时间：05/16/2026 05/17/2026
地点：星河禅修中心
主讲：黄云全
佛法修行
慈悲化鲸度众生
释迦牟尼佛在过去生行菩萨道时，曾经是一位商人，名叫贫窭，他经常在国与国之间做买卖。这一次，贫窭与一群好朋友们又乘船远至他国去做生意。
在海上航行的途中，贫窭不时来到甲板，站在这里透气，当贫窭望向海洋时，忽然见到海中的大鱼追食着小鱼群，只见大鱼群快速的张开大嘴不断的吞食着，小鱼们仓皇的逃避，却躲不过被大鱼吞食的命运，成群的小鱼很快就消失在大鱼的口中，它们的生命就这样消失。
贫窭感叹着小鱼的无助与弱肉强食的无奈，他想着：「生命源远流长，在不断的变换外形中绵延，不知道这个道理的众生却在每一生中互相争夺与杀伐，造成后世更深的怨怼与仇恨，冤冤相报无尽。我愿以自己的色身布施给鱼儿们，以换取无数的小生命，不再被大鱼所追杀。」
于是贫窭跳入海中，舍身布施行菩萨道。在这一生命终之后，转世投胎为身体巨大的鲸鱼王，领导着海中的鱼群自在的生活。
在靠近海边有一小国，正遭逢严重的旱灾，人民无以为食，竟然互相杀害，彼此啖食人肉维生。慈悲的鱼王知道了，心里想「这是多么悲惨的事啊！旱灾什么时候才会结束呢？他们这样互相啖食，终会走上绝境的。」
于是鱼王游到浅滩上，希望以自己的身体维持大众的生命。海边的居民看到这么大的鱼，喜出望外，他们感谢天神送来了食物，纷纷互相走告：「大家快来啊！有一条大鱼停在岸边，大家赶快去食用。」
就这样，每天都有人带着刀，在鲸鱼王的身上任意的割下他们所需要的鱼肉来维持生命，鲸鱼王庞大的身躯被刀切割得遍体鳞伤。几个月过去了，鲸鱼王忍着痛，居然还活着。鱼王牺牲自己以救活大众的这种大慈悲心感动了天神，天神从天界来到鲸鱼王的身边，合掌问道：「慈悲的鲸王啊！您用自己的身体养活大众，每天还要忍受人们一刀一刀的割切，这样的痛苦是无法形容的！您为什么不舍离这个报身，只要留下鱼身给大众就可以了！」
鲸王回答：「我不能这么做啊！如果我死了，这鱼身很快就会腐烂掉，人民将再度陷入饥饿的困境，又会开始互相杀害、啖食人肉以生活。我实在不忍心见到这种惨状再度发生，所以，我一定要坚持活下来。」天神被鲸王这种舍己救人的愿心所感动，由衷的赞叹：「鲸王啊！您这么样的慈心广大，将来一定能成就无上佛果，广度无量无边的众生。」
有一天，一位村民拿着斧头，爬到鲸王的头上，用力的砍下鲸王的头带回家烹食，鲸王才因此结束了这一世的生命。
舍报的鲸王转世为皇太子，太子生来聪慧，在成长过程中，处处都流露出悲天悯人的胸怀，深受国人的爱戴。
有一年，国内旱灾，农作没有收成，国人贫困潦倒，皇太子于是建议父王免除国人的税收，自己也是粗食淡饭，尽力的救助人民。他深深的忏悔，自己没有福报，所以不能福庇子民；由于自己的罪业，使人民生活在灾难中，不能安居乐业。
太子于是长跪发愿：「我愿意用自己的生命换取上天的甘露润泽，期望能解除国人的灾难，人民都能丰衣足食，生活得无忧无虑。」太子哀恸的忏悔，他真诚的希望人民能安乐的生活。他至诚的发愿，感召了大慈悲的佛陀带领五百位出家比丘来到太子的国家，让他们培植福田。佛陀与众比丘才刚踏上边界，国王、太子带领着皇族都来恭迎佛陀到皇宫接受供养，一路上，百姓们欢喜得匍匐于地，恭敬的顶礼佛陀。当佛陀安详徐步的走过时，大众感受到佛陀的慈祥与光明，他们觉得灾难即将过去了。
见到佛陀的太子，悲喜交集；悲的是由于自己的罪业深重，使人民遭受饥馑之灾，喜的是佛陀慈悲普照，为人民种福。太子在佛陀面前涕泪悲泣，长跪顶礼的说道：「佛啊！国家久旱不雨，至使五谷不收，这都是我没有福报，我的罪业带给子民的是灾难。慈悲的佛啊！我愿意牺牲自己以换取人民的安泰。」佛陀回答说：「太子啊！你的慈悲喜舍是十方诸佛菩萨都知道的啊！你真诚的忏悔与发愿，即将解除国内的灾难。」
不多时，天上降下甘霖，解除了长久的旱象，人民感恩佛陀的普照与仁心爱民的君王。由于佛的教化，大众学到了唯有互相帮助、彼此体谅，化解心中彼此的分别、嫉妒与仇恨，才能使这个共同生活的地方免于灾难。国家中所有人民更加恭敬三宝、深信佛法，真正做到信受奉行。从此以后，风调雨顺，国泰民安。
Date: 05/16/2026 05/17/2026
Location: Star River Meditation Center
Teacher: Yunquan Huang
Dharma Talk
Transforming into a Whale Through Compassion to Deliver Beings
In a past life, when Śākyamuni Buddha was practicing the Bodhisattva path, he was once a merchant named Pinju. He frequently traveled between kingdoms conducting trade. On one occasion, he set sail with a group of companions to a distant land for business.
