無作四句所顯緣起甚深

文｜智禪

壹、總顯要義

諸法不自生，亦不從他生，不共不無因，是故知無生。

此偈出自龍樹菩薩所作《中論》，從四門觀察諸法不生。此中要義總為遮破凡夫之妄計的實我法性（自性見）。遮彼所計之實法，無有生性。說諸法從因緣生，緣起有故，諸法無自性；無自性故，體畢竟空；畢竟空故，即是無生。直顯第一義，諸法唯假名。

他從《阿含》緣起的聖教，更掘發出其甚深的精髓。用遮破我法二執的方法，顯明大乘空義。更偏重從緣起說無生的勝義，成為大乘深見的標指。

《瑜伽師地論》中，對此偈亦有解說。用唯識的種緣現行的因果關係，闡明緣起之深義。既承認依他而起的如幻有，又遮遣凡夫在依他起上遍計所執的我法實有。更開顯離去二執的依他起與圓成實性的不一不異。在緣起有中以通達名言與識的善巧而開展出廣大的菩薩瑜伽行，由此建立起嚴密精深的觀修次第。論中更從因果的建立，廣詳顯了緣起之深義，開示生死還滅的涅槃正路，為令眾生信解趣入，如實證得。故知更重於建立緣起義。

貳、略說中觀釋

一、 敘執總破

所治癥結是凡夫所執諸法皆實在，有個別體性。彼為解釋世間萬有，由自性執，執自、執他，產生四門分別：或執法從自性生，一一諸法由自性生出。或執從他法生，由別體出生此法，如大自在生萬法。或執由自他法共作而生，如火木相燒而成灰燼。或執無因生，一切萬法本性自然而有。

四執皆從法實有個別體性的見解而來。為破彼執，顯彼矛盾，說有性實法皆無法生。從無而有，名之為生，變異性故。若法有實體，應常不變異，生則常生，不應有滅。不變異法而有能生所生，皆不應理。若有變異，不名實有自性。

二、 分破以顯自宗

若法從自生，從自己生出自己，前後二者，為一為異，皆有過失。若是一者，不名為生；若是異者，不名為自；是故，所執法從自性不能生。

若法從他生，即是別法生出此法。若別法中有此法自性而得生者，則自他相濫；若由他性變異而出生者，自性變異，則非實有；若變、不變皆有過失，是故法不從他生。

若法從自他共作而生者，即法一一別有自性，二者和合生出第三法。若自他個別都無生他之用，別別體異，和合仍無法有生作用；若和合作，由自他法性變異而生者，則無自他實有自性；是故法不由共生。

若法無因生者，不待條件即可存在，不應現見諸法或時生，或時不生。無因是同，卻有諸法種種變異，理不應爾。

由是而知，若汝執法實有，則無生；若可生者，定無自性；是故說諸法唯從因緣和合生；法即是眾緣，無自性可得。無自性故，眾緣變異，諸法則變，有生有滅，順世諦故。

此因、此緣、此果法皆無自性，無自性故，一切得生。無自性故，實無有生。但有名字，假說諸法，求其實性，畢竟皆空。法本不生，是第一義諦；生即不生，即是實相。龍樹菩薩由四門總破一切見執，有因、無因、或自、或他，更無餘門。由破而顯，勝義無生；離我法執，八不中道。

參、唯識釋

一、依《瑜伽師地論》文釋

總義者，謂承認依他如幻有，如是有；而遮凡夫遍計所執之實我實法，如是無所有。離增益損減二邪執，建立緣起甚深中道。

論曰：「依無常義、苦義、空義、無我義說（緣起甚深義）。無常義者，謂從自種子生，亦待他緣。」此釋非自作義。

「依無常」者，三法印中諸行無常也，即顯生滅有為之相。不自作者，即光是自種子不能生法故。「亦待他緣」，顯自種非有能力自作而生法。

「又從他緣生，亦待自種子。」此釋非他作義。光是緣不能生法故，要須自種子。顯緣無能力（他）作而生法。

「從自種子及從他緣生，而種及緣於此生事無作、無用、亦無運轉。」此釋非俱作義。先肯定依他起生，再否定是俱作而生。法由因緣和合而生，依托眾緣而現起故；然非是由因、緣共作而生，「緣無作用」而「用轉非無」。此義甚深，後文當廣辯。

「又復此二因性功能非不是有。」此釋非無因。種子及緣之因性，有能生果法的功能在。依此功能，方有法現。「緣力所生」，不能無因而生，要由因性功能力所生。

「又諸有支，雖無始來其相成就，然剎那剎那新新相轉」，此釋剎那生不斷義。「諸有支」者，即是諸法緣起。「其相成就」，謂諸緣起法性，無始時來，理成就性，非是如來作，亦非餘人作，不由名言安立方得成就，其相法爾安住法性。「剎那剎那」，顯無常性，謂諸法生時，唯有生的剎那隨轉，有相顯現，剎那即滅，無有功能自然住故。「新新相轉」者，剎那剎那都是新生的相貌轉起，每一剎那都是緣生的諸法全體顯現。如電影底片之投影，一閃即逝，全體全新，相續現起新的影像；是不斷義。

