前期提示:
由提婆達多善知識。令我具足六波羅蜜……皆因提婆達多善知識故。
又有四事應該修忍的因緣，這第一種就是能破不忍。你修忍呢，就能破壞不忍，修忍辱波羅蜜，「不能忍」就跑了，沒有了，就能忍了。這是第一種的因緣。第二種的因緣，也是莊嚴菩提攝眾生；這六度，第二都是莊嚴菩提攝眾生。第三種。彼此離怖畏，彼就是旁人，你修這個忍辱，令旁人也不害怕了，令你自己也沒有恐懼心了，這叫彼此離怖畏。後世也沒有瞋心了，你今生修忍辱，等到來生你脾氣就不會大，就沒有那麼大的火氣了。你今生為什麼脾氣那麼大？就因為你前生不修忍辱，所以就有那麼大的瞋恨心。你修忍辱行，眷屬也不會散失，就是你家庭總和和氣氣的，和家庭的人就都不會離開，這眷屬不散失，也不受苦惱。因為你有忍辱這種的功德，後世也不受苦惱了。那麼在將來得到的果，也是得涅槃樂。
精進也有四種因緣。第一，就是破懈怠心。你若有精進心，就沒有懈怠，「懈怠」就壞了，那個「懶惰心」就壞了。你若沒有精進呢？那個懶惰的心就成就了，它就成功了，你這精進把懶惰就會破了。第二種是莊嚴菩提攝眾生。第三種增善法是自利；不惱他，不給他人麻煩，不給他人煩惱，這是利他。第四種，就是以大力致菩提，以大的力量得到菩提果。這是精進的四種。
禪波羅蜜。禪那，此云思惟修，又叫靜慮。靜，就是清靜的靜；慮就是考慮的慮，你考慮一下。這也有四種因緣來修這種的波羅蜜。第一，你修禪定，可以破你那個散亂心，你盡打妄想的心，可以用那個禪定的功夫來把它降伏了，所以破散亂的心。第二，還是莊嚴菩提攝眾生。第三，身心寂靜，你修禪定，可以得到身心寂靜，這就是自利；不惱眾生，這就是利他。第四，你在這個清淨的境界裏邊，能安穩得到涅槃。
般若也有四種的因緣，你修般若波羅蜜，第一可以破你的無明，無明就是愚癡，可以破愚癡。第二，就是莊嚴菩提攝眾生。第三，以智慧自樂。你有智慧了，自己覺得很快樂的，這就是自利，利益自己；你有智慧了，又能教化眾生，這就是利他，這第三。第四呢？你得到這種智慧了，就可以除智障，除這個智慧的障礙，得到真正的智慧，真正般若，這第四種的因緣。
具足這六種波羅蜜，又得到慈悲喜捨四無量心。慈就是能予樂，可以給眾生樂。悲就是拔苦，拔除眾生一切的苦惱。喜就是令眾生生歡喜。捨，能捨人所不能捨的；一般人所不能捨的，我們都可以捨。這慈無量心，悲無量心，喜無量心，捨無量心。為什麼說是無量呢？就是沒有窮盡，這四種的心就好像流水似的，取之不盡，用之不竭。取之不盡，你取也取不完，用也不能用沒有了，這四無量心。那麼佛成佛就是這四無量心所成就的，你成了佛，這四無量心也無量了。沒成佛之前，也用這四無量心來成了佛；成了佛之後，再用這四無量心來教化眾生，這是無量無量，過去也無量，現在也無量，未來也無量。所以這慈、悲、喜、捨四無量心，包括過去、未來、現在，都是無量的。用四無量心來教化眾生，用四無量心來修佛道，就是這四無量心的力量是非常大的。
待續 |
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Sutra text from last issue:
It is because of my good and wise advisor, Devadatta, that I have perfected the Six Paramitas... All this came about because of my good and wise advisor, Devadatta.
Four Reasons for Cultivating the Paramita of Patience
1. We can eliminate impatience. If you cultivate patience, you can destroy impatience. If you cultivate the Paramita of Patience, your inability to be patient will vanish, and you'll be able to bear things.
2. We can adorn Bodhi and gather in living beings. All of the Six Paramitas have this as the second causal condition.
3. We can enable ourselves and others to be free from fear. When you cultivate patience, you cause others not to be afraid, and you yourself will not be frightened either.
4. In future lives we will not be hateful. If you cultivate patience in this life, then your next life you won't have a big temper. Why do you have such a big temper now? It's because you didn't cultivate patience in the past. If you cultivate patience, your household will be peaceful and your family members will not become separated from one another. Because of the merit and virtue you have gained through the cultivation of patience, you won't undergo suffering and hardship. In the future, you will obtain the bliss of Nirvana.
Four Reasons for Cultivating Vigor
1. We can destroy laziness. If you are vigorous, you won't be lazy. Your laziness will be destroyed. If you aren't vigorous, your laziness will overcome you.
2. We can adorn Bodhi and gather in living beings.
3. We can increase in good dharmas. That is, our self-benefit will grow, and by not bothering other people, not giving others trouble or affliction, we will benefit others as well.
4. With great strength we will realize the fruit of Bodhi.
Four Reasons for Cultivating the Paramita of Dhyana
Dhyana means "thought cultivation" or "stilling thought."
1. We can destroy our confusion.The skill of Dhyana samadhi can destroy your scatteredness.
2. We can adorn Bodhi and gather in living beings.
3. We will be peaceful in body and mind. That is self-benefit, and you won't bother other living beings; that's benefiting others.
4. In your state of purity, you will securely gain Nirvana.
Four Reasons for Cultivating Prajna
1. We will destroy our ignorance. Ignorance means "stupidity, so we can destroy stupidity.
2. We can adorn Bodhi and gather in living beings.
3. With wisdom, we can make ourselves happy. Once you have wisdom, you feel very happy--that's self-benefit. As to benefiting others, if you have wisdom you can teach and transform living beings.
4. If we have wisdom, we can overcome the "obstacle of the known" and obtain true Prajna wisdom.
The Buddha says he perfected the Six Paramitas, and also kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and giving--the Four Limitless Minds. With "kindness" one can bestow happiness upon living beings. With "compassion" one can relieve them of their suffering. "Sympathetic joy" is what enables you to take delight in causing living beings to be happy. "Giving" means renouncing those things other people cannot give away. The unlimited mind of kindness, the unlimited mind of compassion, the unlimited mind of sympathetic joy, and the unlimited mind of giving: They said to be unlimited because there is no end to them. They are like flowing water--you can take and use as much as you want, but it never runs out. The Four Unlimited Minds are also inexhaustible like this. The Buddha attained his Buddhahood by means of the Four Unlimited Minds. When you become a Buddha, your scope is unlimited in these four ways. Before you become a Buddha, you use these Four Unlimited Minds to become one. After becoming a Buddha, you use them to teach and transform living beings. They are limitless in the past, limitless in the present, and limitless in the future. They include the three periods of time. They are used to cultivate the Path to Buddhahood, and to teach and transform living beings. Their power is exceedingly great.
To be continued |
