wǒ shì dà hān fǎ shī sēng rén yì shù jiā

我是大憨法师，僧人艺术家

I’m Dahan, a Dharma teacher and a monk artist

chū jiā shēng huó de nián

出家生活的18年

I became a monk 18 years ago

yī biān xiū xíng yī biān gài sì miào yī biān huà huà

一边修行，一边盖寺庙，一边画画

I practice, renovate the temple and paint

chū jiā zhī qián

出家之前

Before I was converted to Buddhism

nà shí hòu wǒ yǐ jīng shì dà xué lǎo shī le

那时候我已经是大学老师了

I had already been a college teacher

shí shí kè kè hǎo xiàng yǒu yī zhǒng bù ān quán gǎn

时时刻刻好像有一种不安全感

But I felt insecure all the time

nián wǒ yī zhāng huà mài le wàn

98年，我一张画卖了4万

In 1998, one of my paintings was sold for 40,000 yuan

jiù mǎi le yī tào fáng zi

（就）买了一套房子

Then I bought a house

měi gè rén dōu zhè yàng jié hūn shēng zi dōu shì yī yàng guī lǜ qù shēng huó

每个人都这样，结婚生子都是一样规律去生活

Everybody lived like that way, getting married and having a child

wǒ jué dé kě néng tài jiǎn dān le

我觉得可能太简单了

I felt it was too simple

rén shēng rú guǒ jǐn jǐn shì mǎn zú yī zhǒng wù zhì shàng de xū qiú bǐ jiào dī jí

人生如果仅仅是满足一种物质上的需求，比较低级

Life would be debased if only the need for material is satisfied

wǒ jiù bǎ fáng zi gěi tuì le

我就把房子给退了

So I returned the house

nián suì chū de jiā

2002年，33岁出的家

In 2002, I became a monk at the age of 33

gāo fēng chán sì shǐ jiàn yú

高峰禅寺始建于

Gaofeng Zen Temple was built in AD 502

wèi jìn nán běi cháo nán liáng liáng wǔ dì de tiān jiān yuán nián gōng yuán nián

魏晋南北朝，南梁梁武帝的天监元年（公元502年）

The first year of the Tianjian era under the reign of Emperor Wu of Liang

zuì zhōng shì huǐ yú kàng rì zhàn zhēng

最终是毁于抗日战争

It was destroyed during the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression

