弟子：我可以問一個問題嗎？弟子一直都在念佛，不過《阿彌陀經》裡說，念佛的人應該發願往生西方極樂世界。我很難發這個願，一方面自己對這個世界還有執著；同時，如果自己夠程度往生極樂世界，那時我也可以在這裡幫助其他人。如果飛到那邊去而不在這裡利生，是不是錯了？希望上人慈悲解決我的難題。
上人：在佛教裡頭，是有願必成的，你發願生極樂世界，就會生到極樂世界；你發願到極樂世界再回來教化眾生，也會滿你的願的。願意在極樂世界那兒長住也可以，願意回來也可以。可是在極樂世界回來，就是乘願再來，和現在不同；現在迷多於覺，你乘願再來就覺多於迷，覺勝於迷。所以願意在這兒幫助人、教化人念佛也可以，這是菩薩發心。菩薩發心，自己就在這兒先幫助人，這世界是眾苦交煎，是很多苦的；你不怕苦，也可以在這兒幫著佛教化眾生。佛法是圓融無礙的，怎麼講怎麼有道理，只要你自己歡喜怎麼樣子，就怎麼去做去，不要有執著就可以了。
為什麼每天這裡只有一個蓋子，而沒有茶壺呢？是不是它長了腿跑掉了？如果連一個茶壺都看不好，你們還有什麼用？要是我給你一棟房子，它大概會掉到海裡去。還有書裡的書籤，都應該放在經書裡正確的位置，可是有時就放錯了。我也不知道是不是誰要念經，還是他們想把書籤偷了，又不大敢。你們要知道，不是你們師父放不下茶壺，只 是你們不能隨隨便便就把東西弄丟了。（後來發現茶壺放在廚房裡燒焦了。）這麼樣子那個壺它怎麼不會壞，你想叫它不壞也不可以，這不是在那煉鋼呢！不是像中國大躍進在那兒煉鋼，那樣煉是煉不成功的。今天你們大家知道她（果逸）褒水褒乾了嗎？有人知道嗎？知道是誰？你們誰也沒告訴我是不是？還有不是褒水的關係，是爆火的關係－－電燈，我每次吩咐，人不在房裡要把電燈關了，多少次我看見果逸每逢不在房裡，她也不關電燈。
你們修行，處處不要捨福，處處要修福，好像褒茶、褒水，褒乾了，這都是捨福的地方；不關電燈，這都是捨福的地方。福是由一點一點聚集而修成的，你們這些地方都不注意，你的福啊，就不會太多了。還有最修福的地方，你們都不會修，想不到我們二樓這個福，就被professor謝（謝教授）給搶去了。這個廁所從來大約也沒有人洗，所以今天professor謝來幫我們洗廁所。這是我所願意的工作，我在出家之後，專門收拾廁所，不單出家之後，就是沒出家之前，也是到什麼道場裡，就給它收拾廁所。人不願意做的工，我就來做。做這種工不需要多少的時間，很快就會做完。二樓的廁所 professor 謝去clean up（打掃）；三樓，相信一定要我來做了，明天我或者有一點點時間，我來把三樓的廁所收拾乾淨了。因為謝居士如果她不發心，我也忘了；她這一發心，我也想起我的老工作，還是要像做小沙彌和做居士那時候，收拾收拾廁所，你們看怎麼樣啊？
復次。示現宮殿主晝神。得普入一切世間脫門。
復次，就是前邊的意思還沒有說完。主晝神他就是管白天的神，在後邊那兒已經講了。他能示現一切宮殿－國王的宮殿、佛菩薩的宮殿，他都能示現而莊嚴。普入一切世間，他能普遍而入世、又出世，能以示現這宮殿，以世間法、入世法，而顯示這個出世法，得到這種的解脫門。
發起慧香主晝神。得普觀察一切眾生皆利益，令歡喜滿足解脫門。
我總覺得我是講過，要不是講過我怎麼還會背呢！發起慧香主晝神，這一位主晝神他能發起智慧香、戒香、定香、慧香，發起戒定慧這三種香，這裡又包含解脫香、解脫知見香。這一位主晝神，因為他知道眾生都歡喜香，而不歡喜臭，所以沒有人收拾廁所，這位主晝神就放了很多香。戒香，你持戒，你身上就有一股戒香；你在修定，你身上又有一股定香；你在修慧，又會有股慧香。戒定慧三種香，再加上解脫香、解脫知見香，有這五種香，所以他滿眾生願－你歡喜香嗎？就生出一點香味來；你不歡喜臭嗎？就把廁所洗乾淨了，洗乾淨了，它就不臭了，都是這位主晝神的力量。他得普遍地觀察一切眾生；皆利益，完全都得到利益；令歡喜滿足解脫門，令他得到歡喜滿足的解脫門。
你們還都算聽經沒有白聽，我講了沒講還知道，如果你們都是睡覺，或者入定也包括在內，那麼就不知道我講到什麼地方。現在我講得更有力量，覺得你們都是可造就的人，不是盡聽經來睡覺的人，因為這樣，我以後更不怕忘了。忘了，有人幫我想著，是不是啊？這是一個好辦法。
