Thursday 28 February 2019

烦恼的产生

心定法师

「六根对六尘,六识乱纷纷。
   心意要集中,数息守根门。」


诸位同参!大家为什么要来参加禅七?就是希望能够使心意集中、修行有定力,进一步能够参禅,明心见性。

念头作用的过程

每一个人都是靠着六根(眼耳鼻舌身意)的作用,才能对六尘(色声香味触法)加以分别。并且对可爱境界生起贪爱染着;又对厌恶、瞋恨这些外境生起排斥。这些贪欲或瞋恨一天到晚随着六根门头,摄取外面种种色、声、香、味、触、法的境界,不断的分别,不断的染着,或不断的起瞋恨,所以心意没有办法静止下来。

除了六根对六尘引起六识的分别之外,就是自己内心一些习气种子,随时都会对于色、声、香、味、触……等等自然的生起一些心理现象。这些贪欲、瞋恨、掉举、昏沉、疑、恶作等等,在修行禅定的过程中也都是我们的障碍。

大家进入禅堂,六根门头容易守得住,因为在这里面容易都摄六根,不像世俗的社会有那么多外境可攀缘。此外,对五盖、五欲等烦恼都是修定参禅的大障碍,所以也应该要练习放下来呀!要彻底的远离它,才有办法修得定力,达到明心见性。

修行禅定、参禅有很多方法,很多方便、技巧和理论,禅七之中班首师父都会随时提醒、指导大家。大家难得有这样的因缘进入禅堂,除了心生起欢喜、感恩的心之外,不必太紧张或太过要求自己达到某种层次。修行要逐步逐步的来,放松自己的身心,放下自己的忧虑,或许更能够与定力相应。

即今参禅、禅七、起七开始,说法一句又作么生道?

「五盖与五欲,彻底要远离,一则能明心,见性生欢喜。」

念头的起源

我们都会有很多习惯性的动作。做事、讲话是一种习惯,包括我们的念头也是成为一种习惯性,而且无法克制自己不去想它。一般凡夫没有修定的境界,是不可能叫他不要想。但事实上的确有方法可以让妄念逐渐减少,到达一念不起境界。我们的心念这么多,无法知道究竟从什么时候开始这么多?佛法讲「无明」就是说:一开始即是这个样子的。

这些犹如虚空,不论是被白云或乌云覆盖,宇宙是本来就有的。佛法所说的地、水、火、风,也是本来就存在的。虚空里的乌云、白云这一类东西不晓得是何时形成的;我们的心意、念头很多,也不晓得是从什么时候开始的?只不过因为从有念头以后,我们就把不真实的误认为是真实的,从此继续在见解上繁衍出身、口、意三方面的错误行为。

从错误的身、口、意行为形成了见解上的一种执着;再由见解上的执着衍生了身、口、意的一些固定行为。这样反复辗转的相依、相关,使得我们生生世世都不断在增加一些错误或没有意义的行为,最后这些身、口、意三业的痕迹就形成了我们的心意识。

存放念头的地方---阿赖耶识(第八识)

我们做每一件事情,不论好事、坏事,喜欢的、苦恼的,都会很自然地成为我们记忆力的一部份。例如我们讲话时,不论好话、坏话、欢喜的、苦恼的,就很自然的成为我们记忆力的一部份。倘若我们在心里头想事情,这时不论清净的、杂染的,也都很自然的成为我们记忆力的一部份。

在唯识学里头,这就是我们身体、语言、心念的这些行为、动作,就是我们所谓的「有表业」。在变成了记忆力他就是现行的这些有表业回熏到我们第八意识成为第八意识里头的一部份,第八意识就像一个大仓库,储存起来后永远不会消失。

因为我们的任何动作,包括身体的、语言的、心意的,这些都是质量化的状态。一旦发动成质量化的动作以后,就立刻转化成为「能量」的状态。好比汽油挥发了以后,就成为一种能量化的状态(成为气体,而不再是液体),这种能量状态虽然看不见,但确实是存在的。

因此我们身体的任何一个动作、语言的任何一个动作、或者心念的任何一个动作,都是变成质量化的状态,称为「现行」。而这个现行很自然而然的就转变成能量化的记忆力。所以我们说由「现行」回熏到阿赖耶识以后成为习气,这种习气也可以说是一种能量。这个汽油挥发了以后所存在于虚空看不见但有存在。

阿赖耶识(第八识)的现代语---记忆力

我们的阿赖耶识如果用现代话来说,就是「记忆力」。我们的记忆力当中那一类最多,那一类的就会经常显现出来,包括作梦的时候。所以说「日有所思、夜有所梦」,就是记忆力较多时所产生出来的一种功能、作用。因此我们日常所说的话哪一模拟较多,所做的事哪一模拟较多,就称为「印象加深」或「印象深刻」,其实这都是我们记忆力里比较强的部分在起作用。

这比较强的部分如果是针对某一个人,他就会喜欢常常去找那个人;若是针对某一件事,就常常喜欢去做它。无论是什么东西,只要是喜欢吃的、喜欢穿的,他心里就常常喜欢去吃那个东西或是去穿那件衣服。在我们的记忆力里头比较强的部分就是这样子驱使我们。

从这里就可以想到,其实我们的心意识就是我们的行为所造成的。每一次的行为之后,就强化了我们心意识的某一部分。因此在我们的脑海里,生生世世(不管古代、现代)都会增加一些记忆。因此,我们所作的许多现行(显现出来的行为)大部分都是我们曾经记忆过的心念所引发的。

在我们的阿赖耶识(记忆)里收藏了我们曾经做过的事,然后见到现前的外在境界时(佛教所谓的色、声、香、味、触、法),就把它吸收进来,再回忆我们脑海里头有没有曾经记忆过这些东西?如果曾经记忆过这些东西很相同、很类似的记忆,那就叫做「相应」。

遇到相应的时候,心里头就会感到特别的喜欢。譬如见到某一个人,我们心里就在想:「好象在哪里见过面?喔,对了!原来是这样,有这么一段因缘!」所以对这个人就特别喜欢。对一件东西也是这样子的。

总之,我们的心意里头(阿赖耶识里)的记忆是无量无边的,就像无数亿的电子一样(因为我们的记忆是能量化的)。我们不断的透过六根,吸收六尘的境界回来,再跟原有的记忆作比对。相类似的就产生喜欢、染着、贪爱;不相同的,就排斥、打击、破坏它。并且不断透过六根来追逐六尘,制造身、口、意的一些贪、瞋、痴行为。这些行为马上又变成记忆力,成为阿赖耶识的一部份。等到临命终时,就是靠我们的记忆力中平时做得最多、最强的那一部份的力量,再引导我们去投胎转世。

记忆力的特性

当我们投胎转世以后,就住进一个新的生命体里。在母亲的肚子里头,这个胎儿的个性好坏、长得好不好看、健不健康,这些都不是母亲给的,而是由胎儿本身的这股强烈记忆力的内涵来作为它的基因和标准。如果过去给人快乐、欢喜的成分比较多,那么这个小孩的原料就很好,生出来的样子就特别可爱、很好看、很有人缘。如果过去世的记忆力里常惹人生气,带给人家苦恼、痛苦,那么这一辈子的长相就没有人缘、很难看的样子。

过去世的记忆力除了构成一个人现在的身相、面貌、健康情况、以及钱财多寡之外,还含藏了许多习气,跟着这个生命体一起继续长大。内心里头曾经在过去世累积过某一模拟较强的记忆力时,长大以后就会依照这一类记忆力而选择自己喜欢做的工作,或自己喜欢接触的人……等。

就这样,我们一个人的心意识可以说都是把我们的身、口、意行为不断从过去世累积到今生,又不断的在今生当中继续累积,然后再带着我们去投胎,在来生中无止尽的累积下去,所以我们心里头会有许多特别强的这一种力量。不管自己喜欢去做些什么、喜欢去讲些什么、喜欢去想些什么,都是有一股特别强大的力量在内心里推动我们去做。其它的力量并不会完全消失,能量是不可能消灭的,它只是生生世世都含藏在我们的心意识里。

因为心意识里头的这些习气种子的记忆力太多太多,所以当我们静下来以后,这些念头就一直往外窜。这就好比森林里的树木都抢着要争取阳光,而一直往高处冲,所以森林的树木一棵比一棵高。我们的妄念也是一样的,急速的想展现为现行,因此一个接一个的冒出来。这样就可以了解,我们的念头就是由身、口、意行为回熏到阿赖耶识,也就是从质量的行为转变成能量化的记忆力。

以戒定慧来断除烦恼

我们若要奉行人生的佛教、生活的佛教,就要修持戒、定、慧。在生活里头要作到尊重别人、不侵犯别人,就必须持戒。我们不要让心里的不良念头发展成行为的话,那就必须要修定。这些念头难以克服,所以必须以智慧来明白世间的真实相,使我们能够放得下,让念头不会再继续发展成一股强大的力量,引发出行为、动作。在修持过程中,一定要先修戒、定、慧,才能自利利他,福慧双修,悲智双运的这种。

人间佛教更是不可缺少戒、定、慧,所以在六度波罗蜜,我们对众生需要随分随力的做一些财布施、法布施、无畏布施。我们为了利益众生,不侵犯众生,总是有很多苦恼。为了不再加重众生的苦恼,所以要持戒,让我们身体的部分、语言的部分都不侵犯到众生。

很多顽强的众生,你对他好,他以为你是在利用他,所以有时候会反过来污辱你、毁谤你、打击你,所以必须要忍辱。忍辱除了要持戒,要定力,更要智慧。知道一切法空性,才能够安忍,那必须在这方面很精进的去用功当然还要禅定这叫忍辱波罗蜜。除此外还要禅定波罗蜜,最高层次就是般若波罗蜜,以智慧来引导。这里头的重点就是戒、定、慧不能免的。

大家老老实实的,在禅七开头先要花一些时间来调身,然后调息。进一步我们再来参参话头,然后再学观空,一步一步来修学。大家今天用数息观来好好的调身、调息,来继续用功。


I don’t like to use the word incarnation because it may imply a preexisting psychic substance or soul, and Buddhism does not accept the existence of an eternal soul that incarnates. However, Buddhism believes in a stream of consciousness that gets transferred from one birth to the next. This stream of consciousness is an instance of mental occurrence, arising due to its own internal momentum as well as external stimuli, all of which seemingly perpetuate its continuity over time. It thus serves as the basis for one’s self-identity.

-- Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche


Wednesday 27 February 2019

The Perfection of Patience

by Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo

The third Paramita is known in Sanskrit as kshanti and in English as patience or tolerance. Since this is one of the factors needed for the attainment of enlightenment, the issue of patience is a very important one for bringing the Dharma into our daily lives. However in order to cultivate patience there needs to be something that irritates us! If we are always surrounded by kind and loving people who do and say what we would want them to do and say, then that’s very nice. But we don’t learn anything. In fact since it’s easy to be loving towards people who are lovable, it would be easy for us to think that we are much nicer than we really are. So we need people in our life who create problems for us, who irritate and upset us because these are challenging us to learn how to be patient. Thus Shantideva advises us that instead of seeing someone who upsets us, abuses us or causes trouble as being an enemy, we should realise that this is our genuine spiritual friend because this is the person who can teach us how to be patient.

He gives the famous example that the earth is covered with sharp stones and thistles, so when we walk we are always hurting our feet. What to do? Are we going to carpet the whole earth with leather? Of course we take a piece of leather and wear it under the soles of our feet as sandals and shoes. In this way we can walk anywhere without hurting ourselves. Likewise we cannot expect the whole world to turn around and be exactly how we want it to be, but what we can change is our own inner attitude. The good news is we can change: our characters, they are not chiselled in stone. We can change but no one else can change us, we have to change ourselves.

So the point is that we are here in samsara, which by its nature is difficult and unsatisfactory, and we are here to learn. We are not here just to have a good time, whereby anybody who opposes us and spoils our pleasure is a bad person. Or we think that we are bad people because we have become irritated and upset so then we are angry with ourselves. This does not help anything. This present lifetime and the character that we have, this is our working material. It’s like clay we have to form and what we create is up to us. During our lives we have the opportunity to develop. We mustn’t be complacent, thinking: “Oh, this is the way I am and nothing will ever change!”

This human world is considered to be very special because we do not have all the unrelenting sufferings of the lower realms nor the unceasing pleasures of the celestial worlds. Here, in the human realm, we have a balance of difficulties and also pleasures. So this is the area where we have the greatest possibility of making advances on the spiritual path. And often it is the difficulties and the problems that we have in our life that are our opportunity to develop and to grow. So therefore this lifetime is called the gymnasium of the soul. We go to a gymnasium if we want to develop strong muscles and keep our bodies trim and in good shape. A gymnasium is full of machines which are designed to challenge our muscles. They’re meant to be difficult. By pushing ourselves and working with the equipment, our weak flabby muscles become strong. So likewise in our lifetime, when things are difficult, the problems that we have: our inner problems dealing with our personality, the outer problems dealing with our situation and other people, these are our spiritual gymnasium in which we work and exercise. So therefore whatever are our personal inner and outer problems, if we say ‘difficulties and obstacles’, they are difficulties and obstacles. But if we say ‘challenges and opportunities’, then they become challenges and opportunities.

So what do we do with anger? The first thing to remember is that our irritations and upsets can be a means for us to develop patience and understanding. Now most of us have certain situations in which we find ourselves becoming easily upset or irritated or know certain people who naturally annoy us and press our buttons. So we can focus on someone who is a particular problem for us and use that person as a means for transforming the situation simply by changing our attitude. In other words, instead of thinking: “This person is a problem and a difficulty”, we can think instead that this person is my greatest spiritual friend and my teacher of patience! If we can do this, then immediately the whole dynamic of the relationship changes.

This doesn’t mean that if one is in an abusive situation or is being cheated or harmed either psychologically or physically, that one has to just allow that to happen. In such circumstances one doesn’t have to be the victim, one can rise above that and with compassion extricate oneself firmly from such a situation. However negative and difficult someone may appear to be, this behaviour depends on prior causes and conditions many of which were outside their control. We should also remember that even the most awful person has some redeeming features and we all are inherently immaculate in our innate wisdom and compassion. We have just gotten somewhat obscured along the way.

But for many of us, the real cause of our anger and irritation is not something external but is directed in towards ourselves. Although many people find themselves being angry and irritable with others, the real cause is that they feel angry inside themselves, towards themselves. So it’s also important to make friends first with ourselves. Tibetan Buddhism in particular talks a lot about the self-cherishing mind and how we must destroy this self-cherishing attitude. There are many texts instructing us to make ourselves the lowest of the low while lifting up others. How in every way we should think of ourselves as nothing and everyone else as the most important. This teaching works very well for someone with a great sense of self-importance, who is selfish, and only thinking about themselves and how wonderful they are. For that kind of person who has a lot of inner arrogance and high self-esteem in a negative sense, then indeed to put others first is very important.

But for people who already have very low self-esteem, who don’t like themselves, who are constantly criticising themselves and undermining their own good qualities then, if misunderstood, this can be a dangerous doctrine. Because if we are already fragile and hurting inside, then to flagellate and beat ourselves doesn’t heal us. So what we need to do in that case, is to go back to the very basic teachings of the Buddha. In the Sutra on Loving-kindness the Buddha directs us in a meditation on loving-kindness – towards those whom one loves, towards those whom one feels indifferent, and finally towards those that one feels antipathy for. But first of all we send loving-kindness to ourselves and we wish ourselves to be well and happy and free from suffering, because if we are not at peace within ourselves, if we are not friends with ourselves, then we cannot deeply be at peace and friends with others.

So it’s very important first of all to deal with our own mind & heart, to deal with whatever negativities are in our mind. We all have negativities, we all have faults. If we didn’t have faults, we would already be a Buddha and we wouldn’t need the Dharma. We do need the Dharma because we have faults and we have problems inside ourselves which need to be dealt with and resolved. Therefore as part of our practice we need to really acknowledge and see clearly what are our weak points, where are our negativities and to recognise those. But instead of feeling angry with ourselves or guilty and upset, we have patience. We accept that we have these faults. Accepting that we have faults doesn’t mean condoning them. It doesn’t mean we think: “Okay, I’m an angry person and that’s okay.” It means we think: “Ah, I’m an angry person, so this is where I have to work the hardest.” In this way, our biggest obstacles become our greatest opportunities.

At the same time we must also acknowledge what is good within us, because all of us have positive things as well as negative. If we only think about the negative aspects, what is wrong in us, and we don’t consider what is right with us, then we become very unbalanced and depressed. So since in our minds we are always talking to ourselves, then we should pay attention to that voice. What is that voice telling us about ourselves the whole time? If we are always putting ourselves down, telling ourselves that we’re stupid, that we’re failures, that we never can succeed, that nobody likes us, that we are awful people and we’re totally useless - then no wonder we feel disempowered and depressed! But what would we think of a companion who was endlessly criticising us and pointing out our faults and never said anything nice to us? Would we think that there was a friend?

So therefore it’s very important that along with pulling up the weeds of our faults, we also cultivate the flowers of our good qualities. We should appreciate all that is good in us and encourage that to grow more. If we overlook and neglect the goodness in ourselves and we only think of the negative, then this undercuts all our spiritual efforts. It is important to realise that the goodness in us is a reflection of our true nature; the negative in us is just like the passing clouds, it’s not our true nature. So we shouldn’t zero in only on what is wrong. We really have to encourage ourselves with what is right. The ego doesn’t die by being beaten into submission. Endlessly thinking: “Oh, I am a weak and evil sinner” and flagellating ourselves doesn’t work. All that happens is that the ego becomes tight and resentful, but it doesn’t die. If you beat a dog, then he can become very afraid but he is also angry. If we want a well trained-dog or a well-trained mind, then we have to be kind and encourage the belief in its own capabilities.

