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【須菩提。若人言。佛說我見人見眾生見壽者見。須菩提。於意雲何。是人解我所說義不。不也。世尊。是人不解如來所說義。何以故。世尊說我見人見眾生見夀者見。即非我見人見眾生見夀者見。是名我見人見眾生見壽者見。須菩提。發阿耨多羅三藐三菩提心者。於一切法。應如是知。如是見。如是信解。不生法相。須菩提。所言法相者。如來說即非法相。是名法相。】
《金剛經》在今天已經結經了，在前邊所講的就是空理，般若真空的妙理，總起來有五種的平等，現在把它講一講。這五種的平等，第一是生佛平等，生即眾生，佛即十方諸佛。第二是空有平等。第三是諸法平等。第四是一多平等。第五是諸見平等。這一部《金剛經》上所講般若妙有，即平等的法門。這個平等的法門，我們一般人也不明白，所以就頭上安頭，相上取相，本來已經有了相，還在相上多加一個相，所以平等法就變成不平等了。
第一、生佛平等。現在我告訴你們我以前的事，在十六歲的時候，我寫了一幅對聯，為什麼寫對聯？因為我看了《六祖壇經》，那時我越看越歡喜，越歡喜看就越看，那時候我還沒有出家，只是個居士。我十五歲才念書，十六歲就講經。我認識幾個字，就講幾個字的經。跟什麼人講呢？跟一些和尚講經。我以一個在家居士身分跟和尚講經，為什麼呢？因為這些和尚不認識字，所以他們就是想要學佛法也沒有地方去。我這個十六歲的，也不是大人，也不是小孩子，因為認識幾個字，就給他們講《金剛經》、《六祖壇經》，還講《彌陀經》。因為我住在廟上就給他們講經，講到《六祖壇經》時，裡面有人提到法有頓漸，迷悟有遲疾那個地方，我就想怎麼會有頓有漸？什麼叫頓什麼叫漸？頓漸是不是一樣的呢？還是兩樣的呢？然後我就寫了一幅對聯，上聯是：「頓漸雖殊，成功則一，何分南北。」
「頓漸雖殊」，頓漸雖然是不一樣，頓是立刻成佛，漸是慢慢成佛，頓漸是兩樣。「成功則一」，等到成功的時候，頓而非頓，漸而非漸；頓漸都沒有，你成功了，也沒有頓，也沒有漸了，漸也不漸，頓也不頓。成功則一，「何分南北」，又何必分南北呢？南方就是六祖惠能大師，北方就是神秀大師。當時南方六祖的門人、六祖的徒弟都說我們才是真的，我們才是道地的產品，道地就是最正確了，是真的。南方六祖大師是講頓法，北方則是神秀大師，他講漸法。北方神秀大師的弟子，就說我們的師父跟著五祖多少年，五祖所有的心法都傳給我們師父了，兩方面的徒弟就爭起來，你說你是真的，他說他是真的。
我現在告訴你們，這個法無論你遇到任何人，不要幫你們師父來爭，不要說我師父是中國來的，這才是真正的佛法。你就可以講，你師父所講的是虛幻不實的法，沒有法可講，也沒有真，也沒有假，也沒有是，也沒有非，不和人講是講非的，要講這個，不要像當時六祖和神秀大師的徒弟互相爭，我就批評你的師父不對，你就批評我的師父不對，所以就分出有頓、漸。
因為我看《六祖壇經》，覺得這個頓漸的說法，很不平等，怎麼跑出一個頓一個漸，所以我說，頓漸雖殊，成功則一，成功的時候，也沒有頓也沒有漸了。尊者說那個頓從什麼地方來的？「頓」是現在他雖然頓然開悟了，他是以前修過，生生世世都在佛法裡頭熏修，時間久了，到時候它就結果了。所以你若說它是頓，那個漸呢？他是漸漸地在那兒修，修成的時候，等他成功時，也就是頓了。所以我才說沒有頓，沒有漸。
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Sutra:
"Subhuti, if someone were to say that the view of a self, the view of others, the view of living beings, and the view of a life are spoken of by the Buddha, Subhuti, what do you think? Does that person understand the meaning of my teaching?"
