最好的“护身符”
The Supreme “Amulet”
最好的
“护身符”
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我们现在为什么提倡学习传统文化？因为我们的老祖先是很优秀的，不仅留下文字来启发和哺育我们，也通过身教为我们树立了人而为人的道德标准。
Why do we now advocate the study of traditional culture? It is because our forebears were truly exceptional; not only did they bequeath to us a treasury of writings to inspire and nurture us, but through the example of their lives, they established for us the moral standards that define what it means to be truly human.
像过去的中药铺都有施药的传统，社会上的一些善人会在药铺预先放些银两，碰到得了病又经济困难的人时，药铺就会免费送药。
In the past, it was customary for traditional medicine apothecaries to dispense medicine charitably. Benevolent individuals would discreetly deposit silver coins at the pharmacies, so that when the poor and sick, unable to afford remedies, sought help, the apothecaries could dispense medicines free of charge.
宁波也有这样的文化，每年到过春节时，有钱的人会让家丁把菜买好，半夜里一份一份送到贫穷人家门口。穷人家早上起来一看，一堆菜，谁放的？不知道。
Such traditions also thrived in Ningbo. Each year during the Lunar New Year, affluent households would instruct their stewards to purchase vegetables and, under the cover of night, quietly deliver them in parcels to the doorsteps of impoverished families. Upon waking, the families would find these offerings of fresh produce — yet the benefactor remained unknown.
桥谁铺的、路谁修的、凉亭谁造的、晚上的夜灯谁点的......都不知道。行善不留名，积阴德，这就是中国的传统文化，是我们老祖先的优良品德。这些世代相传的思想和行为方式为我们后代留下了一道道人与人之间良性互动的温暖风景。
Who paved the roads, who constructed the bridges, who erected the pavilions for weary travellers, who lit the lamps that illuminated the night? None could say. These acts of charity were done without the desire for recognition, embodying the virtue of hidden merit, and forming an integral part of our traditional culture—an enduring testament to the noble character of our forebears. Such customs, passed down through generations, have woven a tapestry of warmth, benevolence and mutual support among people.
我们常说“天下没有免费的午餐”，但“雨花斋”告诉我们天下真的有免费的午餐。这免费从哪里来？善良的人在付出。“雨花斋”的善举已经发展到哪个社区如果有行动不便的独居老人，义工会把饭菜送到老人家中。我们想一想，这不就是观音菩萨的精神吗？
We often hear it said, “There is no such thing as a free lunch.” Yet the “Rainflower Vegetarian Dining Hall (Yuhua Zhai)” teaches us that in truth, there is. From whence comes this freely given sustenance? From the generosity of kind-hearted people. The compassionate work of the Rainflower Hall has now extended so far that when elderly or infirm people living alone are found within the community, volunteers deliver meals directly to their homes. Reflect upon this, is it not the very spirit of Avalokiteśvara (Guanyin) Bodhisattva?
所以从古至今，观音菩萨不仅是一种信仰，还是人间的一种真实的存在。观音菩萨永远都在“服务区”，永远都在为我们服务；同时施与救度，却不现身，受益的众生看不见也不知道。
From ancient times to the present day, Avalokiteśvara has not been a mere object of veneration, but a living presence among us—unceasingly serving, silently aiding all beings, bestowing deliverance and aid without revealing form or name, unrecognised and unseen by the countless beneficiaries.
作为我们佛弟子，有信仰，学习传统文化，恢复文化自信，除了造福我们自己，这也是时代的一个使命。所以对我们而言，在这个时代该做的、在做的，就是精神脱贫，道德救济。
As disciples of the Buddha, possessing faith, studying traditional culture, and assisting to revive our cultural self-confidence are not only means of benefiting ourselves but are also the mission of our era. What is incumbent upon us in these times is the eradication of spiritual poverty and to extend moral charity to others.