「又緣起支雖剎那速滅，然似停住運動相現。」此釋剎那滅義、不常義。法之體性雖是剎那即滅的，然有相續新新相轉，凡夫根鈍，好像看電影，雖剎那不住的影像，但看起來好像有法的持續、停留、運動、作用等等相貌。「非不見真如，而能了諸行。」只有聖者才能如實見到依他起的剎那行相。

已說無常義釋緣起義。復有苦義、空義、無我義釋，今略不說。

論中結義：「生而不有」，剎那滅故；「緣無作用」，非如遍計故；「緣力所生」，依他相有故。如下廣辯。

二、 廣辯非俱作義

此中非俱作之深隱要義，今當廣辯。

「從自種子及從他緣生，而種及緣於此生事無作、無用、亦無運轉。」是依他起而非俱作。

此中第一義言：生法必須具足自種子和緣的條件，是依托眾緣而現起的。肯定了生──「緣力所生故」。

此中第二義言：然非是種子及緣俱作而生。論文亦說「緣無作用」，「於依他離作用義，是緣起義」。

以下依文分釋：

(一)為何無作呢？

種子於生事雖有功能而不得自在力，非獨力能成辦故。緣亦如此。若有自在力能生法者，則不須兩相憑待。依他故，不自在；不名能作。此顯無我深義。非是種緣有自在主宰力能成辦故。故二俱無作。

若二者共作，有自在力者，則應因緣具時，經爾所時，法應能常生、常住。事實不然。諸法生後，剎那即滅，無有能力自然住故，不待因緣自然滅故。沒有能力任持不滅。《顯揚論》云：「離滅因緣，自然壞滅。」所以，種子與緣於所生事不得自在，無能俱作。緣起法性，法爾如是，非佛所作，亦非餘人作。

(二)為何無用呢？

論中的勝義伽陀舉出諸法七種無用：

「諸行皆剎那，住尚無況用？」此是總說。諸有為行法剎那生即滅，暫住尚不可得，何況能有真實的作用呢？諸法是同一剎那同生同滅的，由各自種子發起現行時， 是同時頓生的，雖有相的現起，果法間更是沒法作用的。所有的只是現行的力量又熏習了各自的新種（將來發起諸行的功能）而已。雖然諸法實無作用，但由於剎那剎那新新相轉，好像有持續的實法彼此運動、作用。實際上這只是一個錯覺。

1. 無作用用：「眼不能見色，耳不能聞聲……」，是說法沒有獨立自主的能力發出作用。要待眾緣，而非自在。眼若見色要具足九緣，因緣的力量眼識才得發起，不是有「我」可以自主的。

2. 無隨轉用：「於此亦無能任持驅役者」，沒有有主宰力的東西可以任持諸法不滅，可以運作驅役的。彼功能不可得故。

3. 無生他用：「法不能生他」，諸法皆從自種生，非從他生。

4. 無生自用：「亦不能自生」，自種子沒有能力自生果，要待他緣。

5. 無移轉用：「眾緣有故生，非故新新有。」由眾緣力條件具足，方有種子生起現行，法相得顯故名為生。剎那即滅，新生續起，沒有舊的法能夠停留或移轉至下一剎那；在法的頓生頓滅中，也沒有一丁點的實體可以久住至第二剎那。（此亦顯無我深義，沒有一個實體的我移往後世任持業果，只是諸法剎那剎那地相續新生，因果相續流轉，無需有「我」來任持移轉，生死業報也照樣成就。）

6. 無滅他用：「法不能滅他」，不由餘法能為滅因，生剎那後，自然壞滅。「行即不住，何用滅因？」「眾緣有故生，生已自然滅。」

7. 無滅自用：「亦不能自滅」，也沒有能力自己消滅自己。生滅二相定相違故。《顯揚論》云：「離滅因緣，任運壞滅故。」

法無七用，故說種、緣於生事無作無用。

(三)為何無運轉呢？

果法即是眾緣，無別有故。緣具名生，無所生故。眾緣相現，轉名為法，無去無來，無起無作，無動無轉，此是實義。因果俱時，頓生頓滅，不是因滅後果生在二剎那，時間、空間上都沒有運轉。然由果相初現，假名為變；由果循因，假名功能；由因生果，假名轉變；而此假名，非全無事，依他起相剎那有故，說有生事。非如諸法作用，唯是遍計；有依他起轉，而無彼彼作用；唯隨順世間，假說諸法有作用。

(四)無用為何有生事呢？

「而用轉非無」，「緣力所生故」。法雖無作用，但因果相生的功能轉起非是全無。在生剎那，種緣具足，功能發起，令法自相圓滿顯現；故說有生。實在只有一件事，那就是轉識生起了別。為詮此故，分別安立，說有因、有果、有緣、有功能。既然是同一法的自相得圓滿，應是具足因相和果相的，因果相應，得成義故，說有功能。體非別故，無對象故，內自成滿故，不名作用。然相初成，本無今有，名之為生。

