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（上人問大家，昨天那位弟子的講解有沒有不對的地方？）你們各位忘了沒有？昨天晚間這個lecture（講經）是有對的地方？是有不對的地方？有人提出來沒有？ （弟子：阿修羅王是成就佛的果位，還是他只是了解？）阿修羅王他了解佛的境界，但還沒有成佛。入解脫門，還要出解脫門，他還沒出去。要是只能入去，不能出來，那又困住了，又變成不解脫了。
這個解脫門只是個譬喻，你不要以為它就是好像有個門；若有個門，又有個不是門了，那又有所執著了。所以入解脫門，入而不入，不入而入，這是解脫門。無所執著，一切無著，這才是真正的解脫門。
昨天他講那「堅固行」給忘了，善根也沒有了，那就壞了。我講給你聽聽，我這沒有本子，我看手。堅固行，什麼叫堅固行？就是修這一個行門，永遠都不退、不退轉，這堅固裏邊就有一個「誠」，有一個「恆」在裏頭，堅、誠、恆。
堅固，就是隨緣不變，不變隨緣，抱定我們三大宗旨，這叫堅固，你懂嗎？隨緣不變，不變隨緣，這叫堅固。堅固，就是受到什麼打擊，什麼樣磨難，什麼樣逆境來考驗，都不退、不退轉，一定只有向前精進，不能向後懈怠，不能精進了兩天半，懈怠了十五天，所謂「一日曝之，十日寒之」，這就談不上堅固行了。
因為你有堅固行，所以才有妙莊嚴；你若沒有堅固行，就不會有妙莊嚴，妙莊嚴就是由堅固行所莊嚴而成就的。
這個阿修羅王他得到普集不可壞善根，怎樣得到「普集」呢？這個普集，集個什麼？就集這堅固行，普集這堅固行。不可壞善根，因為他修堅固行，所以他這個善根就不可壞了，並不是忘了自己，忘了自己連善根都沒有。那你自己忘了那善根，怎麼還會想得起來呢？
我昨天就覺得你這個地方有點矛盾，所以今天提出來。不可壞就是因為修堅固行，所以他就不壞了。不可壞善根，他普集不可壞善根，就普集堅固行，今天修堅固行，明天修堅固行，後天還是修堅固行；堅固、堅固、堅堅固，固固堅，不可壞了，不可壞善根就存在了，所以就淨諸染著了。這善根增長了，這惡根就消滅了。
什麼叫惡根？就是染著。染就是染污，就是不清淨；著就是執著，執著就是放不下。執著色、執著聲、執著香、執著味、執著觸，執著法，色、聲、香、味、觸、法，執著這六塵。為什麼執著六塵呢？就因為你這六根，眼耳鼻舌身意有所染污了，內有所染法，外就有所執著。現在淨諸染著，把這個染著清淨，清淨就沒有染著了；沒有染著，就得到解脫，所以他入這一種解脫門。
怎麼樣，不錯，各位聽是我講得對？是他講得對？你們大家來評論。沒有人知道？真的你們都不懂？是不是怕說公道話，然後會被他打一頓呢？（笑聲）誰說yes（是）？那你可以對打的，你和他差不多高嘛！他若比你高，你打不過他，他和你差不多，很好玩的。
（有關釋迦牟尼佛在未成佛之前修苦行時，接受牛奶供養的問題。）不是關於苦行不苦行的問題，他受這牛奶，因為覺得有女人來供養他，他應該接受她的供養，不應該堅持他自己修苦行的這種理想、這種思想，說我不要的。這個不要，就沒有緣了。你不能說因為修苦行這是不對的，這修苦行不對，多少人都是，過去諸佛都是修苦行修成的。你這一講，就變成是「美國的佛法」了。
這也不是苦行究竟不究竟的問題。他喝牛奶粥，也不是說就不行苦行，他就是接受人家的供養，應該受人天的供養。以前沒有人來供養他，所以他就這樣。隨時有人供養他，他隨時都應該接受，給人種福的。
你不能說修苦行是不對，說不究竟是可以的，但不能說他這個對身體怎麼樣有了問題了。這是你下的註解，你知道了嗎？佛教裏頭有很多修苦行的，你這麼一講，他們都完了。佛也很多都是修苦行而成的，就好像前邊說，普集不可壞善根是一樣的，修苦行也就是普集不可壞善根。
現在研究這個，才見出每一個人的智慧，見出每一個人的見解是怎麼樣，這是最好的一個辦法。大家聽了怎麼樣？一聽就可以看出個人智慧。（果護：剛才他所解釋的，只講了釋迦牟尼佛今生修苦行，但是這經文是講的無量劫。）
無量劫中修苦行
利益衆生淨世間
由是牟尼智普成
大眷屬王斯見佛
這個無量劫就不是一個劫，所以叫無量劫中修苦行，不是單單在今生修的苦行。果護講的，這是對的，他中文雖然沒有學過，現在我覺得他中文是很有進步的，對字義也懂得一些了，這文意有的時候，因為滑得太厲害了，還認不清楚，但是字義他認識了。所以說無量劫中修苦行，這是釋迦牟尼佛在因地裏頭─因地裏頭，那就多了，不是一個人─無量劫，釋迦牟尼佛三衹修福慧，百劫種相好，所以叫無量劫中修苦行。
他所修的苦行，只有精進，沒有後退的。不是像我們修這個坐單，修了幾天，覺得總沒有躺著舒服，或者修吃一餐的，東西吃多一點對身體好一點，這修一食的苦行是太不好。我們總自己帶著辯護律師，給自己來辯護。
【利益眾生淨世間】：利益衆生，就是對眾生有利益，不是單單利益自己，他是利益眾生，所以說利益眾生淨世間。佛修苦行利益衆生，這都是莊嚴世間，令這世間清淨，令這個世間沒有染污了。因為這樣子，他做種種的功德，種種的苦行利益衆生。
【由是牟尼智普成】：「由」就是「因為」，因為什麼呢？就因為無量劫他都修苦行，利益眾生淨世間。你是不是這個意思？果護。
【大眷屬王斯見佛】：這是大眷屬的阿修羅王，他對佛這境界他明白了，對佛這種的苦行的境界，利益眾生的境界，他都明白了。
待續
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(The Venerable Master calls for corrections to what a disciple lectured the previous day.) Do you remember what was correct and incorrect in yesterday's lecture? Bring up your critiques now. (Disciple: Do the asura kings actually attain Buddhahood, or do they just understand it?) They understand the Buddha's state, but they have not become Buddhas. They enter a door to liberation, but when you go in a liberation door, you still need come out the liberation door; and they haven’t come out yet. If all you can do is go in, without being able to come out, you’re confined again, and it becomes non liberation.
