那麼參禪也有十種的利益。
這十種的利益，第一種是什麼呢？叫「安住儀式」。什麼叫安住儀式呢？你天天這麼參禪打坐總有個樣子？這個樣子就是個儀式。你天天參，月月參，年年參，時時參，刻刻參，這要有一定的儀式。你行跑香，在禪堂裡要跑香的時候，就叫說：「行起來！」就是跑；在這個裡邊跑的，甚至於身上都出汗了，跑得天昏地暗。「天昏」，你看不見天了；「地暗」，也看不見地了。上不知有天，下不知有地，中不知道有人。你說這是哪兒去啦？連人都跑沒有了。但是可不是丟人，不是丟人了。怎麼樣子呢？就是不知道有我了，根本就沒有一個我了；一跑到這個無我無人的時候，就觀自在了。沒有我，也沒有人。既然沒有我，也沒有我的妄想了；沒有人，也不打人的妄想了，這個時候就是觀自在中了。「非空非色見如來」，那個佛也不落於空，也不落於有，既非空又非有；所以如來的法身是非空非有的，你就見到如來的法身了。這是安住儀式。
第二種利益叫什麼呢？「行慈境界」。行就是修行的那個行，慈就是慈悲的慈。這種行慈境界，不一定要說是對人好；好像有一種人見著人，他就對人好，對人很好的。這個真慈悲啊！遇著應該慈的呢，就用慈悲來教化他，這叫攝受的門。遇著這一種的眾生，你應該罵他一頓或者打他一頓，他才能覺悟呢，那麼你就要用你這個慈悲心來打他、罵他，罵得他開悟了；或者打他幾香板，把他打開悟了。在禪堂裡頭，常常有打人的，這個打人和一般打人不同，是想他開悟，想他好，想他守規矩，想他不打妄想，所以這叫行慈境界。
第三，叫無悔熱。什麼叫悔熱呢？悔熱就是煩惱。悔就是後悔；後悔就心裡生出煩惱，這叫熱。沒有煩惱，這是第三。
第四呢？守護諸根。第四種利益，「守護諸根」，守、護這六根。那麼六根怎麼要守護呢？你不守著它，它就跑了，跑到什麼地方去啦？眼睛，就跟著色塵跑；耳朵，就跟著聲塵跑了；鼻子，就跟著香塵跑了；舌，跟著味塵跑了；身，就跟著觸塵跑了；意，就跟著法塵跑了。所以就，守護六根，就是六根門頭放光動地。怎麼放光呢？放光就是都不打妄想，都生出本有的智慧來，智慧光普照三千大千世界，所以這叫六根門頭放光動地。
第五呢？參禪的人，就會得到禪悅為食，法喜充滿。禪悅為食，法喜充滿，這叫什麼呢？這叫一個得無食喜，不吃東西也歡喜。你誰要能參禪參得不吃東西，也不覺得餓了，還生出一種歡喜心，這就得到第五種的利益。這叫「得無食喜」，沒吃飯也歡喜，只要有參禪的就可以了。
第六種的利益是什麼呢？「離愛欲」。離，就離開了；愛，就是情愛那個愛；欲，就是欲念的欲。離開這個愛欲心，這就是清淨心。愛欲就是染污，染污也就是生死。我們一般人為什麼有生死？就因為愛欲不斷。一般人為什麼在這個六道輪迴裡轉來轉去，這個生死不了？也就因為有這個愛欲心，也就因為這種愛欲總也斷不了。你斷不了愛欲，生死就不能了；生死不能了，那就是在六道輪迴裡頭轉來轉去的。你參禪的人，能離開這個愛欲心，你沒有愛欲心了，這個地獄門就關了，不會墮地獄了。這第六種利益。
第七種利益是什麼呢？「修禪不空」。什麼叫修禪不空？修禪不空，那就是有了嘛！這個修禪不空，就是只怕你不修，你修就不會空過的。你坐禪坐一個鐘頭，你的慧命就增長一個鐘頭；你坐兩個鐘頭，你的慧命就增長了兩個鐘頭。你時時刻刻來參禪，日日月月來參禪，年年參禪，這你一定會開大智慧的。所以這個修禪不空，只要你修，它就不會空過的。
第八叫什麼呢？就是解脫。解脫什麼呢？「解脫魔業」。這個魔的業力都可以得到一種解脫。魔的業障可以解脫，那個魔他沒有法子來障礙你。
第九，是「安住佛境」。你能常常參禪，就是得到第九種的利益，就是安住在這個佛的境界上。
第十種是什麼呢？那是人人都希望得到的一種好處，什麼呢？「解脫成熟」，你到這個解脫成熟了。解脫成熟就是沒有障礙了，沒有障礙就是清淨法身，這是第十種的參禪的利益。
待續 |
|
The Ten Advantages of the Perfection of Dhyana
1. One’s schedule will be regulated. One will be organized. One meditates day by day, month by month and year by year, in a very regulated way. In the Chan hall, the meditation periods are regulated. You sit for awhile and then you walk and then you run! You run until you sweat. The heavens are cloudy and the earth is dark—that is, you are so absorbed that, above, you don’t notice the sky, and below, you don’t see the ground. In between, you don’t know anyone else is around. Everyone seems to have disappeared. Where did they go? They’re gone! But not lost! You have lost track of your “self.” There is no more “me.” There is no self and no others. At that time you contemplate independence. Since there is no self, you have no false thinking about self, and since there are no people, you have no false thinking about them. That’s just contemplating independence.
With neither form nor emptiness, you see the Thus Come One. The Buddha dwells neither in existence nor in emptiness. His Dharma-body is neither existent nor non-existent. You then see the Thus Come One’s Dharma-body.
2. One will practice the attitude of compassion. Being compassionate doesn’t mean being “nice” to people. For instance, some people are always “nice” to whomever they meet, as if that were compassion. It means that you accept people and transform them with compassion. But, if you meet stubborn ones, you may use your compassion to scold them a good one and get them to wake up and change! People get hit in the Chan hall, but it’s not what you usually think of as getting hit. People are hit so that they will quit false thinking and get enlightened. It’s not unusual; it’s done so that people will be good and follow the rules.
