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宣化上人開示錄(四)
Venerable Master Hua's Talks on Dharma Volume Four　

上宣下化老和尚開示 Lectures by the Venerable Master Hsuan Hua

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禪堂是選佛的道場

The Meditation Hall Is a Way-place Where Buddhas Are Selected
要迴光返照，認清自己的過錯，痛改前非，不要緊抱著臭習氣而放不下。
If you always wear a phony mask to cover yourself, you'll never get selected to be a Buddha.

大家在禪堂裏，參禪打坐，就是考試，看誰能考上佛的果位？怎樣才能考上呢？就要內無身心，外無世界，所謂：

視之不見，
聽之不聞，
嗅之無味。

有了這種功夫，才有被錄取的希望。

 

People who meditate in the Chan Hall are actually taking a test. They are seeing whether or not they qualify for Buddhahood. How can they pass this test? Reach the state where, "Inside there is no body or mind, and outside there is no world."

It's a state of:

Looking, but not seeing;
Hearing, but not listening;
Smelling, but not noticing the scent.

Only a person who possesses this kind of skill can hope to pass the test.

為什麼說：視之不見？因為迴光返照。為什麼說：聽之不聞？因為反聞聞自性。為什麼說：嗅之無味？因為收攝身心，不為味塵所轉。這時，眼觀色而無色，耳聽聲而無聲，鼻嗅香而無香，舌嚐味而無味，身覺觸而不著觸，意知法而不著法。到了這種境界，才有被選為佛的希望。不到爐火純青的時候，不到登峰造極的時候，不到百尺竿頭更進一步的時候，那是沒有希望的。所以在禪堂裏，不要把寶貴的光陰空過。

　

Why is it described as "looking, but not seeing"? Because the person is "returning the light to shine within," and introspecting. Why is it "hearing, but not listening"? Because he is "turning the hearing back to listen to his own nature." Why does it say, "smelling, but not noticing the scent"? Because he has gathered back his body and mind, and is not disturbed any longer by scents. At this time, the cultivator's eyes contemplate physical forms, but the forms don't exist for him. His ears hear sounds, but the sounds don't exist for him. His nose smells scents, but those scents don't exist for him. His tongue tastes flavors, but for him, those flavors don't exist. His body feels sensations, but does not attach itself to those sensations. His mind knows of things (dharmas), but does not attach to them. Only when one reaches this kind of state does one have any hope of being chosen as a Buddha. Before you reach perfection, before you reach the highest summit, before you "climb to the very top of a hundred-foot pole, and take one further step," you have no hope at all of qualifying. Therefore, don't waste your precious time here in the meditation hall.

古人說：

一寸光陰一寸金，
寸金難買寸光陰；
失落寸金容易得，
光陰過去難再尋。

　

Ancient cultivators had a proverb that goes,

An instant of time is worth more than an
    ounce of gold.
You can't buy an instant of time with an
    ounce of gold.
An ounce of gold, if lost, can be easily
    replaced.
But once time has gone by, you can't bring
    it back again.

　 　

我們要把握時機，認真用功修行。修行之法甚多，唯獨「參禪」這個法門，是最高無上的法門。這個法門，如果用功用到相當時，能回過頭來，能轉過身，背塵合覺，被選為佛。

　

We must make the most of our opportunity to work hard and diligently cultivate. There are many ways to cultivate, but Chan meditation is surely the most lofty and supreme Dharma-door. When your efforts in cultivating this Dharma-door reach maturity, you'll be able to turn around, so that you "turn your back on the dust and unite with enlightenment," and get selected as a Buddha.

　 　

修菩薩道的人，外能捨國城妻子，內能捨頭目腦髓，只要有人需要，他一切皆布施，絕不慳吝，他只知道利益眾生，而不為自己打算。能有這樣的思想，在選佛場中才有希望被選中。大家要知道，這是諸佛來選拔，絕對是大公無私的，沒有人可以僥倖被錄取，這完全要靠真功夫的。

　

People who cultivate the Bodhisattva Path are able to renounce their external wealth, such as their countries, cities, wives, and children. They're also able to renounce their internal wealth, such as their heads, eyes, brains, and bone marrow. Bodhisattvas are able to give people anything they need; they are never stingy. A Bodhisattva's sole concern is to aid people; he doesn't calculate on his own behalf. Only one with this kind of attitude has hope of being chosen for Buddhahood here in the "Buddha-selecting field." Everyone should know that the selection is done by the Buddhas, and they are completely unbiased and impartial. No one can hope to attain Buddhahood by chance or luck. The only criterion is true spiritual skill.

佛來選佛，而不是魔來選佛，可是魔來助佛。佛是在正面教化眾生，魔在反面教化眾生，反面來鼓勵你，給你機會發大願力，用功修行。所以魔是反面的善知識，我常說：

魔是磨真道，
真道才有魔；
越磨越光亮，
光亮更要磨。
磨如空中月，
空中照群魔；
群魔照化了，
現出本來佛。

　

Buddhas select other Buddhas; demons don't select Buddhas. Demons, however, do help Buddhas. Buddhas teach living beings in a direct manner, while demons teach living beings indirectly, from the reverse side of things. From the flip-side they exhort you on, giving you a chance to bring forth great resolutions and to apply yourself to serious cultivation. Demons thus count as Good and Wise Advisors in an indirect way.

I've often said:

Demons polish the True Way.
Only when the Way is true do the demons come.
The more they polish, the brighter you get.
The brighter you get, the more they polish you;
Polishing until you shine like the moon in space,
Which glows in the sky and
Sheds light on the hordes of demons.
When those hordes retreat before your light
Your fundamental Buddha-nature appears.

　 　

所以對魔不要有敵對的心理，要把他當做助道的善知識。如是觀想，便心安理得無煩惱。有人來誹謗我們，那是我們的善知識。我們本來做得對，可是有人批評我們不對，那麼就要往對的更進一步去做，所謂「百尺竿頭，更進一步。」「見吾過者是吾師」，能說出我們毛病的這個人，就是我們的老師，應該感謝他，不可對他仇視。

　

We needn't see demons as our adversaries. Treat them, rather, as our Good and Wise Advisors who aid us along the Way. If you can contemplate them from this viewpoint, then your mind will rest calm, and you'll be free of afflictions. People who slander us are really our Good and Wise Advisors. When we've performed correctly, but somebody finds fault with our job, then we should strive to further improve, and take one more step from atop the hundred-foot pole. "The person who finds my faults I will treat as my teacher." An individual who can point out our shortcomings is our teacher. We ought to show him gratitude and never feel antagonism or hostility towards him.

　 　

諸佛不像我們那樣糊塗，你若是總戴著假面具，是不會被選為佛的。你要真裏求真，真中更真，要「真真真真真真真！」有七個真，才有希望被選拔。所謂「七真八正」，在禪七中，七天要真修行，第八天就改邪歸正。這時，所有的習氣毛病都一掃而光，脫落淨盡了！

　

Buddhas would never be as muddled as we common people. If you always wear a phony mask to cover yourself, you'll never get selected to be a Buddha. You must be true within true, and truer than true. You have to be true, true, true, true, true, true, true! Seven times true! Then you can qualify. This is to be "seven times true and eight times correct" [an expression which means one must be thoroughly genuine and proper]. During the seven days of the Chan session, you genuinely cultivate, and on the eighth day you straighten out any crooked views. All bad habits and faults get swept away completely, and you are flawlessly pure, to the ultimate!

　 　
     

一九八○年禪七 十二月開示

　

A talk given during a Chan Session
in December, 1980

　

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