时间：11/28/2026 11/29/2026
地点：星湖禅修中心
主讲：龙示林
佛法修行
长者子慈童女
过去佛陀曾对弟子开示：「为人子女孝顺供养父母，纵使微薄亦获福无量；若是忤逆父母，即使一次、两次，罪亦无量。」弟子们想多了解罪福的事，于是佛陀又开示了长者子慈童女的因缘……
久远世前，波罗奈国境内有位长者早逝，留下独子「慈童女」和寡母相依为命。慈童女每天辛苦工作，以卖柴所得微薄的工资奉养母亲；从初初一日两钱、四钱、八钱、十六钱……全都如数地交给母亲。孝名远播的慈童女，不但深得大众信任，也累积了大量的客源。
「慈童女，你既聪明又有福报，为什么不效法父亲航海寻宝呢？」众人的劝谏打动了慈童女。
「妈妈，爸爸生前从事什么行业？」慈童女问。
「你爸爸在世时，常常出海探勘采宝。」母亲答。
「爸爸以出海采宝为业，为什么我不再出海了呢？」慈童女认真地问。
「你想去就去吧！」母亲半开玩笑地说，认为温厚孝顺的孩子不可能舍她而去。
「就这么说定了！」慈童女心想。
几天后，一切准备就绪的慈童女，整装肃容向母亲辞行。
「我只有你这么一个孩子，无论如何都不会让你离开我的身边！」母亲不舍地说。
「妈妈，当初您若反对，我便不敢多想；如今您亲口答应了，怎么能出尔反尔呢？」慈童女坚决地表示。
「……我还没死，你怎么忍心拋下我孤单一人？呜呜……」母亲老泪纵横，扑上前去抱着独子的脚放声痛哭。
慈童女挣扎扭动，想挣脱母亲的臂膀，一拉一扯间竟拔下了母亲数十根苍发。年迈的母亲既疼痛又伤心，深怕得罪固执的独子，只好无奈地松手，放子远行。
航程十分顺利。取得珍宝后，一行人决定由陆路返乡。经过异国时，当地人好心地提醒他们：「这儿的国法规定：如果商队被盗贼打劫，商主不幸也被活捉，一切财物归于贼首；相反地，如果财物全被盗走，只要商主逃过一劫，日后便可全数取回。」慈童女为商队之首，权衡利害之后，决定每晚单独外宿，不和众人一起扎营，隔天清晨，再派人接他归队一起前进。有一天晚上，全营遭到风暴突袭，离去前，一阵匆忙混乱，忘了接回慈童女，从此慈童女独自留在异乡，飘泊流浪。
走着走着，饥渴疲惫的慈童女来到一座荒山，山上有一座琉璃色的华丽山城，城内四位手执如意宝珠的天女，载歌载舞地趋前欢迎。慈童女从此定居城中，过了四万年快乐的生活。有一天，他突然心生厌离，决定离去。
「哎！阎浮提人的心念真是反复无常，和我们生活了四万年，为什么好端端地说走就走呢？」天女们百思不解。
慈童女全无贪恋，顾自前行，又看见远处有一座水晶雕琢而成的精致城郭，八位手执如意珠的天女，歌舞曼妙地趋前相迎，八万年后，慈童女心生厌恶，不告而别。从此以后，慈童女在白银城和十六位天女度过十六万年，在黄金城和三十二位天女共度三十二万年，最后都心生厌患，远走他方。途中，慈童女想起最后一群天女们告诉他的话：「离开这里之后，再也遇不到这么好的地方，不如就住下来。」
「她们只是舍不得我罢了。」慈童女暗暗思忖：「只要往前走，一定有更好的地方等着我。」
不久，慈童女看见远方一座暮气沉沉的纯铁城。「奇怪了！怎么是铁打造的，不过里头一定非常美好。」慈童女加快脚步；然而前方没有温柔的天女，只见大门下站着一个怪人，头上戴着熊熊的火轮。怪人抬头，瞧了慈童女一眼，便将头上滚烫的火轮摘下，放到慈童女头上，一言不发地走了。
慈童女纳闷着四下张望，发现狱卒向他缓缓走来。「请问这个火轮要戴到什么时候？」慈童女问。
「世间如果有人，跟你造了一模一样的善业恶业，航海寻宝，遍历诸城；当他来到这里时，就可以把火轮交给他，这是纯铁打造的火轮，绝对不会掉到地上。」狱卒自信满满地回答。
「我到底修了什么福？造了什么恶业？」慈童女问。
「你在世间每天辛苦工作，以两钱供养老母，感召于琉璃城内与四天女共度四万年；以四钱供养老母，感召水晶城内与八天女共度八万年；以八钱供养老母，感得白银城内与十六天女共度十六万年；以十六钱供养老母，感得黄金城内与三十二天女共度三十二万年。后来，因为起恶心，拔下年迈母亲的白发，所以注定要戴着火轮，直到有人来取代你为止。」
「这座大铁城，除了我以外，还有其他人在受罪吗？」慈童女再问。
「成千上万，数不尽的，多得不可数！」狱卒答。
「这么说来，我脱离此地的机会十分渺茫」，慈童女心想：「希望所有一切应受的苦难，都由我一个人承当。」才刚起心动念，匡啷一声，铁轮就自动掉在地上。
「您不是说，这个热火铁轮绝对不会掉下来吗？这又是怎么回事？」慈童女不解地问。
「啰嗦！」恼羞成怒的狱卒用大铁叉重击慈童女的头部，慈童女就此命终，剎那间即投生到兜率天。
Date: 11/28/2026 11/29/2026
Location: Star Lake Meditation Center
Teacher: Shilin Long
Dharma Talk
The Novice Monk’s Aspiration
In the past, at Queli Monastery, there was an elder bhikkhu who had attained the fruit of Arhatship. One day, he took his disciple—a young novice monk—with him into the city to attend to some matters. The novice carried the luggage and followed behind the elder.
