貪黨為罪。是人罪畢。遇人為形。名傳送鬼。
貪黨，就是那個訟習，就是打官司。這打官司的人，有的時候就要結一個黨，叫這個黨到那個堂上，到法院，好幫他講話，給他做一個證人。就講無作有，講虛為實；沒有理，他講出個道理來。或者做律師之類的，這叫貪黨，就是黨同代異。他有一黨，對不是他一黨的，他就攻擊他，就把他去做辭訟，打官司，就把那打輸了，這叫黨。「貪黨為罪」。
「是人罪畢，遇人為形」：遇著人，他藉這個人形，作他的形象。「名傳送鬼」：這個傳送鬼，就是方才所說那個附到人身上講話那種的鬼了。那種鬼，他附到人身上就講：「喔！我又是誰，我是那個菩薩，我又是哪個佛；我又是天主，我也是耶穌。」他附到人身上，就這麼哆哩哆嗦的；中文叫哆哩哆嗦，就這麼不穩。不穩，這個身也不穩，就不知道怎麼樣子好了。一邊這麼哆哩哆嗦，一邊就講話，說他是又是這個神，那個佛！這真是滿天神佛了！這叫傳送鬼。他也可以傳達這個吉凶的事情，藉著這個人就說：「哦！你要不相信，伊朗將來到什麼什麼時候就要地震了，那個地震死兩萬多人。」沒有到這個事情，他預先就這麼講出來了。到時候果然就伊朗那個地震了，死兩萬多人。這麼樣子，他就講這一些個，這所謂沒有出現的事情，他預先就說出來，說預言，這叫傳送鬼。這種的傳送鬼，什麼事情沒有到，他可以先說出來。無論吉凶禍福，他都可以先傳告訴你，這叫傳送鬼。
有人問：他的預言對不對呀？
上人答：有的時候對的啊！有的時候說出很應驗的。所以在這個地方你就怎麼能分別出來是正、是邪呢？那個正的，他是從修道得來的，不是藉著鬼，藉著神，藉著菩薩，藉著佛來告訴你的。不是假藉一種怪力亂神這種的說法，所以這個地方你要認清楚他。這個在中國叫巫醫；這個巫醫他會給人治病的。但是，不是他這個人治病，而是有這個鬼神，附到他身上了，這可以有本事治病了。就是以前我講那個，有頭上釘上刀子，肩臂上掛上鋤刀那一類的，這都是叫傳送鬼。就是這一類的鬼了！
阿難。是人皆以純情墜落。業火燒乾。上出為鬼。此等皆是自妄想業之所招引。若悟菩提。則妙圓明。本無所有。
釋迦牟尼佛又叫了一聲說阿難哪！你明白嗎？「是人皆以純情墜落」：說這個人，因為他就專一這個情了，用這種情欲來用事。因為他以純情，就單單一個情字，沒有想--想屬陽；情屬陰。因為他純情了，就性流為情，情流為欲，就墮落了。「業火燒乾」：他到地獄裡，等他自己這個罪業的火燒乾了，不燒了。「上出為鬼」：他得到自由了，可是還不能做人。上來了，從什麼地方上來？從他各各住的那個地獄出來了；出來了，到什麼地方呢？就到世上來了。上出為鬼。可是，他出來是出來，他這種餘習還沒有斷，罪業雖然沒有了。他這個思想，這種的習慣，這種氣質，就是這種心，還沒有斷盡，所以還是做鬼的。
「此等皆是」：這一些個人，都是「自妄想業」：自己由這個依真起妄，生了無明，在這個如來藏性上，生出那個無明；由這個無明生出種種的妄想，造成這種的業。「之所招引」：所招感來的，受這種苦報。起惑、造業，就受報，受這個種種的苦果。「若悟菩提」：假設他要是了悟這個菩提的覺道。「則妙圓明」：則本來這個妙圓明的心，如來藏性上邊。
「本無所有」：沒有這一些個麻煩的東西，沒有這一些個問題，沒有這一些個痛苦，沒有這一些個苦惱。
複次阿難。鬼業既盡。則情與想。二俱成空。方於世間。與元負人冤對相值。身為畜生。酬其宿債。
「復次阿難」：我再給你講一講這個道理，你恐怕還沒有十分明白。這鬼業，鬼他的業，這種罪業既然沒有了。「則情與想」：他的情和他的想。「二俱成空」：兩者都沒有了。「方於世間」：這個時候，他方才到這個世間來。「與元負人」：與他短誰的債，元負人，負債的這個人。「冤對相值」：譬如以前他吃人家的肉，現在人家也要吃他的肉了；以前他殺人的命，現在人家也要殺他的命了，所以相值。「身為畜生」：他變成個畜生，由這個鬼道，托生來做畜生。「酬其宿債」：還他在無量劫以前，所欠的這一些個債務。這一些個債務，就是所欠什麼債務，要還什麼債；殺人償命，欠債還錢。這欠人家豬債，就去還豬，作豬去還；欠人家狗債，就作狗去還；欠人家牛債，就去做牛還；欠人家馬債，就做馬還；欠人這個雞債，就去給人下蛋。一天下幾個蛋，還他以前的債。所以你看看！世間這個戲不是很容易做的，做得不對，就有這一些個麻煩，做得對了，就是清清淨淨的。
物怪之鬼。物銷報盡。生於世間。多為梟類。
「物怪之鬼」：這個怪鬼，他因為貪圖財物，所以附物成形，就做怪鬼。「物銷報盡」：他做鬼這個時候，他所附這個物，銷，報也完了。「生於世間」：他會再轉生到世界上來；轉生到世界做什麼呢？「多為梟類」：多為，就是多半，不是一定的，大多數；梟類，梟，前面已經講過，這就是小鳥。這種小鳥又叫鴟梟，在中文的《詩經》上說：「鴟梟，鴟梟，不孝之鳥。」就是說的這種小鳥。這種鳥，牠是抱著一個土塊而成形的。牠為什麼抱土塊就能成形？也就這樣奇怪。牠這個小的小鳥成形了，就把那個老的小鳥吃了。所以這個子食其母，也就是這一種怪的現象，所以這種鳥就叫不孝鳥。這種鳥呢，人見著牠就不吉祥、不好。類，類就是和牠同類的，多數和這一類的鳥同類。
待續 |
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Sutra:
If greed leading to forming factions made the person commit offenses, then, after he has finished paying for his crimes, he will take shape when he encounters people and will become a messenger ghost.
