前期提示：救護一切的眾生離眾生相回向。不壞回向。
本覺湛然。覺齊佛覺。名等一切佛回向。
「本覺」：我們自己這個如來藏性，這是我們本來的覺，本覺。我們這個如來藏性「湛然」：清淨了。「覺齊佛覺」：我們覺悟這個心和佛是一樣，和佛齊了，就等於佛這個覺悟一樣。「名等一切佛回向」：這個名字叫等一切佛回向，就和一切佛的覺一樣的。
精真發明。地如佛地。名至一切處回向。
在前邊這個回向，「精真發明，地如佛地」：發明這個地如佛地，就將要到佛這個地位上。「名至一切處回向」：這個名字就叫至一切處的回向。
世界如來。互相涉入。得無罣礙。名無盡功德藏回向。
「世界如來，互相涉入」：這個世界和如來，互相涉入，世界也就是如來的本體，如來的本體也就是世界。這種的神通妙用，互相涉入。「得無罣礙」：一點罣礙、一點造作也沒有了。「名無盡功德藏回向」：這個名字就叫無盡功德藏回向。無盡就是沒有窮盡，什麼沒有窮盡？這功德藏沒有窮盡。
方才說這個達摩和梁武帝，本來達摩想救梁武帝來著，但是梁武帝因為業障太重了，所以達摩雖然是印度來的第一代祖師，可是這個梁武帝是當面錯過。中國人有句話說：「對面不識觀世音。」這梁武帝呢，他對面不識西來意，不認識西來的祖師。達摩為什麼要救他呢？因為達摩知道這梁武帝有一種的災難，那麼達摩就想使令他覺悟，或者出家修行，或者把這個皇帝讓給旁人做，他可以就免去餓死的這種災難。梁武帝本來非常相信佛法，在梁武帝那個時候，中國的佛教是很興盛的，他到處造廟，他以皇帝的力量提倡佛法，所以當時的人民都相信佛的。
可是他在過去生中造的業也很重，在過去生，梁武帝是一個什麼人呢？是一個出家的比丘。這個比丘在山上修行；有一個猴子就天天偷他所種的東西吃，偷他樹上所有的水果，好像桃子、蘋果之類的，所有這一切的水果，這猴子都來偷，偷著就吃。他種的東西這猴子給他吃得剩的沒有多少，所以他就把這個猴子罥到一個山洞裡頭，他把這洞門就用石頭給擋上了。他本來預備擋幾天，再把牠放出來，不准牠再偷東西吃，殊不知，他把這猴子堵到這個洞裡，他就忘了，把這猴子就餓死在這個洞裡頭了。
所以他今生做了皇帝，這猴子就托生做了侯景，這侯景帶著兵以後攻南京去，把南京攻下來，把梁武帝罥到那個臺城裡頭，也不給他東西吃，所有吃的東西都給拿出來，也把梁武帝就餓死在那個地方。他餓死猴子，今生這猴子也把他餓死，就受這種果報。
因為達摩祖師看他本來造這麼多的功德，可以將功折罪，但是也要有一種因緣，所以達摩祖師對他講話也就不客氣，那麼這梁武帝一想：「自己是個皇帝，大皇帝，啊！你一個窮和尚，你來到我的國家，你對我講話，還這麼樣子不客氣。」所以他就對這個達摩祖師也疏遠了。那麼達摩祖師雖然想要救他，但是他自己不向達摩祖師求，所以達摩祖師也就走了，也就不管他了。結果呢，梁武帝果然被這個侯景––這侯景在前生就是個猴子來著––帶著一些個人馬，就把他餓死到臺城裡頭，這是有這麼一個原因。
待續 |
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From last issue: The Transference of Saving and Protecting Living Beings While Apart from the Appearance of Living Beings;
the Transference of Indestructibility.
Fundamental enlightenment is profound indeed, an enlightenment equal to the Buddhas' enlightenment. This is called the Transference of Sameness with All Buddhas.
