师父法语
Words of Wisdom
农历四月初八，是释迦牟尼佛诞辰日。释迦牟尼佛是古印度迦毗罗卫国（今尼泊尔境内）王子。降生时一手指天、一手指地，大地为之震动。现世界各国各民族的佛教徒常以浴佛等方式纪念佛祖诞辰。The eighth day of the fourth lunar month is the birthday of Shakyamuni Buddha. Shakyamuni Buddha was a prince of Kapilavastu in ancient India (modern-day Nepal). The earth trembled at the birth of the Buddha, who pointed up to the sky with one finger and down to the earth with another finger. Nowadays Buddhist devotees from all over the world celebrate the Buddha's birthday through rituals such as bathing the statues of him.
释迦牟尼佛是一位修行成道的圣人，大彻大悟。他具足福德、智慧、慈悲，是圆满的。释迦牟尼佛出生时，有许许多多的奇迹、瑞相出现。根据经典记载，佛陀出世的时候，很多聋子突然能够听到声音；不少瞎子恢复了视力；很多哑巴突然间能够说出话来；有些驼背的人，身子能够直起来；不少跛子，能够正常走起路来；还有好多囚犯，从监狱里面被释放出来；许许多多的猛兽也不再吼叫，不再去伤害人……总的来说，有很多很多的瑞相出现，不同于一般人来到人世间。
Shakyamuni Buddha was an enlightened sage who attained a sublime understanding of the universe. He was endowed with merit, virtue, wisdom, compassion, and perfection. His birth coincided with many miracles and auspicious signs. According to classical records, when Shakyamuni Buddha was born, the deaf regained hearing; the blind restored their sights; the dumb began to speak; the hunchback stood tall; the cripples walked ably; the prisoners were set free, and the vicious beasts no longer attacked people. Summarily, his birth was marked by many auspicious occurrences that did not accompany the arrivals of ordinary people.
释迦牟尼佛贵为王子，但是他没有想要去继承王位。反过来，他想去出家、去修道，解脱自己生命的痛苦。这使得佛教流传至今，大家才能够来到寺庙学习佛法。
Despite being born as a royal prince, Shakyamuni Buddha had no intention to inherit the throne. On the contrary, he wanted to leave home and live a monastic life to find relief from life's suffering. It was only because of his effort in spreading Buddhism throughout the ages that we now have the opportunity to come to the monastery today to study the Dharma.
他为什么能够发这种心，能够去修行、成佛？释迦牟尼佛在未出家时，曾经经历了人们常常看到的景象 —— 老、病、死。他看到老人眼睛花了、牙齿掉了、耳朵听不清楚、满脸都是皱纹等，内心就很难过、很悲哀、很痛苦。有一回，他出城门的时候，看到一个病人，奄奄一息，痛苦不已，便大发慈悲心，感受到痛苦，犹如自己生病一样。又有一回，佛陀出城门的时侯，看到一个死人，死亡的那种景象、那种苦楚，实在难以言状。又有一回，释迦牟尼佛见到一个修道人，威仪具足、仪表不凡。这些景象逐步让释迦牟尼佛感到，人的身体总是免不了衰老、病痛、死亡，这些痛苦时时刻刻跟我们联系在一起，逃避不掉。
What drove the Buddha to develop such resolve, to strive for cultivation, and to aspire for Buddhahood? Before Shakyamuni Buddha renounced his secular life, he witnessed conditions commonly affecting people-old age, sickness, and death. On one occasion, he felt sad when he saw an old man with a wrinkled face losing his sight, his teeth, and his hearing. On another occasion, he was outside the city gate and saw a sick man dying in pain. Driven by empathy, he felt as if he was sick and in pain. Yet on a third occasion, he saw a corpse outside the city gate and found the agony surrounding death indescribable. Then on a separate instance, he saw a monk who behaved with great dignity and possessed a commanding presence. From these different sightings, Shakyamuni Buddha realized that it was inevitable for a human body to experience aging, sickness, and death and that there was no escape from suffering that lurks around us.
人，注定是要死亡的。死亡以后怎么办？死了以后去哪里？死了以后还存在不存在？人的生命能不能进入一个不生不死的状态？人的生命能不能在死亡以后的阶段，也就是来生，比今生更好？并能够越来越快乐、越来越幸福、越来越圆满？释迦牟尼佛苦苦思索这些问题。之后，他毅然决然地出家修道，六年苦行，最后圆成佛果，大彻大悟。
Humans are destined to die. What happens after death? Where do we go? Do we still exist afterwards? Can we live in a state of neither life nor death? Can we enter a new life that is better than our current one? Can we obtain more joy, more happiness, and more perfection? Shakyamuni Buddha agonized over these questions. Eventually, he resolved to leave home to become a monk, and after living as an ascetic for six years, he attained enlightenment and acquired the sublime knowledge of the Ultimate Truth.
来源：学诚大和尚开示《感悟人生》
Source: Understanding Life, by Ven. Master Xuecheng
翻译：北京龙泉寺翻译中心
Translated by: Beijing Longquan Monastery Translation Center
