無明的反面是智慧。欲得智慧的境界，須反無明之道而用其心。因為從無始以來，我們積習已深，不行智慧之事而行愚癡。我們須將內在的愚習之根倒轉過來，這個只有在我們決心走上反愚癡之道，去找回我們本來的自性，無始之初未曾染污的清淨自性，才有可能。不知智慧與無明的這種相互消長關係，即是無明。因為無明，我們享福或受苦時，無從知道如何可了段這種樂苦交替的短暫境界。快樂時我們戀戀不捨，求樂久駐；悲傷時，我們都希望旋即捨離。那麼我們如何克服這種交替的情感呢？對了，我們的心開始去探討思想和感情的本質。我們人類做事時，常常是情與想各參半。
每次晚課，我們都誦：「若人欲了知，三世一切佛，應觀法界性，一切唯心造。」此偈頌出自經王之王《華嚴經》當我們考問「有」的種種境界之性質時，我們得先開啟我們本具的自心。
一端極喜，一端極悲；兩者卻都是暫時的，正如我們大多數人同意的。那麼極終之境在何處呢？一定是在兩者之間某處。因為我們雖然不願承認，卻都知道「悲喜皆有時」這個道理。當悉達多太子在探究法界性時，聞一樂師教學生言，弦若上太緊則繃；太鬆則不響。悉達多太子立時省悟到法界性不偏不倚的居中道理。悟道的太子釋迦牟尼佛，已昭示對治我們感情的方法在於中道。
那麼悲喜無異的境界何為呢？我們就要研究釋迦牟尼佛的教導，俾便開啟我們的智慧。所有佛的教誨都教我等開智慧；《楞嚴經》、《心經》、《金剛經》諸經對於幫助我們證得佛慧尤為重要。初探究時，或謂能於悲喜，生不動心即契入空境。可是釋迦牟尼佛又說：「色不異空，空不異色。」這一譬喻是說：「山移而成空，山未成時空已在。」色喻哀樂，不動心喻頑空。因此為契合佛教，不被情感所動還不夠，你還仍執著「有」之面；因為空與色乃為一體。我們不要著於哀樂境界上，對入真空亦了然不動，如此便是真行中道。哀樂種種，並無痕跡；於哀樂不動心而遠真空亦稱「妙有」，同樣了無痕跡。
諸相終歸是空是假。若見諸相非相，方能證道。「一切有為法，如夢幻泡影；如露亦如電，應作如是觀。」除證阿耨多羅三藐三菩提無上正覺，即佛果外，餘皆無常。現在我們剛研究智慧，於佛道上，仍有很多要學。要緊的是記住人人皆有佛性，思食不足以充飢，及千里之行，始於足下的道理。阿彌陀佛！ |
|
The exact opposite of stupidity is wisdom and to attain the state of wisdom is to use the mind to act in reverse of stupidity. Because we have, since beginningless time, accumulated the habit of behaving stupidly as opposed to wisely, the root of our in born stupid habits has to be reversed. This starts only if we make up our mind to walk the path to reverse this process by seeking our original self-nature, which at the start of this beginningless time was pure and not tainted. Our not knowing of this inverse correlation between wisdom and stupidity is our ignorance. Because of this ignorance, we have enjoyed our blessings and endured our sufferings without any clue as to how to end the transitory fluxuation of happiness and sorrow. When we are happy, we want to cling to this state for as long as we can and when we are sad, we want to abandon this state immediately. How then do we overcome these fluxuating emotional states? As humans, we usually act 50% out of reason and 50% out of emotion.
During every evening recitation,we recite a passage that says if we want to understand the nature of the Dharma Realm, then we must realize that everything is made from the MIND alone‘ This verse is found in the Avatamsaka Sutra, the king of the King of Sutras. In order to answer the question regarding the nature of the various states of existence, we need to unlock this Original mind inherent in us.
Extreme happiness and extreme sadness are temporary in nature, most of us would agree. Where then does the ultimate state lie? Surely it is somewhere in between because we know, although we do not want to admit it, that all happy or sad events will come to an end with time‘. When prince Siddharta was investigating the nature of the Dharma Realm, he heard a music teacher tell his student that if you tighten the strings of the lute too much, the strings will break and if you allow the strings to be too slack, then no musical note can be strummed. Immediately, Prince Siddharta realized that the nature of the Dharma Realm lies in the middle. The enlightened prince, Shakyamuni Buddha, has shown us that the answer to our emotional states lies in the middle, in moderation.
What then is the state which is indifferent to happiness and sadness? We have to investigate the teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha to assist us in opening our wisdom. All sayings of the Buddha open our wisdom and the Shurangama Sutra, the Heart of Prajna-Paramita Sutra and the Vajra Prajna-Paramita Sutra are especially important in assisting us to attain the wisdom of the Buddhas. On initial investigation, being indifferent to happiness and sadness appears to tally with the state of emptiness. However, Shakyamuni Buddha goes on to say that “form does not differ from emptiness, and emptiness does not differ from form” The analogy is that when you remove a mountain, there is vacuum or emptiness and originally before the mountain exists there lies a vacuum or emptiness, which was there even while the mountain existed. Form is analogous to the states of happiness and sadness and our indifference to both these states is the equivalent of mundane emptiness. Therefore, to tally with the teachings of the Buddha, being indifferent to emotional states is not enough, for you will still remain attached to the planes of existence, since form and emptiness is one and the same. We have to be not attached to the states of happiness, sadness, and indifference to reach the state of truly being empty and thereby truly practicing THE MIDDLE WAY. There is no trace of happiness sadness or indifference upon reaching the state of “true emptiness” which is also referred to as “wonderful existence”.
“All with marks is false and empty. If you see all marks as no marks, then only will you reach enlightenment” and “all conditioned dharmas are like dreams, illusions, bubbles, shadows, dew drops and lightning flash, contemplate them thus.” Everything is impermanent except for the attainment of Anuttarasamyaksambodhi—the supreme enlightenment,ie. Buddhahood. Now that we are beginning to investigate wisdom, we still have a lot more to investigate as we walk the Buddha Path! Just remember that although the Buddha-nature is inherent in everyone of us, “Thinking of food will not make one full ”and“ a thousand mile journey begins with the first step.”Amitabha! |
