慈悲喜捨遍法界

惜福結緣利人天

禪淨戒行平等忍

慚愧感恩大願心

《大乘本生心地觀經》云︰「勸諸眾生，同發此心，以真實法一四句偈施一眾生，使向無上正等菩提，是名真實波羅蜜。」四句偈因為朗朗上口，好記易懂，所以佛教裡，不但佛陀在經典上留下許多四句偈做為我們修身的指南，歷代祖師大德也做了許多四句偈，讓佛子在生活上奉行，像七佛通戒偈、四第一偈、飯前偈、回向偈等都是我們耳熟能詳的四句偈。然而隨著社會的進步，大家需要一個融古匯今，與時俱進的四句偈，以便在日常生活中奉行無礙，尤其佛光會員肩負重大的使命，更需要有一個行諸各地皆能應用自如的修持準則，因此擬定了「佛光會員四句偈」，以下逐一解說其意義︰

(一) 慈悲喜捨遍法界︰

佛教的百千法門之中，發心最為重要，發心吃飯，飯會吃得特別香甜；發心睡覺，醒來時會覺得全身特別舒暢；發心掃地，會將地掃得很乾淨；發心寫字，字也會寫得很歡喜。在佛門的修持裡，更有所謂的「四無量心」，就是要我們發無量的慈心、無量的悲心、無量的喜心和無量的捨心。

慈能與樂，悲能拔苦，慈悲是每一個修行人對世間眾生應有的態度。古代高僧大德們，像智巖的躬處癘坊、智舜的割耳救雉、高庵的看病如己、僧群的護鴨絕飲......等等，他們悲愍蒼生疾苦，澤及異類傍生，不但為時人所崇仰尊敬，也為後人立下了慈悲的最佳典範。俗謂「家家彌陀佛，戶戶觀世音」，阿彌陀佛慈悲接引眾生，往生極樂；觀世音菩薩倒駕慈航，尋聲救苦，所以中國民間都把家裡最好的位置讓給他們，並且不時上香供養，禮拜稱名。

至於喜捨，更是佛子們最基本的道德修養，因為世間上沒有比歡喜更重要的事情了！所以，釋迦牟尼佛以種種偈頌譬喻，示教利喜，使大家踴躍歡喜，依教奉行；維摩詰大士善巧說法，讓天女滿載法喜而歸，不再耽溺世俗之樂；佛寺將笑口常開的彌勒菩薩供奉在山門口，好讓信徒香客見之心喜；僧團設立悅眾一職，妥善統理庶務，以使大眾歡喜。古聖先賢甚且如此，我們薄地凡夫更應仿效追隨，口出善言，身行恭敬，隨手服務，隨心祝福。

度生有我，度生的慈悲心就發不起來；喜捨著相，喜捨的功德就大不起來。佛光會員應該學習無條件的給人安樂，無條件的為人濟苦，無條件的給人歡喜，無條件的為人奉獻，能如此將自己的發心擴大到盡虛空遍法界，做人處事必定圓滿成功。

(二) 惜福結緣利人天︰

由於業緣所感，我們每一個人一生能享有的福報有一定數，如果恣意濫用，折福損德，將會加速告罄，這就好比我們在銀行的存款，每個人或多或少都不一樣，如果揮金如土，入不敷出，帳目上就會出現赤字，唯有懂得愛惜錢財，方能不虞匱乏。

所謂「積福莫如惜福好 」，愛惜福報，才會更有福報。近幾年來，由於物質極端發達，養成人類濫買濫用的習慣，終於天災人禍頻起，滿目瘡痍的地球開始大力反撲了。此時正是大家自我覺醒的時刻，舉凡一張紙、一枝筆、一滴清水、一片菜葉………，我們都必須好好珍惜，不要再輕易浪費有限的福報了！

除了惜福，我們更應該積極結緣。廣結善緣是世間最美好的一件事，因為善緣如水，能稀釋惡因，減少罪業；善緣如油，能潤滑善因，助成好事。社會上有些人左右逢源，有些人卻惹人討厭；有些人孤獨寂寞，有些人卻受人歡迎，這都要看我們平常是否與人廣結善緣。

