Fo Guang Shan is in the corner of Dashu District， Gaoxiong City， Taiwan. The reporter drove from Gaoxiong City， along the broad asphalt road between rows upon rows of buildings. As time went by， the urban landscape went far gradually， and our sight has been filled with winding country lanes and staggered village houses. Through innumerable twists and turns， all we could see were only scattered villages and brimless open space. The saying “l(fā)ife is a process of walking into society and out of society” could surely be applied here.

When the “Wendao Hall” came into our sight， the car entered the Fo Guang Temple. It seemed that the profound Buddhist buildings filled the whole world and the anima embedded in the air made every visitor praise the solemn of the sacred place. Master Hui Shi received us. He was a Malaysian Chinese and converted to Buddhism decades ago. He was always smiling while he speaking and walking with an elegant gesture like an immortal. Under his guidance， we stepped on the pure land of Fo Guang Temple.

佛光山偏安于臺灣高雄市大樹區(qū)一隅，記者一行驅車自高雄市出發(fā)，一路沿著寬闊的柏油路穿梭在兩側櫛比鱗次的水泥鋼筋之中，隨著時間的推移，都市的風光漸行漸遠，不知何時視野早已被蜿蜒的鄉(xiāng)間小路和那高低交錯的村鎮(zhèn)樓宇所取代，百轉千回，行至最后，收在眼底的竟然只有零星的村落民居以及一望無際的開闊，著實應了那句話“入世出世走一遭”。

伴著“問道堂”的映入眼簾，車子駛進了佛光山，登時一片宏偉的佛教建筑群仿若充斥了整個世界，空間中升騰的佛國凈土的靈氣，令所有到訪者無不由衷的感嘆著佛教圣地的莊嚴。接待我們的慧是法師是位馬來西亞籍華人，在佛光山皈依佛門已有十幾年的時間，言語間總是洋溢著慈善的笑容，他走起路來僧衣飄飄的姿態(tài)，竟如出世仙人一般，一路在他的指引下我們才真正踏進佛光山寺的凈土。

“Natural museum of original ecology”

“原生態(tài)的自然博物館”

It cannot be more appropriate to call the Fo Guang Temple a “natural museum of original ecology”. What differentiates it from other temples is that we not only see delicate sculptures of Buddha and smell the fragrance of sandalwood， but also feel the calm in the old trees， birds singing， and beautiful flowers here. They all inspire people’s admiration for Buddha. According to Master Hui Shi， the bodhi trees and red sandalwoods have grown here for hundreds of years. Since the foundation of Fo Guang Shan， the monks have obeyed Venerable Master Hsing Yun to preserve these old trees that can reach into the sky. Every tree and every blade of grass have been preserved in the original status. Moreover， Master Hsing Yun also call on people to return the mountain to forest and collect plants from society to integrate the skills of craftsmen into nature， which enables the visitors to “feel close to nature and understand the value of life” in person.

The reception in the temple is called Dendrocalamus latiflorus Garden. Just as the name implies， the place used to be a Dendrocalamus latiflorus forest. The name means to let every visitor remember this natural landscape in whirling shadows. What’s more interesting is that there are statues of novice monks in various gestures around the garden， vivid and agile. The harmonious relationship between human and nature is self-evident. In such a life-preserving Buddhist garden， listening to the morning bell and evening drum， looking up at the solemn several-hundred foot-high Buddha in the City of Buddha and looking down at the rivers wriggling down the mountain， and feeling the integration of human， Buddha， and nature， one undoubtedly enjoy the most amazing things in the world.

如果說把這座佛光山寺稱之為一座“原生態(tài)的自然博物館”，應該再恰當不過。與其他廟宇不同的是，沿著陡峭的山路前行，除了精美的佛陀雕像、氤氳的檀香味道激發(fā)起人們內心深處對佛陀的膜拜感外，那隨處可見鳥語花香、古木盎然的沉靜也讓記者多了一分對這片佛家園林內自然生命的肅然起敬。據(jù)慧是法師介紹，這沿途的菩提樹、紫檀等樹中有的竟然足足生長了數(shù)百年的時間之久，自佛光山開山建寺以來，憎侶們就遵照開山鼻祖星云大師的囑托，將這一株株參天古樹保存了下來，一草一木均保留著最原始的狀態(tài)，不止如此，星云大師還號召眾人還綠于山，并向社會募集樹木花草，力促將能工巧匠的技藝與大自然真正融為一體，現(xiàn)身說法的讓所有到訪者“親近自然，體悟生命的價值?！?/p>

