Knowing that the nature of anger and happiness is empty, just do not attach to them, and your karma will fall away.

-- Bodhidharma

至心念佛 能消百世业障

圆瑛法师

一切众生，自从无始一念妄动而有无明，从迷积迷，以历尘劫，起心动念，多造恶业，能为障碍，即障蔽自己佛性，业障不除，佛性不得现前，故我释迦如来倡此念佛法门，教人消除业障。经云：“念佛一声，能灭八十亿劫生死重罪。”何以念一声佛号能灭多劫重罪？以发心念佛即是大智慧现前，譬如一灯光明能破千年暗室，念佛灭罪亦复如是。

纵使业重障深，虽然念佛，依旧业识翻腾、妄想杂乱，此皆发心不切、念力不充，所以难敌业障，正未可因此反不念佛。经云：“多障众生念佛，果能一心称念，是人当为诸佛之所护念、弥陀之所光照，自得冥熏加被，业障可以渐消，善根日益增长。”晋朝奉旨汰僧，帝慕庐山远公之德，敕令庐山不在淘汰之列。时有二僧，一系瞎眼，一则跛脚，此皆业障深重之报，恐受淘汰，逃入庐山，哀求远公收录，依教修持，以终暮年，远公令发宏愿，修持念佛法门以消业障。瞎眼僧发愿：来生为大知识，宏扬净宗。跛足僧发愿：来生身为国王，兴隆三宝。此二僧惟仗念佛功德之力，消除业障，转生各满所愿：瞎眼僧转身为永明延寿大师，乃一代高僧，以万善庄严净土；跛足僧转身为高丽国王，一生深信佛法，护持三宝，后至中国护永明大师之法，于净土法门盛极一时也。

又昔有屠夫，杀猪为业，其妻修持念佛法门，常劝其夫杀生业重定招恶报，当念弥陀名号消除业障。夫初不信，后经屡劝始从，因其根机浅薄，旋念旋忘。其妻聪利善巧，设一方便，于各门上装一铃子，劝夫一闻铃声则念佛一声，每日如是，闻铃即记念佛。迨数年后，其夫病故，魂至阎罗王所，依业判罪，罚为畜生，偿还命债，饬鬼卒驱入猪胎，鬼卒持叉驱逐，叉上铜圈震响，犹如铃声，屠夫一闻遂即念佛一声，是时有化莲花，托住其叉，不触其身，仗承念佛功德力故，即时往生净土，此即念佛能消业障也。

业障乃三障之一，依惑障而造业障，由业障而受报障。你我各各轮回六道、具足三障，若得宿业消除、新业不作，则果报自可不受。我佛教人念佛，即是改往修来之法，于一句弥陀名号专心系念不辍，念念心光照着佛号，时时佛光照触行人，心光与佛光交映，心力与佛力难思，即此可消业障，如日光能破长夜重昏，风力能扫弥天宿雾。

世有发心修行之人，不信净土法门，不肯念佛，纵得五种神通，尚难消除业障。昔有兄弟四人，同修异道，各得五通：一天眼通，能见一切境界；二天耳通，能闻世界诸声；三他心通，能知他人心念；四宿命通，能知三世诸事；五神足通，能于他方往还自在无碍。一日大兄已知明日午时无常到了，兄弟四人同时而死，乃谓诸弟曰：“你们知明日有何事否?”诸弟俱答曰：“明日午时，我四人无常到了。”兄曰：“当用何法以避之？”诸弟曰：“宜用神通之力设法躲避，则彼无常鬼卒自然莫奈我何。”四人商议既定，大兄曰：“我乘神力升于虚空。”二曰：“我以神力潜于大海。”三曰：“我用神力入于山谷。”四曰：“我以神力藏于市中。”次日各运神力以避死厄，谁知业障未消，届时四人神力俱失：升空者则坠地而死，潜海者为大鱼吞食，入山者被饿虎所啖，藏市者则因众人拥挤跌地被踏身死，四人无一幸免。如憨山大师所云：“世事由来多缺陷，幻躯焉得免无常？”奉劝诸人不必贪求神通，只要老实念佛、愿生净土，自可消除业障，临终化佛来迎，永免无常之苦，而证真常之乐，岂不善哉！

