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一切功德法就是這一句南無阿彌陀佛-第259集
‘All merits’ is this Namo Amitabha Buddha.
早年我在美國，我住在馬里蘭州，距離首都ＤＣ不遠，那個地方成立了一個，是一九八四年，我第一次到美國是一九八二年，一九八三年成立華府佛教會，那時候不叫淨宗學會，華府佛教會，我是會長。第二年，當地，也是中國人，周廣大，他開一個麵包店，那個時候他得癌症末期，這一家沒有宗教信仰。醫院宣布他的狀況，告訴他的家人，他的壽命大概還有一、二個月，醫院放棄治療，讓他帶回家去。家人非常悲傷，這才找寺廟，希望能有奇蹟出現，就找到我們。
When I first came to the United States in 1982, I lived in Maryland, a state not far from the capital Washington DC. The Buddhist Society of Washington (it was not called Pure Land Learning Society then) was established there in 1983. I was the president of the society then. A year later, Mr. Zhou Guang Da, a Chinese national who opened a bakery there, was diagnosed with terminal cancer. The hospital doctor told his family members that he had only about a month or two to live. They had given up treatment on him and let his family members bring him home. The whole family, who had no religious belief, was greatly saddened by the news and went in search of a temple, hoping for a miracle to happen, so they found us in the end.
我們這個學會成立才一年，但同學也有六、七十人，找幾個熱心的同學幫助他，先去看看。我沒有去，他們同學打電話告訴我，他說確實沒有辦法再恢復，問我怎麼辦？我說你們勸他念佛求生淨土，看他能不能接受。
Our society had been set up for only one year, but there were already sixty to seventy practitioners. We got some enthusiastic practitioners to go and help him. They first went to his house to look at his condition. I did not go with them, so they called and told me that Mr. Zhou really had no way to recover and asked me what to do. I asked them to exhort him to chant Amitabha Buddha’s name to seek rebirth in the Pure Land and see if he could accept it.
就把西方極樂世界一介紹，周廣大先生立刻就接受，這是他有善根。他吩咐他的夫人跟他的兒女，不要去求醫了，你們統統念佛幫助我求往生。全家的共識建立，一個想法，他的病立刻痛苦減輕了。這個病很痛，所以臨終這一段期間，止痛藥、止痛針都可以不用了。
So, they introduced the Land of Ultimate Bliss to Mr. Zhou and he accepted it right away, which indicates he had virtuous roots. He told his wife and daughters to stop looking for physicians and medicines, but to recite Amitabha Buddha’s name to assist him to be reborn in the Pure Land. The whole family reached a consensus to do so and the pain of his illness was immediately eased, so he need not use painkillers in his final moment of life.
我們幫助他念了三天三夜，歡歡喜喜他走了。三天！《彌陀經》上說，「若一日，若二日，若三日」，沒講錯。
We helped him chant Amitabha Buddha’s name for three consecutive days and nights, and he left for the Pure Land happily. He succeeded in just three days! It confirms this phrase in the Amitabha Sutra, “If there is a good man or a good woman who hears Amitabha Buddha’s name and single-mindedly holds fast to the name for one to seven days, Amitabha Buddha and the assembly of saints will appear before him/her in the final moment of his/her life.”
但是我們曉得，佛經上說的，每一個往生的人，都是過去生中曾經供養無量如來，臨命終時，得到諸佛如來的加持，他馬上接受，歡歡喜喜，一家人念佛。
But we know that everyone who is reborn in the Land of Ultimate Bliss had made offerings to infinite buddhas in their former lifetimes (as the Buddhist sutra states). Owing to the support received from all buddhas in the final moment of his life, Mr. Zhou gladly accepted their exhortation right away, so his whole family chanted Amitabha Buddha’s name with him.
我們派的同學四個人，一共十二個人分三班，輪流，一班四個人，幫助他。三天往生，火化的時候還燒出舍利，給我們很大的信心。這個就是安住一切功德法中，一切功德法就是這一句南無阿彌陀佛，我們一定要知道。
We sent four practitioners to help Mr. Zhou, so there were twelve people being grouped into three sessions (with four people in each session) to take turn to chant Amitabha Buddha’s name for him. He was reborn in the Pure Land in three days and there were even relics from his body cremation. He had given us great confidence. This is focusing on all merits. We must know that ‘all merits’ is this Namo Amitabha Buddha.