念显公师父
苟嘉陵
2018年3月21日
看到明光法师透过书记维光兄转来的信函，希望纪念显明法师，真是百感交集。显公师父的慈颜与明光法师的笑容一时都在我心头萦绕着，久久未逝。想想自己虽为显公的弟子，却从未写过文章称颂他老人家的法恩与德行，实在是我的过失。谨此纪录一些他老人家的行谊，给法友们看看。除了怀念，也希望能给我及大家一些法的反思。
事实上我是显公师父在美国的第一个皈依弟子，也自然是最早在美国亲受法恩的人。记得那时候的美佛会，每週都在大觉寺有讲经说法的活动。我就是在那个时候听了显公师父讲的天台教观，也第一次领受到了中国佛教在经教上可谓第一大宗的天台祖师的无碍辩才，与圆融的智慧。那是一种面对面的亲身体验，和只是在「纸上读书」是完全不一样的。显公自己就讲过这一点。他说天台宗的祖师讲经说法，自古以来就不让人做笔记。因为法师讲经是一个成道者真实的生命体验，是由生命中流露出来的经验，是不能打断的。只要做了笔记，就是在打閒岔，也就是分心了。佛陀在世的时候也一样，要求弟子们聚精会神地「谛听谛听善思念之」，也是同样的意思。所以显公说法不让我做笔记，但要我聚精会神。这就是天台宗的宗风。对于这一层我是很认同显公师父的。
显公不只是天台祖师而辩才无碍，也是心量极其宽广的人。记得那个时候他是大觉寺的住持，好像也是美佛会长。寺裡来了由中国来的密教汉人法师，一时把我及许多美佛会的年轻一代都吸引去了。祖鹄兄也是其中之一。这是我生命中的一段密教法缘，使我对密教的了解不会只停留在表面上看到的神秘。而最后这个法缘，也因一些原因而中断了。法友们也因此而各奔东西。但显公师父从头到尾，都没有讲过一个字要我们不要去学密教。我知道中国佛教裡不少法师对密教，不是那么认同的。但显公严守住了大乘佛法的立场，也就是尊重讚歎一切善法，而不会因善法和自己的宗派不一样就予以否定。显公师父是长期住于美佛会公认的「大师级」法师，而没有出去自立山门。但事实上他是天台宗第四十五代祖师，是由宝静大师指定的传人。他是有这个条件的。在这个意义上说，他对美佛会的贡献是尤为殊胜的。
最后我要讲的是显公师父的慈悲。那是很感人的。我曾不止一次听过他讲，他不要马上去西方极乐淨土见阿弥陀佛，因为他要留在娑婆世界帮助所有的众生去。只要还有一人没去，他就不去。这个大愿，是和地藏王菩萨同一等级的。我非常高兴也非常荣幸，能在今生有这个法缘做显公师父的弟子。仅就个人所知的一点点，纪录于此。不足以彰显显公师父的德行与修行成就于万一。谨此表达个人对显公师父的无限感恩与怀念！
Thinking of my teacher Rev. XianMing
Reading the letter sent from Rev. MingGuang through secretary of BAUS Wayne, I realized though being a student of Rev. XianMing, I have never written any words on Rev. XianMing’s Tian Tai teaching. I told myself it is not right. As Rev. MingGuang, himself a dear student of Rev. XianMing, is initiating an effort to publish collection of articles from BAUS members in memory of his teacher, I would take this opportunity to say what I know.
I am actually the first student of Rev. XianMing in the US who took refuge of the 3 precious ones through him. So naturally I am among the first group of students who learned Tian Tai’s teachings from him. Those were the ‘good old days’ of Temple of Great Enlightenment in the Bronx, for there were dharma talk every week there, and we all learned a lot during that period of time. One of the thing I remember so well from Rev. XianMing is that he did not want us to take note in his dharma talk, with a very good reason. He said when a Tian Tai dharma master is giving talk on Buddha Dharma, it is the flowing of dharma itself. A student should give full attention to it, not only to understand, but also to “feel” it. Taking down any note will be a distraction and will divert one’s focus, and the full scope of dharma flow will be obstructed. That is the reason why at the beginning of many sutras, Buddha always reminds listeners to “listen carefully and give it a good thought”. So I never took any note from Rev. XianMing, but I still learned a lot.
Even though my major goal of spreading Buddhism today is through its modernization, not reviving Tian Tai school, I know deep down inside that Rev. XianMing’s teaching provides the foundation of my learning of dharma. It is through him I came to understand the depth and Core teachings of Chinese buddhism. And that understanding helps a lot on my modernization endeavor.
He was not only a very wise and learned person, but also a man of a very broad and open mind. When he was the abbot of Temple of Great Enlightenment, there was a Chinese monk coming out of China who followed Tibetan Buddhism tradition and was the carrier of Red school’s dharma lineage. Many young Buddhists like me and TsuKu were attracted by him, and practiced “esoteric doctrine “ for a period of time. That was the time when I was exposed to Tibetan tradition. Later on for some reason that group was disbanded, and we no longer followed that esoteric practice no more. But during that period, Rev. XianMing never utter a word to stop us learning Tibetan buddhism , even though he himself might not totally agree with their practice. Rev. XianMing became the live example to me, who completely followed the path of a Bodhisattva : “Praise and support all beneficial practices for sentient beings, even though their teaching is different from one’s own belief”.
Beside all these, Rev. XianMing is a very loving human being. More than once did I hear him talked about the western Pure Land, with Amitabha Buddha there. He said he would stay in this world to help others be born there and be on their way toward complete Enlightenment. And if there is still one single sentient being suffering in this world, then he himself will not go. He talked about this vow of his in a very casual way. But it is very touching to me. For he really meant it. He let me see the nature of Bodhisattva Earth Store’s vow in a magnificent way.
He was the 45th generation of patriarch of Tian Tai, the largest Chinese Buddhism school teaching Bodhisattva Nagajuna’s treatises on Sunyata and Middle Way. His teacher was Master BaoJing, the 44th patriarch. He could have left BAUS and formed his own temple and organization, but he did not. That was not his priority in life.
I am very happy and thankful that I have been one of Rev. XianMing’s students in this life!