文殊師利言，有娑竭羅龍王女，年始八歲。智慧利根，善知眾生諸根行業。得陀羅尼。諸佛所說甚深秘藏，悉能受持。深入禪定，了達諸法。於剎那頃，發菩提心。得不退轉，辯才無礙。慈念眾生，猶如赤子。功德具足，心念口演，微妙廣大，慈悲仁讓，志意和雅。能至菩提。
文殊師利這個妙吉祥菩薩就說啦，說「有娑竭羅龍王女」。你問可不可以很快就成佛了嗎？現在我告訴你一個公案，一個過去我的經驗。在這個鹹海裡邊，龍宮裡面的龍王，他有個女。「年始八歲」：她年齡才八歲這麼大。雖然年紀小，可是智慧大。「智慧利根」：她那個智慧非常地快，非常地聰明。「善知眾生諸根行業」：她雖然八歲，就能知道眾生的前因後果；種什麼因，就結什麼果；修什麼行門，就得到什麼業果。「得陀羅尼」：她得到這總持法門了。
陀羅尼是梵語，此名總持。總持，就是「總一切法，持無量義」；也就是總持身口意這三業清淨而不犯，所以這叫總持。你口犯口業；身犯身業；意犯意業，你三業都不清淨了，這就談不到總持；這個總持就是三業清淨。「諸佛所說」：這個所有佛所說的陀羅尼他都明白了。「甚深秘藏」：這個秘藏就是祕密之藏。什麼叫祕密之藏呢？就是為彼說而此不知；為此說而彼不知。就是為這個張三說，李四不明白；為李四說，張三不明白。說的一樣話，但是悟解不同，所得到的這一種的智慧不同。有的得深，有的得淺，這叫祕密之藏，就是彼此互不相知。彼此你不知道我的事情，我不知道你的事情，這叫祕密。
「悉能受持」：可是佛所說的這個祕密之藏，這個八歲的龍女，她都能夠受持讀誦，都能明白。「深入禪定」：她深深地得到這個禪定的三昧。入定，她能入定；不單能入定，而且還能「了達諸法」。就明白一切法。「於剎那頃」：在這個很短的剎那之間。剎那之間，就是甚至連一秒鐘都沒有那麼快。「發菩提心」：發大菩提心。「得不退轉」：她得到不退轉的這種果位了。「辯才無礙」：她得到的辯才，會說話，她才會說呢！死人她都可以講活了，就說得那麼妙。因為什麼呢？這個死人也想要聽一聽她說法，所以才又活了。你看妙不妙？這才叫辯才無礙。
「慈念眾生」：她自己得到辯才無礙，可是她還慈念眾生，都放不下眾生。「看眾生猶如赤子」：她看眾生就是她的兒女一樣，所以說佛是我們的慈悲父；我們眾生都是佛的兒子。
「功德具足」：她的功德圓滿了。「心念口演」：她心裡念法，口裡說法。「微妙廣大，慈悲仁讓」：她所說的法是微妙廣大的法；她所念的就是慈悲仁讓。慈能與樂；悲能拔苦；仁也就是仁讓。仁就是愛人；仁者愛人，對人人的愛護。這種愛護是清淨的愛護，不是有一種的染污法在裡頭，所以叫仁愛。讓就是謙讓。她自己本來德行夠啦！可以有很高的地位，但是她讓給旁人。「志意和雅」：她的志向和她的意念都和雅。和，就是很柔和的；雅，就是很雅善的，很好的，所以說很好，這就是和雅。「能至菩提」：她能很快很快就成佛啦！這個至菩提就是成佛了。
待續
問：今生的生老病死是前世的業障所累，眾生大都不知自己前世所做的壞事而致此業障，總覺得無來由地生病。這樣，對人不是一個很重大懲罰嗎？不知道原因而生病，病得不會甘心啊！
上人：誰叫你來作人呢？
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Sutra:
Manjushri said, “There is a Dragon King’s daughter who is just eight years old. She is wise, with sharp faculties. She well knows the faculties, conducts, and karmas of living beings and has attained dharani. She is able to receive and uphold the entire storehouse of extremely profound secrets spoken by the Buddha. She has deeply entered dhyana samadhi and thoroughly penetrated all dharmas. In the space of a kshana she brought forth the Bodhi Mind and attained to irreversibility. Her eloquence is unobstructed and she is compassionately mindful of all living beings as if they were her children. Her merit and virtue are complete. The thoughts of her mind and the words from her mouth are subtle, wonderful, and expansive. She is compassionate, humane, and yielding; harmonious and refined in mind and will, and she is able to arrive at Bodhi.”