寺內名叫麻竹園的地方是佛光山寺接待處，顧名思義這里原本是一片麻竹林，取名麻竹園是為了讓每一個到訪者在竹影摩挲間懷念這片曾經(jīng)的自然景象，更頗有意思的是麻竹園周遭被安放在蔥郁之中的各種姿態(tài)的小沙彌，靈動感十足，人與自然的和諧寓意不言而喻。在如此護生的佛家園林中參悟佛法，聆聽暮鼓晨鐘，仰視大佛城內莊嚴肅穆的百尺大佛，俯視山下蜿蜒數(shù)百里的河流，體味人、佛、自然的水乳交融，無疑是人世間最為美妙的事情。

The Buddha Memorial Hall， a natural museum of original ecology， is also a classic natural landscape that should not be missed in Fo Guang Shan. Walking on the Way of Buddhism， we can see 40 bodhi trees on the sides of roads， guarding the green grass， colorful bougainvillaea， and budding nandina elaborating the charm of nature as a host. Even when we walk around the corner of the road， blossomed flowers can be seen everywhere. Especially Zhi Garden， it is the first established natural garden built in the early stage of the building of the temple.

“We must plant trees and welcome everybody to come here to appreciate the beauty of mountain and forests.” Master Hsing Yun said so when he founded the Fo Guang Shan Monastery. It’s hard to imagine that the original land of Fo Guang Shan only had 30% soil suitable for the grow of grass and flower， and the left 70% was all gravel. The monks picked up every piece of rock by their bare hands， and planted grass and flowers， bearing in mind that “picking up stones is also a kind of practice to pick out what bothers you in your mind.” After three weeks， 10 inches of soil as well as its vigor was unveiled. Every blade of grass and tree has life. When you feel the holiness of Buddhism in the fragrance of flowers and the singing of birds， you will admire nature more.

提及原生態(tài)的自然博物館，佛陀紀念館亦是佛光山自然景觀不容錯過的經(jīng)典。信然行走在成佛大道之上，兩側40株粗壯的菩提樹搖曳著枝椏，在微風中守護著茵茵的青草，艷麗盛開的九重葛，新芽萌生的南天竹，以主人的姿態(tài)詮釋著大自然的奧妙經(jīng)典。即便是行走在路的轉角處，吐露芬芳的花朵也隨處可見，尤其是祗園，更是在佛館建造之初，成為最先竣工的自然園林。

“一定要種樹，讓大家來佛館可以欣賞山林之美?！边@番話是星云大師在開山之初所言。但難以想象的是在最初佛館建造的土地上，只有30%是適合花草栽種的土壤，剩下70%全是難墾的碎石，困難可想而知。佛光山的僧眾們憑借著“撿石頭也算是一種修行，把自己心中的煩惱撿掉”的信念一起撿石頭、鋪草皮、種花樹，如此三周時間之后，石頭一顆一顆被眾人抬起，露出深達10公分高的土壤，同時也吐露出蓬勃的生機。一草一木皆有靈性，在鳥語花香之中體味佛家的神圣，崇敬感頓由心升。

Evening drum and morning bell:

ring the bell of protecting lives

暮鼓晨鐘：敲響護生之音

“Bass drums” were used for assembling people. It’s usually made of animal skin for the best sound effect. Walking along the Way of Buddhism and going through eight Buddhism towers including First Jiao Stupa， Second Zhong Stupa， Third Hao Stupa， Fourth Gi Stupa， Fifth He Stupa， Sixth Du Stupa， Seventh Jie Stupa， and Eighth Dao Stupa， we can see a giant bass drum with the diameter of 210cm and height of 270cm high sitting on the drum tower. When there are important religious ceremonies， it’s used to wake people’s ignorant mind. It’s no surprise the size of the drum is hugh， but its texture is very special. The 1200kg-weighed drum is completely made of plant fiber， fiber glass and chemical fiber material， which is consistent with the spirit of “protecting lives”.