As they walked, the novice thought, “All people in this world are subject to suffering. What path should one pursue in order to escape such suffering?” He then reflected, “The Buddha often praises the excellence of Bodhisattvas. I should bring forth the Bodhisattva mind and widely liberate all sentient beings.”
The moment this thought arose, the elder bhikkhu, through his power of knowing others’ minds, perceived that the novice had brought forth the Bodhi mind and had thereby gained immeasurable merit. He therefore said to the novice, “Let me carry the luggage.” The elder bhikkhu then took the luggage from the novice’s hands and allowed the novice to walk in front.
As they continued on their way, the young novice had another thought: “Practicing the Bodhisattva path and benefiting sentient beings is truly not easy! If someone asks for one’s head, one must give one’s head; if someone asks for one’s eyes, one must give one’s eyes. Such difficult things are truly beyond my ability. It would be better to attain Arhatship, seek liberation for myself, and leave behind the sufferings of the world.”
The elder bhikkhu knew that the novice had retreated from the Bodhisattva mind, so he said to him, “You should carry the luggage again and walk behind me.”
In this way, they exchanged the luggage back and forth three times along the journey. The novice found this very strange. Why did his master sometimes carry the luggage and walk behind him, yet at other times make him carry the luggage and walk behind?
When they stopped to rest, the novice joined his palms and respectfully asked the elder bhikkhu the reason.
The elder bhikkhu said, “Three times you brought forth the Bodhisattva mind to benefit sentient beings. The vast and inconceivable merit of doing so surpasses that of all those who have attained Arhatship throughout the three-thousandfold world. Therefore, it was only proper that I carry the luggage and walk behind you. However, you also retreated from the Bodhisattva mind three times. Whenever you abandoned the Bodhisattva mind, naturally the novice should carry the luggage for his master. This is why I again had you carry the luggage and walk behind me.”
