样，被赵朴初会长誉为全国三大模范丛林之一。

Guanghua Temple in the city of Futian in Fujian Province is one of the eight great temples of Fujian buddhism. From temple construction through to organizational planning, from arranging human affairs through to the system of management, from monastery education to the life(style) of the monastery, from raising his own cultivation to strengthening the overall purity, Dharma Master has been in every way diligent, exhausting both knowledge and assets, and under his leadership as chief priest, the resident Sangha has increased from about 100 to over 260 people. For many years now, Guanghua Temple has persisted in the “Three Do Nots” of “do not sell admittance tickets, do not set up commercial Web sites, and do not perform ritual repentance.”

((My emphasis. –xp))

1990年11月，赵朴初会长在视察寺院时说：“学诚法师住持的广化寺，着重在道行，根据佛教原则办事，决不迁就人情。这一点，坚持得好。我在广化寺供了斋，也随着过了堂，看到他们如法如律的宗教生活，我深受感动。”正所谓：“一入山门长道心，南山风范见传承。威仪秩序斋堂里，粒米当思大众恩。”

In the 11th month of 1990, The original (Buddhist) Association Chairman Mr. Zhao Pu, in inspecting the monastery, said: Guanghua Temple under Xuecheng Fashi’s guidance emphasizes the conduct of the Way. Following the basic principles of Buddhism, he absolutely does not give in to sentiment. On this point, he persists and maintains very well. When I served vegetarian food at Guanghua Temple, he followed the Sangha in eating, and seeing how his religious lifestyle accorded with the Dharma and the Precepts, I was profoundly moved. It’s just as it is said, “Once entering the long path of the mountain gate, One sees that the Precept-wind of Nan Shan is transmitted and held. ((Nan Shan was a historical Bodhisattva whose knowledge of Vinaya was legendary, as is Xuecheng’s in the present. -xp)) In the in the awesome and ritual regulation of the Dining Hall, One thinks with gratitude of the masses with each grain of rice.

法师每次回广化寺，哪怕是半夜，次日也都要和大众一起上早殿。他经常找执事法师了解寺院的情况，还特别关心巡夜人员，常常会晚上十点到十一点左右在寺院走走，和他们谈话。法师平易近人，从不摆架子，上到老和尚下到小沙弥，他对寺里的每一位僧众都非常关心。法师严于律己，宽于待人，对僧众的问题会委婉善巧地表达，令对方心悦诚服，欢喜领受。

Every time Dharma Master returns to Guanghua Temple, even if it’s at midnight, the following day he always gets up and goes up with the Sangha for the morning meal. He has found that Dharma Master frequently understands the situation in the temple, and is especially tight with the night watchmen, and he often tours the temple grounds roughly between ten and eleven o’clock, and talks to them. Dharma Master easily gets close to people, because he doesn’t assume airs, Whether it’s towards the great monks above or to the a little novice below, he is unusually caring about everyone in the Sangha. Dharma Master is strict about the Precepts, but wide in service to people, and he can put the best face on the problems of the monks, so that the other party is pleased and open, and happy to accept guidance.

法师常说：“要想改善目前佛教界滥传戒、滥收徒、滥赶经忏、滥挂单的现象，必须重视戒律，学习戒律，弘扬戒律。”1996年夏，中国佛教协会与莆田广化寺在本寺联合举办了108天盛况空前的规范传戒法会。2003年3月至4月，广化寺再次如法如律地举办了传授三坛大戒的法会，来自新加坡、马来西亚和全国 25个地区的340名僧众参加了受戒。作为得戒大和尚的学诚法师，十分关心戒会的运作情况，亲自主持制定规划和参加每天晚上的引礼结行会并调整指导，从整体到细节把握法会的节奏并及时作出调整。法师对戒子们寄予了深切厚望与期许，他教导戒子们应树立起出家修行的正知见，要珍视戒会的殊胜因缘，殷重忏悔发愿，以期得到清净圆满的戒体，同时当发广大心，为振兴中国佛教而奉献自己的一切。

Dharma Master often says: “If we want to consider reforming the present Buddhist world’s phenomena of excessive transmission of Precepts, excessive taking of disciples, and excessive sleeping around of monks, then we must emphasize Precepts, study and practice Precepts, and promote Precepts. In the summer of 1996, the China Buddhist Association and this temple jointly conducted a Precept Transmission Dharma Assembly before the 108-day Retreat. In 2003, from the 3rd month to the 4th month, Guanghua Temple again conducted a Three Platform Precepts Transmission Dharma Assembly, and there were 340 monks that came from Singapore, Malaysia, and 25 districts in China to participate in recieving Precepts. Xuecheng Fashi, acting like a Da Heshang (great monk) who has attain his precepts, is completely concerned with the operating conditions of the Precept assembly, he himself served in the creation of plans and participated in each evening’s “induce solemnity and set the course” meeting, and revised the guidance. From the big picture to the details, he grasped the dharma assembly’s tempo, and at the same time adjusted it. Dharma Master places great heartfelt hopes in his Precept children, and he directs his Precept children in setting up the orthodox view of left-home practice, that one must cherish the transcendant causes and conditions of the Precept assembly, thoroughly repent and take vows, and attain a pure and complete Precept(ed) body in a timely manner, and at the same time they must put out great broad Bodhiscitta (the desire to save all beings), offering up the whole of oneself to develop Chinese Buddhism.

