一個新加坡人在中國出家傳奇

崇山峻嶺中的浙江天臺山，因誕生了中國佛教天臺宗，自隋代始即聞名海內外。

2007年5月31日，位于大山深處的天臺山佛學院萬年寺舉行了一場特殊而莊重的佛教儀式：英國艾克斯特大學碩士、新加坡籍人士陳永宏，作為一名外國人終于了卻一個數年來想在中國出家為僧的宿愿，經天臺國清寺監院、天臺山佛學院教務長允觀法師剃度，正式出家為僧，法名華傳，成為真正意義上的中國佛教僧人。

此事起因要追溯到四年前。2003年12月25日，作為攝影師的我收到一份英文電子郵件，經翻譯后得知：有一位外國人看了我在國際互聯網上展示的中國佛教攝影作品后，想托我介紹他來中國出家做“和尚”！難以置信的是我通過電子郵件及電話數次與他溝通后了解到：對方中文名叫陳永宏，新加坡籍男士，時年53歲，畢業于英國艾克斯特大學，獲文學碩士學位，曾先后就職于英國全國學術評定委員會、英聯邦議會、英國國會大廈等機構。作為英聯邦財政部的財政官員，他曾參與管理51個英聯邦國的財政，其后成立私人企業公司，并兩次周游世界，是一位自小受西方文化教育的高級知識男性。經歷體驗世間人情冷暖的陳先生，對現實逐漸看淡，他在內心一直想尋找一種能寄托心靈的生活方式，最后終于為佛教所吸引，后來一次偶然在國際互聯網上搜索瀏覽了我拍攝撰寫的紀實圖文系列作品《走近中國天臺山佛學院》之后，得知了博大精深的中國佛教天臺宗及佛教圣地天臺山悠久而傳奇的歷史，他深深為之感動，認定佛教圣地天臺山是自己人生與靈魂的最終歸宿，遂堅定了前往中國天臺山出家，終身成為中國佛教僧侶的決心。

受其真誠之感動，我與浙江省佛協名譽會長、天臺國清寺住持、天臺山佛學院院長可明大和尚作了聯系，在其慈悲恩準與關照下，在外事部門同意下，新加坡人陳永宏終于獲準以居士身份先后數次、每次數月前往中國天臺山佛學院與其他僧侶一樣，按嚴格的佛教戒律生活與修行，經過數年持續禮佛，陳永宏終于迎來了剃度這一莊嚴時刻，成為一名在華出家的外國人。

如今，陳永宏在中國出家的夙愿夢想成真，這雖然是件看似個人的事，但它卻折射出一種國際意義和時代特征。回首往昔，所見所聞多是國人為西方文化與生活方式所吸引，去西方留學、定居及移民幾乎已成為一種時尚，而今一位自小受西方文化教育、畢業于西方名校、任職于西方政府高層且見多識廣的高級知識白領，卻為中國傳統文化所吸引與感召，并在其中找到了他人生與靈魂的最終歸宿，將自己的下半生交給了中國，這昭示了在中西方文化交互作用的今天，中國傳統文化的魅力對當今世界的影響與輻射力。聯系歐美現今掀起的“中國熱”、“學漢語熱”、“中國功夫熱”等等現象，彰顯了東方傳統文化正逐漸為世界所認識與重視，它是中華民族文化的偉大復興和將在世界崛起的象征，同時也標志著中國社會正在逐步走向文明、民主與自由，我國如今不但允許國人信教自由，還允許和吸引外國人到中國出家，并給予多方幫助樂觀其成，這表達了中國政府構建和諧社會與尊重保障民眾信仰與人權自由的決心與誠意。

作為中國佛教第一宗的天臺宗，再一次展現了它的國際影響力。這個有著1000多年歷史的中國佛教宗派，早在隋唐朝代就受到日本、韓國民眾的崇拜而來到這里學法，如今陳永宏作為一個周游過世界見多識廣的國外人士，在體驗經歷了多種宗教、了解探訪了有關國家多處學佛的派別場所之后，最終為中國佛教天臺宗所感召而將自己的人生與靈魂交托于它，這不能不使人為天臺宗精深的教義所折服。

