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貪罔為罪。是人罪畢。遇幽為形。名為魘鬼。
「貪罔」：罔就是冤枉的枉。貪這冤枉，也會造罪的；造了罪業就要墮無間地獄。墮了無間地獄，等經過百千萬劫之後，他這個罪業了了，又得到自由了。他得到自由，可是他這種餘習還不改。這種貪枉的餘習還不改。總是有這個習氣不變，所以他一遇著幽––「遇幽為形」：幽就是很幽暗的。他在那一個幽暗的地方，他就現形了。現出形這叫什麼？叫魘魅鬼。魘魅鬼，在以前不講這個鳩盤茶？這個鳩盤茶就是魘魅鬼；這個就是那個鳩盤茶，鳩盤茶的鬼，就叫魘魅鬼。
這個果瞻對我講，說他遇著好幾次這個鬼；遇著好幾次這個鬼，他和這鬼鬥爭鬥爭，結果把這個鬼鬥敗了，沒有把他生命給拿去。那很危險的，這個魘魅鬼有的時候，就會把這個人生命給魘魅去了，給搶去了。所以你現在信佛了，相信他這麼永遠都不敢再來惹你了。
貪明為罪。是人罪畢。遇精為形。名魍魎鬼。
「貪明」：這個明，就是個見；貪見，覺得自己啊，非常聰明，這就是那個見習。其實怎麼樣啊？盡做糊塗事。聰明盡做糊塗事；所謂聰明反被聰明誤。他知道殺人是不好，他要去殺人；知道搶劫是不好，他要去搶。聰明可是聰明，什麼他都知道。你聽他講得井井有條，津津有味，很聰明的，可是盡做糊塗事。因為盡做糊塗事，他這個叫貪明。貪，他以為自己聰明，等做了糊塗事，就造了罪業；造罪業也就是墮無間地獄。墮無間地獄，經過百千萬劫之後，那麼又生，又得自由了；這罪也畢了，就得自由了。把他從地獄放出來了；放出了，你說怎麼樣啊？他也是這餘習不改，還是這種自作聰明。這回「遇精為形」：遇精，他遇著這個精明強幹的人，或者遇著什麼精靈，他又現形了。
這個形叫什麼？他的名字叫什麼？叫魍魎鬼。魍魎鬼他現什麼形啊？他有的時候變成一個小孩子；小孩子都是兩條腿，他是一條腿。有的時候變成一個大人。普通人，頭在頭頂上長著；他這個頭長到腿中間。你看頭長到腿中間去了，你看見過這個樣子的？這就叫魍魎。他不同的樣子，有的時候，他就這麼奇奇怪怪的。總而言之，這怪現象，怪形狀，他就是叫你從來沒有看見過的。
他也可以為虎作倀。怎麼叫為虎作倀呢？倀，就是人字邊，加一個長短的那個長字。這個字很多人都不會認識的，這個叫為虎作倀。怎麼叫為虎做倀呢？這是這個山上有老虎；有老虎人人都不敢到這個山上去了，怕這個老虎吃了。他呢，他就變成一個人形在前面這兒走。你這一看這有人走路就不怕了，就跟著他走。跟著他走，一到山裡頭，到這個虎的窩了，這老虎出來就把你吃了。他就是專門給老虎來騙東西吃的，幫著這個老虎騙東西吃。騙這個人和畜生來餵虎的，這叫為虎作倀。這個魍魎有的時候他也做這個事情。這是魍魎鬼。
你不信鬼？你沒有見過鬼怎麼會相信鬼？現在再聽一聽；聽一聽這鬼，這麼多的鬼。
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Sutra:
If greed leading to injustice toward others made the person commit offenses, then after he has finished paying for his crimes, he will take shape when he encounters darkness and will become a paralysis ghost.
Commentary:
If greed leading to injustice toward others made the person commit offenses, then he will have to endure the unintermittent hell. After billions of eons in the unintermittent hell, the karma from his offenses ends and he is released. But he fails to change his old habits of being unjust to others. The habits continue unchanged. And so
after he has finished paying for his crimes, he will take shape when he encounters darkness. He reveals his form in dim and shady places. What shape does he take? He
will become a paralysis ghost. We’ve talked about the kumbhanda ghost before. The kumbhanda is a paralysis ghost.
My disciple Guo Zhan tells me that he has met this type of ghost many times. He fought them off each time and didn’t lose his life, however. These kinds of ghosts are extremely dangerous. They can take a person’s life in the process of paralyzing him. Now that you believe in the Buddha, they should never bother you again.
Sutra:
If greed leading to views made the person commit offenses, then, after he has finished paying for his crimes, he will take shape when he encounters essential energy and will become a deceptive (wang Hang) ghost.
Commentary:
If greed leading to views. This refers to the habit of views that makes a person think of himself as exceptionally intelligent. Actually, such a person always messes up the things he does. He may be intelligent but he makes a mess of things. His intelligence gets the better of him. Knowing very well that killing hu man beings is wrong, he kills people. Knowing that stealing is wrong, he steals things. There’s no questioning his intelligence; he knows everything. When he talks, he’s very convincing. He’s smart, but his actions are muddled. His muddled behavior comes from his greed that leads to views. Greed, combined with his high estimation of his own intelligence, causes
the person to commit offenses. Having created the offenses, he also falls into the unintermittent hell. After billions of eons in the unintermittent hells, his karma comes to an end
after he has finished paying for his crimes and he is released. But after his release, he still doesn’t change his habits. He still outsmarts himself.
