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前期提示：
如來境界不可量 寂而能演遍十方
普使眾生意清淨 尸利夜神聞踴悅
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今天對各位善知識所說的這個道理，我也不知道是對、是不對，隨隨便便對各位談一談。如果你們各位覺得這個義理不圓滿，可以用你們每一個人自性的智慧，來照了一下，然後提出來大家共同研究。我們一定要把佛的心，佛的意思，佛當初說經那個本懷，發揮出來，不要用個人的意見。我們要用佛的意見，以佛心為心，以佛意為意。要明白最初佛說《華嚴經》的本懷，我們要把它明了，每一個人應該深深地了解這個經文的義理。
如果我講錯的地方，請你們不客氣的來告訴我。如果講得沒有錯，你也不需要吹毛求疵，故意找毛病，那又是錯了；我們要往中道上研究。今天晚間，也包括我們這位仁俊法師（來賓），如果宣化這一方面說的錯了，請不吝珠玉，來指示一下。不吝，就是不要捨不得自己的珠子和寶玉，也就是應該將寶貴的意見告訴我。
佛於無福眾生中 大福莊嚴甚威曜
示彼離塵寂滅法 普發華神悟斯道
「佛於無福眾生中」：好像你我現在這些苦惱眾生，就是無福的眾生。若有福就不會生在佛後，我們因為沒有福報，所以生在佛後，也就是八難之一。
「大福莊嚴甚威曜」：我們是無福的眾生；可是佛是百福莊嚴，萬德畢備，所以叫大福莊嚴甚威曜，這是非常有威德，而照耀我們愚癡眾生，令我們愚癡眾生，從愚癡轉為智慧。「示彼離塵寂滅法」：那麼指示彼，彼是誰呢？就是這些無福的眾生。離塵，也就是離開一切染著。這個塵以染污為義，就是不清淨，也就是五濁惡世又叫塵。又者「塵」，可以當浮沉的沉講，怎麼說可以當那個字講呢？因為塵若多了，就往下墜，往下墜就是沉，沉到什麼地方去呢？沉到三惡道，地獄、餓鬼、畜生去。塵，看它雖然是小，一粒一粒的。但是甚至鄰虛塵，若多了，份量也是不輕的，所以離塵，就離開累贅。這個塵就是個累贅。累贅是什麼呢？就是業障。離開業障，就得到什麼呢？就得到寂滅法了。
「普發華神悟斯道」：前邊所說的道理，這個普發樹華主夜神．他明白這道理，明白這一種的境界，入這一種的解脫門。我們前邊所講的四句偈頌，是善財童子第六地的善友，叫「現前地」。現在這四句偈頌所說的是「遠行地」。後邊那四句偈頌，就是善財的「不動地」善友。
十方普現大神通 一切眾生悉調伏
種種色相皆令見 此護育神之所觀
「十方普現大神通」：普現，就是普現於十方。普現什麼於十方呢？是大神通。「一切眾生悉調伏」：所有的一切眾生，包括凡有血氣的、有情、無情，都在這一切眾生之內，所以說一切眾生悉調伏。
我們這些眾生，不容易調伏，因為《地藏經》上說的，「南閻浮提眾生剛強難調難伏。」在佛教裡頭，我們這些難調伏的眾生，最是有名的，最有難調伏的這個名。「種種色相皆令見」：佛示現種種的法身，種種的色相，也就可以說是應以何身得度，即現何身而為說法。「此護育神之所觀」：這是護育夜神所觀察所明白的境界，他入這一種的解脫門。
如來往昔念念中 悉淨方便慈悲海
救護世間無不遍 此福樂神之解脫
「如來往昔念念中」：就是過去，在無量劫這麼長的時間的念念中，無非想要救度眾生，所以說「悉淨方便慈悲海」：淨，也就是修。修這個方便法門，修這個慈悲力量，以慈悲來助方便，以方便來增長慈悲。所以「淨」就是修治、治理，治理也有整頓的意思，把它弄好了這方便法，善巧方便和慈悲，慈悲多了有如大海一樣。
「救護世間無不遍」：救護有情世間，沒有一個地方不現身的。佛是最偉大的，他不捨棄一個眾生。眾生造諸惡業、障蔽心源、不堪納受，他也要納受。他行「不可教而教化之，不可度而普度之。」這種偉大的精神、偉大的願力、偉大的慈悲，所以說無不遍。「此福樂神之解脫」：這是遊戲快樂主夜神，入這一種的解脫門。
這解脫門，遊戲快樂主夜神已經入了，我們想不想入呢？我們要想入也可以。若不想入就不能入，為什麼呢？一切唯心造。「有志者事竟成」，你若志在諸佛，就成諸佛；志在菩薩，就成菩薩。這看你的志願，你的目的在什麼地方？所以這個解脫門也不是眾生就沒有機會入的，人人都可以入的。如果不可以入，那麼佛講它做什麼？佛說這個法，就是教眾生依法來修行。你若不依法修行，這個法根本就沒有用的，根本就不需要說了。所以佛不說之說，說出這種的解脫門，那麼你我都有機會，只要發勇猛精進的心，只向前精進，不向後退，那就有希望。
眾生愚癡常亂濁 其心堅毒甚可畏
如來慈愍為出興 此滅冤神能悟喜
簡簡單單地把這四句偈頌講一講，第一句我或者記錯了，我念錯了，請你們告訴我，不客氣的指教我。各位都是善知識，智慧都比我高，都比我有經驗，比我聰明。
「眾生愚癡常亂濁」：這個眾生就是佛，佛就是眾生，你不要在眾生的外邊去找佛，也不要在佛的外邊去找眾生。那麼「十法界不離一念心，一心具足十法界。」既然是這樣子，心、佛、眾生是三無差別。這個「差」往往人讀「ㄔㄚ」字，這真是讀差了！那麼這是個「ㄘ」字，也當沒有分別。
眾生愚癡，愚癡就是智慧，智慧就是愚癡。例如你的手，這是手心，只要一翻掌，就是手背，智慧和愚癡也就是這樣，沒有分別。你能翻過來就智慧，翻不過來，就是愚癡。愚癡和智慧並沒有分開，你若明白了，就是智慧；你若不明白，就是愚癡。所以你不要頭上安頭，在愚癡的外邊，另找一個智慧；智慧外邊，又去找一個愚癡。這也是一個「心、佛、眾生」是三無差別。
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A reminder of the Sutra text:
The Tathagata's state cannot be measured.