Commentary:
"If greed leading to forming factions made the person commit offenses." Forming factions happens during court cases. Sometimes when people go to court, they form a party or faction to support their case. These people testify on the instigator's behalf. They present false evidence and turn lies into truth. They are unreasonable but represent themselves as reasonable. Some may be lawyers. They challenge and attack those who are not in their faction, causing the other party to lose the case.
"Then, after he has finished paying for his crimes, he will take shape when he encounters people and will become a messenger ghost." He takes shape by possessing people. A messenger ghost possesses a person and then communicates through him. This ghost possesses a human medium and says things like, "I am so-and-so." "I am a certain Bodhisattva." or "I am a certain Buddha." or "I am God." "I am Jesus." Such a medium will display agitation and appear disconcerted while claiming to be some spirit or holy being. These are the workings of a messenger ghost. He can also predict lucky and unlucky events. He says, "If you don't believe, then just wait and see. At such and such a place and time an earthquake will occur. Twenty thousand people will die in that earthquake." Later, his prediction comes true. Messenger ghosts can make accurate predictions about auspicious events and disasters.
Question: Are they right?
Answer: Sometimes they are extremely accurate! Now, how do we distinguish what is proper from what is deviant? Proper knowledge comes from cultivation of the Way. It does not rely on ghosts or spirits, Bodhisattvas or Buddhas telling us things. It is not based on false recognition of strange principles and wanton spirits. It is important to be able to recognize the difference. In China people possessed in this way were called mediums or shamans and they could cure illness. Actually, it wasn't they who cured the illnesses, it was the ghost possessing them that did it. Remember I told you a few days ago about people who could stick swords into their skulls or insert knives into their shoulders and hang things from them? Well, those people were possessed by this kind of ghost.