因此種及緣於此生事無作、無用、亦無運轉，不是有別法共作而成此法。故云：「生而不有，緣無作用，緣力所生。」然有功能轉起，各依自種在眾緣具足時，有法相顯現。

三、由因緣果再辯顯發深義

此中更需深入了解種子、緣，及現行諸法（果）的微妙關係。唯識家不似中觀學者以遮破來顯己宗；若欲開顯緣起深義，必要善巧安立因、果、緣起，由世俗諦順入第一義。若廣說者，難以窮盡，有菩薩弘論以為依止。今只略說相關要義，為釋此偈，作更深入的探討。

(一)明法相

種子者，即親生自法功能之義。或名因，或名界，或名習氣，或詮業力，種種異名。當如是解：法正生時，由彼功能有勢力生自果故，而立彼名。因用況形，不應由名計實有種子體。無常性故。彼功能性數數熏變，力得增長；或受對治，功能消失。以識為體，非斷非常，其相微細難了。簡言之，即是令分別心再次生起的功能（《攝論》中有種子六義；《瑜伽論》中有七相詳釋，今略不說）。

緣起者，生法所須之所餘條件也。不應以名計實有緣法。此顯由用立名，緣亦無常，非恆時有，是故需待緣而起。

唯依現行果法，說有種、緣。果法正生時，為詮有此二因性功能差別，或親或疏，善巧立名應知。

果法者，即是由自種生的有相諸法，亦即前七轉識之現起。《瑜伽論》云：「於唯相，假立諸法」。當知諸法差別體相，唯是虛妄分別，名言識為體。此法（轉識）即體即是眾緣，由自相得圓滿故，立為果名。當知果法與種非是異法，亦非是一，非別有實果體，從緣而生。唯相本無今有，轉識功能發起，立為果名；由果循因， 彼功能即立為因。因果俱時而有，一法自相方得成滿。不應計因果實有自性差別。

舉喻以顯：種子識如海，七轉識如浪。由種子生果識，如海與浪，體非是異，相非是一。依彼轉變因果名立，體唯是識，無增無減。不應由名計實有因果體性差別。 因有轉識生起之事，了別起故，功能義成，立名詮用，體非有異。又如種子生芽莖等，相續轉異，芽亦名果，亦名為因。立場不同，因果名異。

(二)依《攝大乘論》義

果與因必同時俱有，種生現，現又熏新種。種子識與法更互為因緣，此三猶如三支蘆束相支，同時不倒。「唯就是安立因緣，所餘因緣不可得故。」只有同時才有因果之義；餘說皆是方便說。這是以現行為中心來安立因果的。過去法已謝滅，未來法尚無體，唯現在是有，現行正可得故。現在剎那有法體故，因果功能方可成立；決非因滅後果生有前後二剎那。剎那滅是唯識特別殊勝之處，頓生頓滅，因果必同時有：轉識生起了別，即是功能；由果（轉識現行）而成立有因；現行同時又在賴耶熏習了新種（功能），成為將來分別心生起之可能；三者同時，一事發起相互成就，如果含核。應知為詮轉識生起了別，這一件事，相待施設，由現行為中心，因用立名。由此探討，方知同時因果之深義：一法自相具足因果二義，由果循因，名為功能，體非一異，不名作用，能作所作俱不可得。然由安立，因果名字，論相轉變，及詮三世。「諸法無作用，而用轉非無」。這由自因成滿自果的因果轉變是有的；但是，只有諸法從各自種子轉起的頓現，諸法彼此更無作用。假說的我法作用，也是在剎那相續轉起上安立的。故說：「即（假）說彼生起，為用、為作者。」由生起現行而安立作用、作者的名字。實在生起只是功能現相，哪裡找得到作者呢？

(三)八不中道略結上義

因果不異何名作用？然可說生，轉變相異，本無今有故。「生而不有」，體唯剎那；同時俱有，無有去來。體即眾緣，無增無減；無有生者，亦無滅者，非由種滅別有果生故。自因生自果，一法成圓滿，說有功能。

因果不一，順世諦名故；為詮相異故，顯因果相生功能義故。因異果異，釋別別法相故。剎那剎那功能轉起，安立世俗我、法、作用故。頓生即滅，新新相續，熏變轉異，非斷非常，建立因果相屬義故，開顯生死還滅所依理故。

四、緣起甚深義

「諸緣起非佛作，亦非餘人作，若佛出世，若不出世，安住法性、法住、法界。」此顯諸緣起法性，從無始來其相成就，法爾如是。非由名言安立方得成就，是名法性；如其成就之法性，佛以無顛倒文句安立，是名法住；故說：「由此法住，以彼法性為因，是故說彼名為法界」。

論中舉緣起義云：

「謂離有情義是緣起義」：唯有諸法因果相屬流轉，一切生死作用得成，更無實我是作者受者。依世俗諦，容有假名，安立諸蘊為我。為言說易故，順世間故，除定無我諸怖畏故，為顯自他功德過失故，因此，「於唯相，假立諸法」；「於唯法，假立補特伽羅」。凡夫即是由相起法執，由法執起眾生邪執。