The Tibetan translation for the word bodhisattva, which means basically “enlightened being”, is changchub sempah. Now pahwo means something heroic. So it’s like you become a spiritual hero. We have to be very brave on the bodhisattva path. It means somebody very courageous. Shantideva says that there is a big difference between pride and arrogance, which of course is negative - and self-confidence. Self-confidence is essential on the path. The first time that I met the 16th Karmapa when I was about twenty-two or twenty-three years old, he said to me after a very short time, “Your main problem is that you don’t believe in yourself. If you don’t believe in yourself, who will believe in you?” And this is the problem for so many of us that we don’t really believe in ourselves. We don’t believe in our potential for change, for the ability to develop, for the capacity to realise, and so we undermine ourselves the whole time because we don’t really believe in our essential Buddha nature. So therefore there is the sense of low self-esteem and anger towards ourselves because we are not how we would like to be. We have a picture of what we would like to be, then we see what we are and the discrepancy makes us angry with ourselves.

So this is why it’s so important to realise that our biggest obstacles are our greatest opportunities. There is no excuse for us. We have to work. If we go to a gymnasium, then a personal trainer will look at us and he will see what are our weak parts and that’s what he will start training on. If our arms are strong, but our legs are weak, he will put us training our legs. Then we get really strong legs!

At J.F. Kennedy Airport in New York, there used to be a big notice, a quotation by Benjamin Franklin which said: “The best way to overcome your enemies is to make them your friends.” Presumably many Americans must have read that, including politicians. Yet it’s so true! If we say enemy, it’s an enemy. If we say spiritual friend it’s a spiritual friend.

So this is also patience that difficult circumstances which come to us are our opportunities to learn. Because this is samsara, and samsara is like an ocean. An ocean has waves and waves go up and waves go down. So we should not be surprised when sometimes things are okay and sometimes things are difficult. What we need is a certain level of equanimity towards the difficulties and the good times. We need to cultivate that sense of inner impartiality and courage so that whatever comes, we can deal with it.

One time I saw a tee shirt in Malaysia and it had a design of big waves and on top of the waves was a surfboard and on top of the surfboard was a figure sitting in meditation. The slogan said: “Riding the waves of life, be mindful, be happy.” As I said we are not in this world just to have a good time. We are in this world to develop and to recognise our true nature. This takes both patience and effort.


It is not about how much you give, it is about how much you can let go with your mind.

-- 7th Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche


Tuesday 26 February 2019

为什么学佛

文|陈成伙

光阴似箭,学佛已经4年了。回想与佛教的因缘,是在2014年11月底从金马仑万佛寺短期出家后,来年3月份,我便在光明山皈依三宝,并受五戒。其实,那时候的我,对佛教认识不深。

成为佛弟子后,以为只要初一十五去佛庙拜拜佛,吃素就可以了。后来有缘遇到一位喇嘛师父教我念莲花生大士心咒和药师佛圣号,我自己也念阿弥陀佛圣号,就这样念了3年佛。然而内心对佛法的无知和对修持的不懂,感到十分惭愧,怎么能说是佛弟子?因此,今年我发愿要从头学起,感恩师父的推荐,我选择了海印基础学佛课程, 真正的踏上学佛之旅,法喜充满。

上了学佛课程单元一后,真正的认识到正信的佛教,这对初学佛的人是非常重要的,尤其是在这个末法时代, 让我明白了正信佛教与外道的不同。所以我们要深信正信佛教,破邪显真。此外,我也明白了皈依三宝的意义,五戒十善的内容和持戒与修善的功德。真正认识正信的佛教,步上离苦得乐之旅,这是初学者必须掌握与具备的。

为什么要学佛?为什么要成为佛弟子?心中不断思索这个问题。对某些人来说学佛是为了离苦得乐,不再轮回,往生极乐世界。但我学佛的目的是誓愿成佛。我们学佛一定要知道自己的目标,有了目标,怎样走上成佛之道,这就看个人的因缘、善根与智慧。读了《八识规矩颂》和《佛法概要》,也看了《教观纲宗》与《妙法莲华经》,仿佛启发了我心中的佛种。认定了学佛的目标后,我们应该知道学佛是为了什么?以我个人来说有下列几点:

断一切恶:在这个五浊恶世中,由于我们的贪瞋痴和妄想的攀缘,不断的造恶业。学佛让我们知道我们的恶习,以善法来对冶,并通过礼佛忏悔将一切恶种子忏除。要断一切恶,受戒持戒是主要因素。很多同修虽然皈依了,但却不敢受五戒,害怕自己做不到。

其实,我们受戒后,有了戒体,对人对事的态度与处理方式会有所不同,这样就能减少造恶业。学佛也让我知道造什么恶因,必受什么恶果,这个因缘果报是不变的法则,所以我们要时时警惕自己诸恶莫作。

修一切善:学佛让我们修十善业,从而培养慈悲心与菩提心。我们不杀生,反而去放生;不偷盗,反去布施。因此五戒侧重在身的修养,十善则是明心的动念。学佛能让我们通过身口意的修行,种下善因种子,利他利己,造福众生,这就是众善奉行。

度一切众生:有些人认为成佛后,就可以到极乐世界,享受人天果报,从此不再轮回。其实不然,成佛后必然要到娑婆世界度化苦难众生,这是成佛的意义。如果没有众生,就没有佛,因为一切众生皆是佛。因此我们要不断努力修慈悲心、菩提心,更重要的是开智慧,如此才能依教奉行。虽然,我现在的基础还浅,但听了《法华经》后,内心的喜悦是无法用语言来形容。我深记师父说的“一念心性,何期自性,本是清净。”我会通过对经的信解,如理思维,如说修行,遇到不明白的道理,去请教善知识。我会努力学佛,增长智慧的种子,为成佛之道准备资粮,以便将来有能力度化众生。

人生的价值:学佛让我知道什么是生命的觉悟,人生的真正价值。人生不是一直追求社会名利,金钱财富。我们的人生是由前世种种的业力而生,所谓万般都是业,半点不由人。无论你多富有,一旦离逝,什么也不能带走,唯有自己造的业力随之而去。通过学佛可以让我们重新解读人生,改变生命的唯一途径。

佛教是佛陀的教育,是对九法界众生至善圆满、多元文化的社会教育。佛教的经典及智慧,就像武林秘笈,高深莫测,让人爱不释手。一旦学会了,将永远获益匪浅。要改変生命,活得更有意义,唯有学佛,努力修行观照,增长智慧,将佛法用于生活,具有正知正见。学佛的师兄们或未学佛的你,是不是应该思考一下你学佛的原因?

最后,以戒为本,修心修行。与师兄们共勉之,愿我们一起努力学佛,踏上成佛之道。


If, as the disciple fares along, he meets no companion who is better or equal, let him firmly pursue his solitary career. There is no fellowship with the foolish.

-- The Buddha


Monday 25 February 2019

Who Is a Bodhisattva?

by Venerable Sheng Yen

For any Buddhist practitioner, the ultimate purpose of practice is to attain complete enlightenment or Buddhahood. To achieve  this very lofty goal, we work to cultivate wisdom and accumulate merit, and through this practice we are able to benefit both  ourselves and others. This practice is precisely the task of a  follower of the bodhisattva path as put forth in the three sets of pure precepts (which we undertake in the transmission ceremony): to accrue merit and realise wisdom for the benefit of all sentient beings. Through the diligent cultivation of wisdom and merit, a bodhisattva practitioner will attain Buddhahood. In other words, walking the bodhisattva path is the cause of Buddhahood;  Buddhahood is the result of having accomplished the bodhisattva  practice.

In Buddhist circles, we hear the word bodhisattva frequently. Among Chinese Buddhists, bodhisattva, transliterated as pusa in  Chinese, is commonly used simply as a title with which to  address a fellow practitioner. It is also often used by monastics  as an honorific when speaking to or about a layperson. On the  other hand, non-Buddhists visiting a Buddhist monastery may  think that bodhisattvas are the statues placed on the altar. In short, many people, both Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike, do not know the true  significance of the term bodhisattva. Therefore clarification of  this term is essential for our understanding of what the  bodhisattva practice entails.

Formed by the conjunction of two Sanskrit words meaning  "enlightenment" and "sentient being" respectively, the word bodhisattva denotes an enlightened sentient being. "Enlightened" refers to the quality of having achieved, to some degree, enlightenment, awakening, understanding, or mindfulness. This concept has a very rich, multifaceted  meaning, with many nuances. "Sentient being" refers to a living  being who experiences the world through sentience, feelings,  sensations, or emotions.

Thus bodhisattva can be understood as having four levels of meaning. First, the being described by this word aspires upwardly to attain supreme wisdom or enlightenment. Second,  this being aspires to do this in order to bring genuine benefit to  all other sentient beings so that they too will attain  enlightenment. Third, each bodhisattva seeks to fully awaken  his or her own intrinsic nature, or buddha-nature. Fourth, while  striving for this kind of full awakening, a bodhisattva strives just as hard to awaken all of the innumerable sentient beings to the same buddha-nature intrinsic to each  and every one. By considering these four levels of meaning  together, we come to the following definition of bodhisattva: a  person who aspires to Buddhahood while seeking to enlighten  all sentient beings on the path.


Understanding that samsara and nirvana are not in opposition is the correct view. Not being overwhelmed by sensory impressions is meditation. Not being swayed by fluctuations in your emotions is action.

-- Gotsangpa Gonpo Dorje


Sunday 24 February 2019

儒道不能解脱业力 离苦得乐必须学佛

太虚大师

学佛的原因,就是我们平常的要求。平常有甚么要求?无非是要安安乐乐,无非是要永久安安乐乐,有此要求所以要学佛。依佛法说:无非为令世间解脱一切苦、得究竟乐。既要离一切苦、得究竟乐,所以就要学佛。

有一种人讲:离一切苦,得究竟乐,这种要求原来人人有的,何必要学佛才能如此?就眼面前说:比如有饥寒的苦恼,得了衣食,饥寒的苦恼离脱了,就可以得安乐。比如流离失所,漂荡无归,得有住所,流离的苦恼离脱了,就可以得安乐。比如小孩子得成年人抚育,也就可以离苦得乐。照这样说,岂不都可以离苦得乐么?为甚么要学佛?为甚么要提出这问题来研究他?如饥寒时能得饱暖,流离时能得住所,凡衣食住人人所需用的,有自人人供其所求,又有国家保持社会现状,是种种方面都可以离苦得乐的,又何必在佛法上求?

但是,在世间上是不能完全离苦得究竟乐的!比如饥寒之苦,有食可以无饥,有衣可以不寒,然不过暂时离苦,而苦根尚在;且因谋衣食必起种种惑、造种种业,所以一切苦又随之而起。比如人生,有情世间不止一人,必有家庭,有家庭要安居乐业,便有负担,因负担又生种种拘束、种种烦恼,稍得安乐,苦又随之而起,所以不能离一切苦、得究竟乐。推而广之,不但家庭如此,即社会亦然。社会上可以互相维持,以我所有通彼之无,但是成了社会,到了社会有益的地方,种种烦恼亦随之而生,由是互相侵扰、互相妨害、互相并吞,生出种种烦恼,发生种种困苦,所以不能离一切苦、得究竟乐。

有种人说:这是可以有救济方法的,只要有强富的国家、良好的政府,这苦就可以免。这话也不甚错,因为有富强国家、良好政府,一国人民得以安居乐业,自然是一种幸福;但因这一点幸福,而痛苦又生。大凡一个地球上不止一国,国与国相邻必有交际,因交际而生交涉,因交涉而生战争,因战争又发生种种痛苦、种种义务,可见有国家、有政府,亦不能离一切苦、得究竟乐。

就上说概括一下,我们人世上要求离一切苦、得究竟乐,实在无有办法。佛经上说:“以苦欲舍苦,苦终不能出。”然人世上要求离一切苦、得究竟乐,原是正当要求;但虽是正当要求,一切办法都做不到,惟释迦如来才说出种种法来,令众生离一切苦、得究竟乐。

对于此种问题,从前我已同人讨论过。有一位儒教老先生,他说:“为甚么要学佛?我们读圣贤书、行豪杰事,以扬名显亲为希望,以齐家治国为事业,照这样可以不学佛了。”对于此种理由,就人言人,原不失为圣贤君子。但是要求离一切苦、得究竟乐,仍办不到。这原因在何处?如儒教所讲,无非道学、词章、考证三种,这三种我细细把他推究起来,便知道我的结果。

道学家所讲的重要处,不外民胞物与、万物一气、为天地立心、为万物立命。但自佛学家看起来,所讲都是生生相续,也是有苦恼的。所以老子说:“天地不仁,以万物为刍狗。”暂时勉为救济,也无办法。《易经》六十四卦既济之后继以未济,可见暂时能济,终久不济,也是不能离一切苦、得究竟乐。所谓顶上的道学尚且如是,讲到词章更不是了。在中国古来词章之高美,莫过《诗》与《离骚》:《诗》所以言性情,“国风”之作多半男女淫词,“雅颂”之篇无非赞美帝王神武;《离骚》,美人香草,满纸皆是。就此看来,凡词所流露者无非杀业、淫业,虽有所劝戒而根本业力未除,要想离一切苦、得究竟乐,如何可能!若夫考证,所以研究经史,因经史而知今古之所以兴、所以废、所以治、所以乱,未尝与国民无益;然欲求达到离苦得乐目的,终不可能。所以发生离苦得乐之要求者,以天地不完美,故有种种苦恼,要想把他离脱,不惟儒家这三种做不到,即现今世界哲学、科学所研究的也是做不到。所以要求离苦得乐,非归到这学佛范围内不可。

试再进而批评道家——有一位讲究道家的先生说:“像我们学道的人,以精、气、神为三宝,炼精成气,炼气化神,炼神归虚,也可离了这躯壳,更升而为天上神仙,长生不老,岂不就可以离苦得乐吗?何必要学佛呢!况且佛法修性不修命,道家性命双修;依此看来,可不学佛。”但是他说的方法,不是无功的,也不是无果的,不过他的功用在精、气、神上,这样精、气、神如能保持得住,未尝无有好处,无如到了功用一完仍然堕落!何以故?因为他舍却一四大和合的假身,又修成一五阴和合的报身,较世人的生命虽然多活几百年或几千年或几万年,岂知万年一夕、一夕万年,刹那刹那转眼成空,仍然是苦,以未达离苦之究竟地故。至于讲到命字,命是个甚么东西?本是虚妄的、不实的、一种业力的继续,离此业力之外无所谓命;道家不过把他拿来扩充延长,不知其为虚妄不实。以命是苦之根,故佛法是解脱业力,所以能究竟常乐;道家是延长业力,所以不能究竟常乐。依此说来,道家既不能得究竟乐,所以不得不学佛。


Renunciation mind has nothing to do with sacrificing. When we talk about renunciation, somehow we get all scared because we think that we have to give up some goodies, something valuable, some important things. But there is nothing that is important; there is nothing that is solidly existing. All that you are giving up is actually a vague identity. You realise thing is not true; it's not the ultimate. This how and why to develop renunciation

-- Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche




Saturday 23 February 2019

The Law of Cause & Effect

by His Holiness the 41st Sakya Trizin

Part of the teachings on the impure vision is the clarification of what is wholesome, which is to be accepted, and what is unwholesome, which is to be rejected. This is done by reflecting on non-virtuous, virtuous and neutral deeds. In the Vajra Verses, “impure vision” means this samsaric life which sentient beings are experiencing. The latter are subjected to a myriad of feelings, all of which are the result of their own karma. All that you are experiencing in your life do not arise without a cause, from an external cause, or by chance. Each and every phenomenon has its own causes and conditions. All pleasure and happiness arise from virtuous deeds, and conversely, all pain and suffering arise from non-virtuous deeds. In the case of the impure vision there are two kinds of appearances: the illusory and the karmic. Although in reality, at the ultimate level all phenomena are devoid of inherent existence, at the relative level they are polarised manifestations of subject and object. This dualistic manifestation is illusory appearance. Karmic appearances are phenomena that manifest as a result of the individual’s own karma, such as a long life or a short life, wealth or poverty, which leads each sentient being to experience different appearances. This explains, for instance, why some live a long life while others live a shorter life.

There are three kinds of deeds: non-virtuous deeds, virtuous deeds and neutral deeds. The way to engage them is firstly, to discard non-virtuous deeds by reflecting on these deeds and their results; secondly, to generate the desire to practise virtuous deeds by reflecting on these deeds and their results; and thirdly, to transform neutral deeds into virtuous deeds by reflecting on them.

NON-VIRTUOUS DEEDS

First, non-virtuous deeds are reflected upon in three ways: the nature of non-virtuous deeds, their results and how to discard them. What is a non-virtuous deed? A non-virtuous deed means any action that is committed out of greed, hatred or ignorance whether it is committed physically, verbally or mentally. If classified, there are ten of them: three committed physically, four verbally and three mentally.

The first non-virtuous deed committed physically is killing any living being intentionally, either by oneself or through others. The second is stealing anything that belongs to someone else, ranging from valuables like gold to trifles like needles and strings, either by force, by deceit, or any other means. The third is sexual misconduct. This means to engage in any form of carnal activities with someone apart from one’s lawful partner. And even if it is with one’s partner, it is a misconduct if, firstly it is performed at an improper time, such as when the female partner is pregnant or when she is taking the precepts; secondly in improper places, such as in a temple or in the presence of one’s parents; and thirdly through improper passages like the anal or oral passages.

