前期經文提示：提婆達多品第十二……「一切眾會，默然信受。」
爾時藥王菩薩摩訶薩，及大樂說菩薩摩訶薩，與二萬菩薩眷屬俱，皆於佛前，作是誓言，惟願世尊不以為慮，我等於佛滅後，當奉持讀誦說此經典，後惡世眾生，善根轉少，多增上慢，貪利供養，增不善根，遠離解脫，雖難可教化，我等當起大忍力，讀誦此經，持說書寫，種種供養，不惜身命。
這一段文是屬於妙法蓮華經勸持品第十三。什麼叫勸持呢？這個勸，就是用種種的言語來勸說你，令你歡喜讀誦受持這一部經典。本來你對於法華經不認識，他就勸你：「這個經在諸經裡邊，法華經是經中之王；你要念法華啊！這個功德是不可思議的，這法華經是妙不可言的；妙法蓮華經，再沒有那麼妙！你要不信，你念一念，你就知道這個妙的滋味了。」這個人一聽，哦！這麼樣妙，我也試一試看。他一試，就是念法華經；你念法華經，就不能停止了；不能停止，就天天要念法華經，受持法華經，讀誦法華經，書寫法華經，他們就發心來受持，所以叫勸持品第十三。這屬於第十三的。所以你勸人讀誦法華經，都有無量的功德。何況我們現在聽講說法華經，這更是功德不可思議。這功德太大了！所以這個勸持品就是釋迦牟尼佛和諸大菩薩，一切的聲聞羅漢都勸一切眾生來受持這妙法蓮華經。
「爾時」就是前邊提婆達多這一品講完了之後，在這個時候又說這個勸持品。當爾之時，「藥王菩薩摩訶薩」，這個專門給人治病的這一位大菩薩；摩訶薩是大菩薩。「和大樂說菩薩摩訶薩」，和這個最歡喜講經說法這一位大菩薩。「與二萬菩薩眷屬俱」，和他們所有的眷屬，有二萬多這麼多的眷屬一起。「皆於佛前」，大家共同在佛前。「作是誓言」，都發了誓願了。前面釋迦牟尼佛想找人叫人發願流通法華經，受持法華經，所以現在他們都發了誓願，就是發願要怎麼樣流通這法華經。說「惟願世尊不以為慮」，說我們藥王菩薩和大樂說菩薩和我們所有的菩薩眷屬，現在我們都發願，我們惟願世尊，我們請世尊不以為慮，不要憂慮這一件事情。「我等於佛滅後」，我們這麼多的菩薩在佛入涅槃之後，「當奉持讀誦說此經典」，我們應該要恭敬供養，來奉持，恭恭敬敬地持誦受持讀誦說此經典，對人講說這一部妙法蓮華經這個經典。
「後惡世眾生」，在將來這個惡世眾生，就是人人都不信佛了！你講佛法，就沒有人聽了，那一種惡的罪惡的世界。眾生善根都沒有了。「善根轉少」，就是一天不如一天，一天的善根就比一天少了。眾生也福薄了。「多增上慢」，你找有善根的人很少，可是增上慢的人最多，就是這麼樣：「嘿！你知道我是誰？我就是佛！不單我是佛，人人都是佛。」這就是增上慢。他自己不知慚愧，還是個業障鬼，他硬說他是佛。你說，他什麼都幹，也不守規矩，也不守戒律，連佛所說的經典一部他也不懂，他就說他是佛了。一部經你都不懂，你是什麼佛？佛是說經典的，你連佛說的經典你都不知道，不要說你懂得講，連經的名字都沒認識呢！就是佛了！這是個什麼佛？真是！我真不瞭解這種佛。這就叫什麼呢？這就叫增上慢。增上慢就是只有我。他怕人家反對他說他自己是佛，所以他就說所有的人是佛；所有的人都是佛，你成佛幹什麼？所有的人都是佛，那就不要修，也不要去成佛了嘛！你還修什麼？所以這些簡直是混帳到極點的，這種人。
待續 |
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Sutra text from last issue: Chapter Twelve: Devadatta "...and the entire assembly silently believed and accepted."