业之为力甚大，世间众生皆是随业所转，惟有念佛可消业障，即八哥之鸟念佛亦得带业往生。昔人养一八哥，能学人言。一日僧至其家，念佛一声，八哥即学念南无阿弥陀佛一声；僧再念，八哥亦念。迨僧去后，八哥每日常时念佛。其主人以其既喜念佛，即送僧寺，僧实奇之，遂与开导有念念佛及与无念念佛二种工夫，八哥似有领会。一日僧见其将死，遂与助念，迨气尽，立亡笼内，后僧为埋葬地中。数日，地上生一莲花，僧即挖土，以究莲自何生，乃见此莲生自八哥之舌。后人颂曰：“有一灵禽八哥儿，解随僧语念阿弥，死埋平地莲华发，我辈为人岂不知？”当知八哥乃飞禽之属，因学僧语，念佛尚能往生，舌出莲花，足为明证。而我等人伦是为万物之灵，若不发心念佛，未免上辜佛化、下负己灵，故罗状元云：“世上万般浑是梦，无如及早念弥陀。”

Since calm abiding and higher insight

are combined together,

and since it is supreme,

and one desires to arrive, it is called "path"

-- Niguma

Dharmette
Spaciousness (Part 1)

by Gil Fronsdal

It might be helpful to consider that some of the things that Buddhism considers quite valuable are very different from what our society generally thinks as valuable. And perhaps some of the most important things that Buddhism emphasises that are extremely valuable in Buddhist practice and maybe for a really happy life — turns out to not be things. Turns out not to be anything that can be called a thing,  and could have more to do with absence, than with the presence of something, and absence is something that you can't sell.

A lot of absence usually means sometimes, you know, like how people pay a lot of money for a big house that has a lot of space there.  So, you can do something like that. But, you know, you don't go sell units of absence. And so, the absence that's important has got to do with absence in the mind. And so for always focusing on things, ideas, experiences, feelings — these are all things that can qualify as things. But you know, maybe what's most important is the absence and that the absence takes a different number of different qualities or characteristics. And maybe it's different people or it's different times that will pull out these different kinds of characteristics of absence. And one of them is spaciousness, to give space to our experiences, to give space to our thoughts. And rather than being in conflict with anything, what happens if you simply give space for it to be there?

So instead of, for example, if you have terrible thoughts: “Oh, no, I'm, what a terrible person I am.” Let's make space for those thoughts, lots of space. Maybe the more difficult the thoughts are, the more space they need. So, there's no conflict in what you've seen and if held in a whole different way. And if there's enough space around those difficult thoughts, they're going to lose some of their power — we're probably not going to believe them as strongly and when we don’t identify with them as strongly, we're not going to hold on to them, or be pushed around by them. There's much more chance for them to have wisdom about them. As you know, to create space around the emotions and space around the situations that we are in, and even into personal situations that are difficult, otherwise, we can get pulled and get entangled in all the difficulty in the conversations and what goes on.

Thus, just kind of in a metaphorical way — step back and make space for anything at all. I mean, I have done this so many times, and the magic of what happens is that the whole thing kind of changes.

Sometimes, if one person kind of relaxes and opens up, with “It's okay. I'm going to have space for this”; but it's a very different language and say you're going to accept something because acceptance is a thing. So then, you're back in the world of things. But just make big emptiness around the absence around it, just make space and then see how things unfold with more space.

Another thing that I associate absence with is stillness. Allow there to be a stillness at the heart in a loving, soft, secure way. Let the heartbeat still work, find the stillness that's within — the stillness that is not reaching for things, pulling away from things, recoiling from things, resisting things, reaching out for things — that place that is still, inside the still-point. And when I hear the expression “still-point”, I think of the centre, like a centre of a wheel and in a certain kind of way, the centre kind of stills the wheel while the rim is spinning around that. You know for a wheel, while there's an actual whole, you know, that there is an absence, right? What happens is absence.

Then, you know, if you take the wheel off its axle and just kind of roll it down the street and there's the there's the hole in the middle. Is that spinning? Is that absence — that space there — is that spinning, or just the wheel is spinning? Or like looking at the eye of a hurricane — which is supposed to be quite still; for those who have seen the eye of a  hurricane, they say it's still.

So can you find the place? The eye of your hurricane — inside the place of stillness.

