注意

Watch Out

一位出家人的房屋被焚毁，居住无着，十分可怜。我万不得已从用于僧众医药的扶贫款中支出了1000元钱，补助她用于修缮房屋。当时因为救急，没来得及细想，事后却想起堪布根华在《入行论讲义》中引用的一宗公案：

A fire destroyed a nun’s dwelling, making her homeless and outright miserable. In a pinch, I appropriated 1,000 yuan from the money designated for poverty relief and Sangha’s medical needs to help her fix the damage. In my rush to help in an emergency, I wasn’t thinking carefully, but later I recalled a story told by Khenpo Kunzang Palden (Khenpo Kunpal) in his A Detailed Commentary on Shantideva’s A Guide to Bodhisattva Way of Life:

几个印度小孩在街上玩耍，一位具备各种丑相、脚踵朝前的饿鬼来到面前，小孩十分恐惧，饿鬼说：“我以前是那烂陀寺的堪布，名叫加秋，因在僧众经堂里未脱鞋，而感得今生脚踵朝前。又因将僧财中的一碗米送与别人，而转生为饿鬼。”

One day in India, children were playing on the street when they saw a hungry ghost that bore many marks of ugliness and had its ankles flipped forward. The ghost approached and told the frightened kids: “I used to be a khenpo of the Nalanda University, my name was Gyacho. Because I did not take off my shoes in the Dharma lecture hall, I was reborn with ankles flipped to the front. In addition, through my misdeed of giving one bowl of rice from the Sangha’s possession to someone else, I am now reborn as a hungry ghost.”

记得当时法王如意宝讲到此时，特别规定我们入经堂不得穿鞋，可能考虑到处理僧众财产的人不多，没有特意嘱咐。

I remember our Choeje (King of Dharma) Rinpoche at this point stipulated especially that no shoes would be allowed in the Dharma lecture hall. He did not make a specific order on handling of Sangha’s properties; perhaps feeling few people would be involved in this kind of responsibility.

《贤愚经》也云：“獭利咤营事比丘，以自在故，用僧祗物花果饮食，送与白衣，受此花报，于此命终，堕大地狱。”僧众的财产实在是严厉的对境，如果处理不当，会招致无穷后患。

In the Sutra of the Wise and the Foolish, it says: “Talizha managed the properties of the Buddhist monks. He acted according to his will and gave the Sangha’s belongings—flowers, fruits, or foods—to lay persons. As a result, when he died he was reborn in the tormenting hell.” The Sangha’s property is an extremely powerful object of any action; inappropriate handling of it will lead to endless trouble.

记得阿底峡尊者在与克什米尔班智达会晤之后，不以为然地说道：克什米尔班智达在教理方面的确是出类拔萃、名不虚传，但在因果取舍方面却很潦草。可见尊者对因果的重视程度。

After Jowo Atisha met pandita Kashmir, he commented with disapproval: “Pandita Kashmir is preeminent in his theoretical understanding of the Doctrine and is worthy of his title. Yet he does not give priority to choosing what to do in accordance with the principle of cause and effect.” We can see how scrupulously the revered Master has been in observing the karmic law.

如果我们认为自己没有私心，而随意安排僧众财产，殊不知有意无意之间会造下多少恶业？

Even if we deem our intentions to be selfless, to allocate the properties of the Sangha members with a free hand is certain to create many non-virtues. Are we aware of this risk that we may have haphazardly created?

难怪学院一位学识渊博的堪布曾谨慎地说道：“我到其他寺院，只管讲经，不管财产，否则会很麻烦。”

No wonder a learned khenpo at the academy once declared prudently: “When I am invited to other monasteries, I will teach Dharma only. I want nothing to do with their property management. Otherwise, I am asking for trouble.”

天理昭彰、因果不虚，我们还是应当慎重取舍因果。

Nature’s justice works out precisely and the principle of cause and effect is infallible. We better pay minute attention to our actions and their effects.

壬午年六月二十三日　
2002年8月1日　　

23rd of June, Year of RenWu
August 1, 2002