「於離有情，復無常義，是緣起義」：而彼諸法亦是無常，頓生頓滅，真實法體毫髮許亦不可得；眾緣故有，全體頓現，生剎那滅，畢竟清淨。

「於無常復暫住義，是緣起義」：然法有生，唯生剎那隨轉，有相可得；雖非實有，亦非全無。故說：「剎那剎那新新相轉，似有停住運動相現。」

「於暫住復依他義，是緣起義」：要托眾緣方生起故，無有自在之力能生；眾緣而起故，無有獨一真實法體是所生。

「於依他離作用義，是緣起義」：如前廣釋「緣無作用」，遮實作用，依世俗諦，容可安立諸法作用。

「於離作用復因果相續不斷義，是緣起義」：諸法無作用而用轉非無，因果功能轉起之相續不是沒有，「眾緣（現行法）過去而不捨離（又熏成種故）；依自（種）相續而得生起，故名緣起。」

「於因果相續不斷，復因果相似轉義，是緣起義」：善惡因果相符順故。

「於因果相似轉，復自業所作義，是緣起義」：顯因果決定，不相雜亂；自因唯生自果；此是業所作，非我所作，然似有有情自作自受，償彼先業。

以上建立緣起義竟。目的正為顯示因緣所攝染汙清淨義。善立名言，非為生成諸法性相，彼法爾故；但為眾生開顯、信解、隨順、趣入故。

肆、結語

上來說明了中觀對緣起無生的看法，雖由緣起，意在說空。同時也詳盡開顯了唯識宏廣精嚴的緣起甚深義。我們既受益於遮破的乾脆俐落，同時也深刻地見到了緣起的層層法相。沒有菩薩的善巧破立，我們難於全面圓滿地掌握佛法的中心──緣起。

由剎那滅的同時因果，深徹地去了達緣起，這樣的觀行是非常有力的。

唯識中，除了有情為主的有支（愛非愛）緣起以外，為什麼還要分別自性緣起，這是我們要徹底深思的！名言識與諸法性相的關係，對於菩薩進破法執，意義何等重大！廣大的瑜伽行與甚深中道是菩薩行的兩大車軌，是發菩提心者應著力學習的。

Our paths are not always clear, and so due to negligence and absence of mindfulness, we might follow wrong ways. It is impossible to correct the past, but surely we can make our future actions right and meaningful. In my opinion, living in the past is not purposeful, however, living in the present will help us to build a better and brighter future.

-- Zurmang Gharwang Rinpoche

The Significance of Taking Refuge

by Lama Dudjom Dorjee

From the external point of view, taking refuge is receiving permission to enter the mandala of Buddhism, of being accepted into the global sangha of practitioners of buddhadharma. Internally, taking refuge allows us to receive the transmissions and blessings of the ultimate Buddha, thus propelling us along the path towards liberation.

When the Buddha appears in the universe, the dharma teachings and the sangha of practitioners also appear. Taking refuge in these three aspects means crossing the dividing line between Buddhist and non-Buddhist — to formally declare it, so to speak. When we take refuge, we, as the subject, go to the object, the Three Jewels — the Buddha, the dharma, and the sangha — for that refuge.

First, we take refuge in the historical Buddha Shakyamuni, as well as in all the Buddhas of the three times (past, present, and future) and in the three kayas (dharmakaya, sambhogakaya, and nirmanakaya) — the manifestations of the three bodies of the Buddha. Second, we also take refuge in the holy dharma, in the direct teachings of the Buddha, including all three levels of those teachings (Hinayana, Mahayana, and Vajrayana). Third, we take refuge in the noble sangha, the community of beings with highly developed wisdom and compassion, including arhats and other highly realised practitioners, as well as buddhas and bodhisattvas.

Finally, although we initially see these Three Jewels as separate objects in our practice, from the ultimate point of view we must consolidate them into one single object of refuge — the ultimate Buddha.

The ignorant mind, with its infinite afflictions, passions, and evils, is rooted in the three poisons. Greed, anger, and delusion.

-- Bodhidharma

你要每天反省自己，靜坐常思己過

净界法师

懺悔業障你要及時。要及時，你就要每天反省自己，靜坐常思己過，每天反省一下你的身業、口業、意業，有沒有比較重大的過失先抓出來，每天睡覺前把自己今天的身口意（檢查）一下，你有沒有什麼問題要處理的。

因為你沒有把它懺悔，它明天會再造作，它這個種子會起現行，會產生一種滾雪球的力量，輾轉增盛。就是說你沒有把這個開關關掉，它明天還會再做的，肯定的，而且它一次一次地猛利。因為你現行熏種子，你給它一個能量，這個種子又起現行，現行又再熏種子，就是產生輾轉相續了。懺悔就是從中間斷掉，把它的相續心斷掉，我不能讓你相續下去！

什麼叫懺悔業障？簡單地講就是說，當你的業還沒有滿出來的時候，就把這個業給關掉，讓它變成不增長業。你看一個水缸，你每天滴水、滴水、滴水，「水滴雖微，漸盈大器」。這個造罪，佛陀就是用滴水的水缸作譬喻，今天滴，明天滴，等到它滿的時候，你來不及了。

你必須在這個水缸沒有滿的時候，趕緊把水龍頭關掉，這叫懺悔業障。這時業雖然在，但是它起碼臨終不障礙你，因為你沒有再造作了，它變成不增長業。

就是以《楞嚴經》的角度，他的業沉澱下來了。我這個水裏面很多污泥，但是我不去攪動它，它不會障礙你的佛號的，它不會障礙你往生。我們現在不要要求業盡情空，我們先要求不要障礙我往生，這個業起碼你不能障礙我往生，我到了淨土再來處理都沒關係。但是你今天不斷地造作，這個業力它的勢力就強大，它肯定障礙你。