And the other word that is associated with this absence? "Silence". Have a silent mind? I  think it was John Cage, or I Mozart when asked, “What's the most important most important part of your music?”. And if I have it right, the answer was, “The silence”. You know, we focus on the notes on the page but not the silence on the score. It is actually the silence that highlights the music or the notes and all that. It's possible to have silence and noise, silence and sound together.

Sometimes, it is the presence of silence that makes the noise and the sound that stand out on highlight. So, the same is true about the silence in the mind and silence in the heart, there can be a stillness, a spaciousness of silence. While there is contraction or agitation, there's active movement. While there is noise, or while there are thoughts, it doesn't have to be either because these two can be together. Its kind of like the absence can be what holds everything. You can't have a life without things too.

It is important for us to take time to pause now and then and contemplate how amazing, how precious this human life is. Now and then when you are alone, when you are in nature, you feel this understanding. Your mind becomes so quiet. Your mind is no longer preoccupied with the past and the future. It is no longer busy with all your strategies, all your plans and projects. When your heart is completely open and quiet, you understand this truth naturally, the preciousness of your own human existence. Not only do you feel that your own life is precious, you feel that this whole existence is also precious and sacred.

-- Anam Thubten Rinpoche

佛法须向恭敬中求

文｜阿莲

一个学佛之人，若要得到佛法的真实利益，对佛经和佛菩萨必须要有一颗恭敬心。无论是佛经中，还是历代高僧都劝诫学佛者在求法时，要有恭敬虔诚之心。

佛经是佛陀所说的佛法真谛，经典所在代表佛的法身住世。对于经典，我们当像对待佛一样恭敬供养。如《金刚经》云：“若是经典所在之处，即为有佛，若尊重弟子。”告诉我们，凡是有经典的地方，就代表有佛的存在，自己要像敬佛一样恭敬经典。又云：“在在处处，若有此经，一切世间天人阿修罗所应供养。当知此处，即为是。皆应恭敬，作礼围绕，以诸华香而散其处。”经文指出，《金刚经》所在之处，即代表佛所在，因而，佛弟子应当恭敬本经，以香花供养这部经典。

学佛者除对经典当恭敬供养，对诸佛菩萨也不例外。只有恭敬供养诸佛，方能得到诸佛护持，离苦得乐。善财童子在参访普救众生妙德主夜神时，妙德主夜神向他开示了“佛法当从恭敬中求”的道理，并介绍自己前世名叫普智焰妙德眼，是妙莲华髻转轮圣王的女儿，因有机缘亲近普贤菩萨，普贤菩萨劝她修补莲花座上损坏的佛像，佛像修补好后，普智焰妙德眼又对佛像加以彩绘，并用珠宝、璎珞等宝物加以庄严，然后又在佛前发菩提心。由于修补佛像的功德，普智焰妙德眼王女获得不堕恶趣，常在天人王族中受生，今世成为普救众生妙德主夜神，并且相貌端庄秀丽，众相圆满，为大家欢喜亲近的殊胜利益。

妙德主夜神告诉善财童子，自己之所以有如此殊胜因缘，都是因为对诸佛恭敬供养的缘故，并告诫善财童子，学佛要有一颗恭敬之心，佛法利益要从恭敬中求得。

近代高僧印光法师在向弟子开示时，也告诫弟子，学佛必须要有恭敬、虔诚之心，方能获得佛法真实利益。印光法师在《致弘一法师书一》中说：“入道多门，唯人志趣，了无一定之法。其一定者，曰诚，曰恭敬。此事，虽尽未来际诸佛出世，皆不能易也。而吾人以博地凡夫，欲顿消业累，速证无生，不致力于此，譬如木无根而欲茂，鸟无翼而欲飞，其可得乎。”印光法师告诉弘一法师，以 诚敬之心求法，是一切三世诸佛证道的共同方式，作为博地凡夫的人，如果想消除过去之业，速证无生之果，若没有对佛法的恭敬之心，便难以有成就。

印光法师在《复邓伯诚书一》中说：“余常谓，欲得佛法实益，须向恭敬中求。有一分恭敬， 则消一分罪业，增一分福慧。有十分恭敬，则消十分罪业，增十分福慧。若无恭敬而致亵慢，则罪业愈增，而福慧愈减矣。”法师指出，以恭敬心学佛，不仅可以消除业障，而且还能够增长福慧。如果学佛没有恭敬心，甚至亵渎佛法，则将增加自己的罪业。