廣結善緣的方法很多，財物上的週轉濟助、語言上的鼓勵安慰、技術上的教導幫忙、知識上的傳授布施，乃至一個點頭、一抹微笑、一句問好、一瓣心香等等都能為我們廣結善緣。

總之，宇宙萬法互有關聯，佛光會員若能珍惜福報，廣結善緣，必能得助多利，成就美事，普利眾生，圓滿菩提。

(三) 禪淨戒行平等忍︰

現代人的修行，不是參禪，就是念佛，當然也有不少人是禪淨雙修。其實禪淨二門，殊途同歸，永明延壽禪師在《禪淨四料簡》中說得好︰「有禪有淨土，猶如戴角虎，現世為人師，來世作佛祖。」佛光會員如果能在日用中禪淨雙修，定慧等持，必定能促進生活美滿，人際和諧。

經云︰「戒為無上菩提本。」無論參禪習定或念佛修淨，百千法門都應該以持戒為根本的修行。汽車依照交通規則，火車循著軌道而走，就能保障人車安全，同樣地，我們遵守戒律就能維護身心清淨，不犯過失。監獄裡面的刑犯，哪一個不是犯了五戒─殺、盜、邪淫、妄語、飲酒，而身陷囹圄，如果大家都能遵守五戒，做到不侵犯他人的生命、不侵犯他人的財物、不侵犯他人的名節、不侵犯他人的名譽、不吸食毒品煙酒而侵犯自他身體，我們的人生必定幸福美滿，我們的社會必定安和樂利。此外，佛教的戒律如八關齋戒，旨在讓在家信眾體會淡泊的修道生活；菩薩戒以持律、修善、度眾為內容，從更積極的方面來發揮戒律的自由精神。總之，如果大家都能持守淨戒，當下就是諸上善人聚會一處，何須遠求佛國淨土？

平等是佛教最殊勝的教義之一。這個世界之所以紛擾不安，不外是因為男女不平等、種族不平等、智愚不平等、老少不平等、貧富不平等、權勢不平等......。佛陀曾說︰「大地眾生皆有如來智慧德相。」外在的世界或許有諸多不平等的地方，但是我們內在的佛性卻是在聖不增，在凡不減，如果人人都能從根本上認識眾生平等的真諦，以平等心來接引十方，則世界和平將指日可待。

《佛遺教經》云︰「能行忍者，乃可名為有力大人。若其不能歡喜忍受毀謗、譏諷、惡罵之毒，如飲甘露者，不名入道智慧人也。」忍耐不但是世間上最大的力量，也是一種無上的智慧。佛教將忍分為三種層次︰第一是生忍，也就是對生存條件的認識，進而具備處理的力量；第二是法忍，就是對宇宙諸法的了解，從而直下承擔，轉化心境的作用；第三是無生法忍，就是如實知見一切事物不生不滅，進而自由自在遊諸國土度脫眾生的世界觀。

(四) 慚愧感恩大願心︰人間最好的美德就是慚愧、感恩及願心。

所謂慚愧，慚者慚己，愧者愧他，慚者經常覺得自己學問不夠、發心不夠、慈悲不夠、能力不夠；愧者，時時感到對不起父母，對不起朋友，對不起國家，對不起社會。人有慚愧，才懂得奮發圖強；人有慚愧，才懂得力爭上游，所以《佛遺教經》云︰「慚恥之服，無上莊嚴。」

懂得感恩圖報的人是天下最富有的人。經云︰「菩薩發心度眾，常念國家恩、父母恩、師長恩、眾生恩。」因為沒有國家覆護，我們如何生存？沒有父母養育，我們哪有今天？沒有師長教誨，我們的慧命安在？沒有士、農、工、商，我們哪有衣、食、住、行？舉凡一切眾生，哪一個不在助長我們的生存？古德說︰「滴水之恩，湧泉以報。」烏鴉尚知反哺，羔羊也懂跪乳，如人佛子，怎能不知感恩圖報？

省庵大師在《勸發菩提心文》中說︰「入道要門，發心為首；修行急務，立願為先。願立，則眾生可度，心發，則佛道堪成。」世間上所有的仁人志士，哪一個不是憑藉願心來成就功業？宇宙中一切的諸佛菩薩，哪一個不是依照願心來圓滿菩提？願心是方向、動力，佛光會員應以廣大的願力來熟土嚴生。

「慈悲喜捨遍法界，惜福結緣利人天，

禪淨戒行平等忍，慚愧感恩大願心。」

《金剛經》云︰四句偈功德比布施三千大千世界七寶功德還要來得大。希望各位都能從實踐佛光會員四句偈中，感受到佛法的可貴。

The Tach’eng Penhsing Hsin Ti Kuan Sutra contains the following verse:

Exhort all sentient beings To make this vow:

By the four verses Of the true Dharma,

I will help all sentient beings Find the bodhi mind.

