平常心 Normality - 莊嚴聖潔之物 Sacred And Holy Objects

1-2-6. SACRED AND HOLY OBJECTS莊嚴聖潔之物

When I stayed in Korngaan, there was a family of 4 people, they built a house and bought 2 amulets from another province, each 450 baht, together 900, one for grandpa and one for the son in law. In those days 900 baht was a lot of money. They also bought 2 medalions for protection. But the people living in the house were continuously sick. Even inviting monks to chant didn’t help.

有一陣子我待在空港(Korngaan)，那兒有一家四口人，他們蓋了一間房子，並從別的省買了兩個護身符，一個450銖，一共900銖，然後一個給祖父，一個給女婿。在那個年代里，900銖是不少的錢。另外，他們還買了兩張佛牌求保佑，但是住在這屋內的人卻接二連三地生病，即使找法師來誦經也沒什麼用。

As soon as they heard that I was staying at the monastery nearby, they invited me to chant as I was a meditation monk. At that time, there was an old abbot there who ordained there and built the monastery, he wanted to go with me but I told him that 2 monks is not auspicious, only one monk should go : if he’d go, I wouldn’t go. So he ended up not going because he wasn’t invited. I went alone, they picked me up with a car to go to their home. Having arrived I asked : ‘How long ago was this house built ?’. They said 2-3 years ago and the people living in it, that is, the daughter, the son in law and the wife were sick all the time. Grandpa is the only one healthy. I asked why. They answered that it was a wicked house, there’s a ghost in it. I inquired further what they believed in. They said they believed in the Buddha and Dhamma .

他們一聽說我來到附近的寺院，于是他們因為我是個修禪的和尚，就請我去誦經。那時，寺里有一位老住持，他在這兒出家且蓋了這座寺院，他想跟我一起去，但我告訴他兩個和尚同去是不吉利的，只能去一位，如果他要去，那我就不去。所以他最後沒去，因為他沒被邀請。我獨自去，他們用車載我到他們家。到了之後，我問：「這房子是多久前蓋的？」他們說2到3年前，而且住在里面的女兒、女婿和妻子常常生病，只有祖父健康無礙。我問為什麼？他們回答說這是一棟鬼屋，里面有鬼。我進一步問他們信仰什麼？他們說他們信仰佛陀及佛法。

Then I asked to see the Buddha images they’d bought. They fetched the medalions and amulets for me to see. I asked : ‘Can you give them a bath ?’. They informed me they bathe them every year. So I told them to do it. They got out a basin of water to be blessed. I looked at my watch and dumped the medalions and amulets in the water. They soaked for an hour while engaging them in chitchat until they forgot. So I spoke up : ‘We’ve forgotten the Buddhas, they have died !’. They had a shock because they thought they had really drowned. I asked them : ‘When you dive in the water, do you breathe ?’. They said they couldn’t. I pointed out that a Buddha also dies when He can’t breathe .

然後，我要他們讓我看看他們買的佛像，他們就拿出那兩張佛牌和護身符給我看。我問他們：「你們有為它們灌沐嗎？」他們回答說每年都有為它們灌沐，于是我要他們去灌沐佛牌和護身符。他們拿出一盆加持過的水給我，我看著手表開始計時，把佛牌和護身符放進水中，然後開始和他們聊天，聊聊聊，聊到他們都忘了時間，佛牌和護身符已經浸在水里一個小時了。然後我說：「完了！我們都把佛給忘了！他們已經淹死了！」他們一聽嚇壞了，因為他們真的以為佛陀被淹死了。我還故意問他們：「你們潛在水里時能夠呼吸嗎？」他們回答不能。我就說佛陀不能呼吸的話也一樣會死(人沒照顧好，祂就會死)。

After that, I taught them not to be foolish : Amulets and Buddha images are neither sacred nor holy, they cannot protect people in any way, rather they are people who look after them. They were submerged in the water for over an hour and they couldn’t surface at all ! They can’t even do that much, and how are they going to help people ? They understood immediately and offered the images to me. I didn’t accept them, I would have thrown there away. I told them to sell them back to the owner or somebody who wants them. At least, you get some money which you can use to look after illnesses.

接著，我教導他們：「不要愚蠢！護身符及佛像既非莊嚴的也非聖潔的，它們一點都不能保護人們，反而是人們在照護它們。它們被淹在水里超過一小時，但卻連浮出水面都不行。連這樣都不行，那它們要怎麼幫人救苦救難呢？」他們立刻明白了道理，然後要將那佛像供養給我，我沒接受，因為我會把它們給扔了。我告訴他們說可以賣回給原來的賣家或是想要的人，這樣至少你們可以換得一些錢用來看病。

When they understood all this, I made holy water, having them recite NAMO 3 times and the 3 refuges: BUDDHAM SARANAM GACHAMI etc., translated. Then I explained that YO CHAKKHUMA MOHAMALAPAKADDHO means The Venerable One has the eye of wisdom. The eye of wisdom isn’t the physical eye, but it is the eye in the mind, there is wisdom to eliminate the stain of delusion, Moha. This is what can help. Nothing can help you except this wisdom. SAMANGVA BUDDHO SUGATO means one who has gone well, both coming and going well. Not going to get drunk, gamble or visit nightclubs. You should understand it like this.

當他們了解之後，我準備了淨水，要他們誦3遍讚佛偈和三皈依，並翻譯給他們聽，然後我解釋說：「“Yo Chakkhuma Mohamalapakaddho”是世尊有慧眼的意思，慧眼不是肉眼而是心眼，能流露智慧消除愚痴煩惱(Moha)，這才是真正對你有幫助的，除了智慧沒有任何其它東西可以幫助你。“SAMANGVA BUDDHO SUGATO”是說佛陀是善逝者，善來及善去，也就是不喝酒、賭博或到夜店去，你必須這樣理解。」

Having finished that, I sprinkled the holy water on them until they were all dripping. Then had them mop the floor with the water. I gave them some encouragement saying : ‘Rub it well, rub it so that the ghost disappears today !’. Finished rubbing the floor, they showed me human bones, downstairs. I assured them : ‘It’s not sacred at all, when you burn it, it’ll disintegrate, if it was holy, it shouldn’t disappear on being burnedt’.

說完之後，我就為他們灑淨，灑到他們全身都在滴水，然後叫他們利用那些水來擦地板，同時還為他們打打氣說：「好好地擦！努力擦！鬼神今天就會不見了！」擦完地板，他們給我看樓下的人骨(鬧鬼原因)，我向他們保證：「那根本沒什麼神聖，你一燒它，它就會毀壞，假如它真的是神聖的，應該要燒不壞才對！」

Well, their illnesses disappeared. Hm, people don’t understand, their minds are weak and they don’t have a refuge, they rely on ghosts, angels etc……

總算還好，後來他們的病都不見了。唉！人們總是不了解真相，他們內心脆弱無法依止自心得到庇護，而依賴外在的鬼靈、天神等…