In Buddhism， there is an “Origin Theory”， which is the main doctrine of Buddhism and the essence of all Buddha dharma. Buddha defined “Oringin” as “the being of one causes the being of the other， and the origin of one causes the origin of the other; the nonbeing of one causes the nonbeing of the other， and the death of one causes the death of the other.” The four sentences reflect the dependent existence at the same or different time. We always read in Buddhist sutras that “dharma does not emerge by itself， but originates for reasons.” It means that things in the world cannot come into being without ground and exist by themselves， but rely on the concordance of certain reasons and conditions. Once one of these conditions is absent， things go in vanish. In this theory， we are interdependent with other species， and the earth is the homeland owned by all living creatures. To protect other species is to protect ourselves.

“大鼓”在佛教古來被作為敲打集眾之用，一般為了追求最佳的聲音效果多用動物皮質制成，但沿著成佛大道繼續(xù)前行，穿越一教塔、二眾塔、三好塔、四給塔、五和塔、六度塔、七誡塔、八道塔這蘊含深邃佛理的佛門八塔之后，卻有著這樣一面直徑210公分、高度達270公分的大鼓靜靜的安放在鼓樓之上，待有重大法事集會之時用來蕩滌人們的心靈，敲醒愚鈍的行為之用，這面鼓之大倒不是什么稀奇，出彩之處在于它的材質，這么一面重達1200公斤的大鼓竟然完全用植物纖維、玻璃纖維與化纖材料制成，皆為取其“護生”之意。

在佛教中有一種“緣起說”，他既是佛教最主要的教義，也可說是全部佛法的核心。曾經(jīng)佛陀給“緣起”下過這樣的定義:“此有故彼有，此生故彼生；此無故彼無，此滅故彼滅。”這四句就是表示同時的或者異時的互存關系。我們也常常看到佛經(jīng)上說“法不孤起，仗緣而生”，意思就是指世界上的事物，既非憑空而有，也不能單獨存在，必須依靠種種因緣條件和合才能成立，一旦組成的因緣散失，事物本身也就歸于烏有。從緣起法的觀點來看，我們與地球上的其他物種是相互依存的，地球是一切生物共有的家園，保護其他物種其實就是在保護我們人類自己。

The mercy benevolence of Buddhism is based on the idea of Buddha’s nature. All living creatures in the world have Buddha nature， so all living creatures are equal. Mankind is interdependent and co-existent with other species， and we should oppose the anthropocentrism idea that other species are tools of human beings. Therefore， the Buddhism ecological theory included in Buddhism is interlinked with the modern ecological theory.

We all believe it’s hard to be a pious follower， but the masters of Fo Guang Shan can even carry forward the essence of respecting nature and being kind to all living creatures in such a detailed way， which is really impressing and admirable. It’s said that in order to make this drum of “protecting lives”， the workers spent over a year studying material and techniques to guarantee the best sound effect. Facing such a solemn and profoundly sacred instrument， the reporter cannot help showing the respect before listening to its sound.

佛教的慈悲觀，是建立在佛性思想上的。眾生皆有佛性，所以眾生平等，人類與其他物種是共生共存的關系，要反對人類中心主義那種將其他物種僅僅看作是人類工具的觀點。因此可以說，佛教思想中包含的佛教生態(tài)學理論與現(xiàn)代生態(tài)學理論是相通的。

都說禮佛難，佛光山的法師們竟能在如此細節(jié)之處，將佛家尊重自然，善待生靈的緣起說精髓發(fā)揚出來，令人不得不折服與震撼。據(jù)介紹為了做成這面護生之鼓，鼓匠人足足耗費了一年有余的時間，研究選材與制作工藝，方才保證其音質的渾厚與悠遠。面對如此莊嚴大氣的法器，記者竟然未聞其聲卻早已心生敬畏。

Arhats show equality

between men and women

男女平等 羅漢啟示

In recent years， with the ups and downs of feminist movements， pursuing equality of men and women and safeguarding women’s rights and interests have become the hottest topic of the international society. But due to historical reasons， women’s status is still more or less unequally treated. As to Arhats， have you ever seen a female one in historical books， movies or television plays? In the traditional Chinese drama Journey to the west， all Arhats are kind and amicable males. But in Fo Guang Shan， the reporter found three female Arhats with benign faces at the “Bodhi Square”.