没有道德，法性的大海容不下你。佛菩萨虽然慈悲，但你如果没有品格，不守规矩，佛菩萨也拿你没办法，叫“佛门广大，难度无缘之人；天雨虽润，不润无根之草”。就好像“海水不容死尸”，尸体在海里会浮起来，这个“死尸”就代表一个人虽然是人，但他已经没有人的味道了。
Without morality, the vast ocean of Dharma cannot accommodate you. Though the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are infinitely compassionate, if one is devoid of moral integrity and discipline, they are powerless to save you. As the saying goes: “Though the gate of the Buddha is wide, it is difficult to save those without affinity; though the celestial rain falls, it nourishes not the grass without roots.” Just as “the ocean cannot retain a corpse” — for a body bereft of life rises to the surface, and so too does one bereft of human integrity already stand apart from the currents of humanity.
我们总是积极地求发财，为实现这个欲望甚至不择手段。其实也要想一想，就是老天爷给你现成的了，你有品格可以消受吗？财富在你手中是会变成功德还是罪过？所以观音菩萨、文殊菩萨就很忙，要来教化人，要启迪我们的智慧。
We are often preoccupied with the pursuit of wealth, and in order to fulfil this desire, some resort to unscrupulous means. Yet consider this: even if Heaven were to grant you riches, would you possess the moral character to enjoy it without harm? Would wealth in your hands become merit or sin? Thus, Avalokiteśvara and Mañjuśrī Bodhisattvas are ever vigilant, striving to enlighten and guide us towards wisdom.
我们知道，火来的时候，汽油会燃烧，但如果你是水，还怎么烧得起来？为什么我们要选择善良？因为善良就是善良者的“护身符”。九华山的一位肉身菩萨说过一句话：“好人好自己，坏人坏自己。”
When fire meets petrol, it burns fiercely; but if met with water, it cannot ignite. Why should we choose kindness? Because kindness is the true amulet of the virtuous. As a living, flesh-and-blood Bodhisattva of Mount Jiuhua once said: “The good secure blessings for themselves; the wicked, ruin themselves.”
世人常常感叹人心不古，认为社会上道德的沙漠化正变得越来越严重。那作为我们学佛了，生命有了高标准了，就要记住一句话：忏悔告别地狱，感恩升往天堂。
It is often lamented that the human heart has grown callous, that society is becoming a moral desert. But for those of us who practise the Buddha’s teachings, whose lives are held to a higher standard, we must remember this principle: Repentance bids farewell to hell; gratitude leads to rebirth in paradise.
忏悔告别地狱，感恩往生天堂
Repentance Bids Farewell to Hell; Gratitude Leads to Rebirth in Paradise
无量劫来，我们造作的罪业数不胜数，但当我们虔诚忏悔时，佛菩萨的甘露就可以洗除我们的罪业，令我们的身心如琉璃一般明净。而更彻底的忏悔则是明了自己的心性，从根本上去忏悔，彻底地拔除贪嗔痴，证得大智慧，令与你有缘的众生也同得解脱。这是最究竟、最有力的。
Throughout countless aeons, the karmic transgressions we have committed are without number. Yet, when we sincerely repent, the nectar of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas can cleanse our defilements, rendering our body and mind as pure and radiant as crystal. The most profound repentance, however, is to awaken to the realisation of the true nature of mind, uprooting greed, hatred, and delusion from their source, thereby attaining great wisdom—and in so doing, enabling those sentient beings connected to us to find liberation as well. This is the most supreme and powerful act.
大智慧的忏悔不是马上就能做到的，品格也不是一下子就能高尚的。但当一个人对自己有高要求的时候，往往也代表他知道人性有硬伤，知道自己有缺点，所以除了自我修正，也会原谅包容别人的缺点。这就是他心灵的弹性。
Such repentance born of great wisdom cannot be achieved overnight, nor can noble character be cultivated in an instant. Yet when a person holds oneself to a higher standard, it signifies the recognition of the flaws inherent in human nature and one’s own shortcomings. Such a person, besides striving for self- cultivation, naturally extends forgiveness and tolerance to others’ shortcomings. This is the resilience of the awakened mind.
忏悔，感恩，善良，包容，
然后自利利人，
这是生而为人的尊严和光辉，
这也是我们最好的“护身符”。
Repentance, gratitude, kindness, forbearance,
and the resolve to benefit both oneself and others—these constitute the dignity and radiance of human existence;
and they are also
the finest “protective amulet”
we could ever possess.
英文翻译：Iko& Matt；
英文朗诵：Matt；