樂勝莊嚴主晝神。得能放無邊可愛樂法 光明解脫門。
樂勝，為什麼他會樂勝呢？就因為他修種種的福，由種種的功德，所以他就生出一種快樂。這種快樂和普通的快樂不同，它是殊勝的，又莊嚴、又美麗。主晝神，晝就是白天。白天有白天的神，晚間有晚間的神。這個樂勝莊嚴他是管理日間一切的功過，眾生所行所做，他都把它記錄上。可是神的記錄，並不需要我們人工，像人用手寫上字來記錄；這神的記錄怎麼樣記法呢？這可就妙了，比我們的電腦更妙，比我們所做的記速機都妙，比計算機、computer（電腦）、都妙，也不需要按鈕，就在那兒現出來。你有什 麼事，它自然而然就現出來。有什麼天地間的事情，你想查一切的事情，他不需要按一個鈕，computer才能給你算出來是什麼。不要那個，你就這麼一看，就知道了，所以叫神。現在我們人所做的還談不到神呢！這是神，只以神會，不用計算機，也不用算盤子，也不用什麼，什麼都不用。你看這少了多少麻煩，所以他才叫神，這叫神通，這就叫感應道交。
這個主晝神，所有一切眾生，誰有什麼功？什麼過？他都知道，他那天然的記錄記得非常清楚。因為他記得非常清楚，所以就做一個主晝神，管白天的事情，他得到能放無邊可愛樂法光明解脫門。能放無邊，無邊就是無量無量，也就是不可思議不可思議的可愛樂法。這種法誰都歡喜，誰都愛樂；又有光明，這種法的光明，也就是智慧的光明。這種可愛樂法的光明，照耀一切的眾生，有什麼好處呢？就是令眾生皆大歡喜，生出一種好樂佛法的思想，所以他得到這一種的解脫門。
華香妙光主晝神。得開發無邊眾生清 淨信解心解脫門。
華香妙光主晝神，這位主晝神的名字叫華香妙光。他這種華香是隨眾生所願意的這種華，他就現這種華；眾生所歡喜的這種香，他就現出這種香來，所以叫華香；妙光，他的光明是微妙不可思議的，所以叫華香妙光。他是管白天一切眾生善惡功過的，所以叫華香妙光主晝神。這位主晝神，他得到一種清淨信解心解脫門，所以他得開發，開發就好像這個荒地似的。這荒地以前沒有種植，必須要經過人來開發，然後才能種植；眾生的福田他沒有種，所以造福田也就像荒地一樣，要有發菩薩心的大善知識來開發它，然後才給他下菩提種子。下什麼菩提種子呢？就是清淨信解心的菩提種子，所以開發無邊眾生清淨的信解心。
待續 |
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Disciple: May I ask a question? I've been trying to recite the Buddha's name but have trouble with the Amitabha Sutra where it says that one should hold the name of Amitabha Buddha and vow to be born in the Western Paradise. I have trouble making that vow. I realize part of this difficulty must be that I have that kind of attachment to this world. But also, if I could get to the point where I could go to the Western Paradise, I would be at the point where I could help other people here. Wouldn't it then be wrong to go flying off there and not help people here? I hope the Venerable Master can tell me something to help me resolve this difficulty.