With hidebound ideas of Arhats in mind， when stepping into the Square， the reporter did not pay much attention to the sculptures displayed around. From the artistic point of view， these sculptures were wonderful workmanship excelling nature. Their figures in clothes fluttering in the wind and kind and soft faces looked very gentle and peaceful under the Madagascar almond trees， which were totally harmonized with the surrounding Buddhist landscape. But the reporter did not feel surprised at all these. Seeing no clue was found by the reporter， the guide Master Hui Shi pointed at three Arhats and said: “Look， here are three female Arhats- Da Aidao Nagasena， Lian Huase Nagasena and Miao Xian Nagasena.” Following the finger of Master Hui Shi， the reporter certainly found three female figures among the eighteen Arhats. “Bringing in female Arhats， Great Master Xing Yun was not to follow the trend of modern times， but to truly realize the notion of equality of all human beings in Buddha dharma. Everyone in the world， no matter rich or poor， male or female， young or old， can be enlightened to be a Buddha through cultivating themselves.”

近年來隨著女權運動的跌宕起伏，追求男女平等、維護婦女權益問題已經(jīng)成為國際社會最為關注的熱點問題之一，但是由于歷史原因，女性仍或多或少受到不平等的對待，提及羅漢，無論是從歷史著作之中，還是影視劇中，您有沒有聽過女羅漢？在中國的傳統(tǒng)戲碼《西游記》中多次出現(xiàn)的羅漢無一不是以慈善和藹的男性形象出現(xiàn)，但在佛光山，記者卻在“菩提廣場”觀摩到三位慈眉善目的女性羅漢形象。

遵照內心對羅漢墨守陳規(guī)的概念，記者初踏進菩提廣場時，對陳列四周的羅漢雕塑并未十分在意，單從藝術角度講，這些雕像群的制作可以稱得上是巧奪天工，無論是衣袂飄飄的身姿還是慈祥柔和的面容，在小葉欖仁樹下都顯得非常的柔和與寧靜，與周遭的佛教景觀非常的契合與融洽，但卻也并不意外。見記者未發(fā)現(xiàn)其中端倪，向導慧是法師手指其中的三尊羅漢雕像介紹到:“看，這是三名女性羅漢，大愛道尊者、蓮華色尊者和妙賢尊者?！表樦凼欠◣熓种傅姆较?，記者果然發(fā)現(xiàn)在這十八羅漢的群雕之中，有三位女性的身影，“星云大師將女羅漢納入雕像之中，并不只是要跟隨現(xiàn)代潮流，而是真正的要實現(xiàn)佛法之前，眾生平等的理念，世間之人無論貧富貴賤、男女老少，皆能透過資深修行，開悟成佛?！?/p>

The founder Great Master Xing Yun has always proposed “Humanistic Buddhism”， and he wrote: “From the Buddhist idea that ‘every living creature has Buddhist nature’， women should also be respected. Women’s wisdom and ability are not second to men’s and they should take part in political， social and other public affairs， and actively increase the opportunity and broad the level for service.” “This world is half men’s and half women’s， and in a civilized society， cultured men should respect women’s rights and advocate equality of men and women.” (From Great Master Xing Yun’s Buddhism Should Have More Gender Equality)

We often misunderstand Buddhism in a lot of cases by regarding it as a faith and without weighing and considering and brush past it. Actually， many principles of Buddhism are also rules of doing things in daily life， which is just related to faith.

佛光山的開山鼻祖星云大師一直以來倡導“人間佛教”，他更曾經(jīng)撰文道：從佛教“眾生皆有佛性”的思想來看，女子也應當是被尊重的眾生。女眾的智慧、能力并不亞于男眾，應該參與政治、社會等各種公眾事務，積極擴大服務的機會與層面?！薄斑@個世間本來就是男人一半，女人一半，文明社會中，有修養(yǎng)的男眾應該尊重女權，倡導男女平等?！保ā冻鲎孕窃拼髱煛胺痖T更應男女平等兩性平權》一文）

如此看來我們很多時候都誤解了佛教，單將其看作是一種信仰，而沒有更多的揣摩與參悟，甚至擦肩而過。其實很多佛理也正是世間為人處世之法則，而與信仰只是相關罷了。

Picture of Protecting Living Things-combination of ecology and arts‘

護生圖——生態(tài)與藝術的結合

With sincere hearts， the reporter and others visited the Buddha Memorial Hall and appreciated Buddhist art classics build by artists with painstaking efforts， staring and wowing. Impressed by Buddhist culture， when turning back on the ring road， people were surprised repeatedly. On the outer wall of the corridor， colored pictures of Protecting Living Things appeared vividly like embossments， like a huge picture book hanging on the wall to attract people’s attention.