所以「願我臨終無障礙」，你現在就要準備了。不是說你到臨終的時候再求無障礙，你現在就要做臨終無障礙準備了，哪些比較重大的罪業趕緊關掉。臨終怎麼來得及呢？你把這個業力培養得又肥又壯的，臨終你怎麼面對它呢？你哪是它的對手呢？

所以你懺悔業障，趁你現在死亡還沒有到來之前，趕緊把這個強大的罪業破壞掉，不能讓它形成氣候。記得！讓它變成一個沒有力量的罪業，叫做不增長業，它雖然有，但是今生暫時不干擾你，你就成功了！

When you see with your wisdom

That all the compounded phenomena are without a “self”

Then no suffering will ever afflict your mind.

This is the right approach, the approach that cuts off all the pains of craving.

-- The Buddha

The Study and Practice of Dharma

by Kalu Rinpoche

HOW TO LISTEN TO DHARMA 

It is very important to listen to Dharma properly, or respectfully and without the wrong attitude. There are three such wrong attitudes; the first is listening with a closed mind, like an upside-down pot that will not retain what is poured into it. Secondly, not only should we receive the teaching, but also retain it and keep it in mind. If we forget the teaching right after hearing it, we are like a leaky pot. The third kind of wrong attitude is to listen while overcome with negativity. Listening to the Dharma with a disturbed mind is like eating scrumptious food that has been mixed with poison: it is good at first, but later the poison makes us ill.

Having an attitude of respect and faith means receiving the Dharma joyfully and attentively, and regarding the lama who transmits the teaching not as an ordinary being but as Buddha himself. Also, we should not think of our fellow listeners the way we normally might; instead, we should recognise that each of them has Buddha nature. We also should think that the sounds of the teaching are the union of sound and emptiness and that they possess the sixty qualities of a Buddha's speech. This attitude is helpful for opening us to blessings and repelling disturbing emotions.

When we request a teaching, it is appropriate to see ourselves as patients suffering from the illness of ignorance and its associated afflictions and to see the lama who gives the instruction as our doctor, while the Dharma itself is the medicine that cures our ills.

Furthermore, our motivation for listening to and practising the Dharma must be to realise enlightenment for the sake of all beings. For any Dharma activity, bodhicitta is the indispensable preliminary.

PRACTICE IN DAILY LIFE

Right Dharma practice can be accomplished at every moment and in any circumstance, whether we are walking, eating, working, or doing anything else. All daily activities are an opportunity to overcome negativity and cultivate goodness: an opportunity to dedicate ourselves to the Dharma. Moreover, we can use our body, speech, and mind for something positive every single instant. When we bear in mind the value of human life, the truth of impermanence, the faults of samsara, and karmic causation, we will find we really can simplify our life, renouncing frivolous activities and completely devoting ourselves to practice. It is important for us, who are always so busy, always coming and going, to be able to stop and give ourselves a break, a moment's respite just for spiritual practice.

IN A DHARMA CENTRE

People who live in a Dharma centre are in a privileged and especially favourable situation. That is because they live close to the Dharma and to the lama, from whom they can receive instruction on a regular basis. Life in a Dharma centre is organised so that all activities are practice-oriented. In this context, the disturbances of everyday life are reduced or nonexistent. The environment is very conducive to Dharma study and practice.

Most people, however, cannot live in a Dharma centre. But you do have vacations, and every week there is a weekend. If you could use that free time for more intensive practice, that would be wonderful. Go to a centre and listen to teachings, meditate, do retreats, ask questions, and put an end to your doubts. This is what a Dharma centre is for.

ON RETREAT

Doing a retreat means withdrawing from all forms of distraction and outer disturbances for a period of time; it could be for a few days of vacation or any amount of time that is available. In a retreat situation, our mind is insulated from all distractions, so we can dedicate ourselves completely to practice and devote all our energy to the retreat.

Because of its isolation and silence, retreat offers the best conditions for practising meditation in general, but it is especially useful for training in samatha-vipasyana. The goal of retreat is to minimise distraction, but, as always, practice depends on us, on our own inner attitude. Doing a retreat without the proper motivation prevents us from fully benefiting from it. Without energy or discipline, retreat in and of itself cannot accomplish anything. If we went to live like a wild animal on the remotest mountaintop, with neither energy nor the right motivation, we would cultivate nothing but our pride. But if we have the proper motivation and determination, a retreat is an ideal situation for practising meditation and for making rapid progress.

THE THREE-YEAR RETREAT

In Tibet, there were many hermits like Milarepa who gave up all ordinary activity and meditated in caves. This kind of practice is wonderful, but the hermetic tradition has waned as the times have degenerated. That is why some great lamas such as Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye instituted the three year retreat as a good context for practice. This tradition has arisen out of their efforts.