The first non-virtuous deed committed by speech is lying. Lying means speaking untrue words, especially with the intention to deceive. The second is divisive speech, or using words that can either be true or untrue with the intention of creating disharmony between individuals or groups. The third is harsh speech, which is saying something nasty so that it pains the heart of the one who hears it. The fourth is idle talk, which means useless talk, particularly that which increases desire or anger, such as speaking about war or prostitution.

The first non-virtuous deed committed by the mind is covetousness, which is the desire to expropriate another person’s property. The second is malicious thought, such as wishing another person whom you dislike to suffer, through sickness, death or suchlike. The third is the wrong view that the teaching about the Triple Gem and Law of cause and effect is a fallacy.

Altogether, there are ten non-virtuous deeds. Next is to reflect on the results of non-virtuous deeds. It is said that all suffering arises from these deeds including rebirth in the lower realms. Each of them has three results: ripened result, result similar to its cause and result of ownership. The first result is the ripened result. If you indulge in non-virtuous deeds, the ripened result is to fall down into the lower realms. And which lower realm depends on your motivation and the extent of the non-virtuous deeds that you have committed. For example, if out of hatred you kill a human being, it will cause you to fall into the hell realm; out of desire, like killing an animal for the sake of its flesh, skin or bone, into the hungry ghost realm; and out of ignorance of the result, like children while at play kill worms or flies, into the animal realm. In addition, if the amount of negative deeds that one has committed is large, one will most likely be born in the hell realm, if medium in the hungry ghost realm, and if small in the animal realm. The second result is the result similar to its cause. This has two aspects: the experience similar to its cause, and the action similar to its cause.

First, the experience that is similar to its cause. Through the act of killing you have caused distress and have shortened another life, so that even if you are born in the higher realm, you will have a short life that is beset with sickness and distress. Through stealing, you will be destitute and even if you own little, you won’t be able to enjoy it. Through sexual misconduct, you will have many enemies and lead an unhappy married life. Through lying, you will be badly slandered. Through divisive speech that causes disharmony, you will have very few friends, and even these friendships will not last long. Through harsh speech, you will hear unpleasant remarks and whatever you say will become the basis for quarrels. Through idle talk, even when you tell the truth no one will believe you. Through covetousness, all your wishes will not be fulfilled, or even if fulfilled, you will not be satiated. Through malicious thoughts, you will always live in fear of harm from others. Through wrong view, you will have very little wisdom and will always continue to hold the wrong views.

Second, the action that is similar to its cause means that the negative deeds that you perform in the present are similar to those that you have committed in the past. For example, there are some people who have a natural tendency to engage in negative deeds such as killing, stealing and sexual misconduct.

The third result is the result of ownership. It means the result will ripen at the place in which one is born and dwells. Thus, for example, stealing will result in being born in a place with hailstorms and frost; and sexual misconduct in a place with dust storms. Thus, through indulging in non-virtuous deeds, all that is achieved is rebirth in the lower realms where the suffering is abysmal. Even if one is born in the higher realms, one cannot escape the suffering therein. Nobody wishes for misfortune but instead wishes to be free from suffering.

At the time of death worldly activities are of no use, so that no matter how wealthy, powerful, clever or even sagacious you are; or how many relatives or friends you have, nothing can help you except the Dharma. Now that you are not sick, old or dying, you should practise without further delay.

To be free from suffering, you must abstain from its causes, which are non-virtuous deeds. Now that you have obtained the precious human body with the prerequisites, if you continue to indulge in nonvirtuous deeds, it is like using a golden vessel to hold spittle. And even a small negative deed should not be ignored because it will accumulate and later cause much harm, like a small spark of fire having the capacity to burn down a whole forest.

For an ordinary person it is difficult to avoid nonvirtuous deeds of mind. The way to counteract this is to practise more virtuous deeds. If you have committed any non-virtuous deed, you should immediately confess with deep remorse. It is said in a sutra that there are two kinds of noble persons; one who never commits any non-virtuous deed, and one who confesses once he has committed one. If you confess properly, the result of whatever non-virtuous deed committed can be purified. For example, in the past there were cases of people who had excessive defilements, like Angulimala who killed numerous people, Ajatashatru who killed his father and Udayana who killed his mother. They had committed heinous acts that they regretted and confessed, and through the power of the Dharma they were extricated from imminent suffering.

VIRTUOUS DEEDS

Next, is to produce the desire to practise virtuous deeds by reflecting on them and their results. This is also done in three ways: reflecting on the nature of virtuous deeds, their results and on how to perform them. A virtuous deed means any action that is committed through the body, voice and mind devoid of greed, hatred and ignorance. This can be classified into ten virtuous deeds, which are the diametrical opposites of the ten non-virtuous deeds. They are abstinence from killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, harsh speech, divisive speech, idle talk, covetousness, hatred and wrong view. There also have three results: ripened result, result similar to its cause, and result of ownership of the ripened result.

First is the ripened result. By practising virtuous deeds extensively, it can be a cause to be reborn in the heavenly realms; quite extensively, in the demi-god realm; and least extensively, in the human realm. You may wonder why the teachings stress the difficulty of obtaining the precious human body and affirm that human life is the most precious one, whereas here it says that performing many virtuous deeds will lead to rebirth in the heavenly realms. The difference is that from the standpoint of practising Dharma, human life is the most favourable, whereas from the standpoint of the result of practising virtuous deeds the heavenly realm is the best.

The second result, the result that is similar to its cause also has two aspects: experience similar to its cause and action similar to its cause. The experience similar to its cause means that by abstaining from killing you will have a healthy and long life; by abstaining from stealing, you will be prosperous and be able to enjoy your wealth; and by abstaining from sexual misconduct will have many friends and lead a happy married life. It is the diametrical opposite of the result of non-virtuous deeds. The action similar to its cause means that, for example, if you had abstained from killing in the previous life, in this life naturally you will not be inclined to kill and as such, you will continue to experience happiness.

The third, the result of ownership means that your virtuous deeds will ripen as the outer aspect of the world where you are born and dwell. For example, by abstaining from killing you will be born in a place that has much splendour, good climate, bountiful harvests and free from natural disasters. If these virtuous deeds are carried out in the beginning with the motivation of the enlightenment mind, in the interim with the wisdom of emptiness, and if at the end they are dedicated, they will not only be the cause of higher rebirth but also that of liberation and enlightenment.

The way to practise is to weigh the benefits of doing virtuous deeds so that even an insignificant one should not be underestimated. For, just as an accumulation of drops of water can become an ocean, similarly, seemingly insignificant virtuous deeds can accumulate to form a significant virtuous deed.

NEUTRAL DEEDS

Next is to transform the neutral deeds into virtuous deeds. These are also reflected on in three ways: their nature, their result and how to transform them. A neutral deed means any deed that is neither virtuous nor non-virtuous such as walking, sitting, sleeping and eating. Since they are neither the result of defilements nor of non-defilements, they do not produce any karmic result. Moreover, since they do not lead to any suffering they are exemplary. But by not leading to any positive results, they are of no benefit. Since the outcome of every deed depends on one’s motivation, neutral deeds can be transformed into virtuous deeds if the motivation is proper. A change in motivation is able to transform any neutral deed. For example, eating by itself is an indifferent act. But if you eat in order to stay alive and to prolong your life for the practice of dharma, the act of eating is transformed into a virtuous deed. Similarly, you can apply this to the other aspects of your daily life. Thus when staying in a house, you should wish for all living beings to attain the city of liberation; when you sit, may all attain the Vajra seat; when you sleep may all attain the Dharmakaya; when you awake, may all beings attain the Rupakaya; when you put on your clothes, may all beings wear the clothes of piety and modesty; when you bathe, may all beings be cleansed of the stains of their defilements; when you eat, may all beings eat the food of Samadhi. When you leave the house, may all sentient beings leave the city of worldly existence; when you embark on a trip, may all sentient beings enter the path of the Noble Ones; when you meet people, may all sentient beings meet with enlightened beings; when you do different activities may all sentient beings complete the two purposes; when you enter your house, may all beings enter the city of Liberation; and having arrived home, may all sentient beings reach the state of Buddhahood.

Now that we have covered all the subjects of the impure vision, the way to meditate on them is first to reflect on the three sufferings: the suffering of suffering, the suffering of change and the suffering of conditioned existence. This is followed by the reflection on the difficulty of obtaining the prerequisites. First, that the human body is difficult to obtain from many points of view, from the cause, number, example and nature points of view. Second, not only it is difficult to be obtained, it is also precious. Third, the prerequisites that are now obtained will not last long.

Death is certain, as anyone who is born will have to die, the body is fragile and void of essence, and life is not permanent. On the other hand, the time of death is uncertain as there is no definite life span, and there are many causes of death and very few causes to prolong life. At the time of death worldly activities are of no use, so that no matter how wealthy, powerful, clever or even sagacious you are; or how many relatives or friends you have, nothing can help you except the Dharma. Now that you are not sick, old or dying, you should practise without further delay.

Next, reflect on the three kinds of deeds, first on the non-virtuous deeds, their nature and their results. Reflect that everything you experience is due to your actions. Since non-virtuous deeds are harmful, there is no point in performing such deeds; and thus plant the firm resolve that, even at the cost of your life you will not do so. Second, on the virtuous deeds: their nature and their results. Since performing virtuous deeds is beneficial, you should cultivate this. Third, on the neutral deeds that can be transformed into virtuous deeds. Finally, you need to request your Guru and the Triple Gem that you be successful in your practice. At the end, you dedicate the merits arising from the meditation. It is important to dedicate the merits because these can be destroyed by gross defilements like pride or hatred. If you can, dedicate it for a specific purpose, with the right motivation of enlightenment, and with the understanding of emptiness; or if not, at least with a firm intention to follow the great Bodhisattvas’ manner of dedicating, then the merits will not be wasted. Instead, they will increase your virtue all the time. With this we have completed the instruction on cause and effect.


When the mind becomes dull, apply effort, and when in absorption, effort should be relaxed.

-- Kamalashila


Friday 22 February 2019

歷緣對境修止觀

文|嘉遁

一、前言──集聚資糧與道前方便

修行不是一件容易的事!若論時間之久長,遠推則須歷經三世之種、熟、脫;若論範圍之廣闊,細數則理論或實踐上之事無一不須學習通曉。而修行者之根性有利鈍之差別,在成就上自然也就有遲速之不同。然而必須知道的是,所謂利鈍遲速,乃依於修行者累劫以來資糧準備之充分與否而論,並非一成不變之事,且是可以藉著今生之努力而轉鈍為利,轉緩成速的。《瑜伽師地論》(以下簡稱《瑜伽》)卷二十九云:「所謂資糧者略說有四:福德資糧、智慧資糧、先世資糧以及現法資糧也。」前二者是資糧之種類,後二者是集聚資糧之時間差別。前約宿世所累積之善根,於今生獲得成熟而言(由此而有利鈍遲速之別);後約今生所應努力培養資糧的項目來說,其中包括了自圓滿、他圓滿、善法欲、戒律儀、根律儀、正知而住(劣緣),乃至聞思正法,如理作意(勝緣)等等。由此得知,從發起修學聖道之願望開始,「積聚資糧」一事全面地包括了生活之起坐應對、食衣住行、見色聞聲,乃至起心動念上的點點滴滴。修行,必須從生活中這些最平凡、最微細的地方著眼,所以古德云:「學道猶如守禁城,晝防六賊夜惺惺」。又云:「口頭說得千千尺,心下須教寸寸行。」

二、歷緣對境修止觀──談正知與正念

日常生活中的修學項目包羅萬種,經論之開合亦有差別;廣談如《摩訶止觀》二十五方便,《瑜伽》「二道資糧」中十四項分別詳述,大要則以《小止觀》之「歷緣」及「對境」二事攝盡可爾;若直論其精神之所在,則唯是「正知」與「正念」而已。何謂「正知」、「正念」?印順導師在《成佛之道》云:「對於外來的境界,或內心的境界,能正確認識他的危險性是好、是壞,叫『正知』。對於正知的,時時警覺,時時留意,叫『正念』。……說修行,在平常日用中,要從這些地方著力!」由此可知,所謂「正知」,是對內外種種境界有正確的認識,知其如夢如幻虛妄不實,無常、苦、空、無我--「觀」義;而「正念」者,則是於佛法的正見(以無我為中心),乃至於曾憶習的所緣境(如不淨想等)時時憶念不忘,令其明了現前--「止」義。「正知」能對治放逸及懈怠的過失,「正念」則能免除忘失聖言的過失;若能保持正知正念,即是修止觀。

廣泛來說,這包涵了戒、定、慧三學之範圍,須要在佛法中數數地多聞、思惟、修習方能獲得;隨著聞思修三慧的逐漸增上,方能逐漸強大有力。故《瑜伽》卷二十三云:「由聞思修增上力故,獲得正念。為欲令此所得正念無忘失故,能趣證故,不失壞故,於時時中,即於多聞、若思、若修正作瑜伽,正勤修習,不息加行,不離加行。如是由此多聞思修所集成念,於時時中善能防守,正聞思修瑜伽作用。如是名為防守正念。」

故「正知」、「正念」之修習,有次第程度上之差別。一屬道前方便位,一屬正修行位。《瑜伽》將之分成「思擇力所攝」以及「修習力所攝」,前者屬「資糧道」(資糧位),後者則「墮在離欲地攝」(加行位以上)。二者之差別主要在於「正知」、「正念」之力量,是否已有奢摩他的攝持(至少是未至定以上),足以斷除煩惱,見第一義而定。本文的討論重點,主要屬於資糧道之範圍,針對初修學習佛法、未得禪定的人來談。

《瑜伽‧思所成地》云:「云何由念、正知遠離諸欲?謂斷事欲及斷煩惱欲故。......由正信心捨離家法,趣入非家,然於欲貪猶未永離,如是名為斷除事欲。云何斷煩惱欲?謂彼既出家已,為令欲貪無餘斷故,往趣曠野山林,安居邊際臥具......,於諸事欲所起一切煩惱欲攝妄分別貪,為對治故,修四念住。或復還出依近聚落村邑而住,善護其身、善守諸根、善住正念而入聚落,或復村邑遊行、旋反、去來、進止,恆住正知。為解睡眠及諸勞倦,彼即於是四念住中,善安正念為依止故,為欲永斷欲貪隨眠,修習對治。又即以彼正知而住為依止故,遠離諸蓋,身心調暢、有所堪能,熾然方便修斷寂靜。彼由如是念及正知為依止故,便能證得煩惱欲斷,遠離諸欲,乃至於初靜慮具足而住。」由此可知,「正知」與「正念」乃是以正信佛法所生起的出離願為先導,為斷除內心煩惱而發起修習的;由出家而斷除粗重的事欲,由修習四念住而根本斷除內心微細的煩惱欲。正知與正念兩者是互相為用,互相增上,非可截然劃分;但在說明及修習次第上,可以有所偏重。《瑜伽》將此分別在「正知而住」及「密護根門」二項中說明,而智者大師則將之分為「歷緣」與「對境」二種。所謂「緣」、「境」者,所謂「於緣生作,於塵生受」;前者約生活中食、衣、住、行的種種行動而言,後者則約根、境、識三事和合而生觸受之點上說。以下則分別說明之。

三、歷諸緣務--談正知而住(正知)

簡單說,「正知」乃正確的認知;對於日常種種事緣勞務,皆能依著正確的認知來從事活動,名「正知而住」。關於諸緣務之項目,智者大師歸納為「六種緣」,即行、住、坐、臥、言語、作作等。而《瑜伽》卷二十四則攝為:一、「行時五業」──1、身業:往、還;2、眼業:睹、瞻;3、一切支節業:屈、伸;4、行時衣缽業:持僧伽胝(即三衣)及以衣(百一長衣)、缽等;5、行時飲食業:食、噉、嘗、飲。二、「住時五業」──1、身業:行、住、坐;2、語業:語;3、 意業:臥、默、解勞睡;4、晝業:初夜後夜勤修悎寤瑜伽;5、夜業:臥。

從這裡可以看出二件事:一者,佛在世時修行人(主要指出家人)生活單純,修遠離行。平常之起居及修行處為「住處」,多是遠離聚落之地點。另外日中以前,行步往聚落托缽乞食等活動為「行時」。出家人為了維持生活不得不行乞食,此外所有的時間,或宴坐或經行,莫不皆用於修行辦道。

二者,在此行住二時中所謂的「正知」,和戒律有相當密切的關係。對於何時何處、如何作、作何事,皆須有明明了了的認知,恰如其分的去行動,即名「正知而住」。如此,不但可以遠離犯戒造罪之因緣,保得人天善趣等可愛果報不失;另則遠離掉舉惡作之因緣,身心安樂無悔,容易入定。這即由依律而行,持戒清淨的功德而來。故卷二十四云:「若於是事、是處、是時,如量、如理、如其品類所應作者,即於此事、此處、此時,如量、如理、如其品類正知而作。彼由如是正知作故,於現法中無罪、無犯、無有惡作,無變、無悔,於當來世亦無有罪。身壞死後,不墮惡趣,不生一切那落迦中。為得未得積集資糧,如是名為正知而住所有略義。」

現在由於時代地域之差別,我們的生活型態與方式和以往不盡相同,但就修斷煩惱來說,根本精神應該不變。掌握「正知」的精神,無論行處住處,晝夜六時如法如律而行,此為修行的前方便,亦為積聚道糧也。

四、根境相對--談密護根門(正念)

無始劫來的無明顛倒,使我們向內執著剎那生滅、五蘊假合之身中,有一常恆不變的「我」存在(我執),而為一切愛見煩惱之根本;向外則錯認有真實之境界(法執),而生出種種「無明相應觸」。既無智慧徹照,不能覺知諸法如幻,起貪瞋痴造作諸業;從此諸趣流轉,升沈疲極。因此,對於欲出離生死,趣向涅槃的修行者而言,於根塵觸對時,能運用佛法的智慧思惟觀察,保持正念不失,不為虛妄境界所轉,是特別重要的事!

