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宣化上人開示錄(五)
Venerable Master Hua's Talks on Dharma Volume Five　

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

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佛誕開示

Let Us Emulate the Buddha's Indomitable Spirit

佛為求一切智，不惜生命而抖擻精神來修行。
我們怎可不勞而獲就想成佛？
In his quest for perfect wisdom, the Buddha dedicated his life to vigorous cultivation.
How can we expect to achieve Buddhahood without any effort at all?

釋迦牟尼佛在過去生中，「三祇修福慧，百劫種相好。」修難行能行的苦行，修難忍能忍的法門，為眾生發菩提心，修一切智，不惜生命來教化眾生。生生世世都是忍苦耐勞，吃人所不能吃，讓人所不能讓，所以才得以成就佛果。

 

In his former lives, Shakyamuni Buddha "cultivated blessings and wisdom for three asamkhyeyas of eons, and planted the causes for his hallmarks and characteristics for a hundred eons." He undertook ascetic practices, doing what was difficult to do and enduring what was difficult to endure. He sought enlightenment and universal wisdom, and committed his life to teaching beings. In life after life, he toiled and suffered, eating what others could not eat, yielding where others could not yield. Eventually he accomplished Buddhahood.

佛不是一朝一夕修成的，而是修三大阿僧祇劫，才示現「八相成道」：第一「降兜率」，兜率天是候補佛位的法王子所居處。第二「入胎」。第三「住胎」，佛在胎裏仍是轉法輪教化眾生，為所有有緣的眾生說法。第四「出胎」，佛出胎日是四月初八。出胎後，他一手指天，一手指地，說：「天上天下，唯我獨尊！」

　

The Buddha didn't attain Buddhahood overnight. He cultivated for three great asamkhyeyas of eons before manifesting the Eight Signs of Attaining the Way. The first sign is the descent from the Tushita Heaven. The Tushita Heaven is where the Dharma Prince who will become the next Buddha dwells. The second sign is that of entering the womb. The third is that of dwelling in the womb. Even while in the womb, the Buddha turned the Dharma wheel and taught those beings with whom he had affinities. The fourth sign is that of birth. The Buddha was born on the eighth day of the fourth lunar month. After he came out of the womb, he pointed one hand toward the heavens and one hand toward the earth, and said, "In the heavens above and the earth below, I alone am honored."

這是不是佛貢高我慢呢？我不是為佛做辯護律師，他的確是夠得上這種稱號。他一出生就這麼說，這是向眾生們打招呼，要眾生知道。

　

Was the Buddha being arrogant? I'm not acting like the Buddha's defense attorney, but the answer is no, since the Buddha was indeed qualified to say that. He said it to let beings know who he was.

　 　

佛出世當日，有九龍吐水浴佛。後來在宮裏學習世間技能，所有一般人會的技能，佛都不學自通，通達無礙。然後他出王宮，去遊四門，見到生老病死苦，覺得這是人生最大的痛苦，一切都是生住異滅，也是成住壞空。他感覺如此生老病死苦很沒有意義，所以捨棄國榮，而毅然出家，這也是一相。

　

On the day that the Buddha was born, nine dragons spouted water to bathe him. Being born as a prince, he began learning worldly skills in the palace. The prince mastered the skills of ordinary people without having to learn them. Later upon walking out of the four gates of the palace, the young prince witnessed birth, old age, sickness, and death and felt that these were great sufferings. He saw that everything comes into being, lasts for a while, and then decays and becomes extinct. Regarding the sufferings of birth, old age, sickness, and death as bleak and meaningless, he resolutely renounced his royal position and left the home-life.

　 　

佛修的頭陀行可以說是第一的，他在雪山六年，天天只吃一麻一麥，來維持生命不斷，他並沒有吃維他命Ａ、維他命Ｂ、維他命Ｃ、維他命Ｅ這些東西。

　

We can say that the Buddha was the foremost practitioner of ascetism. For six years in the Himalayas, he cultivated vigorously while living on a daily fare of one sesame seed and one grain of wheat. He certainly didn't take vitamin supplements.

　 　

他如此用功修行，以後接受牧羊女供養的奶粥，到菩提樹下打坐，他便發願說：「若未修到正等正覺，絕不起座。」這樣坐足了四十九天，機緣成熟了，於是他夜睹明星而悟道，豁然證得不生不滅、不垢不淨、不增不減之本來清淨明體，妙明真心。

　

Later, he accepted an offering of porridge with milk offered by a shepherdess. When he went to sit in meditation beneath the Bodhi tree, he made a vow: "I will not rise from here until I have attained Proper, Equal and Right Enlight-enment." He sat there for forty-nine days, and then saw a star at midnight and awakened to the Way. He suddenly realized the original, pure, wonderfully bright, true mind which knows neither birth nor death, neither defilement nor purity, neither increase nor decrease.