In the West, the Dharma has just begun to spread. It has been only a few years since it was introduced here, and the door is just beginning to open. Looking at the Western lifestyle, I have noticed that Westerners are very busy people, extremely involved in the world through their work and very engrossed in their daily activities. It seems to me that practising in a retreat centre would be good for Westerners since it would enable them to devote themselves completely to practice for three years. They would derive incredible benefits from this. I myself have done this retreat, and I have also served as a retreat master (drubpon in Tibetan), so I am very familiar with its potential; I think it can be very productive. I started one of the first three-year retreat centres in France, and since then, several other centres have been created in Canada, Sweden, the United States, and other parts of France. Kagyu and Nyingma retreat centres have been founded by other lamas as well. 

In Tibet, many people devoted themselves to monastic life, but very few did retreats. Those who undertook three-year retreats did so on their own initiative, out of their own personal motivations. If ordination was a way to get out of the cyclic rut of worldly life and to rise above it to some extent, doing a retreat was like taking a further step, making a deep commitment to putting the teachings into practice. Becoming a lama was held in high esteem.

Westerners who choose to undertake a three-year retreat do it out of their own motivation even more so: nobody makes them do it-neither king, president, nor parents. It truly comes from their own aspiration, from their own wonderful inner motivation. Considering impermanence, it is never a mistake to renounce outer things in order to give ourselves completely and profoundly to Dharma practice.

This kind of retreat is the best way to practice Dharma intensively for three years, without worldly cares or distractions. This period offers the most favourable conditions for devoting all the energies of body, speech, and mind to the most important tantric practices: sadhana of the yidams, yogas of Niguma, the Five Golden Teachings, mahamudra, and so forth. If you are considering doing a three-year retreat in the future, you must prepare yourself well for it. If you can actually follow through on it, it will give extraordinary meaning to your human life.

Because I have observed that it is difficult to keep monastic vows in the West, I have asked those who wish to do a three-year retreat to keep the vow of celibacy only for the duration of the retreat. During this time, retreatants live as celibates, immersing themselves fully in the practice. Afterwards, those who wish to do so can receive monastic vows, and the others can resume lay lives. 

Even if you do not continue in total commitment to the Dharma once the retreat is over, you will still have used all your energy in a very positive pursuit during that time, and that alone is an extraordinary achievement.

A three-year retreat offers the opportunity to get well acquainted with Dharma and with tantric practices. Afterwards, we can follow up by doing lengthy solitary retreats and eventually attain Buddhahood in this very life.

TIBETAN LANGUAGE STUDY

Generally speaking, learning Tibetan is not mandatory for practising the Dharma well, but in order to engage in deep commitment to Dharma, such as a three-year retreat, knowledge of Tibetan is extremely important because it allows us to understand the practice texts and the traditional Tibetan commentaries. If I tell people who are going to do the retreat to learn Tibetan, it's not because I am Tibetan-and anyway, being from Kham, I do not particularly consider myself Tibetan, and I speak in a dialect that no one can understand! Anyway, what you need to know, what is important, is the classical Dharma Tibetan.

In Tibet, we didn't have the conveniences of the West-the means of transportation, the cars, the machines. Practically speaking, there were only three occupations: farming, animal husbandry, and commerce. But on the other hand, an enormous number of people were involved with Dharma study and practice. When Westerners introduced material comforts to Tibet, the Tibetan language was not at all adapted to modern life. It did not have the words to accommodate modern science and technology. In the West, there is a similar situation in terms of Dharma, but reversed. Tibetan is a traditional language that has a very rich vocabulary for meditation and spiritual practices-a vocabulary without any equivalent in Western languages. When Western scientists go to Tibet to share their knowledge, they should teach in their own language, at least initially. Some Tibetans could learn from them; then later on, adequate terminology could be devised and translated into Tibetan. Here, we have the reverse situation. In order for Dharma to be properly understood in the West, there must be Westerners who are willing to master the Tibetan. Of course, my wish is that in the future, everything will be translated correctly. Once the totality of Dharma is adequately translated into Western terminology, there will be no need for Tibetan. But for now, anyone wishing to study the Dharma deeply, and particularly anyone preparing for a three-year retreat, will reap great benefit from the study of Tibetan. If you study regularly, a little bit every day, you will quickly become knowledgeable.

THE RACE BETWEEN THE LOUSE AND THE FLEA

Once upon a time, someone suggested that a flea and a louse have a race and offered a prize to the winner. They were to run and deposit a load of grass at the finish line. The flea accepted happily because it knew that it could go faster than the louse. The louse also accepted because it knew that by going along steadily and energetically, it could finish first. The signal was sounded. The flea made a great leap forward but spilled its load and had to pick it up before attempting its next leap. With each great leap, the flea would spill its whole load, and it wasted a lot of time picking up all the grass it kept dropping. Although it was able to jump quite far, it was making little progress. On the other hand, the louse, though it advanced slowly, did not drop anything or stop. Guess who was the winner?

MONASTIC DISCIPLINE

Why become ordained? Why do a three-year retreat? Because these are favourable situations for thorough and efficient Dharma practice since they provide the optimal framework for practice. Monastic life is solitary, which offers the independence for total dedication to practice. Without spouse or children, without financial or family problems, we have none of the usual sources of worry and much more freedom to study and practice Dharma. 

