【羅蘭第一分會 潘青霞撰文】最近我在想，若是有人要我用幾字介紹佛光山開山祖師星雲大師，及他的一生，我會怎麼回答？
先說如何介紹大師，是用大師自稱的「貧僧」嗎？或是大師自居的「地球人」嗎？我對這兩個稱謂都很贊同，但是總覺得沒有直擊我的內心。
直到我讀了《人間佛教》學報．藝文第44期，這期是懷念星雲大師的專刊，內容分為三個部分：大師永遠與我們同行、各界來文—與星雲大師交會的時光、專題報導。
「大師永遠與我們同行」介紹了大師人生的十個時期，及大師寫的〈真誠的告白—我最後的囑咐〉等文，第三部分「專題」則是收錄對他的追思報導。
這期學報讓我驚豔了！尤其是第二部分「各界來文—與星雲大師交會的時光」，從來自 50 餘個國家的法師、學者、專家近千篇緬懷大師的文章，收錄75 篇刊登，每一位作者文筆之洗練、情感之真摯，都讓我嘆為觀止！相見恨晚！
其中一篇文章〈人間和尚〉，作者裴勇為北京大學宗教文化研究院特聘研究員，他在最後一段，以標題「佛陀本懷 人間和尚」寫到：
在一位9旬老僧一生把全身心都奉獻給佛法和有情的事實面前，你還在挑剔什麼？政治和尚可能是偏見，金錢和尚可能是俗見。老人在弘法利生中創造了巨大價值，何曾用在為自己求安樂上？
其實，老人不是政治和尚，不是行銷和尚，不是辦學和尚，也不是書法和尚，這些都不能代表他一生的弘法。他所做一切都是為了佛法能澤被人間，太虛大師說：「仰止唯佛陀，完成在人格。」六祖惠能大師說：「佛法在世間，不離世間覺。」佛陀出生在人間，成道、說法、弘法利生在人間。作為為法而生，來世還想做和尚，以人間佛教為佛法發力，為世人奔走，常表明自己人間性格的人間行者，對星雲大師最好的稱謂，我想應該是—「人間和尚」。
人間和尚！確實如此！
那麼怎麼用幾字總結大師的一生呢？這期學報也提供了答案，在目錄裡，「專題報導」前的小標題「合十人生」讓我眼前一亮！「十」這字多好！大師說佛光山取之十方、施之十方；「合十」也好棒！當我們把十個手指合在一起，代表的是「十法界」合於一心，因此合十寓意「人我一體」，互相尊重、和諧共處，「合十人生」是大師一生無所求，只願平安幸福照五洲的最佳詮釋。
人間和尚，合十人生！謝謝《人間佛教》學報．藝文第44期為我解答，這真是一本值得一讀再讀的好書！
線上閱讀
《人間佛教》學報．藝文第44期 https://tinyurl.com/5xpeac3f
English version (Credited to Andrew N. & Neal G. & Ching P.)
Title: An Eminent Monk of the Human Realm and A Life of Harmony
Recently, I’ve been pondering how I could introduce Venerable Master Hsing Yun, the founding master of Fo Guang Shan, and his life in just a few words.
Should I use the title Venerable Master himself preferred— “Humble Monk”—or perhaps the one he embraced, “a person of planet earth?” I find merit in both, yet neither truly resonate with my inner feelings.
I found the answer when I read the 44th issue of Humanistic Buddhism: Journal, Arts, and Culture (Chinese Version), which was dedicated to commemorating Venerable Master Hsing Yun. The issue was divided into three parts: “Venerable Master is Always with Us,” “Contributions from All Walks of Life – Moments with Venerable Master Hsing Yun,” and “Special Features.”
“Venerable Master is Always with Us” introduced ten periods of Venerable Master’s life and included his piece titled “An Honest Revelation.” “Special Features” included reports and reminiscences of him.
This particular issue left me astounded, especially the second part, “Contributions from All Walks of Life – Moments with Venerable Hsing Yun.” From nearly 1,000 submissions written by monks, scholars, and experts from more than 50 countries, it selected 75 essays, all sharing their memories of Venerable Master. Each piece was elegantly written with ultimate sincerity which left me in awe, and I regret not reading it sooner.
One of the articles, “Eminent Monk of the Human Realm,” was authored by Pei Yong, a distinguished researcher at the Institute of Religious Culture at Peking University. In its concluding paragraph, he wrote:
在一位9旬老僧一生把全身心都奉獻給佛法和有情的事實面前，你還在挑剔什麼？政治和尚可能是偏見，金錢和尚可能是俗見。老人在弘法利生中創造了巨大價值，何曾用在為自己求安樂上？
其實，老人不是政治和尚，不是行銷和尚，不是辦學和尚，也不是書法和尚，這些都不能代表他一生的弘法。他所做一切都是為了佛法能澤被人間，太虛大師說：「仰止唯佛陀，完成在人格。」六祖惠能大師說：「佛法在世間，不離世間覺。」佛陀出生在人間，成道、說法、弘法利生在人間。作為為法而生，來世還想做和尚，以人間佛教為佛法發力，為世人奔走，常表明自己人間性格的人間行者，對星雲大師最好的稱謂，我想應該是—「人間和尚」。
“When an elderly monk in his 90s has dedicated his entire life to the Dharma and sentient beings, what is there to nitpick? Political monks may be one-sided, and wealthy monks may seem worldly. But this elderly monk has created immense value by spreading the Dharma and benefiting sentient beings—and he never once sought personal comfort. Truly, he is neither a political monk nor a marketing monk, neither an educational monk nor a calligraphy monk. None of these can fully capture his lifelong work for the Dharma. Everything he did was to bring the Dharma to the human realm. As Venerable Taixu once said, ‘The Buddha is our model, and its perfection is in human character.’ Huineng, the sixth patriarch of Chan Buddhism, once said, ‘The Dharma exists in the world, and one cannot awaken to it outside of the world.’ The Buddha was born in this world, attained awakening in this world, preached the Dharma in this world, and taught for the benefit of sentient beings in this world. As someone who works through the Dharma, wishes to be a monk in his next life, champions Humanistic Buddhism to reinvigorate the Dharma, tirelessly works for the world, and reveals his own humanistic character, the best title for Venerable Master Hsing Yun, I believe, should be Eminent Monk of the Human Realm.”
“Eminent Monk of the Human Realm!” Indeed so!
So, how can we sum up Venerable Master’s entire life in just a few words? This issue also provided an answer. In the table of contents, the subtitle before “Special Features” caught my eye: “A Life of Harmony.” In the Chinese, it was expressed through the term heshi 合十, literally “to merge the ten.” The number “ten” is so profound. Venerable Master said Fo Guang Shan takes from the ten directions and gives to the ten directions. “A Life of Harmony” is a wonderful phrase! When we bring together ten fingers, it symbolizes the union of the ten realms in one mind. Therefore, “A Life of Harmony” represents the unity of self and others, mutual respect, and harmonious coexistence. It is the best depiction of Venerable Master’s life—a life without desires, wishing only for peace and happiness to shine throughout the five continents.
“Eminent Monk of the Human Realm” and “A Life of Harmony!” Thank you, to the journal Humanistic Buddhism for providing the answer. This is a book worth reading and rereading!
Read online (Chinese Version):
Humanistic Buddhism: Journal, Arts, and Culture, issue 44
https://tinyurl.com/5xpeac3f
