宇文潔 文/ 譯 Written and Translated by Yu Wenjie VBS 673
2026年5月24日清晨早課後，維那師和悦眾師輪流帶領大眾在「南無本師釋迦牟尼佛」唱誦聲中，向佛陀頂禮，致上最虔誠的敬意與感恩。
On the morning of May 24, 2026, after the morning recitation, the Buddha Hall of the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas (CTTB) began its daily bowing period. The cantor and the co-chanter took turns leading the assembly as they bowed to the Buddha with utmost sincerity and gratitude while chanting “Namo Fundamental Teacher Shakyamuni Buddha.”
清晨6時50分，嘹亮悠揚的「南無本師釋迦牟尼佛」唱誦聲，在山門口響起。僧俗二眾分列四排，三步一拜朝山，從山門直拜到佛殿，為佛陀慶生掀開序幕。
At 6:50 a.m., the resonant and melodious chanting of “Namo Fundamental Teacher Shakyamuni Buddha” arose from the mountain gate. Monastics and laypeople lined up in four rows, performing the Three-Steps-One-Bow pilgrimage and bowing from the mountain gate all the way to the Buddha Hall, thus opening the celebration of the Buddha’s birthday.
正式登場的浴佛大典，於上午8時在大帳篷展開。浴佛大眾來自美洲各地、歐、亞、非、以及大洋洲；在法師們的帶領下，唱誦「浴佛偈」和「沐浴真言」。七座綴以美麗鮮花的浴佛臺上，各有一座小佛像，立在浴佛池中。與會大眾依序向前頂禮，為小佛像沐浴。
The formal Bathing Buddha Ceremony commenced at 8:00 a.m. beneath the large tent. Participants came from across the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Oceania. Guided by the Dharma teachers, they chanted the “Bathing Buddha Verse” and “Bathing the Buddha True Words.” On seven beautifully decorated bathing platforms, each adorned with fresh flowers, stood a small Buddha statue in a bathing basin. Attendees approached in order, bowed, and bathed the Buddha.
法界佛教總會資深比丘恒山法師，在午齋中首先開示：浴佛儀式之所以美麗莊嚴，是因為它所蘊含的道理，超越儀式本身。當浴佛水觸及太子像的同時，也深深觸及我們的自心。
At lunchtime, Dharma Master Heng Shan, a senior bhikshu of Dharma Realm Buddhist Association (DRBA), was the first to offer a Dharma talk, “The bathing ceremony is beautiful precisely because it points beyond itself. The water touches the Buddha, but it also touches us.”
資深比丘尼恒齋法師則説：我們慶祝佛誕，舉行浴佛典禮，不但要齋戒沐浴，敬慎從事，更要進一步發一個大心，以虔誠心、恭敬心、廣大願心，來反省懺悔。要在心中生起對佛陀感恩，並以實際的善行來回報這份海深般的恩情。
Senior Bhikshuni Heng Jai said that as we celebrate the Buddha’s birthday and hold the Bathing the Buddha Ceremony, we must not only fast, bathe, and conduct the rituals with utmost reverence and care, but also take a step further by bringing forth a great mind (Skt. Bodhicitta). With sincerity, respect, and vast vows, we should reflect and repent. We need to give rise to gratitude toward the Buddha within our hearts and repay this ocean-deep kindness with actual virtuous deeds.
方丈恒律法師介紹今年浴佛節的兩位比丘貴賓，一位是著名的巴利文佛經翻譯家菩提比丘，另一位是非洲烏干達佛教中心的創辦人兼方丈佛護法師，致力於將佛法傳播於非洲。
Dharma Master Heng Lyu, Abbot of the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, introduced two honorable guest bhikkhus for this year’s Buddha Bathing Day: Bhikkhu Bodhi, the renowned translator of Pali Buddhist scriptures, and Bhante Buddharakkhita, the founder and abbot of the Uganda Buddhist Centre in Africa, who is dedicated to propagating the Dharma throughout Africa.
佛護法師分享道：「今天提醒我，釋迦牟尼佛一生中的三大事件：誕生、成道、入涅槃。這個節日也提醒我們要重新修行三大德性：1）清淨自心；2）大慈大悲；3）大智慧；這個世界已被戰爭和衝突所撕裂，因此我們需要每天修行這三大德性。」
Bhante Buddharakkhita said, “Today reminds me of the three major events in the Buddha’s life: the Buddha’s birth, enlightenment, and nirvana. It also reminds us to renew and practice three qualities: 1) purity of mind; 2) great compassion; and 3) great wisdom. This world is torn by wars and conflicts, so we need to practice these three qualities every day.”
佛護法師提到曾於2011年在西維吉尼亞州遇到恒實法師，十五年後因緣成熟有機會來到萬佛城，對萬佛城印象很深刻，很驚喜看到大家實現創辦人（宣公上人）的願景。
Bhante Buddharakkhita mentioned that in 2011, he met Reverend Heng Sure in West Virginia, and that it had taken fifteen years for him to come here. He said, “I am so impressed by this place. I am amazed to see people embodying the founder’s vision.”
