穆弘 文／張煒 英譯
By Hong Mu/ English translated by Wei Zhang VBS 617
萬佛聖城妙覺山計劃自2018年開始整地動工以來，第一期工程的九棟建築物，已完成五棟；其餘四棟建築物，目前也已完成三分之一。自2021年9月下旬起，妙覺山計劃園藝組開始在第一期工程建地種植紅木，至10月中旬，已種了138棵紅木。
Since the construction started in 2018 for the International Institute of Philosophy and Ethics at Wonderful Enlightenment Mountain (IIPE), five out of nine buildings of the first phase of the project have already been completed. The final four buildings are currently about 30% complete. Starting in late September of this year, the landscaping team for IIPE initiated a plan to plant redwood trees on location, and 138 trees were planted by mid-October.
這138棵紅木分成六叢種植，每一叢有23棵。種植完成後，恰逢曼都西諾郡雨季開始，久違的甘霖不僅緩解旱象，也為這些紅木帶來大自然的滋潤，使它們在妙覺山下的生長，有了好的開始。妙覺山計劃第一期工程於2018年整地時，曾將100餘棵核桃樹搬遷至別處。如今這138棵紅木不僅可望綠化妙覺山計劃建地，也在妙覺山計劃建築群與附近鄰居之間，成為良好的視覺屏障。
These one hundred and thirty-eight redwood trees have been planted into six groves with twenty-three trees in each. The rainy season in Mendocino County began right after the planting was finished. The long overdue rain not only signaled the end of the long drought, but also nurtured the newly planted redwoods, which marked an auspicious beginning of their new livese on the foothill of Wonderful Enlightenment Mountain. When the land was graded to make it level for construction during the first phase of the IIPE project, over a hundred walnut trees were relocated. The newly planted redwood trees will not only add greenery to the site, but also form a natural screen between the newly constructed buildings and nearby homes on neighboring plots of land within line of sight of the area under construction.
依據曼都西諾郡政府核發之使用許可，位於妙覺山計劃建地與接壤馬路之間的緩衝區，必須種植本地不同品種之樹木。這項建設計劃的園藝顧問已將景觀設計圖送交郡政府審核通過，在138棵紅木之後，還將種植第二批不同品種的加州耐旱樹木，不僅適合本地生態系統，為妙覺山計劃用地增加天然美景，而且為本地鳥類和其他野生動植物提供了棲息地。
To be in accord with local government requirements and maintain good relationships with neighbors on adjacent properties, a variety of native species of trees will be planted in the areas of the IIPE campus visible from Guidiville Road. Our landscaping consultant has obtained approval for his landscaping proposal from Mendocino County, and more trees and water-wise plants native to California and suitable to the local ecosystem will be planted, which in addition to enhancing the natural beauty of the campus, will also provide habitats for native species of birds and other wildlife.
紅木是世界上最高的樹種，也是加州本地的樹種，平均能長到200呎左右，全球最高的紅木逾300呎（91米以上）。紅木不僅高大，而且十分粗壯。巨型紅木可長到直徑近30呎（大約9米），周長102呎（約31米）。紅木在剛種下的頭幾年，生長速度很快，大約每年可長高3至6呎（1-2米）。50年之內，這些紅木可長到100至150呎（30-45米）高。由於高壯之故，紅木在生態系統中，是很重要的一環，成為多種野生動植物的家，它的樹頂逐漸形成蓋狀，為林地遮蔭。紅木還可以自己「起霧」，一棵長成的紅木，每天最多可排出500加侖（將近2000公升）的水份，並形成霧氣。
Redwood trees are the tallest trees in the world; they are native to California with an average height of 200 feet. The tallest redwood tree in the world is over 300 feet (approximately 91 meters) tall. They are not only tall but also massive in overall size. A giant redwood tree can grow as wide as 30 feet (around 9 meters) in diameter with a circumference of 102 feet (around 31 meters). Initially, the first few years after they are planted, they grow quickly at a rate of three to six feet a year (1 – 2 meters). They usually reach 100 to 150 feet (30 – 45 meters) in height within fifty years. Because of their height and mass, they are an important part of the ecosystem, providing homes for a wide range of wildlife, gradually producing a canopy that shades the forest floor, and even generating their own fog from the up to 500 gallons (almost 2,000 liters) of water a large, mature tree can transpire in the air per day.
許多巨型紅木的確實位置都是保密的，以防止破壞行為。紅木另一大特性是十分長壽，一般可存活數百年。據記載，最高壽的紅木已存活3000年以上。紅木的特性正如同修行之路，不必急功近利，無須張揚宣傳，但能堅定前行，終能成就高遠。
In order to protect them, the locations of many giant redwood trees are confidential. Another characteristic of redwood trees is their longevity. They can usually live for a few hundred years. There are several that are over a thousand years old. Based on records, the longest living redwood tree has lived for over three thousand years. The characteristics of redwoods share many of the same valuable qualities necessary on our journeys of cultivation: there is no need to rush for results or fame, and if one keeps moving forward firmly at a steady pace, one will certainly achieve lofty goals.
在妙覺山計劃建地種植紅木，象徵著宣公上人帶到西方的正法，將綿遠流長，代代相傳至千百年後，讓無數的眾生同霑法益，同圓種智，同證佛果。
Planting redwood trees at the base of Wonderful Enlightenment Mountain, is a symbol that the Proper Dharma brought to the West by the Venerable Hsuan Hua will flourish for over a hundred generations and benefit limitless living beings, who will eventually perfect their wisdom and realize Buddhahood.♣