18.受命服務常住 Being ordered to serve the Eternally Dwelling

受命服務常住

公年二十三歲禮懺已三載。僧來告云。蕭大人已告老還鄉。妙老和尚深讚公之苦行道心。然需福慧並重。事理兼明拜懺乃慧邊事。任責常住服務僧坊。為大眾謀利益即福邊事。

宣化偈曰： 十方常住三寶尊。百般職務各盡心。 福慧兼修培自性。賢聖同居號叢林。

Being ordered to serve the Eternally Dwelling

When the Master was twenty-three years of age, he had completed three years of bowing the repentance ceremony. One day a Sangha member came and said, “Your father has resigned his post because of his age and has returned home. The Venerable Master Miao Lien applauds your austerities and determination on the Path of cultivation. However, he says one must have both wisdom and blessings and one must understand phenomena as well as noumena. On one hand, bowing the repentance ceremony as you have done leads to wisdom, but on the other, you should attain blessings by undertaking the responsibility of serving those of the monastery, that is, of benefitting everyone and the Triple Jewel.”

The verse says: The Eternally Dwelling of the ten directions is the honorable Triple Jewel. Performing his duties for the sake of all, he always did his best. The Master cultivated both blessings and wisdom, enriching the self-nature. Where worthy sages dwell is called a Buddhist monastery.