This is called

The true perfection.

Verses are beautiful, and they are easy to remember and under- stand. For this reason, when Buddha spoke, he often used four verses to help us understand his points and to lead us away from suffering. Many great masters of the past also employed the method of using four verses to help us remember their teachings and effectively apply them in our daily lives.

Many of us are familiar with the “Seven Ancient Buddha Verses,” the “Four First Verses” and the many others from the past. Those are beautiful verses, but since the world has changed so much in recent years, we need to have new verses to express ourselves and to freshen our commitment to the great tradition of Buddhism. Verses appropri- ate to our modern lives can be a great aid in keeping our thoughts clear and in helping us overcome the inevitable obstacles we all must face from time to time. This is all the more true for BLIA members, whose responsibilities toward the world are greater than those of most people. Our BLIA verses must give voice to our commitments, and they must be such that they are appropriate to all the various kinds of situations in which we find ourselves. Our BLIA verses were composed to fill these needs. The four verses of the BLIA are:

May kindness, compassion, joy and equanimity pervade all Dharma realms;

May all beings benefit from our blessings and friendship;

May our ethical practice of Chan, Pure land and percepts help us realize equality and patience;

May we undertake the Great vows with humility and gratitude.

I will explain the deeper significance of these verses in the

following four sections.

May kindness, compassion, joy and equanimity pervade all Dharma realms

Clear intention (or commitment) is the deepest and most important force in all of Buddhism.

Let’s look at a few simple examples. If we sit down to eat with the clear intention to eat, when we are finished, we will feel completely satisfied. If we go to sleep with the clear intention to sleep, when we wake up, we will feel fully refreshed and very comfortable. If we notice the floor needs sweeping and we set out to do it with a clear intention, then we will be sure to go a good job. If we form a clear intention to write something, then our writing will be smooth and clear, and we will fully enjoy the work we are doing.

To be a good Buddhist, we must form clear intentions about that, too. Buddhists sometimes speak of the “four immeasurable minds.” They are immeasurable Loving-kindness, immeasurable compassion, immeasurable joy, and immeasurable equanimity.

Immeasurable kindness brings immeasurable happiness. Immea- surable compassion overcomes all suffering. Kindness and compassion are the foundations on which Buddhists should base all their behavior. They are the principal virtues Buddhists always should draw on when dealing with others.

In the past, there were many great Buddhists who exhibited these virtues so well, their deeds are still remembered today. Master Zhiyan (600-677) went to many dangerous places to help others. Kao An cared for the ill. Dao’an (312-385) risked his life many times to preach the Dharma. Throughout history there have been many Buddhist masters who gave of themselves to help others. These great masters succeeded in exhibiting kindness and compassion in even the most trying situations.

There is a Chinese saying that goes like this: “Amitabha in every home. Avalokitesvara in every house.”

Amitabha Buddha is the embodiment of great kindness. He has vowed to carry every sentient being who calls on him to his Pure Land. Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva is the embodiment of compassion. She listens to the world and answers every being who calls on her for help. The kindness and compassion of these two beings is the reason why so many Chinese place images of them in their homes. They offer them incense and revere them as the great protectors they are.

Joy and equanimity are the next words in the first verse.

Joy and equanimity, like kindness and compassion, are funda- mental to the practice of Buddhism. In this world, there is nothing more important than joy! Sakyamuni Buddha extolled the wonders and the importance of joy in many verses throughout the Buddhist sutras. Vimalakirti was so good at preaching the Dharma, heavenly beings often would come and joyfully listen to him speak.

In Buddhist temples, Maitreya Bodhisattva is always portrayed with a joyous smile on his face. His image is presented that way     to remind us of the importance of being joyful and of doing things   to make others feel joyful too. One of the first responsibilities of Buddhist monastics is to be joyful and to bring joy to other people. Joy is fundamental to Buddhist practice. We  all  should  stop  and ask ourselves from time to time, do my words express joy, is my behavior bringing joy to others, am I serving others with a joyful attitude?

If we carry an egotistic sense of ourselves into our work of helping others, then real compassion will not be born in our hearts. If we base our joy on forms and things, then real joy will not be a deep part of our practice.

All BLIA members should put their hearts into learning how to help others with an attitude of unrestricted joy and compassion. This is how we give to others. We give them ourselves. We give them the best of ourselves. Once we have learned to give the best of ourselves – our best joy and our best compassion – then our practice of Buddhism will flow smoothly, and nothing will hinder us as we grow and move toward our ultimate goal.