Commentary:
Manjushri, Wonderfully Auspicious Bodhisattva, said, “You wanted to know if it was possible to become a Buddha quickly? Well, I’ll tell you one case, one experience I know of. In the Dragon Palace at the bottom of the salty sea, there is the Dragon King’s daughter who is just eight years old. Even though she is young, her wisdom is great. She is wise with sharp faculties, she is extraordinarily intelligent. At the tender age of eight, she well knows the faculties, conducts, and karmas of living beings. She is able to know living beings’ past causes and subsequent effects. Whatever causes they plant, they reap the corresponding result. Whatever Dharma-door they cultivate, they attain the matching karmic fruition. And she has attained dharani.”
Dharani is a Sanskrit word, and it means “to unite all Dharmas and uphold limitless meanings.” It also means to “maintain purity in body, mouth, and mind.” If your body commits physical karma, your mouth creates verbal karma, or your mind makes mental karma, then your three karmas are impure and you can’t be said to have dharani. Dharani means purity in the three karmas.
“She is able to receive and uphold the entire storehouse of extremely profound secrets spoken by the Buddha. She understands all the dharanis and secret treasuries of the Buddha.” “Secret” means that they are spoken for one person, so another person wouldn’t understand them. For example, Mr. Chang doesn’t understand what is spoken for Mr. Lee, and Mr. Lee doesn’t understand what is spoken for Mr. Chang. Perhaps the same words are understood by different people at different levels, some more profound than others. This eight- year-old girl is able to receive, uphold, read and recite them, and understand them fully. “She has deeply entered dhyana samadhi and not only that, she has thoroughly penetrated all dharmas, understands them all. In the space of a kshana in less than a split second, she brought forth the Bodhi Mind and attained to irreversibility, that position. Her eloquence is unobstructed, she really knows how to talk! She can talk dead people back to life! That’s how wonderful her eloquence is. How can she do this? The dead people get interested in hearing what she has to say, and so they come back to life and listen! Wouldn’t you say that was wonderful?
“And she is compassionately mindful of all living beings as if they were her children. She is considerate towards living beings, and is always looking out for them, like a mother watches over her sons and daughters.”
We also say that the Buddha is our compassionate father and we are all his children.
“Her merit and virtue is complete. The thoughts of her mind and the words from her mouth are subtle, wonderful, and expansive. She is compassionate, humane, and yielding, the Dharma she speaks is subtle and vast. The thoughts in her mind are compassionate and gentle.” “Compassionate” means that she bestows happiness on living beings, and rids them of their sufferings. “Humane” means that she is protective and kind towards everyone. This kindness is pure. It is not mixed with any defiled dharmas. “Yielding” means that even though she possesses the merit and virtue required to fill a very high position, she defers to others. She is harmonious and refined in mind and will, and she is able to arrive at Bodhi. She is able to become a Buddha very quickly.”
To be continued
Question: Our birth, aging, sickness, and death in this life are caused by our karmic obstacles from
previous lives. However, most people do not know that these karmic obstacles were caused by the bad things they did in previous lives. They don't see any apparent cause for their sicknesses. Isn't this a very heavy punishment for people to take? Since they don't understand why they are sick, they certainly will not be able to accept it willingly.
Venerable Master: Who told you to come and be a person? |
