普益众生 林钰堂
普益众生为鹄的，行止考量奉准绳；
一语道尽菩萨乘，金刚经中明镜悬。
跋
近日正英译《金刚经》及拙作〈《金刚经》要旨〉，因此重温经文。见经文：“菩萨为利益一切众生故，应如是布施”。（义谓应心无所住而行）。“利益一切众生”吾人常说，原来经中早已逐字明示，并且点出此乃菩萨之目标。其实此即整个菩萨道考量之准则。吾人抉择行止皆应细思是否真能契合此目标。若迷失此目标，则往往难下正确之决定。
二○○三年二月二日
养和斋 于加州
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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