While voyaging upon the sea, Pinju would often come up onto the deck to take in the air. As he gazed upon the ocean, he suddenly saw great fish pursuing and devouring schools of smaller fish. The large fish opened their mouths wide and swallowed them in rapid succession, while the smaller fish fled in panic, yet could not escape their fate. In a short time, entire schools vanished into the mouths of the larger fish, their lives extinguished just so.
Pinju sighed at the helplessness of the small fish and the cruelty of the strong devouring the weak. He reflected:
“Life flows on endlessly, taking on different forms without cease. Yet beings who do not understand this truth engage in mutual struggle and slaughter in every lifetime, creating ever-deepening resentment and hatred, with grievances repaid endlessly. I vow to offer my own body as alms to the fish, to spare countless small lives from being pursued and devoured.”
Thus, Pinju leapt into the sea, offering his body in the practice of the Bodhisattva path. At the end of that life, he was reborn as a great whale king of immense size, who led the fish of the ocean in peaceful existence.
Near the shore there was a small kingdom suffering from a severe drought. The people had nothing to eat, and in their desperation they began to harm one another, even consuming human flesh to survive. The compassionate whale king, upon learning this, thought:
“How tragic this is! When will the drought come to an end? If they continue devouring one another, they will surely reach total ruin.”
Thus, the whale king swam to the shallows, offering his own body to sustain the lives of the people. When the coastal inhabitants saw such a great fish, they rejoiced and said that the gods had sent them food. They spread the word among one another:
“Come quickly! A great fish has come ashore—let us go and partake of it!”
From that day onward, people came daily with knives, cutting flesh from the whale king’s body as needed to sustain themselves. His vast body was covered with wounds from countless cuts. Months passed, yet the whale king endured the pain and still remained alive. His great compassion in sacrificing himself to save others moved the heavenly beings. A deva descended from the heavens, came before the whale king, joined his palms, and asked:
“O compassionate whale king! You nourish the people with your own body and endure the agony of being cut day after day. Such suffering is beyond description! Why do you not relinquish this body? If you were to die, your body would still provide sustenance for the people.”
The whale king replied:
“I cannot do so. If I were to die, this body would soon decay, and the people would once again fall into hunger. They would resume harming and devouring one another. I cannot bear to see such suffering arise again. Therefore, I must remain alive.”
The deva, deeply moved by the whale king’s vow to sacrifice himself for others, praised him sincerely:
“O whale king! With such boundless compassion, you will surely attain supreme Buddhahood in the future and liberate immeasurable beings.”
One day, a villager took an axe, climbed upon the whale king’s head, and struck it forcefully, carrying the flesh home to cook. Thus, the whale king’s life in that existence came to an end.
After relinquishing that body, the whale king was reborn as a crown prince. From birth, the prince was intelligent and, as he grew, he revealed a heart filled with compassion for all beings, earning the love and respect of the people.
In one year, the kingdom again suffered from drought. Crops failed, and the people fell into hardship. The crown prince advised his father, the king, to exempt the people from taxes. He himself lived simply, eating coarse food, and did all he could to relieve the suffering of the populace. He deeply repented, thinking that it was due to his lack of merit that he could not bring blessings to the people, and that his own karmic faults had led to their suffering.
The prince then knelt and made a vow:
“I am willing to give my life in exchange for heavenly rain to nourish the land. May the calamities of the people be dispelled, and may all live in abundance and peace.”
With deep sorrow, he repented and sincerely wished for the well-being of the people. His earnest vow moved the compassionate Buddha, who, together with five hundred bhikṣus, came to that land to help the people cultivate merit. As soon as the Buddha and the Saṅgha entered the borders of the kingdom, the king and crown prince, along with the royal family, came forth to welcome them and invited the Buddha to the palace for offerings. Along the way, the people joyfully prostrated themselves, paying reverent homage.
As the Buddha walked calmly and serenely, the people felt his compassion and radiant presence, and they believed that the calamity would soon pass.
When the crown prince beheld the Buddha, he was filled with both sorrow and joy—sorrow for the suffering of the people due to his own perceived karmic faults, and joy for the Buddha’s compassionate arrival to plant blessings. With tears streaming down his face, he knelt before the Buddha and said:
“O Buddha! The kingdom has long suffered from drought, and the harvest has failed. This is due to my lack of merit; my karma has brought calamity upon the people. Compassionate Buddha, I am willing to sacrifice myself to bring peace to the people.”
The Buddha replied:
“Crown prince, your compassion, loving-kindness, joy, and equanimity are known to all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of the ten directions. Your sincere repentance and vows will soon bring an end to this calamity.”
Before long, rain fell from the heavens, ending the long drought. The people gave thanks for the Buddha’s compassion and for the benevolent ruler who loved his people. Through the Buddha’s teaching, they came to understand that only by helping one another, by showing mutual understanding, and by abandoning discrimination, jealousy, and hatred, could their land be freed from calamity. From that time onward, the people revered the Three Jewels, deeply believed in the Dharma, and practiced it sincerely. Thereafter, the seasons were harmonious, and the kingdom enjoyed lasting peace and prosperity.
