我在东北三缘寺依止常仁大师（王孝子）的时候，有一次因为建庙，便到村庄借车运建筑材料。离庙十五里有个村庄，叫大灞。当时正是春耕的时候，农人很忙，所以没有借到车。我到村长家里，他也说现在太忙了，哪有时间为庙上去运料？
When I was in Manchuria, I went to stay with Great Master Chang Ren (Filial Son Wang) at Three Conditions Monastery. Once when the temple was under construction, I went to a nearby village to borrow some carts for transporting construction materials. About five miles from the temple, there was a village called Daba. It was spring, tilling time. The farmers were very busy, and I couldn’t come up with any carts. I went to the village leader’s house. He said, “We’re really busy now. How can we find time to transport materials for a temple?”
就在这时，村长的弟媳来见我。她说：“老修行，我的小孩子病了，医生不能治。您能不能发慈悲心，把我小孩子的病治好？”
Then his sister-in-law came to see me. She said, “Old cultivator, my child is sick and the doctors can do nothing. Can you be merciful and cure my child’s illness?”
我对她说：“因你不孝顺公婆（丈夫的父母）的缘故，所以你的小孩子病了。你想要小孩子病好，一定要忏悔──在祖先牌位前叩头祈祷：‘自今以后，孝敬公婆，和睦妯娌。’然后跪在公婆面前认错：‘发誓不惹公婆生烦恼。’如果真心去做，妳的小孩子一定会好。”
I told her, “Your child is ill because you’ve been unfilial to your parents-in-law. If you want him to get well, you must repent. Kneel and bow in front of the ancestral tablets and pray. From now on, be filial and respectful to your parents-in-law, and be amicable with your sisters-in-law. Kneel before your parents-in-law and confess your faults, and vow not to distress them again. If you do that with a sincere heart, your child will get well.”
她实时照样做了，可是小孩子病还没有好转。她又跑来见我，叙述这种情形，我对她说：“妳把小孩子抱来给我看看！”她立刻把小孩子抱来，是一个年约三、四岁的小男孩，眼睛闭着，嘴巴张着。我在小孩的头顶拍三下，不一会儿工夫，小孩子睁开眼睛，东看西望。约过了五分钟，便离开他妈妈的怀抱，下地能跑跳，活泼如初。
She immediately did as she was told. But the child did not get better, so she came to see me again and described the situation. I told her, “Bring your child here and let me take a look at him.” She brought her child over at once. The child was a boy of about three or four years of age. His eyes were shut, but his mouth was open. I tapped the little boy three times on the head. After a while he opened his eyes and looked around. About five minutes later, he jumped down from his mother’s arms and ran around as if he had never been sick.
这时村长高兴地对我说：“老修行！您把我侄儿的病治好，我们全村的车，明天到庙上帮忙运材料。”第二天早晨，来了九辆大车，晚上回去的时候，有辆车的骡子被压到而腿跛。车主感到奇怪，他在想：“替庙上做工，应当有功德，为什么反遭意外之灾？”他百思不解这个因果，乃来问我：“老修行，这是什么缘故？”
The village leader then said to me happily, “Old cultivator, you cured my nephew’s sickness. Tomorrow, all carts from the village will go to the temple to help you transport materials.” The next morning, nine large carts showed up. But that evening, as the carts were being returned, a mule pulling one of the carts hurt its leg, which caused it to limp. The owner couldn’t understand it. He thought, “Working for the temple should have created a lot of merit and virtue. How come this accident occurred instead?” He couldn’t understand the cause and effect, so he came and asked, “Old cultivator, what’s the reason for this?”
我对车主说：“你不要着急，你的骡腿虽然撞伤，不久就会好的，这可是救了你家人的性命。”他听了我这样说，很受感动，决定第二天再来运材料。
I told him, “Don’t worry. Even though your mule hurt its leg, it will get well soon. But the life of your family was saved.” When he heard that, he was moved and decided to come and help again the next day.
这件事发生之后，无论到哪个村庄借车运材料，他们都乐意帮忙，知道给庙上做工能有无量的功德，甚至有的人，争先恐后出车出人来到庙上作功德。
After that incident, no matter what village I approached to borrow carts for transporting materials, the people there were all willing to help. Knowing that there was boundless merit and virtue in working for the temple, people were eager to lend their carts and men.
一九八三年八月二十六日
A talk given on August 26, 1983