Fundamental enlightenment refers to our very own Tathagata Treasury (Tathagatagarbha). This is our original, inherent enlightenment. Our Tathagata Treasury is profound indeed, and pure. It is an enlightenment equal to the Buddhas' enlightenment. Our minds of enlightenment are the same as the Buddhas' enlightenment. This is called the Transference of Sameness with All Buddhas. The name of this is "Transference of Sameness with All Buddhas." Our enlightenment is the same as that of all Buddhas.
When absolute truth is discovered, one's level is the same as the level of all Buddhas. This is called the Transference of Reaching All Places.
In the previous transference, when absolute truth is discovered, one's level is the same as the level of all Buddhas. One realizes that one is about to reach the Buddha's position. This is called the Transference of Reaching All Places. That's the name of this transference.
Worlds and Tathagatas include one another without any obstruction. This is called the Transference of a Treasury of Inexhaustible Merit and Virtue.
Worlds and Tathagatas include one another without any obstruction. Worlds are the very body of the Tathagata, and the very body of the Tathagata is itself the worlds. The wonderful functioning of spiritual penetrations enables them to contain one another. There isn't the slightest hindrance or impediment, nor anything contrived about it. This is called the Transference of a Treasury of Inexhaustible Merit and Virtue. That's the name of this transference. Inexhaustible means it cannot be exhausted. What cannot be exhausted? The treasury of merit and virtue.
Just now I talked about Patriarch Bodhidharma and Emperor Wu of Liang. Patriarch Bodhidharma was intent on saving the Emperor. But because the Emperor's karmic obstructions were so heavy, he missed his chance even though he was face to face with the first patriarch to come from India [to China]. The Chinese have a saying, "Guanshiyin Bodhisattva was right before him, and he didn't even recognize him." The "Mind from the West" was right before Emperor Wu of Liang, and he failed to recognize him. He didn't recognize the Patriarch from the West.
Why did Patriarch Bodhidharma wish to save him? Because the Patriarch knew that Emperor Wu was about to suffer a disaster. He was hoping to wake him up so he would either leave the home-life and cultivate or at least yield the throne to someone else, thereby avoiding having to starve to death. Basically the Emperor was a devout believer in Buddhism. During his reign Buddhism flourished in China because he used his imperial position to spread the Buddhadharma, building temples all about the land. During his time, the majority of the population was Buddhist.
However, he had created some heavy karma in past lives. What kind of person was the Emperor in a former life? He was once a left-home person, a Bhikshu, who cultivated in the mountains. As he was cultivating, there was a monkey who came to steal and eat the things he planted, all the fruits on his trees, such as peaches, apples, and the like. There was hardly anything left of what he had planted, because the monkey had stolen it all and then eaten it. So he trapped the monkey in a mountain cave and sealed the opening with a boulder. He had originally intended to keep the monkey there for a few days and then let it go, not ever allowing it to steal things to eat again. Who would have known that after he had trapped the monkey in the cave, he forgot about it, and the monkey starved to death in the cave.
Therefore, when he became an emperor in that life, the monkey was reborn as a person named Hou Jing [Hou in his name is pronounced the same as the word for monkey in Chinese]. Hou Jing led an army and attacked Nanjing. After conquering Nanjing, he locked Emperor Wu in a tower and didn't give him anything to eat. He took all the food away, and the Emperor starved to death in that place. He had starved a monkey to death, and so in this life the monkey starved him to death. This was the kind of retribution he received.
Patriarch Bodhidharma saw that the Emperor had amassed so much merit and virtue that this merit might serve to lessen his offenses. However, in order for that to happen, there had to be certain causes and conditions present. That's why Patriarch Bodhidharma was so impolite to him. But the Emperor thought, "I'm the Emperor, a mighty monarch, and you're a penniless monk who has come to my country, yet you still talk to me in such an impolite way." And so he shunned the Patriarch. Although Patriarch Bodhidharma wanted to save him, since the Emperor didn't seek the Patriarch's help himself, there was nothing the Patriarch could do but leave. He didn't pay any more attention to the Emperor. In the end, Hou Jing--who had been the monkey in a previous life--led some troops and had the Emperor imprisoned in the tower, where he starved to death. Such were the causes and conditions of this incident.
To be continued |