Then he will take shape when he encounters essential energy and will become a deceptive (wang liang) ghost. Encountering essential energy means he finds someone who is robust and full of energy, or he meets up with some ethereal entity and that enables him to show himself. What does he show up as? He is a deceptive ghost.
What do deceptive ghosts look like? Sometimes they appear as children. Normal children have two legs, but this ghost will have only one. Sometimes they appear as adults. People’s heads grow at the top of their bodies, but this ghost’s head grows between its legs. Have you ever seen anything like that? That’s a deceptive ghost. Its appearance is always just a little off. They are strange and they appear in weird forms.
They can “act as accomplices for tigers.” If a mountain is inhabited by tigers, nobody dares to venture in for fear of being devoured by a tiger. This ghost will then take a human form and walk along in that area. Seeing someone walking there, your fear is alleviated and you follow along behind him. But he leads you into the mountains right to the lair of the tiger and you are devoured. This kind of ghosts specializes in fooling people and animals, thereby assisting the tiger in getting his food. Sometimes this deceptive ghost gets involved in doing things like that.
That’s the deceptive ghost. You don’t believe in ghosts. Well, how could you believe in them since you've never seen one? Now you can hear about them. Listen to what all these different kinds of ghosts are like.
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貪成為罪。是人罪畢。遇明為形。名役使鬼。
「貪成為罪」：這個成就是詐；那個詐習。怎麼叫詐習呢？就是欺詐，盡做這一些個欺詐的行為。他為什麼詐呢？他想他成功；什麼事情他要成功，所以他才去騙人，這詐。這樣子他造了罪業，墮了無間地獄；墮了無間地獄，經過百千劫之後，他也得了自由。得了自由，這回他這還餘習不改，還想詐騙人。
「遇明為形」：他遇著這一種的明，有智慧的人；有智慧的人會念咒，那麼也可以說遇著明師了。這個明的法師，他會現個形，現個形做什麼呢？做役使鬼。什麼叫役使鬼呢？這鬼可以幫人做事的。
好像中國有個紀曉堂；紀曉堂有五個鬼幫他做事的。這五個鬼，一個人就各處去探消息，就蒐羅情報。一個人就幫他聽東西，聽什麼地方有什麼聲音哪，誰講什麼話啊，這鬼因為他都有五通。鬼沒有漏盡通，他有五通的。那麼這五通呢，他就有天眼通、天耳通、他心通、宿命通、神足通，沒有漏盡通，這鬼有五通。這有五通，所以什麼人講什麼話他也知道，很遠有什麼事情他也看得見。這都是這種鬼了。那麼他有一點修行，有一點道行，所以就有這種神通。
那麼這個紀曉堂呢，就仗著這五個鬼給他來傳達消息，給他上情報。所以什麼地方有什麼事情，他就去救人去，各處去救人。譬如什麼地方有什麼妖怪，想要害人，他即刻就去降妖捉怪，就是仗著這五個役使鬼，來幫他做工，這役使鬼。
役使鬼就因為他以前盡貪這個欺詐，那麼現在做役使鬼。
待續
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Sutra:
If greed leading to deception made the person commit offenses, then, after he has finished paying for his crimes, he will take shape when he encounters brightness and will become a servant ghost.
Commentary:
If greed leading to deception made the person commit offenses.
Deception refers to cunning. Habits of deception cause people to do cunning things. They use cunning because they want to succeed at something. That drive to succeed causes them to cheat others aid to use cunning. Being like that, the person creates karmic offenses and falls into the unintermittent hell. After billions of eons in the unintermittent hell,
after he has finished paying for his crimes, he gains release. But he doesn’t change his habits; he still uses deception and cunning to cheat people.
He will take shape when he encounters brightness and will become a servant ghost. Here, brightness refers to wise people, who have skill in upholding and reciting mantras. Another way to explain brightness is a bright teacher. When this being meets a Dharma Master with bright wisdom, he takes shape as a servant ghost. This ghost can assist a person in doing things.
For instance, Ji Xiaotang in China had five servant ghosts that helped him do things. Of these five ghosts, one went about finding out the news, gathering information. Another one assisted him by listening to things. Whenever and wherever a sound occurred or someone was talking, this ghost would listen. Ghosts have five spiritual penetrations and lack only the penetration of the ending of outflows. The five they do possess are:
l. the penetration of the heavenly eye
2. the penetration of the heavenly ear
3. the penetration of others’ thoughts
4. the penetration of past lives
5. the penetration of the complete spirit.
They lack only the penetration of the ending of outflows. And so they can hear what’s going on and can see things happening even when very far away. These servant ghosts are the kind that possess these spiritual penetrations. They have cultivated some and are relatively intent upon the Way. That’s why they possess these powers. Ji Xiaotang used these five ghosts to bring him news from afar and then, whenever needed, he would go to help rescue people. Finding out that a weird creature was harming people at a certain place, he would immediately go there and subdue and exorcise the weird entities. He made use of five servant ghosts to help him know about things. Those who become servant ghosts were, in the past, greedy to deceive others.
To be continued
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