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【大樂說白佛言。世尊。我等亦欲見世尊分身諸佛。禮拜供養。】
大樂說菩薩聽見釋迦牟尼佛說，多寶如來過去所發的不可思議的願力，要有人想要看他的全身，必須要在當時說法這一位佛的分身又都還集到一處，然後他的全身才現出來，所以大樂說菩薩「又白佛言」，對佛又說啦，「世尊」這一位世尊是釋迦牟尼佛。「我等亦欲見世尊分身諸佛」，我們現在這個天上的神和世間的人和諸大菩薩、四眾弟子等，不但願意見多寶如來這個全身，我們也願意見一見本師世尊的分身的諸佛。所有的在其他的世界分身諸佛，現在能有機會還到一處了，我們可以禮拜，可以供養。禮拜，什麼叫禮？什麼叫拜？禮，就是頂禮，有的人說拜佛是一種迷信。佛有的用木頭造的，有的用金子造的，有的用銀子造的，有的用銅來造，有的用鐵來造，有的佛像用泥來造，這些都是人所造的，人拜它，又有什麼用呢？這豈不是迷信嗎？這並不是迷信。
我們拜佛，第一，除去我們貢高的心。第二，生出一種和柔的心，和柔就是心裡不剛強，又生出一種恭敬心。佛成佛，就有人拜佛。他沒有成佛以前，他也拜其他的佛。釋迦牟尼佛在過去生中，做常不輕菩薩，他看見每一個人就給每一個人叩頭、頂禮。他說我不敢輕視爾等，爾等皆堪作佛。我不敢看輕你們，你們各位將來都成佛的。
所以等釋迦牟尼佛成佛之後，很多人都拜佛。除非你不想成佛，我不想成佛，我想做一個餓鬼，或者我想做一個畜生。有很多人說，啊！要是做一條狗比人更好，你看狗有人保護著他，有人給牠東西吃，牠自己也不要做工；甚至於投生做一隻豬比做人都好，牠也不要做工，也有人給牠東西吃。可是這種想法，未免太聰明，聰明太厲害了也就是個愚癡，太過聰明，過猶不及就是愚癡。你想做鬼、做畜生，那就不要拜佛，要想成佛，就要拜佛，要禮拜。怎麼樣呢？
禮拜佛，「佛前頂禮，罪滅河沙」。拜一拜佛，無量劫的罪業就都消滅了，這是拜佛的功德，拜佛能滅生死的重罪。那你要不拜佛呢，將來你成佛的時候也沒有人拜，因為你當初也不拜佛，就好像今天，果寧告訴我，說是參加暑假班的這幾個人，有好幾個都不聽教，不聽話。我說，你不要怪這幾個人，不是他不聽教，你當初也不聽教嘛，所以現在你教人，知道這個滋味了，知道了人家不聽教這個事，雖然不一定不願意，但是也不會很歡喜這個味道。
所以，你們各位來參加暑假班的這些想要學佛法的人，我希望你們不要不聽話了，你要不聽話，將來你要是去教化人的時候，人也不聽你的話，也不會聽教的。說我也不希望教化人，我做一個自了漢算了。你若盡想做自了漢，那就沒什麼可講的了。若不想做一個自了漢，就應該要好好地循規蹈矩，所以就禮拜，你拜佛是拜自性佛，將來你成佛也是成自性的佛，這是禮拜。
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Sutra:
Great Delight in Speaking said to the Buddha, "World Honored One, we also wish to see the division bodies of the World Honored One so that we may bow to them and make offerings."
Commentary:
When the Bodhisattva Great Delight in Speaking heard about the inconceivable vows made by the Buddha Many Jewels in the past,
Great Delight in Speaking said to the Buddha, "World Honored One, We, the gods and humans here along with the great Bodhisattvas and the four-fold assembly of disciples, not only wish to see the body of Many Jewels Buddha, but
also wish to see the division bodies of The World Honored One, Shakyamuni Buddha. Since they are all getting together, we would like to see them
so that we may bow to them and make offerings."
What is meant by bow? It means to make obeisance to the Buddha. Some people say, "Buddha images are made of wood, clay, gold, silver, bronze, or iron and it is superstitious to bow to them. Since people made them in the first place, what good does it do to bow to them? What use is it? It's just superstition!
It most certainly is not superstitious. We bow to the Buddhas first of all to help get rid of our arrogance. Secondly, it causes us to give rise to a yielding and gentle mind, so that we aren't tough and stubborn. It also makes us reverent. The Buddha became a Buddha and people bow to him. Before he became a Buddha, he bowed to other Buddhas. Shakyamuni Buddha in a former life was a Bodhisattva called "Never-Slighting" and whenever he saw someone he would bow to them and say, "I dare not slight you because in the future you will become a Buddha."
After Shakyamuni Buddha realized Buddhahood; a lot of people bowed to the Buddha. If you don't want to become a Buddha, but would rather be a hungry ghost or an animal, then don't bother to bow to the Buddha. Some people think it might be nice to be a dog and have someone take care of them and feed them; then they wouldn't have to do any work. Some people would even rather be a pig, and gets lots to eat! But such opinions are a bit too smart. They are so smart, in fact, that they are stupid! If you want to be an animal or a ghost, then you don't need to bow to the Buddha. But if you want to become a Buddha, then you should bow to the Buddha. It is said,
To bow once to the Buddha
Wipes away offenses like Ganges' sands.
It wipes away your offense karma from limitless aeons past, the heavy offenses of birth and death. If you don't bow to the Buddha, then when you become a Buddha no one will bow to you!
Recently, one of my disciples complained that none of his students would listen to him. I said, "You can't blame them. You never listened to your teacher, you know. It's not surprising at all that they don't listen to you." But it's a hard lesson. I hope that all of you will follow instructions. Then in the future when you are teachers, your students will listen to you. "I don't want to be a teacher," you say. "I'll just be an independent Arhat." If you don't want to be a teacher, there's really nothing to say. But if you do; then pay attention to the rules. When you bow to the Buddha, you are bowing to the Buddha of your own self-nature. In the future, when you become a Buddha you realize the Buddhahood of your own self-nature. |
