文／圖 佛館國際組 Buddha Museum
International Affairs Department
夏日微風徐徐，到處都是一片生意盎然景象；池塘裡也是不例外，除了牛蛙此起彼落地唱和，還有許多靜靜躺在水面上奼紫嫣紅的蓮花，好似參加選美比賽，令人賞心悅目。
蓮花為佛教聖花，為寺院中必植的五樹六花之一。依據《佛本行集經‧樹下誕生品》：「菩薩生已，無人扶持，即行四方面各七步，步步舉足出大蓮華。」
宋朝周敦頤的《愛蓮說》：「出淤泥而不染，濯清漣而不妖」出淤泥而不染是說蓮花生長在淤泥之中，但不沾染一點低俗的氣息。其實做人也是如此，無論外界有多大的誘惑，依然保持自身的清淨，不浮躁，不自羨，灑灑脫脫。蓮花同時也是智慧的象徵，佛經有云：「花開見佛悟無生」，「花開見佛」是什麼意思？「悟無生」又是什麼意思？這個佛是指我們內心的佛，不是外面的佛。一般人認為，見佛就能得解脫，假使如此，那麼釋迦牟尼佛的弟子善星比丘為何仍墮入惡道？就證明見佛是見自性佛。「花」，就是蓮花。蓮花是一個譬喻，蓮就是心蓮，我們這一念心就像蓮花一樣，透過善良的意念灌溉，修持內心的佛性，在這五濁惡世中時刻提醒自己，落實三好四給。
星雲大師也在《如是說》裡提到：「蓮花有『清淨』的意義，所以，佛教以它來比喻人心的清淨，以它來形容修行人心地的芳香。」下次，當您來拜訪佛陀紀念館，別忘了用蓮花手印與大家互道吉祥喔！
Have
you been greeted by the warm summer breezes lately? Have you been listening to
bullfrogs’ symphony while wandering around the ponds adorned by graceful and
modest lotuses, as if they are contestants of a beauty contest. Lotus, planted
in most monasteries, is a symbolic flower in Buddhism. According to the Abhiniṣkramaṇa Sutra, lotus flowers are strewn under
every step of the Prince Siddhartha as he takes seven steps towards each of the
six cardinal points.
In
Song dynasty, a poet named Zhou Dun-yi once wrote, “How stainless it (lotus)
rises from its slimy bed! How modestly it reposes on the clear pool.” This
phrase encourages us to remain undisturbed by external influences, just like a
lotus. The lotus also symbolizes wisdom as recorded in the sutra, “when a Buddha
emerges from a blooming flower, the truth of the unborn is realized”, meaning
that we were all born with an innate Buddha nature. People might associate
seeing the Buddha with instant liberation, but this is not true, for Sunakṣatra was reborn in the lower realms despite being a disciple
of the Buddha. The lotus bud thus represents our mind, which with constant
cultivation of the good deeds, such as the Three Acts of Goodnesss and the Four
Givings, can blossom into full enlightenment.
In
“Thus Said,” Venerable Master Hsing Yun pointed out, “the lotus means purity,
and it represents the pure minds of people; in Buddhism, the lotus symbolizes
the fragrant mind of the monastics and lay people.” When you come to the Buddha
Museum, don’t forget to share your blessings with a lotus mudra.
人間池塘－張大千、文人與荷花藝術大展
展覽時間：2021-05-05 至 2021-08-15
展覽地點：佛陀紀念館本館第一展廳
The Earthly Pond - Artworks of Lotus by Chang Dai-Chien and
Other Artists
Exhibition Date: 2021-05-05 to
2021-08-15
Exhibition Venue: Main Hall
Gallery 1
Online Exhibition (線上開放博物館連結)
http://lnago.com/ADOU8
