The Poor and the Rich Are Equal
人世间不论贫富贵贱，每个人都有追求真理与坚守信仰的权利。世人按照自己的观念把人分成三六九等，富人看不起穷人，恶官歧视平民。然而，从生命的本质上来 讲，富人与穷人并没有任何差异。一个人即使穷得一无所有，只要他志气尚在，不自暴自弃，就算前途艰难曲折也能走向成功；穷人如果有求道之心，上天决不会嫌 弃他的贫困，只要他一心向佛，就如泥中莲花，必能修到功成圆满。
In this human world, everyone has the right to pursue the truth and stick to his or her belief, regardless of whether they are rich or poor. People classify others into various ranks. The rich look down upon the poor and evil officials treat common citizens with contempt. But there is no disparity between the rich and the poor based on the essence of life. Even if a person who does not own a thing in the world, as long as he or she has aspiration and does not give up hope, he or she will head for success even the passage is difficult. With respect to a poor person, as long as he has the desire for the righteous Fa, heaven will not abandon him because he is poor. As long as he wholeheartedly seeks Buddhahood, he will be able to reach consummation, just like lotus flowers grow in the mud.
以前在巴西里约热内卢的一个贫民窟里，有一个贫穷的男孩。他非常喜欢足球，但是又没 有钱去买。于是他只好踢塑料盒、汽水瓶以及从垃圾箱拣来的椰子壳。他经常一个人在找到的空地上踢来踢去，当他在一个干枯的水塘里猛踢一只猪膀胱时，恰好被 一位足球教练看见了，他觉得这个小男孩很可怜，就主动提出送给他一个足球。小男孩得到足球之后踢得更努力了，不久他就能准确的把球踢進远处随意摆放的一只 水桶里。他很想和城里的孩子们一起踢球，但是那些有钱人的孩子都对他不屑一顾，故意疏远他。终于有一天，那个送给他足球的教练慧眼识真金，把他带回到自己 的训练场去了。三年之后，这位十七岁的小男孩在第六届世界足球锦标赛独進21球，为巴西第一次捧回金杯。一个原来不为世人所知的名字--球王贝里，随之传 遍全世界。
There was once a boy who lived in a slum in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. He was unusually fond of soccer, but he couldn't afford to buy a soccer ball. He kicked plastic boxes, soft drink bottles, or coconut shells taken from a garbage can. He often found an open space to kick these things. One day when he was kicking a pig bladder on a dry pond, a soccer coach caught sight of it and gave him a soccer ball. The boy tried very hard to play soccer. Soon he was able to kick the ball accurately into a bucket placed some distance away. He was eager to play soccer with boys in the city, but those rich kids looked down upon him and willfully distanced him. Finally, the coach who had given the boy the soccer ball recognized the boy's extraordinary ability and brought him to his training camp. Three years later, this seventeen year old boy scored 21 goals during the sixth world soccer championship games and helped Brazil to win the gold cup. This boy who was once unknown to the world became the king of soccer.
在古代的日本，耕田的农民被贵族们视为贱民，连出家当和尚的资格都没有。有一个叫无三的孩子出身贱民，只好隐姓埋名進了寺院。后 来他勤奋修行，被众人拥戴为住持。可是就在举行就任住持仪式的那天，突然有个人从大殿中跳出来，指着法坛上的无三大声嘲弄道：“出身贱民的和尚也能当住 持，这怎么能行啊？”众僧在庄严隆重的仪式上，都被这突然发生的事态弄得不知所措，也无法阻止刚才的那个人说话，只好屏息噤声，注视着事态的发展。仪式被 迫中断，场上静得连一根针掉在地上都能听得见。面对突如其来的发难，无三微开双目，从容的微笑着回答：“泥中莲花。”这是一句绝妙的对答！在场的人顿时喝 彩叫好，那个发难的人也无言以对，不得不佩服无三的精湛回答。就任仪式继续進行，众人反而因为他以前的贱民身份更加拥护他了。
In ancient Japan, peasants were considered as the underclass by aristocrats and they couldn't even qualify to become monks. An underclass boy named Wusan entered a monastery without revealing his status. He cultivated diligently and was nominated later to be the abbot. But during the ceremony, a person came out and pointed at Wusan and said with scorn: "How can an underclass person become an abbot?" None of the monks knew what to do with this situation in this solemn ceremony and couldn't stop the person from speaking. They just kept silent and waited. The ceremony was interrupted. It was so quiet that even the sound of a needle falling on the ground could be heard. Faced with this sudden attack, Wusan answered with smile: "Lotus flower in the mud." It was an ingenious reply. All people present cheered. The person had nothing to say and couldn't help but admire Wusan's exquisite answer. The ceremony continued. People respected him even more for his underclass status.
其实人世间贫富贵贱的身份就如流水一样，每时每刻都在发生着变化。不为外表所迷，看透贫富贵贱的本质，才能平等看待天下众生。在生老病死等人生必须面对的大难之前，人世间的所谓富贵也是苍白无力的，高尚的心灵与道德才是珍贵的生命之光。
The status of being rich or poor is like a flowing stream. It changes every moment. Only without being deluded by outer appearances and seeing through the essence of rich or poor and eminent or humble, can we treat sentient beings equally. The rich and powerful are powerless in dealing with the catastrophes in life such as becoming old, getting ill, and dying. Nobility of mind and morality is the most precious in life.