“Liberation door” is just an analogy, as if there was a door to liberation. Don't think it really has a door. If it had a door, it would also have a nondoor, which would be a further attachment. For that reason, in entering a liberation door, you enter without entering. You do not enter and yet enter. Then it's a door to liberation. When nothing is attached to, when you are not attached to anything, that is a real liberation.
Yesterday, in lecturing, the disciple who lectured forgot to discuss “solid practice” and “indestructible good roots,” making them “destructible.” So I’ll lecture them for you. I'm not using a text---I’ll just look at my hands. What is solid practice? It means that, in cultivating any door of practice, one never retreats, never turns back. “Solid” also includes being sincere as well as being persevering, so there is solidity, sincerity, and perseverance.
Being solid means not changing yet according to situations, according with situations yet not changing, and preserving our Three Great Principles. That's solidity. Do you understand? Not changing yet according to conditions, according with conditions yet not changing, is solid practice. To be solid means that, no matter what shock you receive, whatever the trials and tribulations, whatever adversity comes to test you, you do not retreat. You are determined only to forge on ahead, and would never fall back and become lax. It's not the case that you are vigorous for two and a half days, then lax for fifteen, as the saying goes: “Sunning it for a day, then chilling it for ten days.” That's not solid practice.
If you do have solid practice, you will be wondrously adorned. But without solid practice, you won't have wondrous adornments. Being wondrously adorned comes about from solid practice.
Asura King Wonderful Adornment with Solid Practice obtained the liberation door of universally amassing indestructible good roots. How did he achieve universal amassing, and what did he amass? He amassed good roots. Since he cultivated solid practice, as a result his good roots became indestructible. The explanation is not that he forgot about himself. If he did that, there wouldn't even be good roots. If you forget about yourself, how can you still thin k of good roots?
I felt that what you (the disciple who lectured) said at that point yesterday was somewhat contradictory, which is why I'm bringing it up today. His good roots are indestructible because he cultivated solid practice. His universal amassing of indestructible good roots is universal amassing of solid practice. Today he cultivates solid practice, the next day he cultivates solid practice, and the day after that he is still cultivating solid practice. It gets more and more solid until it’s indestructible. Since it is indestructible, his good roots last. Because they last, he purifies all defiled attachments. When his good roots increase, his evil roots are eradicated.
