By Awakin Retreat Volunteers 「覺者靜修營」志工 提供
Chinese Translated by Li Jun 李浚 中譯 VBS 665
As morning light blessed September 8, 2025, ancient rhythms awakened the air at 8:30 AM. Welcoming drums from the Developing Virtue Boys’ School called forth celebration, while lions and dragons danced at the Mountain Gate. Forty-five souls—most of whom were part of an “Awakin retreat” at Redwood Vihara Monastery — gathered like pilgrims at a threshold, their spontaneous applause mingling with the performance.
當晨曦灑落2025年9月8日，古老的節奏於上午8點30分喚醒了周遭的氛圍。培德男校的迎賓鼓聲拉開了慶典的序幕，山門前龍騰獅舞。四十五位嘉賓——其中多數來自紅木禪林的「覺者靜修營」——如朝聖者般聚集在山門前，他們自發性的掌聲與表演交織共鳴。
Reverend Heng Sure wove the tale of transformation—how a former state mental hospital transformed into the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas (CTTB). He recalled his arrival at the Mountain Gate after two and half years of Three-Steps-One-Bow pilgrimage alongside former Bhikshu Heng Ch’au (Martin Verhoeven). Bhikshu Jin Wei shared CTTB’s founding teacher Master Hua’s prediction that everyone who walks through the gate will ultimately become free.
恒實法師娓娓道來此處蛻變的過程——昔日的州立精神療養院如何轉變為萬佛聖城。他憶起與前恒朝法師（馬汀教授）一起，歷經兩年半三步一拜朝聖到山門的情景。比丘近威法師分享萬佛聖城開山祖師宣公上人的預言：入此山門，必得解脫。
Hearing this prediction, Gary Zukav, now 83 years old, felt an inner calling to bow as he approached the gate. As he bowed through the gate, he heard Master Hua’s voice: “Come Guo Dzu [Contentment].” He was returning back to CTTB after fifty years, back when the city had no Mountain Gate—still an open campus of infinite possibilities.
聽到這個預言，現年八十三歲（知名靈修作家）蓋瑞•祖卡夫走近山門，內心湧現跪拜的召喚。當他跪拜穿過山門，耳畔傳來上人的聲音：「來吧，果足（意為知足）。」時隔五十年，他重返萬佛城，五十年前山門還未建立，仍是一片充滿無限可能的校園。
The group then went to the Buddha Hall where the Bhikshunis, led by DM Heng Liang and DM Heng Jiao, welcomed everyone. Where a gymnasium once hosted basketball games now stood a sacred space devoted to Guanyin Bodhisattva—She Who Hears the Sounds of the World. Together the group chanted: “Namo Guanshiyin Pusa” filling the hall with a sacred resonance that finished in stillness.
隨後，眾人前往佛殿，由恒良法師與恒教法師率領住眾們熱情接待。這裡曾是一座舉辦籃球賽事的體育館，如今已成為一片聖地，供奉聞聲救苦的觀世音菩薩。眾人齊聲誦念：「南無觀世音菩薩」，整個佛殿迴盪著神莊嚴的誦念聲，隨之趨向寂靜。
For Hollywood actress Stephanie Nash, the moment became an unexpected inner attunement. Though not “a chant person,” there was a deep recognition—ancient and immediate. The sacred sounds moved through her like memory returning to muscle, while tears streamed unbidden. She would later describe it as her soul being massaged, a great bell ringing within. By day’s end, Stephanie, who kept her mother’s Guanyin statues in her garden found herself reconsidering everything: two successful careers suddenly less essential, priorities needing reordering. The bell that rang in Buddha Hall continued calling her back to what her soul had always known.
對好萊塢女星史蒂芬妮•納許而言，那一刻竟成了意料之外的靈性共鳴。儘管她並非「誦念者」，卻感受到一種深刻的共鳴——既古老又直接。肅穆的聲響如記憶回溯肌肉般穿透她的身體，淚水不覺地潸然滑落。她後來形容，這就像是靈性按摩般的療癒體驗，宛如洪鐘在體內鳴響。母親留下的觀音像一直樹立在在史蒂芬妮的花園裡。當晚，她發現自己開始重新審視所有事物：兩份成功的事業突然變得無關緊要，優先順序亟待重新排序。佛殿中的鐘鳴，持續召喚她回歸本源。
The journey continued to Earth Store Hall, where Stacy Chen, the new Dean of Academics at Dharma Realm Buddhist University (DRBU), drew forth stories from Professor Martin Verhoeven. His voice trembled recalling 1976—a poster at Gold Mountain Monastery speaking of the Great Compassion Mantra: “a thousand eyes observe, a thousand ears hear all, a thousand hands help and support living beings everywhere.” Three times he read these words, each reading bringing deeper tears, until he knew he must attend. His teaching echoed through time: follow the teachings, not the teacher—Master Hua’s enduring gift.