Our usual circumstances involve many completely consuming situations that drown us in passions and afflictions, and we have little inclination to practice. The general tendency of everyday life is toward conflict-ridden emotions rather than enlightenment. Ordinary life is inclined more toward the passions. Our activities are like timber on a mountainside which can go down easily but is not so easy to bring back up. This is why monastic discipline is so useful and valuable. But of course, it is not without renunciation and its own difficulties.

BuDDHA S.AKYAMUNI's GREAT DEPARTURE

In his youth as a prince, Buddha Sakyamuni was destined to rule. It had been prophesied that he would become either a Buddha or a universal monarch. His father, who held him in high regard, loved him deeply and wished he would become such a king. But the future Buddha perceived the suffering of beings, the suffering of birth, sickness, old age, and death. He understood that kingship and the power that accompanies it are not an ultimate way of benefiting beings, so he decided against becoming a king and chose instead to dedicate himself to spiritual life. His father, aware of young Siddhartha's intentions, tried to keep him from leaving the palace by placing him under guard. However, with the help of divine beings, the future Buddha succeeded in escaping one night with his horse and groom. Once he had left the palace grounds, he removed his royal ornaments, cut his hair, and took up the ascetic life, dedicating himself completely to religious practice.

Through his renunciation, he became fully awakened - a Buddha and gained the ability to help countless beings. Buddha Sakyamuni taught:

One hundred lives as a universal monarch

Are insignificant when compared

To a single life that's truly dedicated to Dharma.

The life of a king is always oriented to samsara, while commitment to the Dharma opens onto enlightenment.

BEYOND ATTACHMENT

At the moment, we have all sorts of fixations on what we see, hear, taste, smell-everything we experience. Our experience of ourselves and of the outer world is the result of these fixations, which are the source of all our delusions. Understanding the nature of mind frees us from them and the suffering they cause.

But fixations exist in various areas of the Dharma as well. Lama, Buddha, yidam really do exist, and it is because of them that we can receive their blessings, realise the attainments, and realise mind's nature. Nevertheless, their true existence is not material like that of crystal, gold, iron, or stone. Their essence is emptiness, their nature lucidity, and their appearance the expression of unobstructed wisdom. It is vital for us to think of them this way, and not think that they exist as something physical. Understanding them like this, we can have real faith in them, join our mind with theirs, and remain absorbed. Some people go astray in their practice; they have faith in the lama, the Buddha, and think that they actually exist and have form, hearing, sense of taste, and so on. This point is extremely important to understand, but these days such understanding is rare. 

There is a famous saying:

If we become attached to them,

There is no greater fetter than the divine states.

If we fixate on them,

There is no greater obstacle than the attainments.

If we become attached to divinity, it will hold us captive, and we will remain bound by it. Likewise, if we are attached to attainments in practice, they become huge obstacles.

Attachments to the things of this world are like straw chains; attachment to things of the Dharma are like chains of gold; their value is not the same, but the straw ones are easier to break.

PATRIARCHS OF THE LINEAGE: DIFFERENT STYLES OF PRACTICE

Above all, do not consider it impossible to practice correctly without being ordained, or outside a three-year retreat. This would be a huge mistake. Not everybody has to become a monk or nun or do that kind of retreat. It is quite possible to reach enlightenment in other ways.

In the tantric tradition, there were many accomplished sages, such as Tilopa, Naropa, and others, who were not monks and never did such retreats. Some even reached enlightenment while acting in eccentric and nonconformist ways. These "mad yogis" indulged in all manner of outrageous behaviour, but they reached enlightenment nonetheless. 

In the Kagyu tradition, there were many lineage holders who were very different from one another. After Tilopa and Naropa came Marpa the Translator, a family man and a farmer who was involved in all kinds of activities; his neighbours considered him proud and quick-tempered. He had a rather bad reputation and was allegedly hard to get along with. But he had realised the teachings-while leading quite an ordinary life he attained enlightenment. It is he who started the Kagyu lineage in Tibet.

Marpa's principal disciple was Milarepa, who was not a monk either, but a lay practitioner. The life he chose, however, was different from his teacher's-he abandoned all mundane activities and went to meditate alone in mountain caves. He lived like a wild animal fleeing people. Through his practice, he too attained enlightenment.

Milarepa's main disciple was Gampopa, who had been a husband and father and practised the Dharma as a layman. He had a very beautiful wife and children. Then one day, his wife became ill, and both knew she would soon die. Exceedingly grief-stricken, Gampopa asked her not to remain attached to him. He pledged never to remarry, but to become a monk and devote himself to Dharma; he touched a Dharma book to his head and made her that promise. She died soon after, and Gampopa kept his word. At first, he received ordination and monastic education in the Kadampa lineage. He carefully kept all the precepts and was an outstanding monk.

Later, he met Milarepa, became his disciple, practised at his side, and gained realisation. He himself became a Kagyu lineage holder. Gampopa's four main disciples were the originators of the four main branches of the Marpa-Kagyu lineage.

Among these, there was Tusum Khyenpa, the first Karmapa. Then, in his lineage were great lamas like the Karmapas, the Shamarpas, the Situpas, and others who manifested enlightened activity and worked for the welfare of beings through what might be called their royal or princely positions. Milarepa had other disciples as well, in particular three men and four women, the Pusum Moshi, who weren't monastics and who, in their lives as lay hermits, also reached enlightenment.