"No, World Honored One, that person does not understand the meaning of the Tathagata's teaching. And why? The view of a self, the view of others, the view of living beings, and the view of a life are spoken of by the World Honored One as no view of self, no view of others, no view of living beings, and no view of a life. Therefore they are called the view of self, the view of others, the view of living beings, and the view of a life."
"Subhuti, those who have resolved their hearts on
Anuttarasamyaksambodhi should thus know, thus view, thus believe and understand all
dharmas, and not produce the marks of
dharmas. Subhuti, the marks of
dharmas are spoken of by the
Tathagata as no marks of dharmas, therefore they are called the marks of
dharmas."
Commentary:
The Vajra Sutra expresses prajna, the wonderful principle of true emptiness, and also expresses the dharma door of equality found within the wonderful principle of prajna. In general there are Five Aspects of Equality evident in the Sutra: 1) the equality of living beings and Buddhas; 2) the equality of emptiness and existence; 3) the equality of all dharmas; 4) the equality of one and many; and 5) the equality of all views. Most people do not understand equality Dharma-doors, so they put a head on top of a head, add marks to marks, and change what is basically equal to what is unequal.
1. The equality of living beings and Buddhas. When I was sixteen I wrote a matched couplet upon reading the Sixth Patriarch Sutra. Having lectured to the place where the text says "Dharma is not sudden or gradual, confusion and enlightenment are slow and quick." I thought, "How can there still be a sudden and a gradual? What is sudden? What is gradual? Are sudden and gradual different? Are they two? So I wrote the following:
Although sudden and gradual are different,
Upon completion they are one.
Why make divisions of North and South?
Sagely and common are parts of the one:
The basic nature is absolutely the same.
Do not discuss east and west.
Although sudden and gradual are different, upon completion they are one. Sudden refers to instantaneous realization of Buddhahood; gradual refers to slow cultivation to Buddhahood. Sudden and gradual are two distinct methods, but when one finishes the work, there is not sudden and no gradual in evidence. They no longer exist.
Why make divisions of north and south? The South refers to the Sixth Patriarch, the Great Master Hui Neng who taught sudden dharmas; North refers to the Great Master Shen Hsiu who advocated gradual dharmas. In the south the Sixth Patriarch's disciples said, "We are the true, authentic Ch'an sect." In the north, the disciples of Great Master Shen Hsiu said, "Our Master was with the Fifth Patriarch for several decades. All the Heart-Dharma of the Fifth Patriarch has been transmitted to him." Each following of disciples argued that their master was authentic. Let me make clear at this point that no matter whom you meet, you should not try to assist your Master by pleading his case. Instead of asserting that your Master transmits the proper Dharma, you may say, "Our Master is empty, false, and unreal. There is no Dharma which can be spoken. There is no true, no false, no right, and no wrong. One should not speak of people's good points or their faults." That is what you should say. Do not be like the disciples of the Sixth Patriarch and the Great Master Shen Hsiu who carried on a running battle in which they criticized one another's teacher. That quarrel grew until it became the division into sudden and gradual teachings, North and South.
When I read the Sixth Patriarch Sutra, I thought that the reference to sudden and gradual lacked equality, so I wrote the line, "Although sudden and gradual are different, upon completion they are one." What is the origin of sudden? Although one suddenly attains enlightenment, one cultivates life after life for a long time within the Buddhadharma prior to that enlightenment. When one reaps the fruit of that long process of cultivation, that is called sudden. Gradual refers to the long process of cultivation, but the day the cultivation is complete, there is sudden enlightenment. For that reason I say there is no sudden or gradual. |