如前所述,若日常中能如法如律正知而住,則已為正念打下良好基礎了。正念云何修習?《瑜伽》說修「根律儀」,重點即是「密護根門」。卷二三:「云何名為密護根門?謂防守正念、常委正念,廣說乃至防護意根,及正修行意根律儀。」既為「正念」,此念必從佛法中多聞、思惟、熏修得來,於此「聞思修所集成念」,能時時善加防守,「無間」、「殷重」修習守護而不忘失。如此「無忘失念」逐漸有力,能在根塵相對時產生止惡行善的任持力,以智慧觀照而「不取相」(分別執取為真實相等)、「不隨好」(於諸塵境妄取為淨妙相等)。心不隨之流漏,故能遠離雜染,令煩惱不現行;乃至煩惱現行時,也能由於正念的力量隨即斷除。「謂或善捨、或無記捨。由彼於此非理分別起煩惱意,善防護已,正行善捨、無記捨中,由是說名行平等位。」〈抉擇分〉釋云:「捨是無貪、無瞋、無癡精進分故,即如是法離雜染義建立為捨。」能到達這樣「行平等位」的境界,方可謂是真正的正念有力!

五、小結

綜上所述,資糧之集聚雖有種種,但以日常生活中歷對諸緣時能「正知而住」(正知),及根塵觸對時能「密護根門」(正念)之修習最為緊要。「密護根門」總約六根對六境之防護說,若細分別,靜坐中主約第六意根對法塵(即修意根律儀),而日常之中則通於一切六根對六塵之修習也。靜坐中止觀之專修雖為勝要,但行、 住、起、臥,語、默、作作,乃至眼見色、耳聞聲等根境觸對時的道前方便卻攸關甚大。本文只是略依《瑜伽‧聲聞地》中的內容整理說明。然而,關於「正知」和「正念」之修習,除了必須在生活中精勤地實踐之外,所應學習之處甚多,須廣尋經論以探求。祈與一切發菩提心、有志於聖道之行者共勉!


The relative phenomena of the world however they appear are without essence, mere names, mere sounds, mere designations, not the slightest bit of difference between names and meanings exists, innate from the beginning, not to be sought elsewhere, the nature of the mind, without a name, mahamudra free from proliferation, it is equivalent with the nature of space, without a name from the beginning, non-arisen by nature, free from the proliferation of signs, all-pervading, unmoving and unchanging like space, empty throughout all time and always selfless, not the characteristic of concept, like a mirage of a river, not bound, not liberated, having never moved from the original state.

-- Mahasiddha Virupa


Thursday 21 February 2019

The Five Buddha Families

by Irini Rockwell

“I always seem to be fending him off,” Joan blurts out. She’s hosting a dinner party while her husband out of town and she’s aware of how little affection she shows him, while he is affectionate to a fault. Two of her guests, Andrea and Bill, laugh and then exchange quick glances. They’re in a new relationship and are beginning to see where they get stuck. Andrea wants to engage in an open, unobstructed way; Bill prefers quiet time alone. Michael, the other guest, still wounded from a divorce, launches into a speech about the women in his relationships. “I always seem to fall for emotional women who can’t communicate well,” he says. “I like working with strong women who think clearly and get the job done,” he adds.

We don’t know the people at this dinner table, but we can learn a lot about each of them from the different kinds of energy they display. All of us express a unique mix of energy through our attitudes, emotions, decisions and actions. Although we often think of the world in terms of material existence, it is energy that’s the vibrant aspect of being: the quality, texture, ambience or tone of people and environments.

Of the many methods for understanding and working with the energies that pervade our existence, one of the most profound is the “five buddha families,” an ancient Buddhist system of understanding enlightened mind and its various aspects. The five buddha family framework is an instrumental component in Buddhist tantra, a path of working with and transmuting mind energy.

The buddha families are traditionally displayed as the mandala of the five tathagatas, or buddhas. The mandala (from the Sanskrit for “circle”) aids meditators in understanding how different aspects of existence operate together in an integrated whole. Each of the buddhas in the mandala embodies one of the five different aspects of enlightenment. However, these manifest themselves not only as enlightened energies but also as neurotic states of mind. The buddha families therefore present us with a complete picture of both the sacred world of enlightened mind and the neurotic world of ego-centred existence. We see that they are indeed the same thing; the path of awakening is what makes the difference.

Traditionally, at the centre of the mandala is Vairochana, lord of the buddha family, who is white and represents the wisdom of all-encompassing space and its opposite, the fundamental ignorance that is the source of cyclic existence (samsara). The dullness of ignorance is transmuted to a vast space that accommodates anything and everything.

In the east of the mandala is Akshobya, lord of the vajra family, who is blue and represents mirror-like wisdom and its opposite, aggression. The overwhelming directness of aggression is transmuted into the quality of a mirror, clearly reflecting all phenomena. Vajra is associated with the element water, with winter, and with sharpness and textures.

In the south of the mandala is Ratnasambhava, buddha of the ratna family, who is yellow and represents the wisdom of equanimity and its opposite, pride. The fulsomeness of pride is transmuted into the quality of including all phenomena as elements in the rich display. Ratna is associated with the element earth, with autumn, with fertility and depth.

In the west of the mandala is Amitabha, buddha of the padma family, who is red and represents discriminating-awareness wisdom and its opposite, passion or grasping. The intense desire of passion is transmuted into an attention to the fine qualities of each and every detail. Padma is associated with the element fire, with spring, with facade and colour.

In the north of the mandala is Amogasiddhi, buddha of the karma family, who is green and represents all-accomplishing wisdom and its opposite, jealousy or paranoia. The arrow-like pointedness of jealousy is transmuted into efficient action. Karma is associated with the element wind, with summer, with growing and completing.

In the early 1970s Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche taught the five wisdom energies to contemporary practitioners as a way of understanding who we are fundamentally: our personality, our emotional landscape, and how we relate to others and our world. He promoted the understanding that there is nothing inherently wrong or bad about the energy itself. He taught that to bring the wisdom energies to the path, we first learn to stay with them through mindfulness and awareness. Then we can work with these energies as they arise in our experience by applying loving-kindness. We allow them to express themselves openly rather than trying fruitlessly to manipulate and control them. The energies then become a way of celebrating our strengths and working with our weaknesses.

These energies are most easily identified by their colours, which hold the essence of their qualities. Just as light radiates, so does energy. The colour of energy is like coloured light. We can now look at the buddha families described in traditional terms above in terms of how they manifest themselves in our experience of ourselves and those around us, capturing both our wisdom and our confusion.

SPACIOUSNESS

The buddha family radiates a white energy, spacious and peaceful. Buddha energy is an all-pervasive, peaceful space. When people manifest the wisdom aspect of Buddha energy, they are receptive, accommodating, easygoing and content with just being. Buddha can also be solidly immobile with the density of ignoring or denying. When people manifest the confused quality of buddha, they can be dull, lazy, stubborn and insensitive.

CLARITY

The vajra family reflects a blue energy like a crystal-clear mirror. Vajra energy reflects what it sees without bias. When people manifest the wisdom aspect of vajra, they are clear-minded with an intellectual brilliance, sharp and precise. They maintain a perspective and are full of integrity. Vajra also has a self-righteousness that can harden into cold or hot anger. When people manifest the confused quality of vajra, they can be overly analytical, critical, opinionated, authoritarian and demanding of perfection.

RICHNESS

The ratna family exudes a golden yellow energy that encompasses and enriches everything. Ratna energy displays equanimity and satisfaction. When people manifest the wisdom aspect of ratna, they are expansive, resourceful, hospitable and appreciative. But ratna can also turn into greedy territoriality and puffed-up pride. When people manifest the neurotic quality of ratna, they can be arrogant, ostentatious, oppressive and emotionally needy.

PASSION

The padma family glows with the vitality of red energy. Padma sanity is a finely-tuned intuition that discriminates subtle experiences without bias. When people manifest the wisdom aspect of padma, they are engaging, magnetising and charming. This energy listens deeply and speaks from the heart. Padma also can have an obsessive desire to magnetise and grasp the most pleasurable and ideal situations. When people manifest its confused quality, they can cling to what gives pleasure, are overly emotional, and perpetually seek confirmation.

ACTIVITY

The karma family emits a green energy, swift and energetic like the wind. Karma sanity is all-accomplishing action for the benefit of others. When people exhibit the sanity of karma, they can be efficient, effective and practical. Full of confident energy, they act in timely and appropriate ways in synchronicity with the world. Karma can also be restless and speedy, and when people manifest its neurotic side, they can be power-hungry, competitive, manipulative, controlling and dominating. They fear failure, so they are paranoid and jealous.

Now, if we return to our dinner party, we can see how the party-goers exhibit the various wisdom energies. Michael, who displayed such strong opinions about the women in his life, manifests vajra clarity in his thinking, which sometimes gets fixated into rigid views about things. He also shows some ratna qualities in loving to hang out with family and friends sharing a big meal and life stories.

Andrea is all fun and engagement. People contact is very important to her. She has lots of friends and makes connections with people easily. She is dominantly padma but also loves the richness, expansiveness and caring for others that is her ratna side.

Bill, who rarely spoke during the party, is more inwardly directed. He radiates a spacious warmth and easy-going manner, and buddha qualities are quite strong in him. There is also a tinge of padma in his colouring.

Joan, who loves to cook for her husband but finds his physical affection a bit much at times, displays several qualities in equal measure. Fending off her husband is a vajra quality, which is also reflected in a general sense of propriety about what should and should not happen. Though she does not talk much in the group, her padma qualities come out in private conversations: talking about how she feels and always longing to connect more closely with others and situations. Wanting to keep busy is her karma side.

It is interesting to identify energies in others as we observe their behaviour, but the wisdom energies are much more than a classification scheme. They can help us to work with our emotions creatively and openly, appreciating the basic energies and seeing the various ways they manifest in our everyday actions. When I first learned of the energies, they began to colour my perspective in many aspects of my life. Why was it that one man brought out my intellectual curiosity and another my desire? Why did I feel at ease with one person and anxious with another? Why would I feel powerful in one situation but inhibited and frustrated in another? What was the energetic relationship between myself, these people and these situations?

Eventually I came to understand that we are a mix of colours. We are born with certain energies; others we learn as an enhancement to who we are; still others arise as we adapt to life. Some energy patterns are more dominant, others more background. When we become aware of our mix of colours, we no longer identify with just one energy. Defining ourselves as one or the other solidifies and centralises our sense of who we are. By boxing ourselves in, we miss the play of totality. Rather than seeing ourselves as red or blue or green energy, we can perceive our experience more as a rainbow or kaleidoscope.

Working with the energies, we always bring our understanding of who we are back to immediate experience, rather than to our conceptualisation of who we are. Through our thoughts and emotions, we experience the energy of our inner being; through our sense perceptions, we experience the energies of the outer world. All of these energies — inner and outer — are accessible to us at any time. They are an experience of a subtle level of being and communication with our world.

To work with energy, we first need to cultivate awareness, attending to the present moment by observing what is happening. We can train ourselves to do this. Mindfulness and awareness are the basic components of sitting meditation practice, which plays a key role. Through this practice we can stabilise our minds, which, in turn, brings clarity and an inherent mental strength. As well, sitting meditation acts like a lightning rod. It grounds overly volatile energy in the simplicity of just being there.

We all have moments when we feel synchronised with ourselves and our world. We experience a quality of openness, relaxation and inner strength. At these times our concepts drop away and we ride the energy of the moment. If we feel the sharpness and directness of vajra as we encounter our daughter’s wild defiance, we can just let it be there. If we find ourselves filled with the wind of karmic accomplishment, we can just let it get down to business. Suddenly flirtatious, we can let the padma energy bubble and spark. Revelling in the earthy richness of possibilities, we can enjoy the ratna feast without gluttony. Simple and calm, we can let buddha reign. These are times when we shine and are the best of who we are. At other times we can’t get out of our own way. We solidify and fixate, rather than ride the energy. We feel awkward at best or stuck in strong emotions at worst.

Usually we flip-flop between extremes of feeling good or bad about ourselves, and never find any real bridge or connection between these two states. The power of the teachings on the five wisdom energies is that they show us how we can find our wisdom within the very darkness of our confusion. Energy itself is neutral; it is our attitude towards it that determines whether we are open (sane) or closed (confused). When we are open to our own energy, we experience ourselves as warm and clear. When we are closed to our energy, we feel confused and stuck. Being open or closed determines how we view ourselves and consequently the world. In fact, it is when we experience intense emotion that wisdom is closest at hand. Fully embracing the emotions that bind us can liberate us.

When energy becomes heightened we need a very powerful tool — the tool of unconditional loving-kindness, or maitri — to allow us to be who we are unreservedly. Accepting ourselves as we are, in both our sanity and our confusion, is the key that unlocks our heart. It allows us to be in the present moment just as it is, without trying to cling or push away. Accepting ourselves fully is what stops our struggle, and only when we love ourselves in this unconditional way can we also love others. Only when we love ourselves can we be lovable. Maitri has a soft quality that is open, kind, relaxed, warm and inclusive. It allows us to be who we are and let all our colours shine. We breathe easily.

Maitri is not one-dimensional, but has various facets, each of which sharpens our understanding of how it works. First off, maitri has an element of familiarity. We know our habitual patterns like old friends, so they don’t throw us off so much. Since maitri is accommodating, when we see the intensity of our closed energy we no longer try to avoid what’s happening. We allow it to be and so expand our palette of acceptable energy states. Maitri also relaxes us and allows us to be gentle and kind toward ourselves. Our pain is still there, but instead of avoiding it, we care for it as we would care for an open wound. Working with maitri enables us to develop bravery, which means that we can touch our vulnerable, raw spots and still stay open. Maitri also allows us to see our life experiences are workable. When we encounter an unwanted circumstance, we don’t contract and close but rather open ourselves to the situation. We see it not as a crisis but as an opportunity. Finally, the quality of friendliness toward ourselves is unconditional. We are friendly toward all aspects of our experience, especially the facets of ourselves that we like the least. We can love ourselves without reserve, with zero stipulations.

The wisdom, or brilliant sanity, of each energy is open, warm, clear and spontaneous. When the very same energy manifests neurotically it is frozen, blocked or constricted by a manipulating, self-serving and solidified sense of self. When we make friends with and become fully aware of the constricted quality of our neurosis we realise we are not connecting to the liberated aspect of the energy, but a distorted manifestation of it.

When we encounter an intensified emotion with these aspects of maitri, a transformative process occurs. We move from letting go to letting be. The pith instruction is to stay with the primary emotion we’re feeling. Making friends with the essential nature of the emotion that binds us offers the possibility of liberating it. Both the story line and the quality of the basic energy may differ, but the process remains the same. Each energy has an emotion associated with it that is transmuted into a particular wisdom.

When we use maitri as a tool, we find that we could either laugh or cry. At the point when we laugh or cry, the struggle is over. There is a sense of breakthrough. We have broken through our sense of constricted self. We have touched our heart. We have found the key to the wisdom within us, which displays itself as a colourful mandala of liberated qualities.


The essence of loving-kindness is wishing joy for others. Like a loving mother for her child, serve others by offering all, your body, wealth, and merits, and bear all the hurts caused by them.