Sutra:
Ananda, such a person's fall is due to his totally emotional level of functioning. When his karmic fire has burned out, he will rise up to be reborn as a ghost. This is occasioned by his own karma of false thinking. If he awakens to Bodhi, then in the wonderful perfect brightness there isn't anything at all.
Commentary:
The Buddha calls out again, "Ananda, do you understand? such a person's fall is due to his totally emotional level of functioning." It's because this person is totally immersed in emotion. Whatever he does is based on emotional desire. Because he's totally emotional, without any power of reason, without any discursive thought, he acts out of emotion and desire, and that causes him to fall. Emotion belongs to yin, and discursive thought belongs to yang. After he falls and his karmic fire has burned out—after he goes to the hells and burns until there is nothing left to burn, he can come out, but he will then rise up to be reborn as a ghost. He's released, but he still cannot become a person. Where does he "rise up" from? The evil hells. He gets out and comes to the world. But although he's out of the hells, his residual habits are still not cut off. Although the offenses from his karma have been eradicated, he still has the same old habits of thinking. He's not completely pure. So he has to become a ghost.
His predicament is occasioned by his own karma of false thinking. From truth, he himself gave rise to falseness and produced ignorance. This ignorance arises in the nature of the Treasury of the Thus Come One, and with it comes false thinking. It is false thinking that creates these kinds of karma. Because of it, the person in question must undergo this bitter retribution. He gave rise to delusion, created karma, and underwent retribution. If he awakens to Bodhi, then in the wonderful perfect brightness there isn't anything at all. If he could fathom the wonderful path to Enlightenment, then there would be nothing at all in the mind, which is perfect and bright in the nature of the Treasury of the Thus Come One. There's none of this trouble. There are no such problems; there isn't any of this pain and suffering. There is no distress.
Sutra:
Moreover, Ananda, when his karma as a ghost is ended, the problem of emotion as opposed to discursive thought is resolved. At that point he must pay back in kind what he borrowed from others to resolve those grievances. He is born into the body of an animal to repay his debts from past lives.
Commentary:
Moreover, Ananda, let me continue to explain this principle lest you fail to understand it completely. When his karma as a ghost is ended, the problem of emotion as opposed to discursive thought is resolved. He's wiped the slate clean of emotion and thought. At that point he must pay back in kind what he borrowed from others to resolve those grievances. He has to pay back what he owes others. If he ate the flesh of other animals in the past, he will now be eaten by others. If he took others' lives in the past, then in this life he will be killed. He is born into the body of an animal to repay his debts from past lives. He will pay back the debts amassed for limitless eons in the past. They have to be paid back in kind. If you killed and harmed others, then the same thing will happen to you as repayment. If you owe someone a pig, then you become his pig to repay him. If you owe someone a dog, then you become his dog to repay him. If you owe someone a cow, you repay by being his cow. If you owe someone a horse, you become his horse to repay him. If you owe someone a chicken, then you go lay eggs for him. You lay a few eggs every day and in that way you gradually repay your debt. So it's not easy to act in this world's play. If you make a mistake, a lot of trouble results. If you do it correctly, then everything is clear and pure.
Sutra:
The retribution of the strange ghost of material objects is finished when the object is destroyed and it is reborn in the world, usually as a species of owl.
Commentary:
The retribution of the strange ghost of material objects is finished when the object is destroyed and it is reborn in the world, usually as a species of owl. Because strange ghosts were greedy for material objects, they took their shape when they encountered material objects. "When the object is destroyed" means that the particular material object they were possessing wears out, and their karmic retribution has come to an end. The majority of the strange ghosts are then reborn as owls. That's what usually happens, but it's not a totally fixed principle. There's a line in the Book of Poetry: "The owl, the owl, the unfilial bird." Some owls can incubate a clod of dirt and hatch it. How do you explain this? Well, it's just the strange way that they are. When the owlets hatch, they eat the parent bird. A child that eats its parents is a manifestation of a weird being. This kind of bird is considered to be inauspicious. "Species" means that they are born as one kind of owl or another.
To be continued
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