这是众生莫大的福报

Pleading to Buddhas for Their Staying in This World Is to Make Ourselves Abide within the Dharma.

“复次，善男子！言请佛住世者，所有尽法界、虚空界十方三世一切佛刹极微尘数诸佛如来，将欲示现般涅槃者，及诸菩萨、声闻、缘觉、有学、无学，乃至一切诸善知识，我悉劝请莫入涅槃，经于一切佛刹极微尘数劫，为欲利乐一切众生。如是虚空界尽、众生界尽、众生业尽、众生烦恼尽，我此劝请无有穷尽。念念相续无有间断，身语意业无有疲厌。”

佛只要住世，就能讲说佛法，利益众生。佛示现到众生界来成佛，这是众生的莫大福报。我们最大的幸运就是佛示现了、佛成道了、佛转法轮了。

佛长住世间，是众生的依怙，是世间最大的庄严。

A Buddha living in this world for a long time is the refuge of all living beings and the greatest solemnity of this world.

佛以大悲愿力到我们人间来成佛，如果我们不懂得珍惜，这殊胜的因缘就会消失掉。

The Buddha comes to our human realm and achieves Buddha-hood with great compassion and willing power. If we don’t know how to cherish it, this supreme condition will vanish.  

因为众生跟佛在一起时间久了，自己身上的习气、业会投射在佛身上，就会讨厌、甚至诽谤佛。当恭敬的因缘不存在了，众生散乱骄慢的心、甚至造恶的心生起，佛成为众生堕落因的时候，佛就会自己消失掉。

Once the sentient beings stay with the Buddha for too long, their habits and karmas will be projected to the Buddha and then will generate hatred or even defamation toward the Buddha. When the environment of respect no longer exists,

wandering thoughts, arrogance or even the mind of conducting evil deeds arise in sentient beings' heart, then the Buddha becomes the cause of degeneration of sentient beings, and the Buddha will disappear automatically.

佛已经证得不生不灭圆满了，哪里还有死？佛在一切法性上都证得寂灭，没有出没有入，不存在入涅槃。佛入涅槃，是为了护念众生的缘故抽身而出。

佛宁愿入涅槃，在我们众生面前消失掉，是因为不愿意、不忍心看到我们因为祂而受损害。

The Buddha would rather enter nirvana and disappear in front of all the living beings, for he is unwilling and could not bear to see that we are harmed because of him.

所以请佛住世，不是请佛，是请你自己，你自己安住在法里，如理如法地修行。

Therefore to plead to the Buddha for his staying in this world is not to request the Buddha but you yourself to abide within the Dharma and practice accordingly to the Dharma.

我们如法了，善知识就住世了；我们不如法，善知识就灭度了。善知识存在的意义没有了，甚至善知识存在会变成我们堕落的因，这就与善知识本愿相违。

As long as we are in accord with the Dharma, the wise teachers will remain in this world. But if we are counter to the Dharma, they will enter nirvana. When the meaning of existence of a wise teacher disappears or even he becomes the cause of our degeneration, it will be against his original intention.

所以，请佛住世，实际上是要端正我们自己。佛让大家回归正觉，平息贪嗔痴。我们自己的命运自己要作主，我们要好好地坚持着，我们自己如理如法，佛就住世了。

对于真正有智慧的大菩萨来说，佛本身没有灭度，没有所谓住世、不住世。请佛住世，这是从悲心中流露出来的。

因为佛如果在人的频道里，我们人就得利益；佛如果化现到畜生道，畜生就得利益。佛在哪一道，就是哪一道的灯塔和舟航，会利益到多少众生啊！

——《普贤行愿品》讲记第十四课

英文翻译：慈法