-- Jigme Lingpa


Wednesday 20 February 2019

百千萬劫難遭遇——人身難得

宏海法師

那麽有沒有的來的話,我們這裏再給大家點及一下。首先是從這個宇宙的大背景,整個宏闊佛法的這種大背景,講一下佛教裏邊所認知的跟真實的狀況所對接的宇宙階梯和層次。

那我們從四種國土,有染土,有凈土,講到我們在染土,叫凡聖同居土,那麽又從凡聖同居土講到三界,我們所謂的跳出三界外不在五行中,而我們在三界的欲界。那麽就欲界來講,我們又可以把它轉化為六道,從上面的天的層次到地獄,餓鬼,畜牲,乃至阿修羅,那麽我們在人道。人道裏邊又確立了四大部洲,我們在南贍部洲。這個地方有個好處,特別是最好的好處就是,佛每一次來講法,都示現在這個國土。那麽今天我想補一點的是什麽呢,如果像上一次要再講的話,我們要明確,講了這麽大的恢宏的宇宙空間,但是這個就跟給大家畫了一張地圖一樣。我們到底在哪裏,我們現在在哪裏,我們應該到哪裏,有可能到哪裏,如果我們努力,將會到哪裏,如果我們自暴自棄,很可能就會墮到哪裏,這是一目了然的一張宇宙地圖。但是有一點要說的是,往往我們在看這個地圖的時候,大家想想,我們在看地圖的時候,地圖一般都是貼在墻上的,那我們就站在墻根角上,這樣指指點點,這是美國、這是中國、這是歐洲,這是北美洲。

但是大家不要忘了,今天,包括上一次講的所有內容,我們誰都不在局外。每一個眾生,我們每一個在座的就是這個世界的參與者,都是正在裏邊不斷地隨著這個大的背景在其中輪回。所以今天,我們主題說是人身難得,其實就是給大家介紹一下輪回中的我們。

那麽對於學佛來講,或者聽聞佛法來講,一旦我們剛剛接觸說整個萬物萬法是輪回的時候,很難接受,特別難以讓我們接受。其實從佛法的這種大背景上來講,覺得是輪回,因為我們觸摸不到。但是從小範圍的來看的話,這個世界沒有一樣東西不是在輪回。我們常說太陽的東升西落,每一年的春夏秋冬,寒來暑往,地球的自轉,繞著太陽公轉,整個法界的運作規律就是輪出去回過來。仔細想想,包括我們每天的吃喝拉撒,睡了又醒,醒了又睡,沒有一樣東西,沒有一個現象不是在輪回。

所以我們邁入佛法,首先你要確認輪回是整個宇宙的一個步調和律動節奏。要這樣來認知輪回。那麽上次我們是從依報,大家想想依報,了解一下,依報是佛教裏面的一個術語,就是依,所依的果報,其實就是我們所承載,我們每個人所在的國土,外在的環境。這一次我們再從正報,就是我們每一個人在佛教裏面叫做有情眾生,那麽它到底是怎麽樣每天運作,在輪回中它是怎麽成立,輪回的原理是什麽。比如說我們說的投胎轉世,有時候又說,一會兒上輩子是個人,下輩子就墮到地獄裏面了,怎麽又投生成畜牲了,或者生天了等等這些,怎麽去確立。這些在佛教裏面講得非常的透。那麽我們就要知道輪回的原理,是這一節的主要內容。

我們每個人的每一個現象一定會有一種內在的驅動力。那驅使我們每天,或者說每一生生世世,或者是無量劫的在這個大宇宙中,去升沈,去輪回的主要的驅動力是什麽呢,是什麽力量牽引著,或者推進著不斷地使我們輪回。這是我們今天講的第一個關鍵詞,業力。就是小學時候作業的業,力量的力,業力。

我們要明白,在我們現代的語言中,表達中,業就是說作業,事業,我記得我小時候還聽過,那時候放電影說什麽甜蜜的事業無限好,唱的說幸福得怎麽樣,我也忘了那個電影,相信稍微有點年齡,上了四十歲的應該差不多知道有這個電影。那麽真正在佛教裏面,什麽是我們輪回的主體呢,就是業力。所以我們現在先看一下業,什麽叫做業。

就一個人而言,我們每天三件事,你任何的所有的生活範疇離不開這三個事。第一個要舉手投足,從早上一起來就會穿衣服,又去上班,開車,坐地鐵,這必須要你去舉手投足。那麽你碰到熟人了,或者一起來跟自己的另一半,六親眷屬,去到的單位上的同事,要交流,要需要什麽,要開言吐語,要說話。那麽你要去說話,你要去交流溝通,你要去舉手投足,一定有一個內在的驅動,要起心動念。所有我們一天的生活內容,決定離不開這三樣,就佛門裏講的,身口意業,這個是從業的功能上來講的,我們每天,大家我們先了解一下這些業的種類。

還有一個,我們從它的前後的步驟上來講,為什麽我們常說三思而後行,大家聽過這句話嗎,三思而後行,完完全全出自佛教的術語。就是說我們每起一個念頭,每付諸一個行動,它有三種步驟,第一種步驟叫做審慮思,在佛門裏面有一個專業(詞),審查的審,思慮的慮,考慮的慮。審慮思就是說我們要進行一件事情,決定的時候,首先心目中要盤算,心裏想想這個事情怎麽樣,我應該怎麽做,我要不要做,我想不想做,等等不斷地想這個事情,開始要起動。這是我們每天第一個念頭。進而就會推成為決定思,這個事情我要做還是不做,我要把它進行一個判斷,然後進行一個取舍,決定我去做還是不做,把這個事情定下來了,這是我們第二個念頭,叫做決定思。那麽第三個念頭就叫做發動思了。一旦進入發動思,發動的這個思想狀態的話,就已經不僅僅是意業,而且付諸於口業和身業了。

這我們稱之為意業,叫做思業,第一個審慮思,這個審慮思和決定思叫做思業,這個發動思叫做思已業,就是考慮好了以後,付諸實際行動。這是從我們每個人的前後想法的次第上而講的。所以說這些看上去說得這麽細,可是要知道這就是我們每個人,真真切切生活中就是這麽運作的。

那麽從業的種類上來講,也是從它的性質上來講,我們都明了了。我們說惡有惡報,善有善報。你做了善事就是善業,你做了惡事就是惡業,將來感惡的果報。但是還有一種叫做無記業,有無的無,記錄的記,業力的業,無記業屬於什麽範疇呢,就比如說諸位今天來這裏聽法,聽法的話你走到半路,反正你也不思你也不想,下意識地往王府井,咱們這叫錫拉胡同是吧,錫拉胡同,也不知道為什麽叫錫拉胡同,往錫拉胡同走,那我路上恍恍惚惚,反正什麽也不思不想,就是一種下意識的行為,這個就叫無記業,不屬於善也不屬於惡,但是它有行為發生。這是從業的性質上來講。

那麽上一次我講到,還記得三界裏面不是有一個人道,還有一個欲界,還有一個色界和無色界麽。如果你修的是世間禪定,有的人他打坐也打得挺厲害,上次給大家講到那個外道的時候,他修禪定修的,造的這也是一種行為。那麽這種行為他將來果報成熟了以後,他如果這個禪定修得好,可是這個禪定沒有出三界的範疇,就是說他慢慢修的這個定力的功夫還在三界以內,可是已經非常之高了。這個時候他將來生的果報,就不會在人間了,一定會生到天道裏邊,叫做不動業。因為他修禪定修的叫做不動。那麽這個的話我們又叫做福業。如果修的下三惡道的,像地獄裏面畜牲道這樣受苦,披毛戴角這樣還的話,這叫做非福業,是受苦的不是享福的。這又是從,怎麽講呢,就層次而言吧。

我們先聽的有一點概念化,你不要緊,待會兒我們把它一串穿起來,你就知道為什麽要講這麽多,面面俱到的這些業力,進行這樣的各個角度,全方位進行分層次地給大家講解,那麽到時候他在整個輪回中,是起什麽作用,扮演什麽角色。你再比如說還有一種業,叫做引業和滿業。不要聽蒙了,業就是行為造作,其實就是我們每天時時刻刻不斷地在所思所想,在舉手投足和開言吐語。身口意三業不斷地在造作。

上次不是給大家講了麽,這個人道裏邊,為什麽說人的行為是多思多慮。愛折騰,其實業就是我們折騰的這個內容。那麽什麽叫做引業呢,這個大家要註意聽,為什麽要六道輪回呢,六道輪回就是把生命的載體進行了大範度的粗線條的劃分。那麽是什麽東西決定著你將來到哪一道,這個就叫引業。就是你所做的這些行為,它組成的這些內容,如果它是善的,就把你牽引著到善道去受報,很可能生天,還可能投生為人。如果你做的業是惡的多,那麽這些惡業作為主導的力量,就會決定牽引著你將來去什麽啊,或許去畜牲道,或者是地獄道,或者是餓鬼道去受生。能夠起到決定性作用的這個巨大的行為,就是我們這輩子所作的行為裏面,最突出,最明顯,次數最多的,那它就叫做引業。有決定性的力量牽引著你到哪一道去受生。但是大家不要忘了,在牽引著受生的時候,比如說我們現在的引業,

就是牽引著我們全部到人道來,都作為人的身份存在在這個世間,這就是說明我們有引業是一樣的。

可是不要忘了,雖然同秉人身,有的是男人,有的是女人,有的長得胖,有的長得瘦,有的長得高,有的長得矮,有的生在富,有的出現在貴,有的就在貧賤之家,這個就叫做滿業。令我的這一輩子,圓滿地把它填充起來,豐富多彩,呈現出怎麽樣的一個走向,一輩子我們常說的,他一輩子特別的坎坷,或者人家一輩子特別的一帆風順,那麽怎麽體現坎坷,怎麽體現一帆風順,所有的這些出現,就取決於我們過去種的滿業。能聽明白嗎,後面的新來的能聽明白嗎,有沒有聽不明白的,給我舉一下手。有沒有。能聽明白我們就繼續。這叫做引業和滿業。

那麽接下來還有一個,就是共業和不共業。什麽叫做共業呢,就是我們大家造了共同的相似的善惡的這個水平,持在同一個水平的時候,上次我給大家講的,比如說去坐飛機的人,那麽他所呈現出來的就是機場的情形,這個是他們共同所受的果報,就叫做共業。

什麽叫做別業呢,共業的話是我們共同果報,還有不共業叫做別業,就是每個人的差別。大家還記得那一年的地震,汶川地震,汶川地震的時候,我好像記得有一頭豬,一頭豬在地下埋了二十幾天,都沒有餓死,都沒有渴死,最後它還獲救了。可是還有一些後來急救的飛機,已經把他拉到飛機上了,這個飛機還沒有飛出來,好像在霧裏邊,撞了什麽了,還是最後出現了故障了,又落到這個山裏邊,又全部又遇難了。從這裏面來看的話,就是說整個這個地震來講是一個大的災難,可是有的人全部遇難,其中個別人還繼續存活,這就是他們的別業,由於他過去造的業力,致使他生命的這個斷的現象還沒有出現,那麽一定要相續去走這個命運,但是他的跟別人的遭這個難的業力是共同的,所以他雖然身處在地震之中,他還是跟別人不一樣的獲救。這個就是他的個別之果報,叫做別業。

我們現在在講這個業,剛才講了這麽多的業,現在我們開始要講到為什麽要講這些業。比如說我們說輪回,人到底是怎麽樣輪回的呢,我告訴諸位,我們現在在科學上,包括心理學上在講到這個道理的時候,只能講到,比如說眼睛看東西,耳朵聽聲音,佛教裏面也講叫做意識,眼識耳識,最後最深層次我們所謂的潛意識,就是我們自己內心可以分別,可以認知一切概念,可以進行對知識性的認識,所有的這些,這最深最深只能把它講到第六意識。所有的凡夫,一般的科學上的認知都是,認為只講到第六意識,心理學上叫做潛意識。

但是在佛法裏邊,特別是唯識學裏邊講到說,一共人有八個識。眼耳鼻舌身,這是我們的五根,在佛門裏邊叫五根,眼睛耳朵鼻子,每天都要看東西要聽聲音要聞味道,所有的這些作用,一定要有外根,所以這個東西,耳朵眼睛又叫浮塵根。就是浮在外面的這些根器,器官,它跟色聲香味觸,比如說眼睛要看外面的色,看外面一切的境界,呈現出來的這些物質,那麽耳朵呢,聽外面的色聲,聲音嘛,香就是用鼻子來聞這個味道,那麽這些都是各自有各自的功能作用,

還有一個第六意識,就是我們的潛意識,屬於精神層面,它有什麽知覺,它就是五根對外面的五境,產生了吸收了這個信息以後,全部迅速地傳給我們的神經系統,然後用第六意識來進行分別和認定,進行感知。所以這就是我們剛才說的眼耳鼻舌身,色聲香味觸,會產生眼識、耳識、鼻識、身識、意識,會思索的只有第六意識。這是我們一般的認知。但是在佛學裏邊還講到,還有兩個甚深的識,我們凡夫不知道。第七個叫做末那識。就是末尾的末,這個那個的那。它是印度話直接翻譯過來的。

那麽這個末那識它有一個什麽作用,記住,《心經》裏講的照見五蘊皆空,就是我們把自己四大,地水火風組織起來,所有外在的表皮,膚發,內在的器官,等等這些組合起來這個肉身,是什麽東西致使他誤以為有一個我的存在呢,就是第七識在作用。這個世間,所有的世間學問裏面完全不知道有這麽一個情形,這麽一回事。第七識,深深地執著我自己的色身和我自己能知能覺能分別的這個思想,就是第六意識,把它整體的整合起來,認為確確實實有一個我的存在,一定會是我,然後所有的認知就是以我為輻射點,輻射出去,認知外在的世界,它唯一的作用就是起到這一點。這是第七識。

那麽還有一個最深的一個識叫阿賴耶識,聽過嗎,稍微接觸過佛法的,肯定聽過這個阿賴耶識。阿賴耶識有個什麽作用呢,又叫藏識。含藏的藏,藏起來的藏。阿賴耶識的作用就是說,我們剛才講到了業了,所有的不管是思業和思已業,三思而後行,這是行為,這是語言,這是人的念頭,包括我們造的善或者惡,這是從它的性質上分,包括引業和滿業,是它的功能作用上來分,包括動業和不動業,這是從它的業的這個質量上,精神層次上來分,包括我們所說的共業和別業等等,這都是我們從不同的角度進行了開辟,但是不論我們起心動念也罷,不論我們開言吐語也罷,不論我們舉手投足也罷,只要我們每一天的生活,每一年的生活,每一個生的生活,就是人為人一世,所有的行為,不是說我們過了就過了,隨便見一個人,隨便經一件事,所有的這些現象不是說這輩子完了就完了,它會形成烙印,記住,一個烙印,就是我們經過了這事以後,就會像壓縮餅幹一樣,形成一種烙印,就會像種子一樣收縮到一個層面,就含藏在阿賴耶識裏面。

那麽藏在阿賴耶識裏邊,我們人的一輩子,比如說從生下來以後,往茁壯長,這個時候是人的生命狀態呈現出朝氣蓬勃的,向上的積極的一種狀態,那麽這個時候就是這種業的能量,從顯能的力量蓋過了潛能的力量,我們暫且這麽來表達吧,潛能和顯能,大家容易理解。那麽過了二十歲三十歲以後,慢慢就開始衰老了,衰老的過程中,四十歲五十歲越來越身體的機能下降,到慢慢到六十、七十、八十的時候,怎麽樣,就潛能的力量占了上峰,顯能的力量開始收縮了。到了最後,只剩下潛能的力量在發揮作用,顯能的力量完全喪失的時候,就是我們死亡的那一刻,這一輩子就結束了。

那麽結束了,剛才講到,不是說結束了這輩子就完了,人生一世草木一秋,不是這樣的。這一輩子所有的行為和你的思想,這種烙印就一點都不落地藏在阿賴耶識之中,收縮為種子。這個種子等我們命終的時候,大家聽過靈魂嗎,人死了以後一般我們稱之為靈魂,其實呢,人死了以後,我們在佛教裏面叫做中陰身。就是這個中陰身到時候就成了一種能量,就差不多有一尺高,像蠟燭一樣,點燃的蠟燭大家都見過,呼通呼通的這樣,這種感覺,這個中陰身就帶著上輩子所有你的行為的這種烙印的種子,去投胎。整個在這個法界飄浮。

那麽如果我們現在是就人道而言,如果你跟哪一個你的下一輩子的父母有緣,那麽世間男女之間在行淫欲的時候,它也會有輻射,就是我們說的,佛教裏面常說的這種波吧,它會形成一種波。這個波除了聖人,聖人就是佛,佛他能感知得到,其二就只有中陰身能感知到,中陰身就會被這種波莫名地吸引,循著這種波去尋找他下一輩子的父母。那麽一旦這個中陰身,湊在這一對行淫欲的男女之前,那麽他們都對這個男女,當時產生了貪著,染愛。如果他看到男人的身體,產生了貪著,那麽它投胎的一剎那就是女性。

如果它看到女人的身體產生了貪愛,那麽到時候投胎進去以後就是男孩。所以在父精母血一結合,再加上中陰身,有緣了,一旦投胎成功以後,一個胚胎就出現了。所以說我們常講,說在我們這一輩子怎麽也放不下,舍不掉,所有的事還沒了,又付囑兒女該怎麽怎麽樣,又付囑這個六親眷屬,家產等等這些怎麽也處理不完的,大家想一想,我們的下一輩子馬上就要開始了。下一輩子馬上就要開始,完全沒有準備的情況下,下輩子就開始了。所以這就叫做輪回。

那麽下一輩子所有的遭遇取決於什麽呢,大家見過種子收了以後埋在地下,第二年又怎麽樣,開花結果。就是我們上輩子所有你的那些業力,剛才講到的業,你的行為,都會形成種子,帶著這個阿賴耶識附在中陰身,投胎成一個胚胎,下一輩你作為人的身份出現的時候,一輩子你的遭遇,就是上輩子的再度重復演繹。這就是我們所說的因果和輪回。你這輩子見的人,你這輩子經的事,完全是上輩子那個種子又進行,有親因,經過外緣的激發,再一次地重復顯現。所以我們常說人的一輩子和一輩子,這輩子的相遇又是上輩子的再繼前緣。這就是我們稱之為輪回。

那麽在這個輪回的過程中,因果就體現出來了。上輩子造的什麽業,他這輩子出現的就是什麽果。上輩子種的什麽種子,那這輩子就是結的什麽果實。那麽在這種情況下,我們不要忘了,不是說上輩子輪回的這輩子就完了。這輩子你的遭遇在進行之中,你還會有業存下來,就是你還會有行為,每一輩子你的走勢,這一輩子的走勢,在發揮上輩子作為種子,發揮成果報的時候,又會形成壓縮餅幹和烙印,繼續儲存在你阿賴耶識這個種子裏邊。那麽可能這輩子的一期生命完了以後,又牽引著下輩子繼續第三次輪回,第四次輪回,第五次輪回,無量無邊的輪回,過去無望無邊的輪回到這一世,這一世再開始無量無邊地中轉到下一次。這就是我們說的輪回。能聽明白嗎,大家。

