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（接上期）
以我個人經驗來說吧，我在參加佛七前擦傷了左膝，扭傷了右膝，在拜佛打坐時傷口流膿，假如不是一股信心支持著，依照往常的慣例，我早就倒下去了。不要說我這個特殊的例子，就是其他人也是靠著一股信念直到最後一刻。不必講別的，單是七天過午不食，早上四點起來做早課，一天一千拜，都是不容易的。信心是一個很大的力量，當你有信心時，不論是再苦的事情，都不再覺得苦，反而甘之如飴，會感到很快樂，會心甘情願地繼續下去。
我個人對信心本就有一些認識和經歷，因為在還未成為佛教徒之前，我是一個基督教徒。我之所以信教，是因為嚮往《聖經》中描寫的天堂，我覺得和西方淨土很相近，只是人換成耶穌的彼得，而不是西方三聖，那裡的人也是享有無量壽。所以在我聽到西方淨土後，我便立刻生起信心並且時常考驗自己，這種信心是從自己內心發出來的，而不是在別人逼迫下才產生的，那才算真正的信心。
像我們這些凡夫俗子，有時常會對經典不明白之處產生懷疑，像有人在閱讀《金剛經》空的法門，再去看佛七中，以誠心念越多越好，拜越多越好的法門時，心中可能會產生懷疑－既然一切要看空了，為什麼拜佛，念佛卻要越多越好呢？為什麼還要修福德呢？師父在《金剛經淺釋》中有回答這個問題，最主要是不種福德時就會造業，所以福德還是要修，只是在修時不要執著於福德相。我個人的想法是對我們這些凡夫俗子而言，沒有足夠的善根、福德、因緣，是沒辦法悟到空的境界，所以我們一定要靠做善事來修善根、福德、因緣。到了哪天悟了空了，那時事事都行中道，做善事便成了自然的舉動，不會著相，也不會有我在修福德的心。所以雖然一切皆空，但是福德還是要修的。
說到功德，精進佛七功德是很殊勝的，但有時在法會中起了爭念，要和別人比，誰拜最多，念最多，又時常將自我的利益做為佛七的目的。這種人有時不但沒有修到功德，反而還會造業。當人起爭心或把自我利益放在前頭時，貪瞋癡三毒就現在心頭，把自性都蒙蓋過去，因此容易造罪業，起煩惱。在佛七時，心中甚至不能有一個求的念頭，要為其他人想，自己拜或念的數目，只是自己的進度、和別人沒關係。自己雖然把功德迴向給眾生，但心中不可以起布施心，不能著布施相，更不能為己，正如《金剛經》所講的，「菩薩無住相布施，福德亦復如是，不可思量。」大家應以此偈為示，行真布施，修真功德。
經過粗淺的分析後，我們可以說這兩個法門是殊途同歸，大同小異，只是一些名字，而自性都是同一個。我們可以把《金剛經》看成是一個理論，精進佛七看成是個實行的方法，目的都是要我們眾生放下外務牽掛、放下執著，恢復本來的佛性，好能了生脫死，離苦得樂。我們只要有足夠的善根、因緣和信心，再依照法門好好實行，終可以了脫煩惱，發現自性，最後終可證得佛果。 |
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(Continued from last issue)
Let me talk about my personal experience. Before the Session started, I scraped my left knee and twisted my right knee. Pus flowed from the wounds when I was bowing and sitting in meditation. If I didn't have the inner faith to endure, I would soon have left the Session. All of us relied on this faith to persist until the last moment. During the seven days, it was already not easy to not eat after noon, get up early for the Morning Recitation, and bow one thousand bows a day, not to mention anything else. Faith has great strength. If you have faith, then no matter how difficult something may be, you will no longer suffer. On the contrary, you will be delighted and willing to continue.
I have some understanding and experience of faith because I used to be a Christian. My faith stemmed from my admiration of the Bible's description of Heaven. I felt it was much like the Pure Land in the West, with Saint Peter instead of the Three Sages of the West. People also enjoy endless life there. Therefore, when I heard about the Western Pure Land, I had immediate faith and frequently tested myself. Since this faith came from inside, and was not forced by others, it is true faith.
Sometimes, we ordinary people may have doubts when we do not understand the Sutras. For example, we know that in the recitation session, the more we single-mindedly recite the Buddha's name and bow to Buddha, the better. However, after reading the
Vajra Sutra, we may have a doubt -- since we have to contemplate everything as empty, why do we want the recite and bow as much as possible? And why must we plant blessings and virtue? The Venerable Master answered in his
Commentary on the Vajra Sutra that when we are not creating blessings and virtue, we are creating offenses. That's why we must cultivate blessings and virtue. But we should not become attached to the appearance of blessings and virtue when we cultivate it. My personal view is that without sufficient good roots, blessings, virtue, and causes and conditions, we ordinary people simply cannot attain the state of emptiness. That is why we must do good deeds to plant good roots and to accumulate blessings, virtue and causes and conditions. The day we reach that state of emptiness, everything will be done according to the Middle Way, in a most natural manner. We will no longer become attached to appearances, nor have the thought that we are cultivating blessings and virtue. Therefore, although everything is empty, it is necessary to accumulate virtue.
The merit and virtue of the Vigorous Recitation Session is supreme. But some people in the session compete with others to see who bows and recites the most; others participate in the session only for their own benefit. Such people not only gain no merit and virtue, they also create offenses. When people want to contend, or put self-benefit first, the three poisons of greed, hatred and stupidity appear in their minds and cover their self-nature; then it is easy for them to create offenses and get afflicted. During a Recitation Session, we cannot have any thought of seeking; we must consider others. The number of bows and recitations one makes concern one's own progress, and have nothing to do with other people. Although we transfer the merit and virtue to all living beings, we cannot be attached to the mark of giving, nor think of ourselves. As the
Vajra Sutra says, "When a Bodhisattva who does not abide in marks practices giving, his blessings and virtue are thus incalculable." As revealed in this verse, we must all practice true giving and cultivate real merit and virtue.
In my rough and superficial analysis, we may say these two Dharma doors reach the same destination through different means; they are basically the same with minor differences. They are just names, while the self-nature is one. We may regard the
Vajra Sutra as a theory, and a vigorous recitation session as a practical method. The aim of both is for us to put down all involvements and attachments and restore our original Buddha nature, so that we can end birth and death, leave suffering and attain bliss. As long as we have the good roots, causes and conditions, and faith needed to practice according to the Dharma door, we can ultimately eradicate afflictions, discover the self-nature and realize Buddhahood. |