nián wǒ men jiē shǒu de shí hòu tā hěn cán pò de

（2004年）我们接手的时候，它很残破的

When we took it over (in 2004), it was dilapidated

qiáng bì yī quán dǎ guò qù shì huì pò de

（墙壁）一拳打过去是会破的

The walls could be damaged by a human fist

tóng jì dà xué bì yè de yī gè lǎo jiào shòu yì wù gěi wǒ men shè jì de

同济大学毕业的一个老教授，义务给我们设计的

A senior professor graduated from Tongji University designed it for free

shì yī gè míng qīng de sì miào jiàn zhù fēng gé

是一个明清的寺庙建筑风格

It’s a combination of the style of Ming-and-Qing temples

tóng shí róng hé le zhè zhǒng sū zhōu yuán lín shì de bù jú

同时融合了这种苏州园林式的布局

And the layout of Suzhou gardens

zhěng gè sì yuàn de jiàn shè jīng lì le nián

整个寺院的建设经历了14年

The construction lasted for 14 years

nà shí hòu nián jì qīng

那时候年纪轻

I was young at that time

wǒ kě yǐ tiāo dào jīn liǎng bāo shuǐ ní ér qiě zǒu shān pō

我可以挑到200斤两包水泥，而且走山坡

I could go up the hills carrying two packs of concrete which weighed 100 kg

sì yuàn shàng miàn de měi yī kuài zhuān měi yī kuài wǎ

寺院上面的每一块砖每一块瓦

Each brick and tile of the temple

dōu jīng guò wǒ men de shuāng shǒu

都经过我们的双手

We carried them by ourselves

chū jiā rén yī rì bù zuò zé yī rì bù shí

出家人一日不做则一日不食

We eat only if we labor

huà huà yě shì wǒ shǔ yú yī gè xiū xíng de bù fēn

画画也是我属于一个修行的部分

Surely painting is part of my practice

suǒ yǐ wǒ zài huà lǐ miàn tǐ xiàn chū wǒ duì fú fǎ de yī xiē sī kǎo

所以我在画里面，体现出我对佛法的一些思考

So I would express my thoughts about Buddhism through my paintings

wǒ nián de yuè

我2005年的12月

In December, 2005

wǒ zhè gè huà shì lǐ miàn yǒu jǐ bāo zhōng yào yě bù zhī shì shuí gē xià de

我这个画室里面有几包中药也不知是谁搁下的

I found several pack of herbs in my painting room and I didn’t know who put them there

chū jiā rén jiǎng jiū xī fú

出家人讲究惜福

We praise the virtue of cherishing

nǐ bù hǎo luàn rēng

你不好乱扔

It was not right to just throw them away

wǒ jiù yǒu yī gè xiǎng fǎ shì bù shì kě yǐ yòng zhōng cǎo yào lái zuò huà

我就有一个想法，是不是可以用中草药来做画

Then I had an idea of painting with herbs

wǒ men qù cǎi zhāi zhí wù cǎo yào

我们去采摘（植物、草药）

I go picking plants and herbs

yòng huǒ shāo de fāng shì shāo dào yī dìng de chéng dù gěi tā miè le

用火烧的方式烧到一定的程度，给它灭了

Then I burn them to a certain degree and put the fire out

zài yòng mǒu zhǒng fāng shì bǎ tā gù dìng zhù

再用某种方式把它固定住

And I fix them in some way

jǐn yǔ zhòu dà dì wú yī wù bù shì yào cái

尽宇宙大地，无一物不是药材

Everything across the planet is herb

zhōng cǎo yào tā kě yǐ zhì bìng zhì rén de shēn tǐ

中草药它可以治病，治人的身体

Herbs cure diseases and human body

wǒ men fú shì zhì rén de xīn líng sī xiǎng

我们佛是治人的心灵思想

While Buddhism heals soul

gǔ rén jīng cháng jiǎng yī jù huà jiào hǎo gè fēng liú huà bù chéng

古人经常讲一句话叫“好个风流画不成”

There’s an old saying which goes ‘he who doesn’t appreciate nature cannot be a good painter’

suǒ yǐ zài wǒ xiàn zài de chuàng zuò dāng zhōng yòng yǔ

所以在我现在的创作当中用雨

So now when I create

bāo kuò yòng yuè guāng qìn rǎn hái yǒu tài yáng de zhè zhǒng bào shài

包括用月光沁染，还有太阳的这种暴晒

I would expose my paintings in rain, moonlight or sun

qí shí jiù shì tiān rén hé yī

其实就是天人合一

It’s actually harmony between man and nature

huà yě yǒu yī dìng de shōu rù zhè gè shōu rù dōu shì shǔ yú sì yuàn de

画也有一定的收入，这个收入都是属于寺院的

My paintings generate earnings but the money all goes to the temple

chū jiā rén yào tài duō de qián shì méi yǒu yòng de

出家人要太多的钱是没有用的

There’s no need for monks to have too much money

jīn qián duō le kě néng fǎn ér hái huì róng yì dòng xīn

金钱多了可能反而还会容易动心

Wealth tends to disturb our peace of mind

duì xiū xíng hái gèng jiā bù lì

对修行还更加不利

Which will do harm to practice

wǒ xiǎng nián zhī nèi péi yǎng gè jiē bān rén

我想10年之内培养个接班人

I want to train a successor in 10 years

wǒ jiù zhǔn bèi qù bì guān

我就准备去闭关

Then I will prepare for seclusion

zuì hǎo néng gòu le tuō shēng sǐ

最好能够了脱生死

My goal is to go beyond life and death

zhè shì chū jiā rén de dà shì qíng

这是出家人的大事情

That is the most important thing to us