May all beings benefit from our blessings and friendship

Due to karmic forces, each one of us in this world can only receive so many blessings. If we waste what we receive, then we soon will find ourselves left with nothing. Our blessings are something like money in the bank. If we only spend and never save, then the day will come when we have nothing left in our account. If you learn to appreciate the value of money, then you will also learn how to save it, and how to make it grow.

“It is better to appreciate what blessings we have than to try only to accumulate more.”

This old saying is quite true because the only real way to accumu- late blessings is to fully appreciate whatever it is we have now.

Recent advancements in the world’s material well-being have caused many people to become wasteful and foolish in their use of money and material goods. They buy more than they need and they throw away things that are still quite valuable.

“The heavens and humans hurry together toward their doom.” Even as we become more wasteful and selfish, our planet seems to be recoiling under our irresponsibility. Species are dying while the water and air have become foul with noxious substances. Fortunately, across the world, people are waking up, some of them slowly, some of them more quickly. We must learn to appreciate what we have. We must learn to appreciate everything that we have. A piece of paper, a pencil, a drop of clear water, a simple leaf – we must hold each of them dear. There is beauty and wonder in every little thing in the world.

It is very important to appreciate the material bounty of this world, but it is even more important that we appreciate the people in this world. All of us are interconnected, and we circulate through life and meet one another due to objective conditions and due to karmic forces.

We should engage ourselves with other people in a very positive manner. With positive energy, we will succeed in achieving the deepest levels of friendship as we fulfill our karmic imperatives.

When positive energy is applied to friendship, untold good forces are released. There is nothing in the world more beautiful  than the positive energy that can be generated between people and among friends. This kind of energy is like water that can wash away bad karma. It is like an oil that smooths the progress of good karma. Positive energy among people is the single greatest force for bringing good into this world.

We all can see the differences among people. Some people seem able to comprehend the depths of life no matter where they turn; others cause resentment wherever they go. Some people always are lonely, while others are welcomed everywhere. These differences among people are caused by their different abilities to awaken positive energies in others.

There are many ways to awaken positive energies as we build friendships with others. We can help others materially, or we can use language to praise and encourage them. We can use our skills to help them, or we can use our knowledge to help improve a situation they are in.

The important thing to remember is to be positive and bring out the best in others as we bring out the best in ourselves. We don’t need to do big things to accomplish this. A simple smile, a look of encour- agement, a bit of kindness is all that is necessary to start a positive flow of energy between people. It may not look like much at first, but in the end, that energy is the greatest force in the world.

May our ethical practice of Chan and Pure Land help us realize equality and patience

There are two main ways people practice Buddhism today. One way is the Chan way, which emphasizes meditative concentration above all else. The other way is the Pure Land way, which emphasizes contem- plation of Amitabha Buddha’s name above all else.

The best way to practice Buddhism is to practice both of these ways at once.

In his four brief guidelines of practicing Chan and Pure Land, Master Yanshou (904-975) said, “Practiced together, Chan and Pure Land are like a tiger with horns. In this world you become a teacher to others, in the next world you will be among the Buddhas.” If BLIA members conscientiously practice both Chan and Pure Land, they will be sure to improve the quality of their lives while increasing the atmosphere of harmony among all with whom they come in contact.

The sutras often say, “Keeping the precepts is the foundation of bodhi realization.”

Whether you study Chan meditative concentration or Pure Land contemplation of Amitabha Buddha’s name, the basis of good practice must always be a firm resolution to uphold the precepts of Buddhism. The Buddhist precepts are the basic rules of life. When we follow them, we protect ourselves from harm. Look in the prisons. Is there anyone in there who isn’t there because he or she violated one of the precepts of Buddhism?

The basic Five Precepts are: no killing, no stealing, no lying, no sexual misconduct, and no abuse of drugs of alcohol.

Our jails are filled with people who broke these precepts. When we break these precepts, we violate other people. When we kill, we violate others’ lives. When we steal, we violate their property. When we lie, we violate their trust. When we engage in sexual misconduct, we violate their persons or their trust. When we abuse drugs or alcohol, we violate our own senses, and that violation too often leads to even more serious violations of one of the other precepts.

We must not violate others. We must not be a source of harm to others. We must not harm their persons, their property or their reputa- tions, and we must never lead anyone into evil ways.

If all of us would follow the basic precepts of Buddhism, this world would become a peaceful and beautiful place.

Beyond these basic precepts, Buddhism also offers its adherents other ways to improve themselves, such as the Eight Precepts and the bodhisattva Precepts. These more inclusive precepts lead us to even higher realizations. Through them we learn the importance of making our own commitments to helping all sentient beings everywhere.

