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帝又問曰。僧道修行。信是好事。如何又要去化緣。
誌公答曰。我佛釋迦如來。有大慈大悲。愍念眾生。猶如赤子。平等救度。佛在兜率天上。觀見一切眾生。雖得人身在世。只知恩愛貪戀。但知受福。不肯作福。只知造業。不知懺悔。受盡陽命。死入幽冥。受大苦惱。無有出期。故從兜率。下降人間。托生梵王宮中。為悉達太子。棄捨皇宮。雪山修道。成等正覺。普度眾生。法說四十九年。教啟三百餘會。教化佛門弟子。住在一方一所。且要教化一方人慈。回心向善。修辦前程。正是與佛掌教。所以此佛歡喜。龍天擁護。若為出家者。遊手好閑。不務究理。不肯看經念佛。不去搬柴運水。不顧常住。空消信施。辜負四恩。如此之人。罪業不輕也。
【白話】梁武帝接着問道：”僧侶道士修行本是好事，可為何還要四處化緣呢？”
The Emperor asked, “We all believe it is good that monastics cultivate the Way; but why do they go on the alms-rounds?”
志公和尚鄭重回答道：”我佛釋迦如來懷大慈大悲之心，憐憫眾生如同疼愛嬰兒，平等普度一切生靈。當年佛祖在兜率天宮，觀察到世間眾生雖得人身，卻只知沉溺情愛貪慾，一味享福而不肯積福，肆意造業卻不懂懺悔。待陽壽耗盡墮入幽冥，便要受盡苦難永無解脫之日。”
“因此佛祖從兜率天降臨人間，投生為淨飯王宮的悉達多太子。他捨棄王位富貴，在雪山苦修成道，終證菩提正果。此後四十九年間，佛祖開講三百餘場法會，廣度眾生。他教導佛門弟子要駐守一方，教化當地百姓回心向善，修積功德。這正是秉承佛祖教誨，所以能令諸佛歡喜，龍天護佑。”
Master Zhi Gong replied, “Our Buddha Shakyamuni has great kindness and compassion. With empathy, he regards all beings as his own children and equally rescues them.
“When the Buddha was in Tushita Heaven, he observed this about all living beings: when living beings attain human bodies, they only know how to have a mind of seeking and craving and how to indulge in affection; they only know how to enjoy blessings but don’t realize they need to create blessings; they only know how to commit karmic offenses but don’t realize that they should repent for their wrongdoings.
“When their lifespans have ended, they fall into the underworld where they are greatly distressed and agonized, finding no hope of liberation. Therefore, the Buddha descended from Tushita Heaven into the human realm, being born in Suddhodana’s palace to become Prince Siddhartha. Later Prince Siddhartha renounced the royal life, went to Snow Mountain, and cultivated there. After he realized the unsurpassed Right Awakening, he universally taught and transformed living beings. He spoke the Dharma for forty-nine years in over three hundred assemblies.
His disciples, whom he had taught, later dispersed and traveled to their own regions, where they lived. These disciples taught and transformed the people living in their areas, inspiring them to become kind-hearted and turn away from evil towards the good. As a result, people improved their lives and had a brighter future. This is how the disciples of the Buddha helped perpetuate the Buddha’s teachings. Their work brought happiness to the Buddha, and the dragons and gods came to support and protect them.
“但若有人出家後遊手好閒，不研習佛理，不誦經念佛，不參與寺務勞作，不顧寺院生計，白白消耗信眾供養，辜負父母、眾生、國王、三寶這四重恩德。這等僧人，罪業可就深重了。”
“However, a monastic will commit grave offenses if he remains idle in his cultivation, behaves unscrupulously, does not study or investigate the ultimate truth, is not willing to recite sutras and the Buddha’s name, is not willing to work hard, and doesn’t care about the wellbeing of the monastery, thereby wasting others’ offerings and letting down the four kinds of benefactors who have shown their kindness.