3. One will have no regrets or afflictions. If you have regrets, then afflictions will arise.
4. One will guard the six sense organs. If one doesn’t watch over them, they will run off. The eyes will run after form, the ears after sound, the nose after smells, the tongue after tastes, the body after touch, and the mind after dharmas. Guarding the senses means that a light is emitted from the gates of the sense organs, and the earth is caused to shake. Emitting light means that, because one is not having idle thoughts, one’s wisdom light comes forth and shines upon the three thousand great thousand worlds.
5. One will take the bliss of Dhyana as food and be filled with the joy of Dharma. This means that one can go without food and still be happy! If one’s meditation progresses to the point where one doesn’t need to eat and yet feels no hunger at all, one has attained this fifth advantage. This is called “attaining the joy of no food.” Even if one doesn’t have any food to eat, one is still delighted as long as one can sit in meditation.
6. One will leave love and desire. When the mind separates from desire and love, it is pure. Love and desire are defilements. Defilement leads to birth and death. Why do we human beings undergo birth and death? It’s just because we do not cut off love and desire. Why do most people keep turning on the six-path wheel of rebirth and fail to end birth and death? Just because they cling to their thoughts of love and desire. It’s because they never cut off their love and desire! As long as you can’t cut off love and desire, you won’t be able to end birth and death, and will continue to spin around in the six paths of rebirth.
People who cultivate Chan can leave love and desire. If you have no thoughts of love and desire, you close the gates of the hells; you won’t fall into hell.
7. One’s cultivation of Chan won’t be in vain. As long as one cultivates it, one will reap the benefits. If one sits in Chan for one hour, one’s wisdom-life will increase one hour’s worth. If one sits for two hours, it increases two hours worth. If one continues to investigate Dhyana over months and years, one will certainly develop great wisdom. All one has to do is cultivate it. It never fails.
8. One will be released from one’s demonic karma. Through Chan meditation one can be liberated from one’s demonic karma. Demons will have no way to obstruct you.
9. One will dwell securely in the realm of the Buddhas. If one cultivates Chan meditation often, one will dwell in the state of the Buddhas.
10. One’s liberation will be effected. Everyone would like to obtain this advantage. It means that one will have no obstructions. Non-obstruction is the pure Dharma-body.
To be continue
|