輪回的原理就是這樣的。那麽我們自己,就是說每一個人為什麽說修行,要聽聞佛法呢,一旦修行佛法,聽聞了以後,開始修行,就是掌握了主動權,可以我自己隨自己的意願,依照著佛陀的教誨來主動去怎麽樣去種這個種子,怎麽樣去給他編排這個烙印,以至於我下輩子可以決定得到怎樣的人生質量。

這就是輪回,所謂的修行,在這個時候修行就顯得特別有功能和效應。也就是我們為什麽要學佛,要修行。如果你在不知道的情況下,沒有聽聞佛法,也完全不知道什麽三世因果,什麽輪回報應,完全是似乎有這麽一種傳說吧,或者聽別人說過有這麽一種情形,但是跟自己不搭界,那麽你還是依然如故地依著過去的走向。這個就是業力,輪回。

那麽在佛法裏邊怎麽樣闡述這個有情的三世輪回,怎麽樣進行解釋呢,它分了十二個步驟,就是我們常聽到的十二因緣。第一個叫做無明,也就是我們的煩惱,每個人的欲望,貪著,一旦你對任何一個場景或者一些物質,或者一些情感,產生了特別忘我的粘,我們說黏在一塊粘在一起的時候,這就是我們佛門裏面叫做貪著。那麽一定會把你的目光鎖定在這個東西上面,萬般舍不去,怎麽也放不下,始終被它鎖定,為它吸引,然後一旦得不到就會糾結,這在佛門裏面叫做無明。由於我們有這個煩惱無明的特性,那麽它會產生相續的效果是,你就會去造業,剛才我們講到的業力,行為。第一個叫做無明,第二個階段就是叫做行為。

由於你有無明,那麽你一定會發動身口業,每天有善的有惡的,一定會有烙印展現出來,這就是第二個關口叫行為。隨著行為,那麽有了行為就會有業嘛,業我剛才給大家講了,他會帶著這個業的種子去投胎,投胎一個生命新的出現了以後,轉世投胎,這個時候就有了意識,在娘肚子裏面就會有意識,意識就慢慢出現了。這個意識怎麽來的呢,就是上輩子所有的業力種子,就像一個冷凍的一個狀態,慢慢開始蘇醒。所以我們想想,大家有時候講起來說,不相信輪回。那麽為什麽一生下來你就會吃奶呢,沒有人給我們教,你一生下來下意識地就會吃奶,其實這個就是過去世一生的重復的第一個步驟,下意識的動作就出現了。因為我們這裏的眾生是胎生,一旦胎生,胎生的一系列的程序編出來,就會有一個哺乳的動作,生生世世是這麽過來的,吃奶。

那麽具足了這個意識以後,這還在娘肚子裏面,大家不要忘了,在娘肚子裏具足了這個意識以後,轉世投胎以後慢慢地就會有名色,名色就是我們說的身體還在一團肉的階段,還沒有形成人的形狀,似乎血肉模糊的一個凝聚的一個狀態,這個時候在十二因緣裏邊叫第四個關,叫做名色。有一個名,名字的名,然後有一塊色,有一塊肉出現了,所以叫名色。這個時候,身體的肢節還沒有形成,慢慢慢慢隨著再長,就長到一個叫六入六根,眼耳鼻舌身,這個四肢軀幹,一開始是軀幹,慢慢四肢出現了,頭上這個眼睛耳朵就有了靈敏性,這個時候就叫做六入,六根開始增長了,人的形狀就出現了。那麽再這樣長著長著,就開始要生出來,要出胎了,出胎以後,就跟外在的世界有了接觸,有了感觸,大家知道,我們為什麽一個人生下來的時候是哇哇大哭的嗎,佛門裏面說人的一輩子有八種苦楚。第一個就是生苦,生下來的時候因為娘肚子裏面的溫度非常之高,在裏面就像一個熱爐裏邊,每天燒得不自在,媽媽,其實我們為什麽說孕婦要特別小心呢,就是你自己吃涼的東西的時候,胎兒就像到了冰箱裏面一樣,你自己吃熱的東西,這個胎兒又像在開水鍋裏煮一樣,每天受這種胎育之苦楚。那麽生出來的時候,一旦本身身體內的溫度特別高,生出來以後跟外在一接觸,那個感覺馬上,你看小孩哇哇大哭,為什麽呢,那個感覺就跟冰刀,就是那個冰,冰塊磨的很薄的刀,冰刀解體,

一刀一刀的解,割我們的身體一樣,這麽的痛苦。所以小孩一生下來,大家都是哭的,這時候在我們人的輪回,輪回的這個步驟裏面叫做觸,接觸的觸。

十二因緣裏邊一二三四五六,第六是觸,有了觸,有了感觸了。有了感觸,可是諸位在嬰兒階段,我們的欲望一般是不那麽熾盛的,特別是在小孩還沒有發育,開始青春期的時候,甚至他是屬於一個無性的,就是沒有一個性別,相互異性吸引的這個概念他是沒有的,人怎麽來的,他也不知道,就是懵懵懂懂一個初生的這麽一個狀態,這個時候,人還是比較清凈無染的,慢慢隨著你所謂的青春期,男女性的特征慢慢發展,異性就開始相續了,這就是開始往外走了,那麽觸完了以後,你一定會有領納苦和樂的感受,就是生出來的那一剎那,受。

第七個就是受,受完了就是愛。從無明,由於我們有無明的煩惱,所以我們會造業,有種種的業力,所以說有行為。那麽這個行為導致我們就會帶著這個識去投胎,阿賴耶識。阿賴耶識投胎以後慢慢就是這個意識就生出來的,統歸這都是屬於說第三個識的範疇。

第四個就是名色,這個胚胎出現,血肉模糊,但是它有一個嬰兒胚胎。我們現在有時候去打胎怎麽樣,這都是很不好的事情,在殺業裏邊這是算做殺業,造的殺罪。那麽有時候在還沒有成形的時候打下來的胎兒,這時候其實就是屬於說名色的狀態,慢慢名色,六根長出來了,六入了,六入以後,六入具足了以後,就會生,出胎了,生出來以後跟外界有了接觸了,就是觸。一旦有接觸,就會領納外在的什麽啊,領納他的苦和樂的感受,這個時候就叫受,第七個步驟就是受。受完了以後,有了感受,大家想想,慢慢隨著你的長大,一切的感受欲望越來越熾盛,這個時候一切的感受特別分明,在這種情況下,就會生起執愛,青春期。

為什麽我們常說少年貪色,中年貪名,老年貪財。這都是一般一個人一輩子的大概的表現。少年的時候對異性特別的執著,特別的猛烈,這個時候就是我們生起愛了。為了愛就會窮追不舍。為了娶到一個心儀的對象讓她成為我的另一半,那麽我還要養家糊口,跟我的另一半還會傳宗接代生兒子,一輩子就是為了這些,得到這些東西,要開始進行執取了,追求。每天我們要工作,我們的工資,希望盡量高一些,住的房子盡量大一些,開的車子盡量好一點等等等等,不斷這個時候就叫做取了,由於愛的驅使,使我們一定要執取到最好的享受。

我們現在一般不是說,一個人的幸福是什麽,不知道幸福是什麽,似乎有時候說,幸福就是為了追求比別人好。所謂的幸福就是為了比別人幸福,可是到底這幸福,就從來不知道轉個身看看什麽是幸福。每天就在一列火車上這樣忘我地奔波,沒完沒了的,就是在造業。所以《地藏經》裏邊說,南閻浮提眾生起心動念,無不是業,剛才我們講到那麽多業的種類,就是我們的行為,我們的烙印。所以說在這種情況下,我們就會執取不舍的時候,這不是剛才講了嘛,阿賴耶識的種子在噴發的時候,我們執取不舍,被這個世間的幻相所迷惑,在這種情況下,執取不舍的過程中,它又會形成行為的烙印。形成行為的烙印的時候,它又會產生種子,那麽就十二因緣裏邊,第十個就是又有了種子和業力,第十個就是有。有了種子業力一定會牽引著來生再去投胎,就是生,來生投胎,生了以後,來生還得死,就叫老死。從無明緣行、識、名色、六入、觸、受、愛、取、有、生、老死,這十二個步驟,就是一個人輪回的十二個階段,十二因緣。

在佛法裏面把它叫為十二因緣。那麽現在的話,我們剛才講到了因果和輪回。為什麽我們現在要給大家講因果輪回。打一個比方吧,其實我們每天睡覺還是一次輪回,就是睡一次就是死一回,醒來就是生一次,這是一個小輪回,可是我們人在這個小輪回裏邊,我們是確鑿相信,我今天睡著了明天肯定能醒來,所以他就沒有恐懼心,坦然的就睡著了,自然而然地又醒過來了。但是我們現在有兩個環節,十二因緣的過程中,有兩個環節,我們不能明白,所以導致我們特別不能相應輪回和因果,三世輪回。到底有沒有前生,到底是否一定會有後世,不能夠確定。為什麽,有兩大關口我們銜接不上,在十二因緣。一個是生,一個是老死。因為從來我們都不知道死後要去哪個地方,我們現在的業力只能顧及到我們眼前的情形。而生之前死之後,這個版塊完全是模糊的,看過《西藏生死之書》嗎,要是佛不說這個中陰身帶著業力投胎,決定這個那個,剛才講到決定性別,那麽我們從來都不知道生死和輪回。那麽在這種情況下,我們就要著重講一下,什麽叫做死。

一般我們都有時候說,唉,死了嘛,誰知道呢。而且盡管作為一個人,知道自己一定會死,但是似乎又不相信會死,大家相信自己會死嗎,相不相信,眼看著不斷地有人死去,甚至是身邊的人也會有人離開這個人世,可是好像不相信自己會死,相信嗎,相信死是對的。可是你這個相信的程度可不一定呀。真正相信死的人,一定會老老實實依著佛法去修行。我們現在為什麽不想修行或者什麽,還是覺得自己很可能不會死。知道會死,可是死還離得很遠,沒有時時刻刻把這個死的真實狀態去面對。我也常遇到有些特別一些修行了很長時間的,說我一定要往生,趕緊走吧,我特別,前天法源寺的一個老居士給我打電話,說怎麽了,說不行了,以前我幹活特別利索,現在我怎麽去廟裏面給搞個衛生或者怎麽樣,我都不行了,我老了呀,說法師呀我老得都不行了,我沒用了,我恨不得阿彌陀佛現在就來接我,我就想走。我說你這是怎麽了。說那會兒生起極大的厭離心要走了,結果今天我看見他又歡呼呼地又到廟裏來了,又這個也要該怎麽怎麽樣,一定要由著他,那個該怎麽怎麽樣,又在那兒張羅吆喝上了。那我就覺得說,死,很可能我們不相信自己會死。縱然知道自己會死,可是我們每天的行為,卻是體現出來我們不相信會自己死,的確如此。

而有時候我們在修行的好多說要往生的人,我也常屢念他們,我說你真的相信說早點想往生極樂世界,真的不怕死嗎,說不怕,一拍胸脯子,根本不怕死。我說你就吹牛吧,我說不要說這會兒死,一旦身體稍微有點不適,有個腫瘤,長了個結,你馬上渾身嗖地就緊張起來了。為什麽,還是怕嘛,我們說不怕死的時候,就是我常打一個比方,就跟動物園裏面看老虎似的,你明明知道老虎挨的這麽近了,可是這個鐵籠子把你圍起來,非常安全,知道吧,真正死亡來臨的時候,是在荒郊野地碰見一個老虎,而且離你只有一米遠,這個時候如果你還能夠坦然淡定,把它的定力提起來的時候,這個時候,我想不一定要隨著中陰身去投胎,為什麽,你的定力高了,不必再尋下一世父母了,很可能一念就往生極樂世界了。

所以說我們這裏講一個很不吉利的詞,第二個關鍵詞。第一個關鍵詞是業力,第二個關鍵詞,業力驅動著我們去輪回,輪回中恰恰體現了人的前因和後果,就是因緣果報,所以第二個關鍵詞是因果和輪回。第三個關鍵詞就是死。大家不要嫌棄不吉利,好像我們活得正好好的,你非得提這個,因為我們每個人都得死,到底怎麽個死法,這就是我們自己的行為所決定的。

人活百歲終有一死,在佛門裏面說,唯有白發公,不饒富人頭。就是你再怎麽富再怎麽貴,可是這個生老病死,誰頭上都繞不過去,是平等的。那我們常常在佛門裏面,死有兩種,一個不唯自死便是他殺,死無非就這兩種,一個自然而然死亡的,二一個他把你弄死的。還有三種死,我們就要來關註一下。正常的死亡一般我們叫做壽盡死。壽命到了。

大家想想壽命死,壽盡死,那就說明說你上輩子剛才我們不是講到,我們記住我們的業力和輪回和烙印,這些詞一定要不斷地提到,我們才知道說就在這個輪回的過程中他是一個什麽樣的情形。比如說,什麽叫做壽命到的時候你就該死了,為什麽呢,因為你上輩子的烙印,儲存的能量就這麽一團,這一團烙印,阿賴耶識執持著輪回到今生的時候,你的壽命就這麽一段,明白嗎,所以說在這種情況下,那麽你壽命到了這個點的時候,那麽你必須重新洗牌了,就跟晚上特別困得厲害說,我一定要休息一會兒,你想睡覺了,那麽這個時候說明你今天的一天應該完結,這是一個正常的死亡。

可是有的人生理的壽命雖然沒有到,但是比如說他揮霍無度,敗家子,比如說他浪費糧食,他一輩子吃的東西就那麽多,他一頓只吃了這麽一口,那一盤子全剩在那,我們今天也是素齋呀,咱們素齋館,老是提倡要節約。這個時候你別以為說,你吃了這麽一口,那一盤子全在你這輩子的福報裏面算數的,明白吧。所以第二個死就是說福盡死。你的福氣已經盡了,到了盡頭了。那你就必須重新洗牌。那麽這個福盡死是什麽意思呢,就是說我們每個人,又要牽引到業力了,你上輩子種的種子,裏邊還有一部分支撐著你這輩子的物資保障,能明白這個詞嗎,就是你一輩子穿的衣服,吃的東西,住的房子等等這些物資保障,它也是你福報的一種體現,你沒有福報,淺的話,它沒有物質保障。比如說流浪漢,他能在北京住一棟房子嗎,北京的房子好貴,比如說沒錢的人,他只能騎自行車,他買不起車,沒辦法坐汽車。那麽比如說像非洲的小孩或者怎麽樣,他這輩子吃不到東西就餓死的都有,甚至有時候我們看那種圖片特別震撼,瘦得真的是骨瘦如柴。

其實上次給大家講六道,忘了提醒一點,人道裏邊也具足六道,帝王將相就是屬於天道,一般的老百姓就是屬於人道,吃不著東西的地方,老是你看這非洲其實就是人道裏邊的餓鬼道,那麽在醫院你去看一下重癥病房,有時候心臟挖出來弄一下,腸子弄一下接一半,補一下,骨頭敲碎了怎麽樣接等等,其實就是地獄。那麽這個畜牲道,你是人的身份,可是你老秉人身而行畜牲道的話,這就是畜牲道了。亂倫,邪淫,殺父殺母等等這些,這都屬於畜牲道的,以人的身份行畜牲的事,我們為什麽說你連個畜牲都不如,等等這些,這個就屬於說人道裏邊都有六道。那麽非洲的這個,被這些沒辦法保障的這個,這就屬於他的福報不夠,所以我們說身為人的一個身份,你一定帶有獨屬於你自己的你這輩子的物資保障,剛才講到了屬於什麽業,滿業,對,滿業是其中一條,還有一個,不是引業,引滿是一個性質,再另外一個叫什麽業,別業。因為每個人,有的人家一輩子生下來就是大富人家,一輩子吃穿不愁,那麽有的人呢,他生下來就是一輩子努力,畢生追求都得不到人家與生俱來的,這種差別相,就是令我們每個人圓滿的業,叫做滿業,而且每個人的果報不一樣,叫做別業。

那麽大家不要忘了滿業還有一種表現形式,是什麽形式呢,看到過一輩子人大起大落嗎,前半生少年得誌,一下子做了大生意賺了大錢了,炒股票突然發了,買了彩票中獎了,五百萬到手了,這個時候,你的福報大了吧,好,由於你的福氣不夠,五百萬,親戚朋友也來借,最後賭博去輸,天天請客,最後敗了個光,這個時候突然間又欠了一屁股債。

這個整個的人生起落,也是滿業的一個表現形式,讓你的人生圓滿起來。

所以說人的生理壽限雖然沒有到,但是如果你把這個福報已經提前享完了,沒辦法支撐下去,需要立刻洗牌,這個就叫福盡死,你的福氣盡了。那麽還有一種就是橫死,吃東西吃得過飽,暴食暴飲,或者你縱欲過度,然後有時候比如說我們老是憋著大小便,從這個什麽,或者是你殺了人了,反過來一報還一報,現報現前了,乃至中了毒了,即刻死了,高處墮下來了,燒火了,水裏沈溺了等等這些,這都屬於橫死,屬於要麽是這輩子你做了很惡劣的事,現報,要麽是過去有定業轉不了。