((This is why we need a free-standing American Buddhism. These Chinese monastics have truncated their vows for the sake of China. It should also be noted that the repentance he is talking about here is something completely different from the “ritual repentance” that was previously forbidden in the “Three Do Nots.” To repent, confess, and make amends for your actual percieved faults is something completely different from the miscellaneous and irresponsible confession of all faults that could possibly be committed, simply to go along with a Sangha who has been bought to do that by a donor who thinks that by buying this collective behavior, he will mitigate the crimes by which he came by the money that allows him to do this at all. When nuns addict themselves to this corruption, their Sanghas are ultimately destroyed by it. That’s why Xuecheng has fobidden it.

((If you understand orthodox Dharma, this is so obvious that it would be unnecessary even to mention it, were it not that nuns, in general, are structurally inhibited from understanding orthodox Dharma. Monks are designed, by nature, to understand orthodox Dharma. For this reason, the Buddha requires nuns to take direction from monks. If you nuns don’t like this, please consider the huge pain in the deleted anatomy it creates for monks, you being the inherently difficult-to-direct beings that you are. I’m sure that most monks would rather not be bugged by your problems, and that very few of them are good at dealing with your endless evasions of what is most simple and straightforward. -xp))

为使常住僧众也能多闻思经论，法师在常住开设了佛法学习班，弥补了长期以来寺院僧众以承担做事为主的缺乏闻思的不足。他多次告诫大家，无论在社会上还是佛教内部，教育的核心作用是不可改变的，人越老习气越不易改，所以要从青年人开始培养，以后才能带动各地佛教的发展。出家众是从在家众来的，只有在家众素质提高了，具有正知正见，能如理如法修学，进一步成为出家僧伽，这样的出家人才能真正住持佛法、弘法利生、绍隆佛种、续佛命脉。在法师思想理念和人格魅力的影响下，一些优秀人才，特别是青年知识分子加入到佛教团体中来。

To enable the resident Sangha to consult scripture more, Dharma Master has started a Buddhadhama Study Group among them, to make up for the lack in considering scripture resulting from oldtime and long-abiding Sangha focusing on work. He opften warns everybody that whether it’s with respect to society, or within Buddhism, the core usefulness of education remains unchanged. The older the person is, the harder the habitual tendencies are to change, so we need to cultivate from youth, and only then can we take the development of Buddhism everywhere. Thge left-home Sangha came from the lay Sangha, it is only in raising th status of the lay Sangha that one sufficiently has right knowledge and right view, and can practice according to principle and Dharma, and take aq step folrward for the left-home Sangha. Only this kind of left-home person can really and truly serve the Buddhadharma, magnify the Dharma and benefit beings, connect with Boddhisattvic and Buddhic types, and continue the life-pulse of the Buddha. Under the influence of Dharma Master’s ideology and charming personality, a number of promininent talented people, especially young intellectuals, have come onto the Buddhist team.

为了引导教育广大佛教信众正确地学习佛法、护持佛法、利益社会，在法师亲自参与和指导下，广化寺每年传授三皈、五戒、在家菩萨戒法会、精进佛七法会、万佛法会等。为响应政府提出的“人文奥运、绿色奥运”之号召，为更好地发现人才、培养人才、使用和储备人才，法师还特于“五·一”、“十·一”黄金周期间倡办 “寺院生活体验营”法会，面向青年知识分子和社会精英，开展丰富多彩、寓教于乐的课程，揭示身、心、灵三个层面的生命内涵，以帮助青年人改善生命、净化心灵，重新定位自己的人生目标，思考生命的价值。

In order to lead and educate the broad masses of Buddhist believers to study and practice Buddhism, to support Buddhism, and to benefit society, Under Dharma Master’s personal participation and direction, Guanghua Temple each year transmits the Three Refuges, the five Precepts, and has the Lay Bodhisattva Precepts Assembly, the Ten Thousand Buddhas Dharma Assembly, etc. To respond to the “Cultural Olympics” “and Green Olympics” slogans put forth by the government, and to better find talent, and to nurture talent, and to utilize and store up talent, Dharma Master also takes part in “Monastery Lifestyle Experience Camp,” especially during the golden time cycle between May first and October first (summer break for students). Then he faces off with young intellectuals and cultural elites, and waxing rich and colorful, in joyful courses everywhere, he shows forth the implications of life on the three levels of body, mind, and spirit, to help youngsters improve their life’s destiny, to purify thier mind and spirit, and to reorient their life goals, and to consider the value of their life’s destiny.

((to be continued))