Within the lineage, there has been every possible style in approaching the path. The most important thing is the state of mind and the quality of practice. The outer status-ordained, married, hermit, or parent-is not the determinant. You can reach enlightenment in any context. 

The basis of purification is the eternal, non-composite realm of reality that fully permeates all beings as the Buddha nature. Sentient beings thus also possess the qualities of the Body of Reality, such as the marks and signs, that exist as an integral aspect of awareness: this is the basis for purification.

-- Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye

佛弟子清明节如何祭祖？

嘎玛仁波切

导语：在清明节，最好的孝，就是做功德回向祖先，既然佛弟子日常都提倡用不杀生等做功德，清明祭祖当天最好能吃素，这样功德更大。作为佛弟子，不一定要到清明节才想到祖先，日常也可以做功德、念经持咒回向往生的亲人。

　　

清明节，对佛弟子而言，是带着感恩之心推广孝道的好机会。清明节在今天最大的功能，就是让我们追宗思源，不忘自己的先祖，学会知恩、感恩、报恩。我们于清明节所做的纪念，要祈愿“先祖为主的六道所有一切如母有情众生，能够早日脱离轮回苦海，得到佛的果位，我们来念经、做功德”，这样对他们而言收获就很大。仅仅依靠我们自己的微薄力量去做功德是很有限的，如果是以众生的名义来做功德，功德就会很大。

　　

正常来讲，佛弟子祭拜祖先的时候，是不磕头的，只是念经持咒，为先人做功德回向，或是请寺庙念经做超度。但从中华传统的礼节上来看，不少地区有磕头、烧香等习惯，毕竟是自己的亲人，这也是无可厚非的。以福报来说，往生的亲人是没有那么大的福报让佛弟子来磕头礼拜的，这对他们而言会有损福报。

　　

佛弟子清明祭祖最好的方式就是：恭敬地去到坟墓边上，把杂草和乱石清理干净，把周围的环境整理地干干净净，可以带着鲜花，如果想要供奉，可以供一些素食，以表追思与纪念，实际上为他们念念经、做功德，比磕头烧香这些好多了。

　　

祭拜祖先最好还是用素食，很多地区习惯供荤食，这对亡者是不好的。真要做，最好是请正规寺庙的法师来做烟供等施食法。如果没有法师，我们自己带一些食品和水，在旁边念经，念佛号，念六字大明咒，将这些撒在坟墓周边，也是可以的。

　　

人往生七七四十九天后，基本都会投胎，再次投胎不一定会做人，根据业力地牵引，也可能会去到饿鬼道、地狱道、畜生道、阿修罗道和天道，做超度就是让往生之人越来越有福报，不管他投胎到哪一道，都能尽快远离那一道的痛苦，早日脱离轮回。所以经常为往生的亲人做超度没有任何坏处，可以非常好地利益他们。

　　

在清明节，最好的孝，就是做功德回向祖先，既然佛弟子日常都提倡用不杀生等做功德，清明祭祖当天最好能吃素，这样功德更大。

　　

清明祭祖之时，佛弟子当以诵超度类的经文为主，如果时间足够，可以虔诚地念诵《地藏菩萨本愿经》、《阿弥陀经》、《三十五佛忏悔文》、《华严经》中的《普贤行愿品》、《往生净土祈请文》等等，还可以念诵：南无阿弥陀佛、观音菩萨的六字大明咒、释迦牟尼佛心咒、百字明等等殊胜的密咒与佛号。

　　

不管是大人还是小孩儿，如果去墓园祭扫，应该佩戴护身的金刚绳等加持物;从墓园回来，如果有除障香，可以把全身熏一下。毕竟墓园是阴气很重的地方，祭拜先人的同时也要保护好自己。

　　

作为佛弟子，不一定要到清明节才想到祖先，日常也可以做功德、念经持咒回向往生的亲人。就好像亲人去远行了，你可以直接把“钱“打到他的卡上，这里的“钱”就是福报。我们向先祖的福报银行里存福报，他们什么时候有需要，都可以获得利益。

The view of the Great Perfection is that all sentient beings at this time possess the essence of the sugatas, the foundational Buddha nature; this is the basis of all sentient beings.

When one ascertains the nature as it is, this ascertainment is called the "view". The view then is the primary practice. Maintaining the view for months and years, with enthusiastic effort, is called "meditation". While one is engaged in meditation, the unfailing ability to observe one's behaviour according to cause and result is called the "conduct".

All dharmas, including samsara, nirvana, and the path, have no true, inherent existence whatsoever and are nothing other than the nature of utter openness, or emptiness. This type of meditation will eventually lead to the unmistaken realisation of the non-duality of appearance and emptiness. Appearance does not become void, and voidness does not become appearance. Appearance and voidness are experienced in a state of non-duality.

When the conflicting emotions and their habitual propensities are cleared, you will be able to see that your primordial nature is perfectly pure and that this purity is the nature of existence and the nature of each and every one of us.

When you are able to become free from the stain of dualistic grasping and clinging, through the practice of the view, meditation, and conduct, you will then realise the all-pervasive purity of phenomenal existence and that the primordial nature of each and every sentient being is that of a perfect Buddha.

-- Yangthang Rinpoche