又牽引出來了,剛才我沒有把這全部講出來的話,光業力的種類,這個認知解釋的方法角度,都要好多種,什麽叫做定業,大家知道嗎,定業就是說你上輩子你在做這個行為,形成的烙印特別堅固,這個烙印的質量特別好,密度特別高。說明什麽,你在做這件事情的時候,是處心積慮前思後想的,不斷地認認真真地沒有一點怠慢地全身心投入地做這個事,那麽這個就叫做定業,很難轉的了。什麽叫做不定業呢,就是你上輩子可能做了這個行為,可是你有點半推半就,或者極不情願的,或者怎麽樣了,在這種情況,那下輩子這個果報也許會報,或者你幹擾一下不會報,這就是為什麽我們有時候災難來了,佛門上說,趕緊讀一讀經,趕緊念觀世音菩薩,一旦進行強力的大的幹擾,這個時候他就會出現這種佛菩薩的加持和把你本來的這個災難給你化險為夷,消災免難。

我們學佛,相信諸位走進佛門的人,這種遭遇太多了,耳聞目染,見了很多,這就叫三種死。那麽在這個死的關頭,我們要記住,把握生命轉換的這個過程中,特別是死後和生前,那麽我們盡力就不要墮到中陰身階段,可以往生極樂世界。如果一旦墮到中陰身的階段的話,這個時候還有一種救度方法,比如說為什麽有祖師說到是,我們生死關頭唯有兩種力量,一種是向心緒多端,重的這個地方偏墮,大家知道嗎,歷史上有一個梁武帝,梁武帝他有一個愛妃,梁武帝叫菩薩皇帝,一輩子信佛修佛特別的圓滿,那麽他的一個愛妃生了重病,他們兩個人一輩子就是說修行佛法,培福供僧等等,每天都做佛事,可是由於這個妃子臨死的時候天氣熱,她的那個宮女用拂塵給她拂了一下,希望把她上面的這些蒼蠅什麽的給她拂掉,不要幹擾。結果因為她身體馬上要命終了,這個身體特別痛苦,這個時候,這個拂塵把她臉和身體給挨了一下,一下子勾引她這個身體特別痛,一下子生起一念惡念,嗔恨心,這時候,剛好帶著這一念頭她死了,那麽就由於這個心緒多端,雖然多端,可是這個時候,一念重處偏墮,就帶著這個嗔恨心就投身成一條大蟒蛇,這是歷史上佛教史上的真事。

我馬上下個星期要去金山寺,金山寺就是梁武帝當時說水陸法會道場的第一個,開的第一堂水陸法會,就在那做的超度佛事。大家聽過水陸道場嗎,就是說海陸空請的這個法師,四五十,有的七八十個人,設個每一個壇場,去來誦經念佛,來拈香,做回向,來超度海裏的,水裏的,陸地上的,空中的,所有的這些飛禽眾生,然後進行回向,給自己的六親眷屬,當時梁武帝就給她妃子做的水陸法會,才把這條大蛇的,把這個蟒蛇的蛇身給超度了,又投生到其他地方了。投生到人道,或者天道,或者凈土。

那麽這就說明什麽呢,在生死關頭的時候,這個心緒多端,重處偏墮,這是心力。還有一個如人負債,力強者先牽。就看你這輩子烙印是什麽烙印多了,哪個形式的烙印多,直接就牽引著你到哪一道去受報了。

這就是為什麽我們大家要記住輪回,我們現在每一天的行為、我們每一個念頭決定將來要為此負責的。在這個輪回的過程中,我們下一生,比如說我們這輩子的遭遇,就知道我們上輩子的種子種的怎樣,大家想想,為什麽有的人他做一件事情,這個人未必就是有多麽的八面玲瓏、非常聰明,可是他就有一股氣勢,所有的人都被他折服,追隨著他做這個事情,為什麽,就是他上輩子不斷地在成就別人,好這個幫忙,那麽這輩子別人也會來成就你。有的人走到哪都招人喜歡,有的人走到哪都招人不待見,這都是莫名其妙的,大家想想。像我們有時候也會見到一些人,有的人自己也不覺得說跟他有什麽過結,可是就覺得他,看著他就不順眼,有的人明明知道他對他不安好心,可是對他就言聽計從,為什麽,這都是過去世兩個人的業力相牽引,輪回中。

所以我們仔細觀察一下,就發現原來因果是法界真實的,前因後果是法界真實的情形,輪回是萬法的總綱。剛才給大家講的是還是什麽呀,就是我們人的生命轉化成另一次人的生命。可是大家不要忘了,如果人的生命這輩子能得到,下輩子還不一定能轉生成人的生命載體。在這個《守護國界主陀羅尼經》裏面就講過說,比如說我們每個人,大家都有六親眷屬,特別是居士們或者我們有時候去助念或者怎麽樣,看這個人死亡的跡象,就可以預示著他將來可能生到哪一個生命的載體。如果說這個人走的時候,比如說生起憐憫心,心裏非常善,也特別歡喜、自在,正念現前,躺在那裏非常舒適的,很自在,甚至壽命也很高,一輩子沒生什麽病,這就說明他上輩子很可能是天道來的,或者他一輩子善業修得非常好。那麽在這種情況下,身體也沒有臭穢,心裏不會生起嗔恨心、恐懼心,對於自己的家產、妻子、財產和眷屬、兒女也沒有說特別的貪愛,就是很自在,坦坦蕩蕩這樣的,眼裏面眼神特別清凈,而且仰天含笑,就跟上面有什麽好的情形來接他一樣,這種情形如果你走的時候,他給我們呈現的是這樣狀態的話,一般都是生到天界去了,說明這輩子十善業生的好,從不害人。大家記住,這個不一定是他會學佛法了,他在世間法裏邊,他就是一個正直的、仗義的、愛出手的人,每次都行得正、走得端,從不加害別人,不暗算,坦坦蕩蕩,這樣的人也可能生天,不一定他相信佛法。

那麽如果說這個人走的時候也有生起善念,身體也沒什麽痛苦,但是有一點,他特別憶念自己的父母,他會說這輩子我的媽小時候怎麽樣、我的爹怎麽樣,然後看著自己的眷屬和兒女特別的難以割舍,這時候放不下,不是那麽坦坦蕩蕩的,那麽知道父母、眷屬護念,也感恩贊嘆親人對他的管理,而且會有板有眼地把自己身後的事給叮嚀得清清楚楚,那麽這個時候,這個人基本上能夠投生到人道裏面。

這是生天和生人的基本的呈現的狀態。

我不知道像我這樣的講解能不能,是否能讓在座的各位相應,因為佛法特別講究相應,就是講的你要說聽了以後說,以前不知道的事,一講說,沒有解開的疙瘩說原來如此,或者是說我曾經對佛教的猜測,對,就是這樣,正合我意,那麽這樣的一種狀態的話,就循序漸進地會有法喜生出來,我們叫法喜充滿。那麽如果你實在覺得沒法相應或者太生澀,或者你是初次接觸佛法,再加上我的課件裏面這次講的這些專業術語比較多,那麽你可以保留一兩個心中的疑惑,待會我們再做討論,今天留一點時間跟大家進行討論。

剛才我們還是講到的生死關頭,那麽如果說一輩子走的時候,如果你對妻子特別的貪戀不舍,然後遍體流汗,出這個聲音也比較艱澀,或者口中自然地嚼東西等等這些,這個就很可能是畜生道的征兆。像我以前在普陀山出家的,那會兒來北京讀書,老是要走上海坐大船。有一次從北京坐到上海一夜火車一夜船,正好到了上海又回普陀山的時候,這個船上的甲板上有一個上海第九人民醫院的急救科的科主任,他說他是協和醫科大學畢業的,他受了這麽多的唯物的、科學的教育,但是有一件事情他百思不得其解,就是在他的急救室,有的沒有搶救過來的人,在走的時候,他就以為這個急救室裏面有一頭羊或者有一只雞,說發出來的聲音就是完全是雞、羊或者豬的聲音,他就到處去找,當時都,他說一點兒都想不清楚。所以他要去問觀音菩薩,才去坐船到普陀山。我特別印象深,在十年前。這個就是說你要墮到畜生道裏面,一輩子他的業力,主幹的,起主導作用的業力,只匹配著呈現出畜生道的情形,或者說他老殺生要去還了。

我們今天講的這個太片面了,或者撚出來一點點切片這樣放大給大家講,整個在三世輪回的因果中,業力,前因後果,業力相牽,果報都是不可思議的,此果未報,彼果先牽,說時遲那時快,真的跟百米沖刺一樣。在我們這個生命的取舍,特別是生死的緊急關頭,就是百米沖刺,如果你一念純善法、從禪定念生起來,那就是生天,一念阿彌陀佛相應就是往生極樂世界;一念嗔恨心生起來,當時就墮到畜生道。你看梁武帝的妻子因為她一輩子做了好多善事,她的福報大,就這麽粗的一條大蟒蛇,特別長,整個當時在一個山裏面,後來超度了以後,超度的人還去看到這個蟒蛇就死了,特別大。她的福報大,但是由於她的嗔恨心,就投生到蟒道了。

那麽如果這個亡者走的時候,自己舔嘴唇,身體熱得像火一樣,一會說這個好吃,一會說那個好喝等等,不斷地說這些,張口合不住,兩個眼睛幹的,大小便也遺漏的話,很可能就是在餓鬼道,因為餓鬼道就是慳貪的眾生去生的。那麽如果走的時候,看見跟自己的兒女有仇一樣,惡眼看著,舉手向虛空裏面這樣亂抓,不聽朋友的勸告、不聽善友的勸告,或者趴在那大哭大嚎等等這些,這就是最不好的情形,很可能他就要墮到地獄道裏面去受苦了。六道如是輪回。

一定要記住,我們剛才講的只是就人道的平面圖進行了一個介紹而已,一旦六道這種相互升沈,就跟網絡一樣,千絲萬縷,但是我們不會紊亂的,是什麽因感什麽果,做什麽業受什麽報,六道這個輪回的場所,說白了,它只負責來料加工,全部是我們自作自受。所以說假使百千劫,所作業不亡。因緣會聚時,果報還自受。這就是宇宙在裏面的活動。上一次我跟大家講宇宙的場所有多少,這一次就講到宇宙裏面怎麽去填充,

我們怎麽在宇宙裏面穿插轉化,實實在在的情形,要如是來信佛。那麽剛才講到,如果說經過投胎轉化,那麽下一輩子還要跟父母有關系,跟父母有關系的這個時候,到了中陰狀態的話,像五六歲的兒童,去投胎,出來以後,大家記住,見了男的生貪愛是女孩,見了女的生貪愛是男孩,如果是兩個神識同時投進一個胎,那麽一定是先進去的後出來,就是說我們雙胞胎第二個生出來的是哥哥,這是一般世間人是對的,一定是這樣的,那就是兩個神識。那麽當然還有一些,比如說如果小孩剛從惡道上來,很可能他在胚胎期間,就連出世間來的人的福報也沒有,很可能在懷孕期間,她就自己又墮掉了,也有可能,等等這些千絲萬縷的關系,待會兒你們有疑問可以問出來。

我們要講到輪回,找到父母親了,那麽跟父母親,記住啊,他是怎麽樣的一個關系才能夠稱之為父母和兒女,沒緣你不可能投到她的身體裏面去,一定要有他是你父母親的緣,那麽這個胎兒跟父母親兩者怎麽樣決定才因緣呢,有兩大關系,一個情感上的糾纏,二一個財務上的還欠。財務經濟上不發生關系,不可能投生,經濟就是我們說的,說到我們這個世界的事,那麽情感上沒有,也不可能投胎。所以我們稱之為冤家成夫妻,欠債成父子。這是實打實的。

如果說這個小孩一輩子特別孝順,打生出來開始生的時候就是順產,那麽一輩子來,很可能小時候挺乖、聽話,什麽都讓父母親歡喜,隨著長大以後學習也好、不用費心,成家立業了也能夠守得住,最後還能孝順二老,這個就是來報恩的。如果他是一個敗家子,出來的時候就是難產,然後打小就是逆反,每天跟你有仇似的,這就是來討債的,長大以後,你再家資萬貫,很可能他一夜給你敗光,今天投資這個買賣,明天又被別人給騙了,等等這些,等等這就是說來討債的,那就說明父母前世欠了子女的錢。那麽如果是來,這個我也不忌諱了,我不知道在座諸位的情形,比如說來他長得很漂亮,那麽長到七八歲很可愛,長到十二三歲特別惹人,長到十七八歲非常誰見了誰都說太棒了這小夥子,突然間離你而去了,一輩子牽腸掛肚,糾結得不行,父母親這就是欠了他的情。

所以種種這些,為什麽說真的是冤家成夫妻,夫妻就是歡喜冤家,一輩子分又分不開,在一塊天天要鬧,不是說什麽床頭吵架床尾合嘛,歡喜冤家。所以古人以前講到說六道輪回苦,孫子娶祖母。就是說有一家,上次我還講到這個典故,有一家辦喜事,辦喜事了,過來一個阿羅漢,他修行修得成道了,他看見這個前因後果了,他就說古古怪、怪怪古,為什麽呢,這家辦喜事他說孫子娶祖母,這個男孩啊,就是娶媳婦兒的這個男孩,他奶奶上輩子好不容易盼了抱了個孫子,她死的時候咽不下氣,就想把孫子抱過來看一眼,這孫子兩歲了,看了一眼以後終於滿意地咽下去,帶著這一念的對孫子的貪著,怎麽樣,就投生在隔壁鄰村了,成為一個大姑娘,長到二十歲左右了,這輩子因緣具足了,又給他成什麽,當媳婦兒來了,正在娶她,往回娶。所以說六道輪回苦,上輩子的孫子娶上輩子的奶奶,變成這輩子討媳婦兒了。牛羊席上坐,就是大家六親眷屬都來赴宴了,為什麽呀,因為上輩子這些牛羊都遭他們吃過,要還回來。六親鍋中煮,他們上輩子的那些六親由於吃了這個牛、吃了這個羊,一報還一報,業力使然,六親又投生成牛羊,就燉在他們辦喜事的這鍋裏面,現前的給上輩子被他們吃了的牛羊變他們來、吃他們。所以這個前因後果就被這個阿羅漢,他證了宿命通了,前因後果知道,他一眼就看清楚了,就說了說,說六道輪回苦,古古怪,怪怪古,孫子娶祖母,牛羊席上坐,六親鍋中煮。這是實事。

我們現在大家諸位在一般的常規的民間,聽到太多我們所謂的沒喝迷魂湯的事,他真的能記得上輩子的事。我們老家有一個,她生到五六歲的時候,她完全記得前輩子的事,她過去世家裏哪裏藏了幾個銀元,還有一個金戒指,她回來給找到的。這一家子人都不知道,都以為丟了,她自己回來清清楚楚找到了。

所以這些事很多,這都是真實的。這叫做落下的,特例的。一般的,一隔陰就會迷掉,一投胎我們基本上就不知道前生,更不要說後世。這就是輪回中,就是這個樣子,討債還債,不用懷疑。

那麽我們現在要講到的是要什麽呢,在這個輪回的過程中,在這個輪回的大背景下,上一次我們講的是宇宙萬法給我們輪回的場所,這一次我們就講到輪回的主體就是這樣子,一定要記住,我只講到是應該得到人的身份,人和人之間的輪回。可是一不小心,很可能人和畜生、人和地獄餓鬼的輪回就出現了。像做五逆重罪的這些人,往往現生就得墮到地獄裏面,而且在這種果報上面說,有的叫現報,有的叫後報,如果你這輩子作惡做得太厲害了,很可能就現報。在這個《地藏經》裏面說了,喜歡邪淫的,一輩子可能不貪財,就是喜歡女色、搞外遇等等,天天沈迷在這個裏面,下輩子就是一對鴛鴦、一對鴿子,也有可能。

那麽如果你毀謗,毀謗三寶、毀謗父母、嫉賢謗善,老是去毀謗別人,很可能下輩子果報就是要麽口裏老生瘡,要麽就沒舌頭,這些人。那你去網捕生雛,《地藏經》裏面,網捕生雛者骨肉分離報,這輩子丟了小孩或者找不著,你上輩子很可能是撒網,喜歡釣魚的。這些東西都是一報還一報,絲毫不爽。輪回中,因果支撐著輪回,輪回成就著因果,在哪裏,就在我們的六道之中。所以我們要出六道就是要學佛,只有佛能講透講明白。

那麽我們來看,我們這一次的主題是人身難得,輪回中的我們。剛才講到了由於第八阿賴耶識執持著我們的業力種子,生生世世這樣去投胎、這樣去輪回,然後被一個第七識末那識執持有我的存在,生生世世這樣以我的身份去輪回,一會我上天、一會我下三途、一會我做人。在佛陀時代裏,有一次佛見到一堆螞蟻,他就給他的弟子,隨從弟子說,這一堆螞蟻七佛以來它一直是做螞蟻,脫不了這個螞蟻身,所以說這些輪回中,這些千差萬化這些生命的體現都是源於業力。

為什麽我們修行就正好利用這個業力,那麽怎麽樣造這個業力,怎麽樣能保得住這個人身呢,今天告訴諸位,有五樣。第一個,不殺生,在佛門裏面常講說三皈五戒,三皈五戒,第一個不要去殺生。如果你明明知道他是個人,而且你也知道他是個人,你對他動了殺心了,而且想方設法繩子勒、下毒或者等等,確定他已經死了,這個就造下失人身的業。所以我們說殺生裏面,我們今天大概介紹一下,以後還會有法師單獨給大家講這個戒律。就是說殺人為主、殺畜生為輔,畜生也不要殺,如果你修得清凈圓滿的話,真正到了特別清凈無染的地方,電視上我們一旦是自殺還有見作隨喜,就是旁人在行兇的時候,你也不能在旁邊說,好,殺得好,怎麽怎麽樣,看電視說這個把這個打敗了,我們打回去,把他全部殺光,好好,殺得好,痛快,這都叫見作隨喜,這都是不好的業。