Venerable Master: Within Buddhism, your vows are sure to be fulfilled. If you vow to be reborn in the Land of Ultimate Bliss, you will be reborn there. Should you make a vow to be reborn in the Land of Ultimate Bliss and then return to teach and transform living beings, it will happen that way. If you prefer to reside permanently in the Western Paradise, you may do so; but you can also come back. However, when you return from the Western Paradise, you do so riding upon your vows. That's how it differs from your life right now. At present, you are more confused than enlightened. But when you come back through the strength of the vows you have made, you are more enlightened than confused. Enlightenment has then prevailed over confusion. Hence, if you wish to stay here to help people, and teach them to recite the Buddha's name, you can. That's the resolve of a Bodhisattva. Bodhisattvas want to help others first. This is a world entangled in a multitude of sufferings. It's very bitter here. Nonetheless, if you don't fear the suffering, you can aid the Buddha to teach and transform living beings. The Buddha Dharma is interpenetrating without obstruction, and however you explain it can tally with principle. It's your preference. Everything is possible, provided you have no attachments.
Everyday there is a teapot lid here, but no teapot. Why is this? Did it grow legs and walk off? If you can't even watch after teapots, what use are you? What if I gave you a building? It would fall into the ocean. There is also the matter of the bookmark. It has a definite place where it should be in the Sutra, but sometimes it has found a different place. I don't know if someone wants to read the Sutra, or if they want to steal the bookmark but don't quite dare to. You should realize it's not that your teacher is attached to teapots. It's just that you can't go around losing things. (Later on, the teapot was found burned in the kitchen.) How could you expect the teapot not to be ruined if you treated it that way? If you did that to it, there's no way you could keep it from being ruined. We're not smelting steel here. We're not setting up a foundry as in China's Great Leap Forward. That kind of steel-forging won't work. Do you all know that today Gwo Yi boiled the teapot dry? Does anyone know? Do you all know who it was? And none of you told me about it either, right? Did anyone tell me? There's another matter as well - not concerned with boiling water but with boiling fire. I have told you over and over again that people must turn out the lights when they are not in a room. But every time Gwo Yi is not in her room, she leaves the light on. I've seen this so often.
When you cultivate, you must be careful in all respects not to squander your blessings. You need to cultivate blessings in all possible places. For example, when you let the pot boil dry while you are boiling water, you are squandering blessings. Not turning off lights is the same. Blessings are successfully cultivated through progressive, bit-by-bit accumulation. If you fail to pay attention to such places, you won't have many blessings. Furthermore, none of you is able to cultivate the best place for amassing blessings. Who would have expected that Professor Hsieh would grab the blessings of our second floor? Probably no one had ever cleaned the lavatory, and today our professor helped us clean the toilets. This is the kind of work I like to do. Before I left home, I specialized in cleaning toilets. And even after I left home, whenever I went to a Way Place, I cleaned the toilets for them. I did whatever work others were unwilling to do. It doesn't take long to perform such a task. One can finish the job quickly. Now Professor Hsieh has cleaned up our second floor lavatory. No doubt the third floor is waiting for me to clean it. Tomorrow I may have a little time to clean the toilets on the third floor. If Professor Hsieh had not done this, I would have forgotten about it. But when she volunteered, it reminded me of my former work. I should continue to do what I did as a new novice and a layperson, and clean the toilets. What do you think about that?
Furthermore, the Day-Ruling Spirit named Making Palaces Appear obtained the liberation door of universally entering all worlds.
Furthermore indicates there is still more concerning what was previously being said. Now we're discussing Day-Ruling Spirits. These spirits watch over the events of the daylight hours, more about that later. The Day-Ruling Spirit here is named Making Palaces Appear. He can manifest all sorts of palaces: palaces of kings, palaces of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, as well as adorn them. He obtained the liberation door of universally entering all worlds. He can enter worlds everywhere and leave the worlds. He manifests palaces in such a way that worldly dharmas, that is, world-entering Dharmas can make world-transcending Dharma appear. That's the door to liberation he obtained.
The Day-Ruling Spirit named Exuding Fragrance of Wisdom obtained the liberation door of universally contemplating all living beings, benefiting them, and making them happy and contented.