Though silent, he can speak throughout the ten directions.
Universally causing beings' minds to be purified,
The Night Spirit Shri heard this and rejoiced.
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I don't know if the principles which I have spoken for all of you Good Knowing Advisors today are correct or not. I have simply been talking with you in a very relaxed manner. If any of you feel the principles were incomplete, you can use the wisdom of your own nature to illumine them, and then bring this up for all of us to investigate together. We must discover the Buddha's mind, the Buddha's intent, what the Buddha originally hoped for when he first spoke this Sutra. We shouldn't use our own personal opinions, but should instead employ the Buddha's viewpoint. We ought to take the Buddha's mind as our own mind and the Buddha's intent as our own intent. We need to understand what the Buddha's original intention was when he spoke the Flower Adornment Sutra. Each one of us should deeply understand the meaning of the Sutra text.
If there are errors in what I have said, please do not be polite--tell me about them. But if I haven't lectured incorrectly, there's no need to be hypercritical and deliberately find fault, which would also be a mistake. We should investigate in accord with the Middle Way. Tonight we also include Dharma Master Ren Jun, who has just arrived. If I have made errors in lecturing, please do not begrudge your pearls of wisdom, but point out my mistakes to me.
The Buddha, among beings who lack blessings,
Is adorned with great blessings and
most majestically illuminates,
Showing them Dharma of still quiescence
and freedom from dust.
The Spirit Universally Making Flowers Blossom
awakened to this Way.
The next verse describes the Buddha among beings who lack blessings, suffering and troubled living beings such as you and I right now. We are examples of beings who lack blessings. If we had blessings, we wouldn't have been born after the time of the Buddha. However, since we don't have the reward of blessings, we live in the post-Buddha era, which is one of the Eight Difficulties.
The Buddha, among such beings, is adorned with great blessings and most majestically illuminates. We are born as beings without blessings, but the Buddha is adorned with the hundred blessings and replete with the myriad virtues. That's why the text describes him as being adorned with great blessings, and says he most majestically illuminates. That is, he has exceptionally majestic virtue and illuminates stupid living beings such as us, so we can turn our stupidity into wisdom, showing them Dharma of still quiescence and freedom from dust. "Them" refers to the beings who lack blessings. "Freedom from dust" means beings free from all defiled attachment. "Dust" stands for defilement, for impurity, and refers to the Evil World of the Five Turbidities. Also, the Chinese character for "dust"（塵）, pronounced chenˊ, sounds exactly like the Chinese character for "sinking"（沉）, also pronounced chenˊ, as in "bobbing and sinking"（浮沉）. Therefore this could be further interpreted in that sense. How can that be? If there is a lot of dust, it sinks, so that is sinking. To where does one sink? One sinks into the three evil paths, those of hell-beings, hungry ghosts and animals. Although particles of dust look small when taken separately, and some even border on emptiness, when a lot of dust particles collect together, their weight is not light. Here it speaks of freedom from dust, which means separating oneself from all burdens. That "dust" refers to burdens. What are burdens? They are one's karmic obstructions, so this refers to freeing oneself from karmic obstacles. Then what does one attain? One achieves the Dharma of still quiescence.
The Spirit Universally Making Flowers Blossom awakened to this Way. The Night-Ruling Spirit named Universally Blossoming Tree Flowers understood the principle just discussed. She understood that kind of state and entered that door to liberation. The four-line stanza which came before this one was spoken by the Night-Ruling Spirit who is the youth Good Wealth's Good Knowing Advisor on the Sixth Ground, the Ground of Appearing Before One. This four-line stanza is spoken by the Good Knowing Advisor on the Ground of Traveling Far, and the four-line stanza to come is about the Good Knowing Advisor on the Ground of Not Moving.
