(３８)“最大的功德在哪里？”

38) Now,

38) “Where is great merit to be found?”
　　佛陀曾说：“只要弹指顷观无常，成就无常想(aniccasanna)，它的功德胜过供养以佛陀为首的整个僧团。”(泰本巴利藏第２３册，４０６页)。

THE BUDDHA ONCE said, “Developing awareness-of-impermanence (aniccasa..a) for only as long as it takes to click the fingers has more effect and merit value than providing meals for the entire Sangha when led by the Buddha.”

　　这句话的意思是：即使我们以食物供养所有的僧伽，包括僧伽之首的佛陀，所获得的功德仍不如弹指顷成就无常想的功德，这点是最基本的。

This means that if we could invite the whole Buddhist Sangha together with the Buddha at its head and offer them food, we would still not gain as much merit as by successfully developing awareness- of-impermanence for the duration of a click of the fingers. This is a most fundamental point.

　　我们可以从佛陀所说的经典中看到他的清净心，他甚至勇敢地以自己作为比较的标准，啊！这一点是多么值得景仰，我满怀的敬意简直无法表达！请注意！寺院中一般人所谓“供僧”的大功德，实际上只是五欲的追求而已，而真正的大功德是如佛陀所说的——弹指顷修成无常想，这样的功德远超过供僧。

So, be wary of great deeds of charity such as some people display in temple halls, because they are concerned with sensual pleasures. Great merit, to be genuine, must be as the Buddha described. Developing awareness-of-impermanence for just a brief moment is far better than all this sort of providing for bhikkhus.