Sutra:
At that time the Bodhisattva Mahasattva Medicine King and the Bodhisattva Mahasattva Great Delight in speaking, along with a retinue of twenty thousand Bodhisattvas came before the Buddha and made the following vow: "We only pray that the World Honored One will not be concerned. After the Buddha's Nirvana, we will reverently maintain, read, recite, and explain this Sutra.
"In the future evil age, as their good roots diminish, living beings will become increasingly arrogant, greedy for benefits and offerings, of increasingly unwholesome roots, far removed from liberation, and difficult to teach and transform. Still, we shall give rise to the great power of patience, read, and recite this Sutra, maintain and speak it, write it out, and make various kinds of offerings to it, not sparing our very bodies and lives."
Commentary:
This is Chapter Thirteen of the Wonderful Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra. Its title is "Exhortation to Maintain." The "Exhortation" is to encourage people to receive and uphold, read and recite, this Sutra. Originally, you may not have known anything about the Dharma Flower Sutra, but then someone tells you, "The Dharma Flower Sutra is the king of Sutras. If you recite the Dharma Flower Sutra, you will gain inconceivable merit. The Dharma Flower Sutra is wonderful beyond all words. There is nothing more wonderful. If you don't believe me, read it and you will discover how wonderful it is." When you hear these words, you think, "I'll try it out," and so you recite it. Once you have started, you can't stop. You recite it every day, read it, write it out, and vow to maintain it. That's why the title of this chapter is "Exhortation to Maintain." Thus, if someone encourages people to read and recite this Sutra, such a one will gain limitless merit and virtue. From that you can surmise how much more merit is involved in listening to the Sutra lectures on this Sutra. Such merit is inconceivable! Great indeed! In this chapter, Shakyamuni Buddha and all the Great Bodhisattvas and Arhats exhort living beings to receive and maintain the Wonderful Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra.
At that time, right after the Devadatta Chapter was spoken, the Bodhisattva Mahasattva Medicine King, the great Bodhisattva who specializes in curing illnesses, and the Bodhisattva Mahasattva Great Delight in Speaking, the Bodhisattva who enjoys lecturing on the Sutras more than anything else, along with a retinue of twenty thousand Bodhisattvas, came before the Buddha and made the following vow: "We only pray that the World Honored One will not be concerned. Do not worry. After the Buddha's Nirvana, we will reverently make offerings to, maintain, read, recite and explain this Sutra for others." Above, Shakyamuni Buddha was looking for someone to make a vow to receive, maintain, and propagate the Dharma Flower Sutra. Now, the Bodhisattvas are making vows to do just that.
In the future evil age, no one will believe in the Buddha. If you lecture on the Dharma, no one will listen to you. The world will be filled with evil living beings who have no good roots at all. Day by day, their good roots will diminish, day by day, things will get worse. As their good roots diminish, living beings will become increasingly arrogant. Their blessings will be very scanty. You won't be able to find anyone with good roots, but you'll encounter arrogant people all over the place. "Hah!" they will say, "Do you know what I am? I am the Buddha. Not only am I the Buddha, everybody is a Buddha!" That's the kind of unmitigated arrogance you'll run into. They are shameless karmicobstacle ghosts who insist that they are Buddhas. They are totally unscrupulous and pay no attention to the rules and precepts. They don't understand a single Sutra that the Buddha spoke, but insist that they are Buddhas. What kind of a Buddha is it who doesn't know even the title of a single Buddhist Sutra? I really don't understand Buddhas like that. They are arrogant and think, "There is no one but me!" They are afraid that people will object if they say that they are Buddhas, so they cover for themselves by saying, "Everybody is a Buddha!" If everybody is a Buddha, what's the use of becoming a Buddha, anyway? If everybody were a Buddha, then we would not need to cultivate and realize Buddhahood. They end up convincing people that there is no need to cultivate. What they say is total nonsense.
To be continued
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