一个新加坡人在中国出家传奇

　　一个新加坡人在中国出家传奇
　　□ 张 望　《文化交流》 2007年第05期
　　崇山峻岭中的浙江天台山，因诞生了中国佛教天台宗，自隋代始即闻名海内外。
　　2007年5月31日，位于大山深处的天台山佛学院万年寺举行了一场特殊而庄重的佛教仪式：英国艾克斯特大学硕士、新加坡籍人士陈永宏，作为一名外国人终于了却一个数年来想在中国出家为僧的宿愿，经天台国清寺监院、天台山佛学院教务长允观法师剃度，正式出家为僧，法名华传，成为真正意义上的中国佛教僧人。
　　此事起因要追溯到四年前。2003年12月25日，作为摄影师的我收到一份英文电子邮件，经翻译后得知：有一位外国人看了我在国际互联网上展示的中国佛教摄影作品后，想托我介绍他来中国出家做“和尚”！难以置信的是我通过电子邮件及电话数次与他沟通后了解到：对方中文名叫陈永宏，新加坡籍男士，时年53岁，毕业于英国艾克斯特大学，获文学硕士学位，曾先后就职于英国全国学术评定委员会、英联邦议会、英国国会大厦等机构。作为英联邦财政部的财政官员，他曾参与管理51个英联邦国的财政，其后成立私人企业公司，并两次周游世界，是一位自小受西方文化教育的高级知识男性。经历体验世间人情冷暖的陈先生，对现实逐渐看淡，他在内心一直想寻找一种能寄托心灵的生活方式，最后终于为佛教所吸引，后来一次偶然在国际互联网上搜索浏览了我拍摄撰写的纪实图文系列作品《走近中国天台山佛学院》之后，得知了博大精深的中国佛教天台宗及佛教圣地天台山悠久而传奇的历史，他深深为之感动，认定佛教圣地天台山是自己人生与灵魂的最终归宿，遂坚定了前往中国天台山出家，终身成为中国佛教僧侣的决心。
　　受其真诚之感动，我与浙江省佛协名誉会长、天台国清寺住持、天台山佛学院院长可明大和尚作了联系，在其慈悲恩准与关照下，在外事部门同意下，新加坡人陈永宏终于获准以居士身份先后数次、每次数月前往中国天台山佛学院与其他僧侣一样，按严格的佛教戒律生活与修行，经过数年持续礼佛，陈永宏终于迎来了剃度这一庄严时刻，成为一名在华出家的外国人。
　　如今，陈永宏在中国出家的夙愿梦想成真，这虽然是件看似个人的事，但它却折射出一种国际意义和时代特征。回首往昔，所见所闻多是国人为西方文化与生活方式所吸引，去西方留学、定居及移民几乎已成为一种时尚，而今一位自小受西方文化教育、毕业于西方名校、任职于西方政府高层且见多识广的高级知识白领，却为中国传统文化所吸引与感召，并在其中找到了他人生与灵魂的最终归宿，将自己的下半生交给了中国，这昭示了在中西方文化交互作用的今天，中国传统文化的魅力对当今世界的影响与辐射力。联系欧美现今掀起的“中国热”、“学汉语热”、“中国功夫热”等等现象，彰显了东方传统文化正逐渐为世界所认识与重视，它是中华民族文化的伟大复兴和将在世界崛起的象征，同时也标志着中国社会正在逐步走向文明、民主与自由，我国如今不但允许国人信教自由，还允许和吸引外国人到中国出家，并给予多方帮助乐观其成，这表达了中国政府构建和谐社会与尊重保障民众信仰与人权自由的决心与诚意。
　　作为中国佛教第一宗的天台宗，再一次展现了它的国际影响力。这个有着1000多年历史的中国佛教宗派，早在隋唐朝代就受到日本、韩国民众的崇拜而来到这里学法，如今陈永宏作为一个周游过世界见多识广的国外人士，在体验经历了多种宗教、了解探访了有关国家多处学佛的派别场所之后，最终为中国佛教天台宗所感召而将自己的人生与灵魂交托于它，这不能不使人为天台宗精深的教义所折服。
　　陈永宏在中国剃度快两个月了，我拨通了陈永宏——华传法师的手机，电话里依然是那东南亚口音浓重的欢悦的声音。他说可能是看了新闻媒体的报道，前段时间山下陆续上来好些人到万年寺来打听探望他，最后寺里出面才一一把他们劝回去。
　　他说现在是轻松又忙碌——因为经好几年的努力后终于剃度了，心里一块石头落地，接下去可以一心学佛了，所以很轻松；但他近来却很忙，因为一个是他现在担任研究班的英语教课工作，为做得好些所以他花的力气很大；同时，他每天抽时间去厨房、客堂帮忙，在帮助别人的时候自己也熟悉了寺院内的事务，学到了教内必需的知识。
　　电话里他与我说，更主要的是他现在有一个新的目标——他希望能争取早日获得授戒！为此每天花费很多精力在背有关佛教经论典籍，因为这是授戒必考题目。他已了解到国内有一处修行很好的佛教名山将开坛授戒，他希望今后能有缘分到类似这样殊胜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)