普益眾生　林鈺堂

普益眾生為鵠的，行止考量奉準繩；
一語道盡菩薩乘，金剛經中明鏡懸。

跋

近日正英譯《金剛經》及拙作〈《金剛經》要旨〉，因此重溫經文。見經文：「菩薩為利益一切眾生故，應如是布施」。（義謂應心無所住而行）。「利益一切眾生」吾人常說，原來經中早已逐字明示，並且點出此乃菩薩之目標。其實此即整個菩薩道考量之準則。吾人抉擇行止皆應細思是否真能契合此目標。若迷失此目標，則往往難下正確之決定。

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　二○○三年二月二日
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　養和齋　　　於加州

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To Benefit All Beings

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To Benefit All Beings　Yutang Lin

To benefit all sentient beings is the ultimate goal,
Considering action or inaction along its guidance.
One phrase penetrates the entire Bodhisattva way;
In the Diamond Sutra a clear mirror hangs above.

Comment:

Recently I have been translating the Diamond Sutra and my work on it, "Essential Principles of the Diamond Sutra," from Chinese into English. Therefore, I was reviewing the Sutra several times. One passage of the Diamond Sutra stood out to strike me as an echo of what I have said frequently in my works. It reads, "In order to benefit all sentient beings, a Bodhisattva should practice alms-giving in such a manner (meaning to act with a mind that is free from preoccupations.) The phrase "to benefit all sentient beings" was frequently used by me but I did not realize that it was already, word for word, stated in a Sutra. Furthermore, the Sutra explicitly points out that it is the goal of Bodhisattvas. Indeed this is the guideline for all considerations related to the whole Bodhisattva path. Whenever practitioners ponder on choices of action or inaction, they should carefully evaluate if the choice could really be in accordance with this goal. In case one lost sight of this goal, then it is often the case that a correct decision could hardly be reached.

Written in Chinese on February 2, 2003
Translated on February 3, 2003
El Cerrito, California

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