It seems to me I lectured on this already. Otherwise, how could I still be able to recite it? The Day-Ruling Spirit named Exuding Fragrance of Wisdom can send forth the three types of fragrance: fragrance of precepts, fragrance of samadhi, and fragrance of wisdom. In addition to those three of precepts, samadhi and wisdom, there are the fragrance of liberation and the fragrance of liberated knowledge and vision. Because this Day-Ruling Spirit knows living beings like fragrance and dislike stench, so no one cleans toilets, he exudes all sorts of fragrance. The fragrance of precepts refers to how from holding precepts your body will give off a kind of fragrance, that of precepts. If you cultivate samadhi, your body will have a fragrance of samadhi. If you cultivate wisdom, you will exude the fragrance of wisdom. To those three types of fragrance are added the fragrance of liberation, and the fragrance of liberated knowledge and vision. He uses those five kinds of fragrance to fulfill living beings' wishes. If you enjoy fragrance, he exudes some. If you dislike stench, he cleans the toilets so they won't stink. All that is through the Day-Ruling Spirit's power. He obtained the liberation door of universally contemplating all living beings, benefiting them, and making them happy and contented. He observes all beings everywhere, brings benefit to them, and secures their happiness and contentment.
It turns out you have not been listening to the lectures in vain, for you know whether I've lectured on a section or not. If you had fallen asleep, which includes entering samadhi, you wouldn't know where I had lectured to. Now as I fill in the sections I skipped, I speak even more energetically. That's because I feel you are all promising listeners, not listeners who fall asleep during Sutra lectures. Since it's that way, after this I'll be even less afraid of forgetting a section, for if I do, people are sure to remind me -- isn't that right? This is a good method.
The Day-Ruling Spirit named Adornment with Supremacy of Bliss obtained the liberation door of being able to emit light of boundlessly many likable Dharmas.
Why does the Day-Ruling Spirit named Adornment with Supremacy of Bliss have that name? It's because his cultivation of all kinds of blessings, and possession of various sorts of merit and virtue, led to the arisal of a kind of bliss of a superior grade, differing from ordinary happiness. He is also adorned and beautiful. "Day" refers to the daytime. There are spirits of the daytime, and spirits of the night. This Spirit named Adornment with Supremacy of Bliss oversees the activities of the daylight hours, recording the deeds of living beings.
However, records kept by spirits are not like human records which must be written down. Spiritual record-keeping is far more wonderful than our computers and calculators. You don't have to push buttons for records to appear. If an event needs to be retrieved, that event will very naturally reappear. If you have to access something which happened between heaven and earth, you don't need to push buttons and have the computer retrieve the data. All you have to do is take a look and you know. That's why it's called "spiritual." Our human contrivances don't count as spiritual. Spirits only need to use spiritual wisdom. They don't require any kind of apparatus like a calculator or an abacus. See how much less trouble such spiritual penetrations are. They penetrate, which is described as intertwining response.
Day-Ruling Spirits know how much merit and how many offenses each living being has. Their naturally-operating memory-bank remembers it all very clearly. Since their memory is so precise, they oversee the events of the day as Day-Ruling Spirits. This Day-Ruling Spirit obtained the liberation door of being able to emit light of boundlessly many likable Dharmas. He can send forth infinitely many, ineffably, ineffably many Dharmas, which all living beings like and which make living beings happy. And they have the light of wisdom, and it is the light from likable Dharmas, which irradiates all living beings. Why is that good? It makes living beings happy, inspiring in them thoughts of liking the Buddha Dharma. That was the door to liberation which he obtained.
The Day-Ruling Spirit named Flowers' Fragrance Wondrous Light obtaind the liberation door of opening up pure faith and understanding of mind in boundlessly many beings.
The Day-Ruling Spirit now being discussed is named Flowers' Fragrance Wondrous Light. He makes the kinds of flowers and fragrance appear that each living being prefers, which explains that part of his name. He is also called "Wondrous Light" because his light is subtle, wonderful and inconceivable. Hence he is called the Day-Ruling Spirit Flowers' Fragrance Wondrous Light. He keeps an eye on the good and evil, merit and offenses done by living beings during the daytime. This Day-Ruling Spirit obtained the liberation door of opening up pure faith and understanding of mind in boundlessly many beings. This is like opening up a wilderness in which nothing has been planted up to then. It has to be cleared and opened by manpower before crops can be sown. Living beings' fields of blessings which have not yet been cultivated are like a barren wilderness. They require a great Good and Wise Advisor with the resolve of a Bodhisattva to open them up and develop them, and afterwards plant seeds of Bodhi in them. The seeds of Bodhi which should be planted are seeds of pure faith and understanding of mind. That's why he must open up pure faith and understanding of mind in boundlessly many beings.
To be continued |
