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聲聞眾僧，不論女男；
四諦觀行，隱實示權。
再講聲聞法界。聲聞，有初果的聲聞、有二果的聲聞、有三果的聲聞、有四果的聲聞。這裏邊又分出初果向──還沒有正式證得初果，叫初果向。初果、二果向、二果、三果向、三果、四果向、四果 。
聲聞的人，又叫阿羅漢，也叫羅漢。這羅漢，他能以飛行變化、有神通。證果的人，不是隨隨便便就說：「誰證了果了。」「我是阿羅漢了！」不可以的。因為證果的聖人，他走路鞋不沾地的。你看他像在地上走路，但是他是在虛空裏頭，鞋不沾地，也不沾泥土。所謂不沾地，就是不沾泥土，甚至於在那個泥裏邊走，他那鞋子都很乾淨的。好像那個法順和尚斷流，他在很稀的泥上面走過去，鞋上也不沾泥，這是證果聖人的一種表現。並不是說：「我證了果了。」就證了果了。
我的一個弟子很有自知之明，我問他證了什麼果了？他說：「證了水果。」證了水果，大約可以在水裏頭走，不怕水了。
聲聞，在初果要斷見惑；二果要斷思惑；三果要斷塵沙惑；四果也是斷了塵沙惑，無明呢，他破了一點，但是沒有完全都破，沒有完全把無明都破盡了。這無明破盡了，就是成佛了。等覺菩薩還有一分的生相無明沒有破，所以就不能成為佛。那麼四果聖人，他所修的是什麼法呢？他所修的這種法，人人都知道，我們人人都聽過，就是苦集滅道。
釋迦牟尼佛最初到鹿野苑度五比丘，就是憍陳如、馬勝他們這一班五比丘。這五個比丘，本來都是佛的親戚；可是跟著佛去修道，有的就受不了苦。釋迦牟尼佛在雪山的時候，一天只吃一麻一麥，餓得骨瘦如柴。那麼就餓跑了三個，說：「受不了苦了！」剩兩個。以後，釋迦牟尼佛在臘八那一天，天女送乳，天女給送牛奶去，釋迦牟尼佛把牛奶喝了，這兩個也跑了。這兩個跑，不是因為受不了苦跑的，他們就說佛不會修行，說：「這修行要修苦行，要行苦行。你現在喝牛奶，這是不能修行的！不能受苦了！」也就跑了。這五個人一跑，都跑到鹿野苑去了。
待續 |
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Verse:
The Shravaka disciples,
Both men and women,
Contemplate and practice the Four Noble Truths,
Concealing the real and displaying the expedient.
There are Hearers (Shravakas) of the first fruition, the second fruition, the third fruition, and the fourth fruition. This Dharma Realm is further divided into (a) those approaching the first fruition, who have not yet realized the fruition; (b) those who have realized first fruition; (c) those approaching the second fruition; (d) those who have realized the second fruition; (e) those approaching the third fruition; (f) those who have realized the third fruition; (g) those approaching the fourth fruition; and (h) those who have realized the fourth fruition.
Hearers are also called Arhats. Arhats can fly and transform themselves, and they possess supernatural powers. One should not casually claim that he has attained the fruition, saying, “I'm an Arhat.” That is not allowed. When a sage who has attained the fruition walks, his feet do not touch the ground. Although he appears to be walking on the road, he is actually traveling in the air. His feet do not touch the ground or the dirt. Even if he walks across mud, his shoes remain clean. Dharma Master Du Shun [the first patriarch of the Huayan School], for example, was one whose shoes weren't soiled when he walked over mud. This is the sign of a sage who has attained the fruition. One cannot casually claim to have attained the fruition.
Hearers of the first fruition have eliminated view delusions. Those of the second fruition eliminate thought delusions. At the level of the third fruition, they eliminate delusions in number like dust and sand. The Hearer of the fourth fruition has partially, though not completely, eliminated ignorance. Only one who has completely destroyed ignorance realizes Buddhahood, for even a Bodhisattva at the stage of equal enlightenment still has a small amount of the ignorance of arising phenomena which keeps him from realizing Buddhahood. What Dharmas do sages of the fourth fruition cultivate? Everyone knows the Dharmas they cultivate; we've all heard them before. They are: suffering, the cause of suffering, the cessation of suffering, and the Way to the cessation of suffering.
In the beginning, Shakyamuni Buddha went to the Deer Park to teach those people who were to become the first five Bhikshus. This included the Venerable Ajnatakaundinya and the Venerable Ashvajit. These five people were, in fact, relatives of the Buddha. They had followed the Buddha to practice, but some of them couldn't endure the hardship. When Shakyamuni Buddha was cultivating in the Himalayas, he became as thin as a stick, because he ate only one sesame seed and one grain of wheat each day. Three of his followers found this unbearable and fled in hunger, and only two remained. Later, on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, a heavenly maiden offered some milk to Shakyamuni Buddha, and he accepted it. At that point, the other two followers left as well, not because they couldn't stand the hardship, but because they felt that the Buddha didn't know how to practice. They said, “You're supposed to be cultivating ascetic practices, and yet you drank milk. That shows you aren't able to cultivate and endure hardship.” Therefore, they left as well. All five of them went to the Deer Park.
To be continued |
