Good and Wise Advisors! As people living in this world, we feel that the world is very large and people are very small. When I was in China, I saw only the Chinese people and knew nothing about the people of other countries. Now I have seen not only other countries, but also the people in them. The immensity of the world and the vastness of all things under heaven are qualities we ought to emulate.

When I was still in China, I felt that Buddhism should spread to the rest of the world. Why? Because the doctrines of Buddhism are so perfect and complete. There are still many people who do not yet believe in the Buddha. This is all because we Buddhist disciples have not translated the Buddha's teachings into the languages of all nations, which would enable Buddhism to be known universally throughout the world.

For this reason, I want to exert all my efforts and abilities to facilitate the translation of the Buddhist scriptures into all languages. Even though I myself do not know any foreign languages, it is my wish to see this work done. How much the more should Buddhists who do understand foreign languages devote all their efforts to accomplishing this task. Therefore, when I left China and went to the United States, my first task was to lecture on the Sutras and speak the Dharma. I lectured on the Vajra Sutra, the Heart Sutra, the Sixth Patriarch's Sutra, the Shurangama Sutra, the Lotus Sutra, the Avatamsaka Sutra, and smaller Sutras such as the Sutra of the Eight Awakenings of a Great Person, the Sutra of the Buddha's Final Teaching, the Sutra in Forty-two Sections, and so on. I lectured on the Sutras every day and my lectures were translated into English. Our organization has published more English translations of Chinese Buddhist scriptures than any other group. Over a hundred volumes have already been published.

This type of work used to be supported by emperors and high officials. But now the emperors and government officials are infatuated with the pursuit of wealth. They want to amass fortunes or indulge in pleasure and amusement, and have neglected the things that are truly meaningful to humankind.

Translating the Buddhist scriptures is an extremely difficult and weighty task. It requires financial support, human resources, and many other conditions in order to be carried out. We have neither the human resources nor the financial support, and the other conditions are not ideal either. Nevertheless, we must diligently apply ourselves to the task. As long as we are alive, we want to work to accomplish this mission bit by bit, not stopping until it is completed.

Not only are emperors and high officials unaware of the importance of the work we are doing, even among my own disciples, no one really understands. Why is this? Because we don't dare to speak about this matter to anyone. Why not? As soon as we bring it up, people sigh at the hopelessness of it. They are scared because this is something that has never been done before. It is something that no one dares to do. There has never been a person who, not understanding English or any other foreign language, has endeavored to translate the Chinese Buddhist canon into other languages. No one has dared to undertake such a task, because the human and financial resources required are not easy to obtain. Nor does anyone understand the magnitude and implications of such a project. We at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas just work quietly, keeping our nose to the grindstone, without advertising or seeking publicity. As I said before, not even my lay or left-home disciples understand the real significance of this work. Yet we are pushing ahead and doing it.

Why am I telling everyone about this now? Because the time has come, so wherever I go, I want to speak about this issue. Recently we purchased a place that I like very much in the city of Burlingame, a twenty-five-minute drive south of San Francisco. It has 30,000 square feet of space. There are 76 parking spaces, and there is an adjoining lot of over 60,000 square feet. In the past someone had bought it for a considerable sum, but because it was slightly damaged in an earthquake, he later wanted to sell it, and so we purchased it from him. Originally the down payment was $850,000, but later the owner decided not to take a down payment, but to sell the property completely on mortgage. Due to acquiring this property I feel that the translation of the Buddhist canon can be accomplished a little sooner. Now I am inviting people from all countries who wish to be involved in the translation of the scriptures to join us in the work. There is no pay for this work. We are working as volunteers for Buddhism. Those who share our aspiration to walk this path are invited to join us, so that we can work together in translating the Buddhist scriptures. This is the work that we Buddhists should rejoice in the most. As I tell you this, you should realize that this is a unique opportunity which is hard to encounter in a million years. If you wish to help translate the scriptures, I hope you can come to the United States and work together with us.

All you people from different countries of the world who wish to help translate the Buddhist scriptures should not lag behind. You should go for it and strive to translate the Buddhist canon into all languages. This work is not like ordinary, mundane work. Don't ask, "How will I be compensated for doing this work? What kind of reward will I get in the future?" There are no rewards for the work of translating scriptures. We are volunteering our services to Buddhism. We are devoting our lives to working for Buddhism. We want neither money nor renown; we are not greedy for wealth, sex, fame, food, or sleep. Our work must accord with the six bright paths of no contending, no greed, no seeking, no selfishness, no pursuit of personal advantage, and no lying. We must comply with these six demon-spotting mirrors and demon-slicing swords. These are the six demon-subduing pestles wielded by the Dharma-protecting spirits. Armed with these six kinds of power, we can do this work. And so when we work, we do not seek rewards or anything at all. All we want is to translate the Buddhist scriptures. I have made this vow, but none of you really know what kind of person I am. Let me tell you about myself briefly.

When I was little, I was not a filial child. I was born with a big temper and loved to fight with people. If anyone was being unfair, I would try to set things right. My motto was, "If I see injustice on the road, I'll take my knife and rush to the aid of the victim." That's the kind of person I was. Before I turned twelve, all I did was fight; that was my main skill. If I didn't fight for a day, I wouldn't eat that day. When I turned twelve I realized my errors and totally reformed. I apologized to my parents and told them I had not been a good child and had caused them a lot of worry, but that starting then, I would change my faults and turn over a new leaf. Starting from the time I was twelve, I bowed to my parents every day. Later on I also bowed to Heaven, Earth, the national leader, and my teacher. I didn't yet know who my teacher would be, but I bowed to him anyway. After a while I began bowing to all people, to the people of all nations. I felt that perhaps I had mistreated or wronged all the people in the world, so I bowed to them seeking to repent. The bows kept adding up until I was bowing eight hundred and thirty-some bows every morning and the same number every evening.

I bowed outside the house, bowing without fail despite the wind, rain, and snow. The gales of wind, the soaking rain, and the freezing snow didn't deter me. I bowed like this for over ten years. After I left the home-life, many people wanted to bow to me as soon as they saw me. I joked with them, saying, "Probably I bowed to every one of you in the past, so now you're coming to bow to me to pay back the debt."

When I was fifteen, I went to school for half a year. I studied two full years when I was sixteen and seventeen, so my studies lasted a total of two and a half years. During that time I studied the Four Books and the Five Classics. I also studied seven of the eight Chinese classics. I also studied fifteen medical and pharmaceutical texts, but I didn't dare to become a doctor. Why not? If there were a hundred sick people and I cured ninety-nine and a half, but I couldn't cure the remaining one-half and ended up harming someone, I wouldn't be able to face people after that. That's why I didn't become a doctor.

After that I studied the Buddhadharma, because after studying during my sixteenth year, I learned enough to be able to read the Sutras. And when I was seventeen, I went to the temple to explain the Sixth Patriarch's Sutra to people. I also explained the Vajra Sutra as well as other kinds of Buddhist teachings. At that time I also learned to recite the Great Compassion Mantra. When I first encountered the mantra, I was delighted and started to read it after I got on the train. When it was time to get off the train thirty minutes later, I was able to recite it from memory. After I memorized the Great Compassion Mantra, I obtained the Dharma of the Forty-two Hands and Eyes. After practicing this Dharma for several years, wherever and whenever I met sick people, I tried to heal them without any hesitation. Using the Great Compassion Mantra and the Forty-two Hands and Eyes, I found that I could cure them right away.