　 　

到今天這個末法時期，我們身為佛弟子，要做真正佛的弟子，要知道佛──我們的老祖宗在過去修行是不容易的。我們雖然不能一天吃一麻一麥，但也不要貪吃好東西、吃維他命，貪有營養的食物。

　

This is the age of the Dharma's decline, and we must be true disciples of the Buddha. In the past, our forefather, the Buddha, did not take it easy in his cultivation. Even though we cannot live on one sesame seed and one grain of wheat a day, we should not crave good food either. We should not be greedy for vitamin supplements or rich food.

　 　

我們這個臭皮囊是四大假合，不是真實的，我們為它做牛、做馬、做奴隸做了這麼久，造了不知多少罪業；若是仍然看不破、放不下，還是為它做馬、做牛，兢兢業業，這真是太沒有價值了！所以我們要返本還原，學佛修行，明白人生是痛苦的；證果成佛，這才是真正的快樂。

　

This body is a stinking skin bag; it is only a false combination of the four elements. We have been slaves to our bodies long enough; we have committed too many offenses on its behalf. If we still can't see through the body and put it down, and we continue to slave and toil for it, we're really wasting our time. Therefore, we should understand that life is full of suffering, and then we should study Buddhism in order to return to the source. Only by realizing sagehood and becoming a Buddha can we find true happiness.

　 　

所以值此佛誕紀念日，我們應該效法於佛，應以佛身為己身，佛行為己行，佛心為己心，佛願為己願，佛志為己志，要咬起牙來忍苦耐勞，學佛那種不怕艱難困苦的精神。若能如此，每個人都是成佛有份，很快就能了生脫死。

　

Today is the Buddha's birthday, and we should learn to be like the Buddha. We should take the Buddha's body as our own body, the Buddha's conduct as our own conduct, the Buddha's mind as our own mind, the Buddha's vows as our own vows, and the Buddha's will as our own will. We should bear the toil and hardship, and emulate the Buddha's indomitable spirit. Anyone who can be this way has a chance to become a Buddha, and will quickly be able to end birth and death.

　 　

佛為求一切智，不惜生命抖擻精神來修行，我們怎可不勞而獲就想成佛？既然出家了，如果再不認真去修行，那怎麼能對得起佛、菩薩和過去的祖先呢？若一天到晚貪心不除，爭心不去，求名求利心也放不下，自私自利心更大，這樣怎麼能對得起佛，及我們過去的父母祖先？所以我們不應只為自己著想，也應該為他們著想，要打起精神來修行，不要等過了今天，無常鬼不知何時就來了，到那時想多活幾天也辦不到了。所以，

　

In his quest for perfect wisdom, the Buddha dedicated his life to vigorous cultivation. How can we expect to achieve Buddhahood without exerting any effort at all? Having left the home-life, if we don't cultivate seriously, how can we face the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and our ancestors? If we are greedy and contentious, pursue fame and profit, and become more and more selfish, how can we face our parents and ancestors? We should be considerate towards others, and not just care about ourselves. We must muster our spirits and cultivate. We can't put it off until tomorrow, for who knows when the ghost of impermanence will arrive? When he comes, we may want to live for a few more days, but it won't be possible.

　 　

莫待老來方學道，
孤墳多是少年人。

 　

Don't wait until you're old to cultivate the Way.
The lonely graves are filled with young people.

　 　

在這世界上，生了又死，死了又生，做得不好，就做畜生。一失人身，萬劫難復，所以不要自己騙自己，為自己做辯護律師，自己不修行而認為有一天佛會幫助我成佛。要知道即使像阿難是佛的堂弟，佛也不能給他三昧，他還是要自己努力修行。

　

In this world, we are born and we die, and after dying we are born again. If we don't live virtuously, we may be reborn as animals. Once we lose the human body, we may not recover it for ten thousand eons. Don't fool yourself into thinking you don't need to cultivate because the Buddha can help you attain Buddhahood. Take a lesson from Ananda: He was the Buddha's cousin, but the Buddha couldn't give him samadhi. He still had to diligently apply himself to his own cultivation.

　 　

所以既然到了萬佛聖城，這是選佛場，就要好好讀書、修行，到考試時才能考上，不要等考不上了，才來後悔！

　

Since you've come to the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, the place where Buddhas are selected, you must study diligently to pass the tests. If you fail to do so, it will be too late for regrets.

　 　
     

一九八二年五月一日開示於萬佛聖城

　

A talk given on May 1, 1982
at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas

　

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