參拜佛殿後，嘉賓前往地藏殿，法界佛教大學新任教務長陳彥君請馬汀教授（前恒朝法師）細數當年。他顫抖著聲音回憶起1976年金山寺那幅宣揚〈大悲咒〉的海報：「千眼照見，千耳遙聞，千手護持，普度眾生」。他三誦此偈，每遍誦讀都潸然淚下，直至意識到自己也必須響應菩薩的悲願。上人的教誨歷久彌新：依法不依人——此乃宣公上人恆久的禮物。
Noon brought connection in the DRBU courtyard, where numbered table assignments became invitations to deep conversations. DRBU faculty and alumni guided Shared Inquiry discussions where classical texts became bridges between hearts and our innate wisdom. The dialogue of ideas flowed into an education panel where Bhikshuni Jin Jr and DRBU President Doug Powers shared insights alongside Awakin guests Srinija Srinivasan, Stanford board-member emerita and founder of Jubilee College, and Abby Falik, who pioneered Global Citizen Year and now Flight School. Following their compelling stories, Bhikshuni Jin Rou told “First You, Then Me,” the virtuous elephant tale, with young students who embodied its generosity by offering tangerines like small suns to each guest.
正午時分，法大庭院中，大家其樂融融，桌號安排成了深入交流的契機。法大教職員和校友們引導大家進行「共同研討」，經典文本成為連結心靈與本有智慧的橋樑。意見交流延續至教育論壇，比丘尼近智師與法大校長鮑果勒（道格‧鮑威爾）教授，攜手紅木禪林的覺者斯里尼賈•斯里尼瓦桑（史丹佛大學終身榮譽董事、禧年學院創辦人），以及全球公民年與飛行學校創始人艾比‧法利克，分享各自的見解。緊接在他們引人入勝的故事後，比丘尼近柔師講了一則懂得禮讓的大象寓言故事。現場學童們以行動詮釋故事慷慨的精神，致贈每位嘉賓如同小太陽般的橘子。
After a cup of tea, three circles formed. CTTB Bhikshunis opened their hearts, sharing personal journeys of their monastic calling. At the end, each participant received a five-colored string blessed by an elder Bhikshuni’s Great Compassion Mantra recitation. As one guest expressed: “Getting to sit in a circle with them and hear them share was one of the highlights of the CTTB immersion.”
茶歇後，眾人圍成三個圓圈。萬佛聖城比丘尼們敞開心扉，分享個人出家的心路歷程。活動尾聲，每位參與者都獲贈一條經由資深比丘尼誦念〈大悲咒〉加持的五色線。正如一位嘉賓所言：「能與她們圍坐一圈，聆聽她們的分享，堪稱萬佛聖城實修體驗日的亮點之一。」
The Wordless Hall opened its rare doors. In hushed reverence, guests beheld Master Hua’s relics. Reverend Heng Sure then invited all to sit in circles, weaving stories of Master Hua with wisdom and compassion.
無言堂罕見地敞開大門。賓客們懷著肅穆的敬意瞻仰宣公上人的舍利。恒實法師隨後邀請眾人圍坐一圈，娓娓道來以智慧與慈悲編織的上人事蹟。
As evening arrived, the community gathered at Sudhana Center where stories unfolded alongside youth performances and guitar melodies. Victor Koo, a successful technology entrepreneur from China, offered a bridge between worlds—inviting everyone to consider how ancient virtues might illuminate modern challenges. The day’s closing brought a candle ceremony around the courtyard, light flickering as gentle drizzle graced the gathering. A DRBU student captured what many felt: “The collective spirit of compassion, service, and community was palpable in the air!”
暮色降臨之際，社區居民齊聚善財參學中心，故事在青年表演與吉他旋律中徐徐展開。來自中國的成功科技企業家古維克，搭建一座跨界橋樑，邀請大家思考如何以古老的美德引領現代的挑戰。當天活動在庭院燭光儀式中近入尾聲，細雨紛飛，搖曳的燭光點綴整個聚會。一位法大學生說出大家的感受：「空氣中瀰漫著慈悲、奉獻與社區的同體精神！」
The precious day completed its sacred circle—from morning drums to evening songs to dancing flames in darkness, each moment a bead on the mala of shared experience, each heart moved by the grace of connection.
寶貴的一天圓滿一個聖循環——從晨間的鼓聲到暮色的歌唱，黑暗中跳動的燭光，每一刻都代表念珠上的一顆珠子的共享體驗，每顆心都因共修的連結而悸動。
Yet this day transcended its temporal bounds of 8:30 AM to 9:30 PM. Throughout the gathering, Reverend Heng Sure and Martin Verhoeven spoke of sensing Master Hua’s living presence—rejoicing in this reunion of hearts, all drawn together in unconditional service along the infinite Bodhisattva path.
然而，這一天超越了上午8點30分至晚上9點30分的時空界限。整個聚會過程中，恒實法師和馬汀教授都感覺到上人親臨會場——欣喜於心靈的重逢，眾人齊心，朝著無條件地奉獻，無邊的菩薩道邁進。♦