朝山随想 Some Thoughts after Taking Part in Prostration
我是一个在商场打拼了二十余年，满脑子都是利欲熏心视佛法为迷信的商人。 I am a lay person who just got to know Buddhism for 20 odd days. Before this, I was a greedy businessman who had been doing business for over twenty years. I only thought of making profit and regarded Buddhism as something superstitious.
偶然看到了仁炟法师《祈愿》的电视纪录片，抱着一种猎奇和怀疑的心态来到了博山正 觉寺，近距离的接触了这里的信众们。他们上至从北京来的87岁的老人，下至十几岁的孩子，其中有企业家、商人、教师、机关干部，工人、大学生和农民工；不 同的年龄，不同的地域，不同的方言，不同的社会文化阶层的人们汇聚在这里，组成了一个和谐的大家庭。这里没有竞争，没有歧视，没有怨恨，没有私心杂念，人 们的脸上都印证着虔诚和坚定，抱着一颗忏悔感恩的心去做自己力所能及的事情。这不就是陶渊明所写的《世外桃源》吗？ One day, accidentally I saw a documentary video featuring Ven. Ren Da. With curiosity and skepticism, I decided to visit Zhengjue Temple. At the temple, I had a chance to contact with the believers closely. There were old and young people, age between 10 to 87 years. Among them, there were entrepreneurs, businessmen, teachers, government servants, factory workers, university students and farmers. They were of different ages, came from different places and spoke different dialects. All these people of different social and cultural backgrounds grouped at the temple as a big harmonious family. There was no competition, discrimination, resentment, selfishness or personal distraction. Sincerity and firmness were written on everyone’s face. They carried out things that they could do with repentance and gratefulness. Is it not the Utopian Garden penned by the famous writer Tao Yen Ming? (陶渊明)
是什么样的力量规范了人们的思想道德行 为？是佛菩萨的加持，是正法道场的感召！ What kind of power that managed to transform their thoughts and moral behavior? It is the empowerment by Buddhas and Bodhisattvas and the appeal of the temple which preaches genuine Buddha-dharma.
十几天下来，我发现自己变了。变的善良了、文明了、谦让了，我的脾气柔和了，满口的粗话、脏话不见了，不良的嗜好丢失了，妻儿，朋友刮目相看了，可喜可贺，难以置信！ After staying at the temple for more than ten days, I found that I’ve changed a lot. I became gentle and kind, civilized, humble and soft tempered. All my bad behaviors including the habit of speaking foul language were gone. My wife and child and friends all looked at me very differently. This is so gratifying and unbelievable!
于是，我决定跟随仁炟老师法师朝山几日。在老法师的率领下，我们三步一叩头沿着曲折狭窄的盘山路，朝着佛教圣地安徽九华山行进。就这么三步一叩头，不论是 烈日炎炎还是阴雨绵绵，不论是泥泞道路还是坚硬的水泥路面，依然不折不扣的三步一叩头；平常走路只有一个多钟头的路程，在艰苦的朝拜中要耗时三个多小时。 朝山两天来共叩头786个，我双膝青紫了，浑身腰酸腿疼，一周以后才得以恢复。 Then, I decided to follow Ven. Ren Da for the three-step-one-prostration for a few days. Led by venerable, we prostrated along a narrow and winding road, heading towards Jiuhua Mountain. No matter sunny or rainy day, muddy or hard cement road, we still prostrated the same. A normal walking distance of about an hour took us more than three hours to perform the three-step-one-prostration. In two days, I prostrated 786 times; my knees were full of bruises and my whole body was aching. I only managed to recover after a week‘s time.
当想到仁炟老法师已满70岁的高龄，要拖着伤痛的双腿和沉积多年的腰病，冒着严寒 酷暑，踏着雨天雪地，将会历时近两年的时间叩拜几十万个头，行程3000里才能到达九华山，这是何等的虔诚和坚定的信念啊！想到这些，我心中酸楚双眸湿润 了。此时再回忆起老法师在雨中静坐休息时，脸上呈献给我们的是慈祥、可亲、坚定自信，忍受着自身的伤痛，和言悦色地为弟子、善信们开示经文，解惑答疑，并 不失幽默地叮嘱、关心着大家，这是何等的思想境界啊！ It is hard to imagine that Ven. Ren Da whose age is now 70 years has to bear the pain of his injured legs and the decade-old rheumatism at his back, going through sweltering summer and chilly winter under the rain or snow, prostrating for a few hundred thousand times for several thousand miles in about two years in order to reach Jiuhua Mountain. How sincere and persistent is Venerable! Thinking of this I am rather sorrowful and deeply touched. Recalling how kindly, approachable and confident Ven. Ren Da was when he was resting under the rain, despite the pain of his injured legs, he gave a sermon to his followers and answered their questions pleasantly. His humorous advice and sincere concern shown to us, what a wonderful high level of thought and action!
此时的我心潮澎湃，真心地祈愿慈祥可亲的仁炟法师法体安康，法轮常转，长久驻世。 I feel an upsurge of emotion; I pray sincerely and wish Ven. Ren Da will always be in good health so that he can propagate the Dharma for many years to come.
