金门公园祈雨记

Praying for Rain in Golden Gate Park

精诚所至，金石为开；祈雨之心虔诚到极点，

感动龙王发慈悲心，在不该降雨时而降雨，来拯救众生。

When one is extremely sincere, even gold and stone can break open. The extreme sincerity of people's prayers moved the Dragon King to take pity and send down rain when he was not supposed to, in order to save beings.

三藩市及其附近约有数百哩，因为二年多未下雨的缘故，发生严重的水荒，不但田地无法耕种，就是饮水也成问题，所以每天限时用水，十分不便。

As there had been no rain for over two years within several hundred miles' radius of San Francisco, there was a severe drought that not only made it impossible to irrigate the fields, but even depleted the drinking water supply. Daily water use was rationed, causing great inconvenience.

金山禅寺所有出家人和在家人，自动发心祈雨，行菩萨道。于一九七七年二月十六日早晨七时，在三藩市金门公园内的空地，设坛祈雨。参加者有数百人，大家虔诚念〈祈雨灵咒〉，法会庄严而隆重，这是美国有史以来，破天荒第一次。一般没有佛教信仰的人，认为这是迷信，是不可能的事。晚上七时祈雨法会结束，大家充满信心而归，念力坚固，相信一定会降雨。

All the left-home and lay people at Gold Mountain Dhyana Monastery resolved to practice the Bodhisattva Way by praying for rain. At seven o'clock in the morning on February 16, 1977, a prayer platform was set up in a clearing at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco. The several hundred participants sincerely recited the Spiritual Rain Mantra in a solemn ceremony. It would be the first time in this country that a drought would be ended by Buddhist recitation. Most people who weren't Buddhists regarded the affair as superstitious and impossible. When the prayer ceremony ended at seven o'clock that evening, participants returned home full of faith that it would rain.

所谓「精诚所至，金石为开。」不出所料，次日中午时，天晴如洗，万里无云之际，忽起乌云，布满空中，雷电交加，顷刻之间，普降豪雨，人人皆大欢喜。这次奇来的骤雨，令气象台的人员，感觉十分奇怪。这种现象乃是感应道交的境界，因为祈雨之心虔诚到极点，故感动龙王发慈悲心，在不该降雨时而降雨，来拯救众生。自此水荒解除，这个消息轰动三藩市，新闻记者和电视台摄影记者，乃争先恐后前来采访、摄影，在报纸、杂志、电台，大肆宣传，认为是奇事。(兹略记之，以飨读者。)

As it's said, "When one is sincere to the extreme, even gold and stone can break open." So it was no surprise when, at noon on the following day, dark clouds suddenly covered the clear blue skies, there was thunder and lightning, and then the rain started pouring down. Everyone was overjoyed, and the weather forecasters were completely perplexed. This circumstance came about in response to the extreme sincerity of people's prayers, which moved the Dragon King to take pity and send down rain when he was not supposed to, in order to save beings. The rain that ended the drought caused an uproar in San Francisco. News reporters and T.V. cameramen rushed over to conduct interviews and take pictures. The "miracle was given full coverage in the newspapers, magazines, and television. [This event has been briefly related here for the readers' information.]