第二個不偷盜。那麽我們大概講一下,現在來講,偷盜是一個常態,我們一般以為說,偷盜就把人家的東西拿來揣在自己兜裏,像我們現在在社會上做生意,不與而取,盜的這個概念就是不給你,你取過來,人家有主的物不與而你自己取過來,那就說明你暗箱操作、非法手段、欺騙、詐騙、搶奪乃至偷稅、漏稅、行賄、受賄等等這一些全部屬於盜,不去幹。皈依了佛,三寶子弟最好能守持五戒,是我們保人身的法寶。

再一個邪淫,這就更不用說了,我還記得上次也給大家講過,我小時候我記得看《紅樓夢》,《紅樓夢》裏面秦可卿跟她的公公有不正當的關系,還記得吧,有一個鏡頭什麽鏡頭呢,根本哪裏像現在這麽暴露,赤裸裸的,那個時候就是叫做什麽寓意的一樣,那個鏡頭特寫就是說把這個衣服也脫下來了、兜兜也脫下來,就扔在這個榻下面,就寫榻下面的這個特寫,哪裏有人的形象,那我都不好意思,覺得因為我父母親也在場,還有我哥哥,我就恨不得趕緊,我們那會兒住窯洞,就趕緊跑到那個窯洞,又不好意思跑,就一點點挪著凳子往那個走廊,窯洞和窯洞的那個過道裏面靠,你知道吧,不好意思嘛。

那個時候八十年代剛開始在電視上跳個迪斯科,我坐在那渾身都癢,你知道吧,看不下去,難受,覺得別扭、覺得矯情。現在呢,大家看看現在所謂的視聽媒體,哪一樣不是成就別人邪淫。麗江現在叫淫都,外遇、艷遇之都,那不就是淫都嗎,都是成就你去邪淫的,艷遇。所以這些,為什麽我們現在社會道德極其亂呢,就是由於不註重這些。其實我們佛門的殺、盜、淫、妄、酒跟儒家的仁義禮智信步調是一致的,需要這些,現在的社會非常需要這些。

那麽再一個的話,打妄語,當然在佛教裏面,我特別跟大家解釋一下,嚴格的妄語來講,有一個層面你千萬不要犯,特別是作為居士特別容易犯,就是未得言得、未證言證,什麽意思呢,你自己是一個凡夫,你就覺得說佛菩薩這麽高貴,第二天就欺瞞人家說我已經證到果位了,我是某某佛來的,我是什麽觀音菩薩的使者,什麽佛附體等等就講這些,全部屬於大妄語,真正的妄語就是針對這個。那麽這些還不容易犯,我們居士們最容易犯的是什麽,有一分就想說十分,比如說做了一個無關緊要的夢吧,他自己在那牽強附會,怎麽瑞相或者等等,說著說著,再不斷地說,說著以後就成了說菩薩給他點化了,又說見神見鬼等等這一切,迫使別人,當然如果他生幾分信心的話還可以,你天天拿這個嚇唬別人就慘了,這就叫大妄語。

那麽一般我們說的妄語,騙人,這才叫做常規性的我們講的妄語。也盡量不要說謊,因為你打妄語第一個果報就是失信於人,沒人再相信你,狼來了的故事都聽過。那麽再其次,還有我們叫方便妄語,方便妄語就是你為了,實在是為了他好,或者這個事情說出來會大家都生煩惱,你發點菩提心說反正我就,我也不是故意打的,為了眾生,那麽這個還情有可原,在佛門裏面叫方便妄語。

殺生、偷盜、邪淫、妄語,記住,這四樣不要去幹,盡量不要去幹,我不敢要求我們諸位說一下子就清清爽爽的,一下子就成了一個持五戒圓滿的人了,不可能的,你不要吹牛,何況我們初開始接觸佛法,不可能。你記住,殺生,我們首先不動殺人的心,對吧,偷盜,我明目張膽地不去非法取。邪淫,這個可以守了,最好守的就是邪淫,邪淫就是說除了合法的夫妻以外,第三者,這個不要去做,不管你是給人家做第三者或者說自己有第三者,都不行。再一個打妄語,打妄語這個我就剛才講的大妄語不要犯。

還有一個,第五條就是喝酒,別喝醉,說實在,坦白地講,我這講罪過的話了,我也不期望你能夠不喝酒,但是千萬別喝醉。為什麽要把酒戒都制定進去呢,就是以前有一個,實際上佛教裏面有一個人喝酒喝醉了,喝酒喝醉了,就把別人家的雞拿過來下酒了,就給宰了,就犯了殺戒,結果別人家的媳婦兒過來說,你有沒有看見我們家的雞啊,他說沒有,我沒看見你們家雞,就打了妄語了嘛。看見鄰居家的媳婦兒還有幾分姿色,他就把她給強暴了,這又犯了邪淫。所以你看從始至終,從偷雞到殺雞、到犯邪淫、到打妄語四條全犯了,都是因為酒,萬惡之首。

所以記住,剛才講的這五條,我告訴諸位,你能一條持圓滿清凈保證的話,下輩子可以確定得一個人的身份。那麽想想我們現在,大家捫心問一下,不管是資深的居士或者說沒學佛的居士,這五個方面你的操守怎麽樣呢,上次我講了現在的眾生為飽口福就勤造殺業。你說不打妄語,你舉世哪裏去找一個誠信二字,你不說謊話,你去跟人家做生意,你不說謊話你能賺錢嗎,奸商奸商無奸不商,那就是你要騙的,就比較合法的騙而已,合法的騙就是沒有去搶,在法律允許的手段下,能鉆空子鉆空子,鉆不了空子就合夥忽悠。

那麽如果你現在,我常想,你想出人頭地想必就與盜有緣,不論你走仕途也罷,走商界也罷,一定會犯盜戒,不管從稅務上來講,這種行賄上來講等等這些一定會的。那麽現在一切媒體最成就、一切事情最成就的就是邪淫,指引著我們邪淫,因為它在勾引你,這個電影上,你看現在的電影、電視越來越拍的已經,我就覺得說不以為恥反以為美,穿的越來越少,你說,我也非常不能理解。

所以這些,我今天給大家講的,剛才講到這五戒有一條持清凈了,我們可以得一個人的身份。那麽講了這麽多,我想大家應該還有一些疑問,首先來講你說告訴我們因果,比如說這個殺生不殺生跟保人身有什麽關系,為什麽我不去殺生就能得夠到人的身份,就能夠呈現出人的狀態,我殺了我照樣我想做人下輩子還是做人。由不得你。大家想想在《地藏經》,讀過《地藏經》吧,《地藏經》裏面說到無間地獄裏面的時候有一句話叫什麽呀,說墮到無間,為何名叫無間,一人亦滿、多人亦滿,一日一夜,萬死萬生,求一念間暫住不得。那說明什麽呢,說在我們這個世間一天的這種時間長度,在地獄裏面的眾生就要發生一萬次的生死輪回,一日一夜,萬死萬生。因為每個法界、每個時空,異度空間裏面時間的感覺是不一樣的。大家想想如果把你放到一個很平緩的湖流裏邊,如果放一個小時,那你很可能感覺到只有一秒的時間,如果這一個小時是一個人的載體,有主觀能動感知的話,在平流的河裏邊只有一秒的感覺,在一個飛流直下三千尺的瀑布裏面,很可能就覺得過了一千年,這是我們對於時間,就是時間其實就是法界的律動節奏。

據說我們現在的時間的質量,就是我們現在二十四小時只有上個世紀八十年代的十六小時,因為律動節奏快了,人的心念燥了,地球自轉的速度也加快。你看飛機都坐、然後火車提速,就是在這個染汙和分別妄想的世界中越來越節奏快了,容不得你靜下來,這才稱之為末法時期,我們的煩惱厚重。所以說在這種情況,剛才講到了一日一夜,萬死萬生,為什麽呢,比如說大家想想,我們來做一個實驗,你設想一下你要殺一個人,首先這個業力,這個行為造的時候,你的心跟平常一樣嗎,是常態嗎,是不是,肯定不是。要下狠心、要發毒願,我要把他弄死、恨死我了。這個時候,這個業力的質量和密度是非常之高和非常之重的,一旦這個時候你還會想方設法地說怎麽把他弄死,吃毒藥不方便,繩子勒,或者槍打,或者刀子捅,想方設法的時候,這個業力體現的就是一個無礙的屬性,明白嗎,所以等你受苦報的時候,比如說在地獄裏面受這個現象的時候,他還過來的時候,再度揮發的時候,就是在油鍋裏死了又活,活了又死,想方設法,一日一夜,萬死萬生,我這樣講你能理解嗎,

就是說從因到果的變化中,他這個勁有多大的勁,它就給你呈現多大的勁。那麽在這種情況下,或許你發了狠心了,突然間一念慈悲心,上輩子學了佛法,狠心發下去,刀子使下去沒捅死,然後你也懺悔了、後悔了,這輩子可能你得個什麽特別重的病,很不好的果報,半路上突然學佛,念觀音菩薩,把它這個業力轉掉。

這就是我們受報的時候,邪淫也是一樣,那種男女歡愛或者愉悅的時候,完全沈浸到這種愉悅中,這種動物的愚癡的愉悅中,把你綁定了,那麽你就所有你的天性之中就這個貪愛、就這個情、就這個欲,大家想想,那麽一對鴛鴦和鴿子,它的世界裏面你想它有什麽呀,只有另一半,另一半一死它就要死,只有情、只有欲,它的世界呈現出來的就是這樣的愚癡。

那你不斷地騙人的時候、你打妄語的時候,你要心裏算計,你不斷地算計,所有人都騙出去,你都是發的假心,那麽將來感到果報還回來的時候,沒人相信你,因為你本身就是個假的屬性,是不是這樣的。

所以說這些東西不斷地,你包括偷盜,你把人家的東西拿過來的時候,那個不安分或者什麽,一旦造這樣的業太猛了、太烈了,質量太高的時候,那麽還過來的時候你可能就得不到人的載體了,就到地獄裏面去。這就叫因果,我說的夠明白嗎,那麽反過來說為什麽在因果線上,這是前因後果,有因還要有緣,緣就給我們呈現出修行和改造命運的可能性,既然人身難得,在經典裏面說人身難得,有多麽的難得呢,佛說過了,抓了一把土給他的弟子說,失了人身的就跟大地的土這麽多的眾生,得到保住人身的只有掌上的土這麽多,所以在經典裏面形容一個保人身的難度,就是下輩子還能得到人身的難度的時候是怎麽講的呢,這個難度有多大,做一個比喻,說在一個漫無邊際的大海上,有這麽一塊破木頭,中間有個孔,在上面亂飄著,沒有目的的飄著,隨波逐浪。海裏邊有一個瞎了眼的老烏龜,一百年往這個海面上頭探一次。什麽時候這個木頭飄的在飄,這個烏龜探頭正在探,突然間,這個烏龜的頭剛好鉆到這個朽木的中間的孔裏面,是我們得人身的幾率百分比。所以從這點來講,真的我們仔細想想,這個我們要客觀地陳述。

捫心說,我們這五樣東西,現在末法時代的人越來越不遵守,那就說明我們現在失人身的越來越多了。就此因緣來講。那麽反過來我講了這麽多消極的,還有一個積極的,我們可以改,對吧,我們可以改造這個命運,怎麽改造呢,你比如說,對佛法產生了信心以後,明白了輪回是這麽回事。那麽當我們因緣會聚時,果報還自受。比如說我有一個很不好的果報要現前了,生大病了,過去造的業要開始揮發了,那個惡種子要揮發了,出現惡的果報了,或者遭人算計,或者失去什麽東西,或者要身體上要生大病,這個時候緊急關頭正是因和緣會聚的時候,明白嗎,因緣一會聚,開花要結果的時候,突然間命運的軌道,就是阿賴耶識這個種現相生,剛才講的阿賴耶識,主導著我們生命的走向,變現出了我們生命的情形、我們的遭遇。正在這麽呈現的時候、走向的時候,突然間你學佛了,你明白因果是這麽回事,馬上用佛的這種,比如說佛名號也罷、誦經也罷、生信心也罷、做大布施、大放生等等這些強有力的往下進行種子幹擾,能明白嗎,就是業力正在發揮的時候,你馬上進行幹擾。在這個火車的生命的軌道上,他這個火車的生命軌道是這麽向下走了,突然間,你用強有力的幹擾讓它改變方向,命運的軌跡立馬讓它產生大的幹擾作用,你讓它改變它行走的前面進行的方向。

這個時候,比如說我們突然信佛了,念觀音菩薩念得忘我了,突然間什麽也不見了,它那個因和緣就會聚不了了,明白吧,因為我們雖然有親因,一定有外緣。比如說你殺生,你去殺生的時候,要麽是你見了這個東西,你生起好吃的想了,或者旁邊有人說咱們倆把它弄死,惡友現前了。或者說對方的討債主來了,來加害你的時候,你沒有控制住,把他弄死了。這都有外緣牽引,你才會親因顯發出來。那麽這個時候你就不讓它這個因緣會聚,馬上用,比如說觀世音菩薩、觀世音菩薩、觀世音菩薩,大家想想,一旦我們念起來的時候,我甚至給大家講法的思路都會斷掉,是不是這樣,我們每次聽一個東西的道理,馬上思路斷掉,為什麽,因為有幹擾,肯定是你分神了或者怎麽樣。生命的運動軌跡也是如此,一旦幹擾成功,念觀音菩薩念得馬上體現在你身上的時候,在我們現實世界就是轉危為安、化險為夷。上次拍片子檢查出癌癥,突然就找不著那個腫瘤了,太多了。

當然,這裏面的前因後果還要我們具體而論,你種的種子的業力有多大當時,幹擾的力量一定要蓋過當時親因,種種子的那個力量,否則幹擾還未必能成功。這是我自己對於因果的一點淺見,我是這麽想的,我想在我們生命的過程中想必如此。

那不管怎麽樣,今天我們講到六道中的我們輪回,輪回中前因後果,我們六道的升沈裏面,保一個人身是很難得的。上一次中國難生,在南瞻部洲,那麽這一次人身難得。五戒至少有一條持全了,這五種行為至少有一條你跟它無染,那麽可以保持你下一輩子的人身。當然有時候我們未必能保到六根具足的人身,如果你不好的業或者什麽,很可能缺胳膊少腿也會有,甚至盲聾喑啞等等這些都跟前因後果有關,一定要記住。

所以說呢,對於這種因果的報應,我們還可以用影像來表現。剛才我從那個角度來講,我們再講一個影像的理解吧。我們不是講所有的起心動念、開言吐語、舉手投足,烙印其實就是一個影像,明白嗎,這個影像一旦成形了以後,它只是臨時把它濃縮、收縮在那裏,下輩子它發揮的時候還是一個影像。可是在這個影像的前因後果中,比如說它會異地而熟、異時而熟,或者說變異而熟等等有異熟果、等流果、相續的習氣等等這些都會有的。

以前的佛弟子裏面有一個人,有一個弟子吃飯的時候,老跟牛吃飯一樣、牛吃東西一樣,就來回嘴就在那嚼。後來就這些不信佛的這些人們就誹謗佛法,說原來信佛的,你看和尚裏面都有這樣的,佛就讓這個人去天界去應供去,上天上去修行,到天的那個時空法界裏面,因為他有了神通可以隨意轉化穿插。那麽這個時候,後來才知道他過去因為,為什麽有這個牛吃飯的這個行為呢,證了阿羅漢果,就是了生死,出了三界,這個習氣,就是這個慣性還改不掉呢,過去世有一世他笑話了一個,過去有一世他也是隨佛出家的,在僧團裏面他看見有一個老和尚、老比丘吃飯特別慢嚼,牙齒掉光了,他就笑話說你吃飯跟牛吃東西一樣,由於這一個輕慢,感召的他五百世墮在牛道裏做牛,牛的這個報應享完了以後,回過頭來,過去的善根還在,又隨佛出家證了阿羅漢,可是牛的那個習氣還在。

所以你看因果不可思議,在此之中,前因後果,它的相續的這個關系沒法說。但是你如果會仔細觀察的話,你仔細去觀察,沒有一樣不是因果。你仔細觀察人道裏面就去看,有的端正、皮膚白凈,欲望也比較淡,特別不跟你戲論等等,特別莊重,那很可能就是上道來的。有的吃飯嘚啵嘚嘚啵嘚,甚至連個筷子也不想拿、碗都不想端,一切一切的都是六道的實相,因果輪回,不要懷疑。

今天的課程講的是人身難得,記住,就這麽一個胳膊腿,就這麽一個死樣子,來之不易,你別以為今天坐在這,好像說反正就是,你仔細發現了人長得很醜,就這麽一個肉團上生出來四個肉胳膊,兩只肉腿,然後頭上一個圓球,裏面還凈窟窿,你仔細想想,就這個樣子還要五戒持全,所以你十善業修滿了,才能感到天界去得果報,色身莊嚴。我們能湊合著活成這樣都不錯了,所以說中國難生,今天人身難得,下一次我們再講佛法難聞,講釋迦牟尼佛的緣起。