He universally displays great spiritual penetrations in the ten directions,
And all living beings are tamed and subdued,
As various physical characteristics are made to be seen.
This is what the Spirit Guarding and Nurturing contemplates.
He universally displays great spiritual penetrations in the ten directions. All of you know what the ten directions are. He makes great spiritual penetrations appear everywhere throughout the ten directions, and all living beings are tamed and subdued, including all beings with blood and breath, and both sentient and insentient beings. It's not easy to tame and subdue us living beings. As the Earth Store Sutra says, "The living beings of the Southern Continent, Jambudvipa, are difficult to tame, difficult to subdue." In Buddhism we are the beings most notorious for being hard to subdue and regulate. The text continues: As various physical characteristics are made to be seen. The Buddha makes all kinds of Dharma bodies appear, with all sorts of physical attributes. This could be described as making whatever body appear that is required to cross over each particular living being, and speaking Dharma for that being. This is what the Spirit Guarding and Nurturing contemplates. The Night-Ruling Spirit named Guarding and Nurturing contemplates this state and enters this door to liberation.
The Tathagata, in the past, in every thought
Completely purified a sea of expedients and compassion.
To save and protect the world there is no place he fails to go.
This is the liberation of the Spirit Blessings and Joy.
The Tathagata, the Buddha, throughout limitlessly many eons in the past, in every thought without exception was intent upon saving and rescuing living beings. For that reason the text says he completely purified a sea of expedients and compassion. "Purified" means "cultivated." He cultivated expedient Dharma-doors, and practiced the power of compassion. He used kindness and compassion to assist expedients, and employed expedients to augment kindness and compassion. The text describes this as "purifying," that is, "cultivating, regulating, and governing," which contains the further idea of setting in order the skillful expedient dharmas, kindness, and compassion, and making them right. The kindness and compassion are so immense that they are like a great ocean.
To save and protect the world of sentient beings, there is no place he fails to go. There is no location where his body fails to appear. The Buddha is most magnanimous. He doesn't abandon a single living being. Even if the being has committed all kinds of evil karma, shut off the source of his mind, and is completely unreceptive, the Buddha still accepts that living being. He practices teaching the unteachable and universally saving the unsavable. The text says "there is no place he fails to go" because he has such a magnanimous spirit, such magnanimous vows, and such magnanimous kindness and compassion. This is the liberation of the Spirit Blessings and Joy. The Night-Ruling Spirit named Joy of Playful Roaming attains this kind of door to liberation.
The Night-Ruling Spirit Joy of Playful Roaming has already entered this door to liberation. Now do we want to enter it or not? If we want to, we can; but if we don't want to, we won't be able to. Why is that? It's because everything is made from the mind alone. Once you make up your mind to do something, it's as good as done. If you have made up your mind to become a Buddha, you will become a Buddha. And if you are determined to become a Bodhisattva, you will be a Bodhisattva. It all depends on what you take as your goal. Consequently, it's not the case that living beings have no chance to enter this liberation door. Anyone can enter it. Otherwise, why would the Buddha have talked about it? The Buddha speaks the Dharma so that living beings will cultivate according to that Dharma. Unless you could cultivate according to the Dharma, the Dharma fundamentally would have no use, and there would be no reason to speak it. Hence the Buddha, speaking within non-speaking, spoke this door to liberation, and you and I all have a chance. All you need to do is bring forth a resolve to be vigorous, go energetically forward and do not turn back. Then there is hope.
Living beings are stupid, always scattered and murky.
Their minds have tough toxins, and are greatly to be feared.
The Tathagata out of pity appears for their sake.
The Spirit Quelling Enmity awakens to this and rejoices.
I'll give a very simple explanation of these four lines of verse. I may remember the lines wrong, so if I recite them incorrectly, please tell me. Don't be polite; let me know, because you are all Good Knowing Advisors with higher wisdom, more experience, and greater intelligence than I have.
Living beings are stupid, always scattered and murky. Living beings are the Buddha, and the Buddha is living beings. Don't search for the Buddha apart from living beings or try to find living beings apart from the Buddha. It is said, "The ten Dharma Realms are not apart from a single thought of the mind, and a single thought of the mind is replete with the ten Dharma Realms." That being the case, the mind, the Buddha, and living beings are not three different things. Note that the Chinese character 差 referred to should be pronounced chi, not cha, in this context where it means not differing. That explains "living beings."
They are stupid. Stupidity is wisdom, and wisdom is stupidity. It's like your hand: one side is the palm, and the other side is the back of the hand. All you have to do is turn your hand over; they aren't different things. If you can turn it over, it's wisdom. If you can't turn it around, it's stupidity. Therefore, you shouldn't stack a head on top of the head you already have, and seek wisdom apart from stupidity, or look for stupidity separate from wisdom. They are also one. The mind, the Buddha, and living beings are not three different things.
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