我现在对大家说一说我念《地藏经》的经过。我在十六岁那年，开始为人讲《六祖坛经》和《金刚经》。我根本不会讲，可是还要讲，为什么？因为当时有很多人想研究经典，可是不识字。于是我想，我应该担任这份工作，所以义不容辞讲起难讲的经典。
Let me tell you my story about reciting the Sutra of the Past Vows of Earth Store Bodhisattva. When I was seventeen years old, I started lecturing on the Sixth Patriarch’s Platform Sutra and the Vajra Sutra. I didn’t know how to lecture, but I still went ahead. Why? Because at that time, there were a lot of people who wanted to study Sutras, but couldn’t read. So I thought I should take up this job. I acted from a strong sense of duty and started explaining these difficult Sutras.
有一天，在偶然机会之下，发现一本《地藏菩萨本愿经》，如获至宝。念了一遍，觉得地藏菩萨太慈悲！菩萨对我们这样地关心，可是我们还不知道。于是我发心，天天念一部《地藏经》，又发心跪在佛前念。佛殿是用砖块铺地，没有垫子，我只穿一层布的裤子，跪在砖地上，念一部经约需两小时。只顾念经，膝盖跪破了，也不知道痛，愈念愈高兴。每天准时跪在佛前，虔诚地念。一百多天之后，终因发生魔障而停止。
One day I chanced to come upon the Sutra of the Past Vows of Earth Store Bodhisattva. I felt like I had acquired a most precious gem. I read the Sutra once and felt that Earth Store Bodhisattva was truly compassionate. He cares about us so much, yet we don’t even realize it. So I made a vow to recite the Sutra once every day, kneeling down in front of the Buddha. The Buddha Hall had a brick floor and there were no cushions. The pants I wore had only one layer of cloth, and I knelt on the brick floor in them. It took about two hours to recite the Sutra once. I concentrated only on reciting and didn’t notice that my knees were scraped and sore from kneeling. I didn’t even feel pain, I was just happy reciting. The more I recited the happier I became. Every day I would punctually kneel in front of the Buddha to sincerely recite the Sutra. Over a hundred days later, a demonic obstruction occurred, so I stopped reciting.
修道人，如果不用功修行，就没有魔来考验，稍有点成就，魔就来考验你是否有定力？
当我在念《地藏经》时，有位居士来到庙上供养，见我跪着念经，很赞叹我，很羡慕我，所以对庙上的人说：“他这么用功，这么精进……。”
等这位居士走了之后，庙里的和尚都来骂我：“你装模作样！故意给居士们看，表示自己是老修行，这是攀缘！”当时我不辩论，自己心里明白，乃是为修行而念经。可是从此之后，无理取闹的事情，常常发生。在念经之前，他们来骂我：“假装修行。”念完之后，他们又骂我：“装修行装完啦！”冷嘲热讽，天天如此。但我忍可于心，一言不发。
If cultivators don’t work hard at cultivation, no demons will come to test them. But if you have some accomplishment, demons will come and test you to see if you have any samadhi power. When I was reciting the Earth Store Sutra, a layperson came to the monastery to make offerings. Seeing me reciting the Sutra kneeling down, he praised me, expressed his admiration of me in public and said to people at the temple, “He works so hard, so vigorously...” After the layperson left, all the monks of the monastery came over to scold me. “You pretender! You did that deliberately to make the laypeople think that you’re a seasoned cultivator. That is exploiting conditions!” I didn’t argue. In my mind I knew that I recited for the sake of cultivation. But from then on I was hassled constantly. When I started reciting the Sutra, they’d come by and scold me, “Pretending!” After I was done, they scolded me again, “So, you finished pretending!” Every day they took turns in taunting and jeering at me. But I just endured it and didn’t say anything.
念到一百多天之后，真的魔障来了。某日刚刚念完一部《地藏经》，大师兄来到我的面前，打了我一顿，我莫名其妙，也不敢发问，然后，他骂：“你这个东西，在这里躲懒偷安，人家在工作，你装模作样在念经，表演给人看。庙上哪有你修行的地方？你有什么功德在这里修行？”所以，我只好停止念《地藏经》。
After I had recited for over a hundred days, a real demonic obstacle came along. One day when I had just finished reciting the Sutra, a senior Dharma brother came over and whacked me. I was confused but dared not ask what was going on. He scolded, “You! Hiding here and being lazy. Other people are working and you’re here showing off, pretending to be reciting a Sutra. Is this temple a place for you to cultivate? What merit and virtue do you have to be cultivating here?” So I stopped my recitation of the Earth Store Sutra.
今天又逢打地藏七的日子，使我想起往事。修道不容易，时时都会遇到障碍。你们大家很幸运，能遇到这样理想的修道处所，不受人骂，不受人打，多么自在，更要学你们师父那样在逆境中挣扎，仍不灰心，照常精进。
Now that we are again having an Earth Store Bodhisattva recitation session, I am reminded of the past. It’s not easy to cultivate. You encounter obstacles all the time. You are very lucky that you can come to this ideal Way-place where you aren’t scolded or beaten. How comfortable! You should learn to be like your teacher; don’t be disheartened by bad states. Don’t give up; always keep advancing.