印光法师在圆寂当天晚上，对身边的弟子开示时，再次强调了当以至诚心求生净土，方才可以成就。法师说：“净土法门，别无奇特，只要恳切至诚，没有不蒙佛接引，带业往生。”“恳切至诚”即是恭敬心，修行净土法门，若能心存恭敬，即可带业往生，由此可见，恭敬心对修行的重要意义。

一个学佛者明了“佛法须向恭敬中求”的道理之后，在学佛的过程中就能够放下贡高我慢心，以诚敬的心学佛和为人处世。果能如此，不仅与人关系和谐，而且还可早日成就道业。

If, as you meditate on mind training, your personality becomes stiff with pride and arrogance, it's as though you have reduced a god to a demon; dharma has become non-dharma. The more you meditate on mind training and dharma, the more supple your personality should become. Act as the lowest servant to everyone. 

-- Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye

Becoming Human

by Zen Master Seung Sahn

If you look closely at human beings in the world today, you notice that they are not human beings. They don't act like human beings. If a human being acts correctly, then he or she becomes a true human being. Moment to moment, what do you do? What is your correct direction? Moment to moment, what is your correct life? How do you find your correct way? How do you save all beings from suffering?

We come into this world empty-handed. What do we do in this world? Why did we come into this world? This body is an empty thing. What is the one thing that carries this body around? Where did it come from? You must understand that you must find that. So, if you want to find that, you have to ask yourself, "What am I?" Always keep this big question. Thinking has to disappear. We have to take away all our thinking, cut off our thinking. Then our true self appears, then our true mind appears...

In this world, how many people really want practice? Many people don't practice at all, fight day and night, and all-day exercise their desire, their anger, their ignorance. When you lose this body, then you have nothing you can take with you. When this body disappears, what will you take with you? What will you do? Where will you go? You don't know, right? If this "don't know" is clear, then your mind is clear, then also the place you go is clear. Then you understand your job, you understand why you were born into this world. Then you understand what you do in this world. When you understand that, then you can become a human being.

Changing habits is like a straightening out of a tightly rolled scrap of paper. You unfold the paper and straighten it out, but if you let go of it even briefly, it rolls right back up by itself.

-- Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche

學佛的起點和終點

濟群法師

皈依三寶的最終目的，不是為了等待三寶庇護，等待三寶為我們安排一切，而是為了使自己最終成為三寶。

或許在家居士們會擔心：那是否意味著我們都要出家呢?並非如此。我們所要成就的，並不局限於形象上的三寶，而是三寶具備的內在品質，這才是修行的關鍵所在。

那麼，三寶具備的品質又是什麼?佛 法 僧佛，是覺悟，具足無限的慈悲和智慧法，是空性及趣入空性的中道僧，是聖賢僧的品質，即無漏慧及解脫德

所以說，並不一定要捨俗出家才能成為三寶。更重要的，是於自身圓滿成就三寶具備的品質和功德，唯有如此，才能成為真正意義上的三寶。

對於出家眾來說，雖然剃發染衣，成為繼承並弘揚佛法的僧人。在形象上，已是住持三寶之一的僧寶，與佛像和經典一起，象征佛法在世間的流傳。

但從內在考量，是否具足表裡如一的相應品質?這是我們需要不斷反躬自省的。若有名無實，流於表相，終究與解脫毫不相干。發心出家，只是踏上了尋求真理的解脫之路，抵達終點之前，尚需不斷精進修行，最終成為名符其實的三寶。

佛法的一切修行，都是幫助我們成就內在的、佛菩薩那樣的品質。念觀音聖號，是為了憶念觀音菩薩的大慈大悲之心，以此作為學習榜樣，時時激發自己，圓滿同樣的慈悲品質; 念彌陀洪名，是為了憶念阿彌陀佛的四十八大願，以此作為修行楷模，時時策勵自己，成就同樣的宏誓偉願。

所以說，稱念佛菩薩名號，不僅是為了得其護佑，更不是祈求他們滿足一己私欲，乃至成就自身的凡夫心。這一切，與佛法修行是背道而馳的。憶念佛菩薩的根本目的，是仰慕其智慧、德行，從而見賢思齊，從善如流，不斷向佛菩薩靠攏，最終於自身成就和他們同樣的品質。如此，才是標准的佛子所行，是對皈依的圓滿完成。