The next word in the verse is equality.

Equality is one of the most important principles in all of Buddhism. Virtually all the world’s problems arise out of inequalities and the tensions they produce in societies. Women and men are not equal in most parts of the world, races are treated differently almost wherever you go, the young and the old are not equal, the rich and the poor are not equal, the powerful and the weak – the tensions caused by these inequal- ities are serious, and they eventually lead to very serious problems.

The Buddha said, “All beings have the wisdom and virtue of Buddha.”

On the outside we may all appear to be different, but inside we are all the same. Inside, we all posses Buddha nature, no matter what our circumstances may be. If only we could all realize that! Imagine how peaceful and beautiful the world would become if each one of us could realize that truth, and with that realization go forth to treat everyone with compassion and equality.

The next word in this verse is patience.

The Teachings bequeathed by the Buddha Sutra says, “Anyone who consistently practices patience can be said to be powerful and great. If one is not able to greet slander, defamation and ridicule with joyful patience, if one is not able to accept them as if they were sweet dew, then one cannot be said to have achieved wisdom or to have entered upon the true path.”

Patience is not only the greatest force on earth, it is also the highest state of wisdom.

Buddhism speaks of three kinds of patience.

The first kind of patience is called “life patience.” A person who possesses this kind of patience is fully aware of all the basic demands of existence, and is able to handle calmly whatever contingencies may arise.

The second kind of patience is called “Dharma patience.” A person who possesses Dharma patience understands the flux and changeabili- ty of the phenomenal world. He is able to accept change and adapt his mind to any and all conditions.

The third kind of patience is called “Dharma patience beyond birth and death.” A person with this kind of patience is able to see the deepest levels of reality. He sees that there is no real birth or death. He is able to wander freely wherever his mind will take him. His consciousness has fully transcended phenomenal conditions and is beyond the contingencies of this world altogether.

May we undertake the Great vows with humility and gratitude

The most beautiful of all the human virtues are humility, gratitude, and the taking of vows.

Humility looks two ways. When we are humble and we look at ourselves, we feel dissatisfied. When we look at others, we feel ashamed.

When we are dissatisfied with ourselves, we feel that our learning is insufficient, that our vows are weak, that our compassion is shallow and that our abilities are but feeble. When we feel ashamed of ourselves, we feel that we have not lived up to our parents’ expectations, that we are not worthy of our friends, that we are not fit to be part of our nation, and that we owe society a debt we may never be able to repay. Only when people are suffused with a deep sense of humility do they fully understand how to expend all their efforts in their work. Only when people are humble do they understand how to swim against the swift currents of defilement and worldliness. Thus the Teachings bequeathed by the Buddha Sutra says, “It is magnificent to submit to a sense of shame.”

People who have a strong sense of humility and gratitude are the most fortunate people in the world.

The sutras say that when a person takes the bodhisattva vow, he should contemplate with a supreme sense of gratitude his parents, his nation, his teachers, and all sentient beings. He should contemplate these with gratitude because if he had no nation to protect him, how would he live? If he had had no parents to raise him, how could he have become a man? If he had had no teachers to teach him, how could he have learned anything? If his society had no farmers, no manufac- turers, no businessmen, where would he get his clothing, his food, a roof over his head?

All of us are deeply connected to one another. We all depend on each other. Without other people, most of us would be entirely helpless. There is an old saying, “A drop of gratitude gives access to a fountain of blessings.” When even a crow knows how to feed its young, and even a sheep knows how to kneel for milk, how can a human being not know how to feel gratitude?

Vow is the last word of the verse.

Master Sheng’an (1686-1734) in his Inspiration for the Bodhicitta pledge said, “There is a door to entering the way. Intention is the head, cultivation is the duty, and taking vows is the beginning. When vows are firm, all beings will be saved. When intentions are strong, Buddha- hood will be achieved.”

In this world, is there anyone who is good and true to his heart who has not taken a vow to be that way? In this universe, is there a bodhisattva anywhere who has found the bodhi mind by not taking a vow to do that first?

Vows give us direction and they give us the strength to preserve. All members of the BLIA should take deep vows to aid them in all that they do in life.

The sutras say repeatedly that the merit gained from following one verse in the sutras is greater than all the merit that can ever be gained from even the greatest acts of material generosity. I hope all members of the BLIA will take these verses to heart, and from them learn and receive all the bounty and beauty that Buddhism has to offer.