菩提比丘指出，萬佛城代表宣公上人願景的開花結果。上人1962年隻身赴美，在舊金山幾個不同的地方住過。隨著時光流逝，上人希望佛法蓬勃發展的願力與理想，在成立萬佛城後，逐漸實現。
Bhikkhu Bodhi pointed out that the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas represents the flowering of the vision of Venerable Master Hsuan Hua, who came to the United States as an individual Buddhist monk in 1962 and lived in several different locations in San Francisco. Over the years, his vows and aspirations came to fulfillment in the establishment of this wonderful City (CTTB) for the flourishing of the Buddhadharma.
菩提比丘說：「大家都想要離苦得樂，而佛法正為我們指出了離苦得樂之道。佛陀明白告訴我們，痛苦的根源就是貪瞋癡，快樂的根源則是戒定慧。身為佛教徒，在慶祝佛誕日這天，我們應該下定決心，減少貪瞋癡，勤修戒定慧，並努力和他人分享佛法，鼓勵別人修行，讓大家都能得到快樂……在萬佛城，你們有一個很棒的地方，可以修行佛法，並幫助弘揚佛法到全加州、全美，乃至全世界。」
Bhikkhu Bodhi said, “All people seek to be free from suffering and to find happiness. The Buddha’s teaching shows us the way to avoid suffering and the way to find happiness. The Buddha shows us very clearly that the basic causes of suffering are greed, hatred, and ignorance. The Buddha also shows us that the causes for achieving happiness are the cultivation of Sīla, Samādhi, and Paññā—good conduct, purification of the mind, and wisdom. Therefore, as followers of the Buddha, on this day celebrating the birth of the Buddha, we should make a firm determination throughout the year to try to reduce our greed, hatred, and delusion. We should strongly observe our precepts, cultivate the mind through samādhi, and develop our wisdom. We should also make the effort to share the Buddhadharma with others and encourage them to practice, so that they can cultivate the causes for their own attainment of happiness. At the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, you have a wonderful place to cultivate the Buddhadharma and to help spread the Buddhadharma throughout California, throughout the United States, and throughout the world.”
浴佛節這天，萬佛聖城照例於午齋後，開放無言堂讓大家瞻仰佛陀、虛老和宣公上人舍利，並於下午舉行「三皈五戒」。「三皈五戒」總計三十人報名參加。其中年紀最長的佛門新血，是來自馬來西亞的葉山健，高齡86。她原來是無神論者，但亡夫癌症過世時，兒子請了助念團來念佛八小時。遺體入棺前，葉山健目睹亡夫面色紅潤，肢體柔軟，令她十分羨慕嚮往，希望自己將來也能「走得這麼好看」。因此不辭旅途辛勞，特別隨同今年的馬來西亞團，來萬佛聖城參加萬佛寶懺，接著皈依佛門。
On Bathing Buddha Day, as is the custom, CTTB opened the No Words Hall after lunch for everyone to revere the sarira, the sacred relics of the Buddha, Elder Master Xuyun, and Venerable Master Hsuan Hua. In the afternoon, the Transmission of the Three Refuges and Five Precepts were held, with a total of thirty people registered to participate. Among these new members of the Buddhist community, the eldest was Molly Yap from Malaysia, who was 86 years old. She was originally an atheist, but when her late husband passed away from cancer, her son invited a recitation group to chant the Buddha’s name for eight hours. Before the body was placed in the coffin, Molly Yap witnessed that her late husband’s complexion was rosy and that his body and limbs were soft and flexible. This filled her with admiration and aspiration, and she wished that she too could “depart so beautifully” in the future. Therefore, undeterred by the hardships of the journey, she specially accompanied this year’s Malaysian group to CTTB to participate in the Ten Thousand Buddhas Jeweled Repentance and take refuge afterward.
原本來自英國的賈可琳•法莉，從前曾在日本禪寺受過戒，但「他們的戒律准許喝酒」。去年底她出車禍，又生了一場病，讓她徹底檢視自己的修行與持戒。這回在萬佛聖城皈依受五戒，她希望深入修行，改正過去的錯誤，並做個更好的人。正如傳戒師恒山法師與近巖法師對他們開示所説：「你們的人生，從此踏上不一樣的路，以後你們就知道皈依三寶和持戒的重要。」
Originally from the United Kingdom, Jacqueline Farley had previously received precepts at a Japanese Zen temple, but “their precepts allowed for drinking.” At the end of last year, she was in a car accident and became seriously ill, which prompted her to thoroughly examine her practice and precept-keeping. By taking refuge and receiving the Five Precepts at CTTB this time, she hopes to deepen her practice, rid herself of her faults, and become a better person.
This is just as Dharma Master Heng Shan and Dharma Master Jin Yan taught them in their instructional talk: “From this moment on, your lives have embarked on a different path. From now on, you will understand the importance of taking refuge in the Triple Jewel and upholding the precepts.” ♦