Evil roots are defiled attachments, unclean things which one cannot put down. One is attached to sights, sounds, smells, tastes, objects of touch, and dharmas--the six sense objects. Attachment to the six objects of sense is due to your six sense organs (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind) being defiled. Inner defilement leads to outer attachment. But now it's talking about purifying all defiled attachments, cleaning them all up so there are no more. With no defiled attachments, one achieves liberation. Therefore, he entered that liberation door.
How do you like my explanation? Not bad? Whose explanation do you think is correct, his or mine? You all evaluate. (silence) Doesn't anybody know? None of you understands? Are you afraid that if you say what you think, he will hit you? (laughter) Who said, “Yes”? Well then, you can hit him back, because you are about as tall as he is. If he were taller than you, you couldn't out-hit him; but he's about your size. This is a lot of fun!
(Concerning Shakyamuni Buddha's cultivation of ascetic practices prior to becoming a Buddha and his acceptance of an offering of milk porridge.) His acceptance of the milk porridge had nothing to do with practicing or not practicing ascetism. He accepted it because he felt that if the woman made an offering to him, he should accept the offering, rather than simply sticking rigidly to his personal ideal of ascetic cultivation and refusing it. If he refused the offering, he would create no affinities. Don't interpret ii as a rejection of ascetism. All the Buddhas of the past succeeded in their cultivation through ascetic practice. Such an interpretation turns it into “American-style” Buddhism.
The question was not whether ascetism is ultimate or not. Furthermore, just because he drank the milk porridge doesn't mean he wasn't practicing asceticism. He simply accepted a person's offering, considering that he ought to accept the offerings from people and gods. No one had made an offering to him before, so he had been like that. But as soon as an offering was made to him, he felt he should accept it, to allow people to plant blessings.
You can't interpret it as meaning it's not right to practice ascetism, although you can say it's not ultimate. But you can' t talk about it not being good for the body- do you know that's the commentary you gave? There are many who cultivate ascetism within Buddhism, and with such an explanation on your part, it would be all over for them. There have also been numerous Buddhas who became Buddhas through ascetic practice, just as was described in an earlier text: “universally amassing indestructible good roots.” The cultivation of ascetic practices is the universal amassing of indestructible good roots.
Our present investigation of this permits each person's wisdom and outlook to be seen. It's a very good method. What do you all think? A person's wisdom becomes apparent when he or she speaks. (Gwo Hu: The person who explained the passage only talked about Shakyamuni Buddha's ascetic practice during the life when he became a Buddha, whereas the text says, “for limitlessly many kalpas.”)
It's true that the Buddha cultivated ascetic practices for limitlessly many kalpas, which is not just one kalpa. That's why the text reads “For limitlessly many kalpas he practiced ascetic conduct.” Gwo Hu is right. Even though he never studied Chinese before, I think he has made a lot of progress in Chinese and understands the meaning of the characters to a certain extent. But due to his habit of being "slippery," he doesn't always recognize clearly the overall meaning of the texts, even though he recognizes the characters. In fact, “For limitlessly many kalpas he practiced ascetic conduct” is referring to when Shakyamuni Buddha was on the causal ground. And there were many on the causal ground, not just one person. Shakyamuni Buddha was on the causal ground for limitlessly many eons. “For three asamkhyeyas of kalpas he cultivated blessings and wisdom, and for a hundred eons he planted the marks and characteristics.” That's why the text says: “For limitlessly many kalpas he practiced ascetic conduct."
When the Buddha was cultivating ascetism, he was only vigorous and never retreated. He was not like us who cultivate sleeping sitting up for a few days, then feel that it's not as comfortable as lying down, and decide it would be better to lie down. Or perhaps we cultivate eating one meal a day but keep rationalizing that eating more would be better for our bodies, thinking that the ascetic practice of eating once a day is bad for us. We always have our defense attorney with us to argue our case.
He was benefitting living beings and purifying worlds. What he did was of benefit to living beings. He was not just benefitting himself, and so it specifies that he was benefitting living beings and purifying worlds. Both the Buddha's practice of ascetism and his benefitting of living beings brought purity to worlds. He caused worlds to be pure and undefiled. Since he created all such merit and virtue, practiced all types of bitter practices, and benefitted living beings,
from that the Muni's wisdom was universally accomplished. “From that” means because of his cultivation of ascetic conduct for limitlessly many eons, along with his benefitting of living beings and his purifying of worlds. Isn't that what you meant, Gwo Hu?
King Great Retinue saw the Buddha thus. King Great Retinue comprehended those states of the Buddha. He understood the Buddha's states of cultivating ascetic practices and benefitting living beings.
To be continued |