帶著虔誠之心，記者一行參觀了佛陀紀念館本館，欣賞到館內藝術家用心血鑄造的佛學藝術經(jīng)典，瞠目之余，無不嘖嘖稱奇。感受著佛教文化帶來的心靈沖擊，記者一行折返而歸，不曾想途中竟然在環(huán)館道路上驚喜連連，佛館的廊道外墻之上，一幅幅彩書護生圖如浮雕板躍然墻上，儼然一本掛在墻上的超大繪本般奪人眼球。

Picture of Protecting Living Things is the work of famous cartoonist Feng Zikai with the inscription of Master Hong Yi in the early National Republic of China， which picturized the Buddhist compassionate teachings of protecting living things and no killing. It’s unthinkable that the designer of the Hall brought the lifelike pictures on the wall by drawing them with mud. Every visitor here can feel visual impact in a short time and learn the essence of Buddhist doctrines quickly.

The pictures contained the contents of voicing the discontents of suffered creatures， harmonious coexistence between human beings and other living things， condemning brutal slaughters， well doings of protecting living things in daily life and literary quotations from history books. The notion of equality of all living things was demonstrated clearly in these tiny squares with just a few lines. The picture of Dead Mother Bear showed even a mother bear shot by hunters would still try to protect its child instinctively even in extremis. All pictures from the perspective of changing positions revealed the harmonious coexistence between nature and humanity， which is a live teaching material.

《護生書籍》是著名漫畫家豐子愷所繪民國初年大德弘一法師題字的畫本。該書將佛教護生、不殺生的慈悲教義，以圖像藝術呈現(xiàn)出來。實在是難以想到，佛陀紀念館的設計師竟然將這樣一個栩栩如生的畫本用泥作功法，展示在外墻上，讓每一位到訪者在短時間內通過視覺沖擊，迅速閱讀到佛學教義精髓。

細細研讀畫本所選畫幅，或替遭殃生物鳴不平，或繪人與物相處的和睦，或譴責虐殺的殘忍，或發(fā)掘日常護生的善行，或勾陳史書的典故，方寸之間，寥寥數(shù)筆，眾生平等的觀念便清清楚楚的勾勒出來?？催@幅“已死的母熊”展現(xiàn)的即是被獵人所射殺的母熊在彌留之際本能的對孩子的保護。一幅幅作品都以換位思考的角度，展現(xiàn)自然萬物與人類之間的和諧相處，實乃是一本活教材。

Postscript :

后記：

For Fo Guang Shan， the reporter was just a passer-by in a hurry， who had not appreciated the quintessence there yet within two days and was already on the way to next destination. But what mentioned above were not only a visual feast but also mind cleansing. People’s recognition of Buddhism has always been very superficial as they regard it as doctrines. From this visit to Fo Guang Shan， the reporter’s biggest impression was that Buddhism was actually not far away from us and it was in our daily life， our work and every parts of the world. So why not try to study， work and realize the harmonious coexistence and continuousness between man and nature and among human beings with the Buddhist point of view.

對于佛光山而言，記者只是一個匆匆的過客，兩天的時間甚至還未曾細細品味到佛光山的精華就已經(jīng)趕赴在下一個行程的路上，但文中所提幾點帶給記者卻并不止是視覺上的盛宴，而是心靈上的蕩滌。一直以來，世人對于佛教的認知或只有皮毛，或將其歸于教義一類。而佛光山歸來，記者最大的感受竟然是佛學其實并不遙遠，他其實就在我們的生活中，在我們的工作中，在世界上的每一個環(huán)節(jié)之中。如此，何不嘗試著用佛學的觀點去學習，去工作，去實現(xiàn)人與自然、人與人之間的和諧共處與延續(xù)。