陳永宏在中國剃度快兩個月了，我撥通了陳永宏——華傳法師的手機，電話里依然是那東南亞口音濃重的歡悅的聲音。他說可能是看了新聞媒體的報道，前段時間山下陸續上來好些人到萬年寺來打聽探望他，最后寺里出面才一一把他們勸回去。

他說現在是輕松又忙碌——因為經好幾年的努力后終于剃度了，心里一塊石頭落地，接下去可以一心學佛了，所以很輕松；但他近來卻很忙，因為一個是他現在擔任研究班的英語教課工作，為做得好些所以他花的力氣很大；同時，他每天抽時間去廚房、客堂幫忙，在幫助別人的時候自己也熟悉了寺院內的事務，學到了教內必需的知識。

電話里他與我說，更主要的是他現在有一個新的目標——他希望能爭取早日獲得授戒！為此每天花費很多精力在背有關佛教經論典籍，因為這是授戒必考題目。他已了解到國內有一處修行很好的佛教名山將開壇授戒，他希望今后能有緣分到類似這樣殊勝的地方完成自己的授戒大愿……

A Singaporean Monk in Tiantai

By Zhang Wang

May 31， 2007 was a special day for the Tiantai Mountain College of Buddhism. A ceremony was held to accept Chen Yonghong， a Buddhist disciple from Singapore， as a Buddhist monk at the college. The tonsure was conducted by Master Yunguan， dean of the college and supervisor of the Guoqing Temple. After the official ceremony， Chen became a monk in a Chinese Buddhist sanctuary.

Chen is probably the first foreigner who became a monk in a Chinese temple in recent years， but he was not the first foreigner who came to the temple in Tiantai Mountain in the central Zhejiang Province.

The mountain is home to the Tiantai Sect of China's Buddhism which was born in the Sui Dynasty (581-618). The reputation of the sect spread overseas and many Japanese disciples came all the way to the temple in the following centuries.

I had something to do with Chen's leaving his home in Singapore and becoming a monk in Tiantai. It started with an email I received on December 25th， 2003. I read the translated version and learned that a foreigner had visited my website where my photographs of Buddhist monks' lives are displayed．He asked me if I could recommend him to the temple so that he could become a monk there. It was incredible. I communicated with him through emails and telephone calls， and learned that Mr. Chen was a 53-year-old Singaporean， a master of liberal arts from a British university. He had worked for a series of prominent agencies of British government before he worked for a series of private businesses. He had even toured around the world twice. After a rich experience of the world affairs， he gradually became disillusioned with the way of life he had known. He wanted to find a new life in his remaining years. He searched online and found his way to my website. My photographs and texts about the Tiantai touched his heart. He made up his mind to leave the worldly life behind and to come to Tiantai and become a monk.

I contacted Master Monk Keming， honorary president of Zhejiang Buddhists Association and abbot of Tiantai Guoqing Temple. With the approval of the foreign affairs authorities， the arrangements were made to allow Chen to stay at the temple for several months for each visit and live a life of Buddhist commandments in the capacity of lay Buddhist. After several years of adhering to Buddhist canons， he came to the grand moment in his life and became a monk in China.

Though Chen's becoming a monk in China is an individual decision， it actually carries an international significance. For many people in China today， the \"in\" thing is to live a trendy life of western luxuries. Now， an intellectual with a background of western education and employment for the British Government is determined to spend the rest of his life as a Buddhist monk in China. It shows in one way how the charms of Chinese culture are radiating out to the world. The growing popularity with the Chinese language testifies to the trend. Meanwhile， as China is becoming more and more open to the outside world， the freedom of religion is seriously practiced and promoted in China. In the case of Chen， he was helped with sincerity. This shows the sincerity of the Chinese government in building a harmonious society and respecting and guarantying the freedom of religion enjoyed by the general public.

(Translated by David)