前期經文提示: 爾時文殊師利…從於大海娑竭羅龍宮，自然湧出。住虛空中。詣靈鷲山。從蓮華下。至於佛所。頭面敬禮二世尊足…
那麼有的人就說啦，說是文殊師利菩薩在這個法華經一開始序品的時候，他在這個法會呢。他什麼時候走的？怎麼又到海裡去？釋迦牟尼佛把這個大海都變沒有了，他怎麼又從海裡來啦？
這個問題，可以說是很聰明的問題，也可以說是很愚癡的問題，也可以說是重要的問題，也可以說是不重要的問題。所以這佛法，就怎麼講，怎麼有道理。
這釋迦牟尼佛三變土地，把這個大海都變沒有了，這是變的。你自然的眼睛看不見而已，實際上這個大海還是在這裡。
又有一個說法，釋迦牟尼佛把這個大海搬到其他的世界去了。那麼文殊菩薩他有大神通，他也可以從其他世界再來，這是一個說法。那麼文殊菩薩在序品最初說法華經時，他在這兒；菩薩的分身無量無邊，隨時他可以有百千萬億化身到任何的世界去教化眾生，所以這個問題也重要，也不重要；也聰明，也愚癡。現在我稍微這麼講講，大約把這個問題可以解決了。如果你還不懂，或者你作一個夢，就會弄清楚了。
所言未竟。無數菩薩。坐寶蓮華。從海涌出。詣靈鷲山。住在虛空。此諸菩薩。皆是文殊師利之所化度。具菩薩行。皆共論說六波羅蜜。本聲聞人。在虛空中。說聲聞行。今皆修行大乘空義。
「所言未竟」：就是文殊師利菩薩說我所教化的眾生，不是口可以說得出來的，不是心可以想像得到的，這個數目是太大了，所以就不可以心思，不可以言喻。說你等一等，你自己就會知道啦！正在說這話，還沒有說完的時候。「無數菩薩」：就有無數這麼多的大乘菩薩。「坐寶蓮華」：坐到這個蓮華上。「從海涌出」：也都從這個鹹海裡邊湧出來。「詣靈鷲山」：也都一起到這個靈鷲山－－釋迦牟尼佛的道場這個地方。「住在虛空」：都用他們的這一種神通的妙用停止在虛空中裡面。「此諸菩薩」：這一些個菩薩。「皆是文殊師利之所化度」，都是文殊師利菩薩在海裡邊所教化出來的。「具菩薩行」：他們都具足行菩薩所應該行的這種行門。「皆共論說六波羅蜜」：他們都大家共同研究、討論這六種波羅蜜的妙法。所以這六波羅蜜，一切的菩薩都要來討論它，都要來研究它，都要來學習它，何況我們凡夫呢？聽了幾次經，就說我明白六度了，豈有此理呢？明白六度，不是聽幾次經就明白，必須要行菩薩行，所以大家這麼多的菩薩都共同來學習這六度法門。「本聲聞人」：他們本來是聲聞人，而發大乘菩薩的心，所以現在在這虛空中說聲聞行。這些個菩薩是菩薩道還沒有完全瞭解，所以還記得這個聲聞所修的這個四諦、十二因緣這種的法門，所以他們就還說這個聲聞行。「今皆修行大乘空義」：現在這些個無論是菩薩，是聲聞，都修行這個大乘的空義。大乘的空義是什麼呢？就是實相，就修這實相的法門。
待續 |
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Sutra text from last issue: Then Manjushri... spontaneously rose up out of the great sea from the Sagara Dragon Palace. [He] rose high into the air and went to Magic Vulture Mountain. Descending from his lotus, he went before the Buddhas and bowed in worship at the feet of the two World Honored Ones...
Now someone is wondering, “In the beginning of The Lotus Sutra, in the Introduction, Manjushri was present in the Dharma assembly! When did he leave? How did he get into the ocean? Besides, Shakyamuni Buddha made the seas all disappear. How did he manage to pop out of the ocean?”
You might say this was a very intelligent question; you could also say it’s a really stupid question. You could say it is an important question, and you could also say that it is not important. In the Buddhadharma, such principles are not rigid.
Earlier in the “Chapter on Vision of the Jeweled Stupa,” Shakyamuni Buddha purified the lands three times. But this was just a transformation. It meant that one could no longer “see” the oceans. It didn’t mean that they weren’t actually there.
You could also explain it by saying that although Shakyamuni Buddha has moved the great seas to some other world, Manjushri Bodhisattva himself had great spiritual powers, and he might have come from some other world. In the first chapter, Manjushri Bodhisattva was present in the Dharma assembly. However, Bodhisattvas have limitless, boundless division bodies. At any time they can transform millions of bodies to go off to any world to teach and transform living beings. So the question is both important and unimportant, stupid and intelligent. My responses should have taken care of such questions. If you still can’t figure it out, perhaps you’ll have a dream that will make it clear for you.
Sutra:
Before he had finished speaking, countless Bodhisattvas sitting upon jeweled lotuses rose up out of the sea, went to Magic Vulture Mountain and hovered there in space. These Bodhisattvas had been taught and crossed over by Manjushri Bodhisattva. All of them had perfected the Bodhisattva practices and were discussing among themselves the Six Paramitas. Those who had been Hearers were in empty space expounding upon the practice of Hearers. All of them were now cultivating the principle of emptiness of the Great Vehicle.
Commentary:
Before he had finished speaking, countless Bodhisattvas, Great Vehicle Bodhisattvas, sitting upon jeweled lotuses rose up out of the sea, went to Magic Vulture Mountain and hovered there in space. Manjushri hadn’t even finished saying that the number of living beings he had taught in the Dragon Palace were uncountable in number and totally unfathomable. He was just saying, “Wait and you’ll see for yourself,” and right while he was saying that, all those countless Bodhisattvas emerged from the sea. They all took off for Magic Vulture Mountain, the Bodhimanda of Shakyamuni Buddha. When they arrived, they used the wondrous function of their spiritual powers and just stayed there in space. These Bodhisattvas had all been taught and crossed over by Manjushri in the ocean. All of them had perfected the Bodhisattva Practices, the Bodhisattva Path and were discussing among themselves the Six Paramitas. They were investigating the Six Perfections. We see that the Bodhisattvas discuss and investigate the Six Perfections, and study them carefully. How much the more so should we common folks work on them! And yet we hear a few lectures and think, “I know all about the Six Perfections!”
That’s ridiculous! Understanding of the Six Perfections isn’t gained from listening to a couple of lectures. It is only gained through the practice of the Bodhisattva conduct. Thus, all the Bodhisattvas were together studying the Dharma of the Six Perfections. Those who had been Hearers and who had subsequently brought forth the Great Vehicle Bodhisattva-mind were in empty space expounding upon the practices of the Hearers. Some of them hadn’t completely understood the Bodhisattva Path, but still remembered Hearer Dharma-doors like the Four Truths and the Twelve Causes and Conditions, and so they were talking about them. All of them were now cultivating the principle of emptiness of the Great Vehicle. Regardless of whether they were Bodhisattvas or Sound Hearers, they were cultivating the principle of emptiness of the Great Vehicle. And what is that principle? It’s the Real Mark. They cultivated the Dharma-door of Real Mark.
To be continued |
