浩然正氣者，周遍法界，包羅萬有，照耀長劫，光輝今古，乃真善美之母體，假惡醜之剋星。天地無此，不足以為天地；聖賢無此，不可以稱為聖賢；正人君子無此，不為正人君子。國王大臣無此，不配為國王大臣。凡夫得此，轉為聖人；聖賢增此，可為佛菩薩。故此浩然正氣，即成佛之階梯，返本還原之基礎。
偈曰：
浩然正氣育乾坤 古今中外惟此真
至大至剛養無害 照天照地利群倫
充滿六合瀰沙界 包羅萬象遍剎塵
栽培灌溉菩提種 勿忘勿助了無痕
「浩」，即是大，再沒有比這個更大了。「然」，就是大的樣子。「正」，就是不邪，沒有邪裡邪氣，沒有絲毫的私欲、雜念、癡心妄想；有了私欲，雜念，癡心、妄想等習氣在裡頭，就沒有正「氣」。浩然正氣，這股大得不得了的正氣，天地間也是由這股正氣住持，所有聖賢仙佛也都是從這個正氣裡頭生出來。這個正氣也可以說是佛性。你對一般人說「佛性」，他不一定懂。（其實就是）儒教裡講的浩然正氣。這浩然正氣是不是從外邊或是從裡邊生出來的？不是。這個是人人本具，個個不無的；誰也沒有多一點，誰也沒有少一點。你會用它，它就會為你所用；你不會用它，就像你有黃金、鑽石，但你不認識，那它們對你就一點也沒有價值。
這浩然正氣若會長養，則「周遍法界」；不在內，不在外，不在中間；也可以說是佛性，也可以說是人心，也可以說是萬物的靈魂，是支持一切的。所以你要懂得這浩然正氣，則一點私欲也沒有了；你有一點私欲雜念、自私自利、爭、貪、妄語，那就沒有浩然正氣了。你若會用它，這浩然正氣是周遍法界的，無欠無餘，在聖人也不多一點，在凡夫也不少一點。不過凡夫不會用，聖人會用，所以又拿回來了。就像讀書一樣，你沒有讀書也是一個人，會讀書也是一個人，可是不讀書的那個人就沒有讀書那個人那麼有智慧。因為他會用書，這是世界文字。那麼浩然正氣呢？就是要修養。怎麼樣修養呢？就是要擴充仁、義、禮、智、信。先要從仁、義、禮、智、信做起，從這做起，就可以一點一點地把浩然正氣養足。這浩然正氣和天地間的萬事萬物都是同等的、都是相通的，所以說周遍法界。法界是周遍的，這浩然正氣也是周遍的。
「包羅萬有」，這裡面包括一切，無論甚麼，即使是正氣、邪氣、妖魔鬼怪，它都有一股浩然正氣；不過它不會用，而用偏掉了、用邪掉了，不正了。要是用得正，用得恰到好處，用對了，就是浩然正氣；要不對，那就是邪氣了。所以說包羅萬有，就是妖魔鬼怪也有浩然正氣（但他就是不會用。）所以這浩然正氣是最公平的，和誰都沒有人情可講。誰會讀書就是識字；誰不會讀書，就不認字了。
待續
|
|
Text:
The tremendous energy of righteousness pervades the Dharma Realm and encompasses the myriad phenomena. It illumines throughout long ages and shines in splendor upon ancient and present times. It is the mother of truth, goodness, and beauty; and the destroyer of falsehood, evil, and ugliness. Without it, Heaven and Earth would not be worthy of being Heaven and Earth. Without it, sages and worthies could not be called sages and worthies. Without it, righteous and superior men would not be righteous and superior men. Without it, kings and ministers would not be fit to be kings and ministers. Upon attaining it, ordinary people become sages. By increasing it, sages and worthies can become Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Therefore, this tremendous energy of righteousness is the steppingstone to Buddhahood and the basis for returning to the source and going back to the origin.
A verse in praise says:
The tremendous energy of righteousness
nurtures the qian and kun.
In ancient and present times,
in China and abroad, only this is true.
With utmost strength and greatness,
it nourishes without harming.
Illumining heaven and earth, it benefits the multitudes.
Spreading throughout the six directions,
it fills worlds as many as grains of sand. Encompassing the myriad phenomena,
it pervades lands as many as motes of dust.
Cultivate and water the seeds ofBodhi.
Don't be negligent and don't be impatient;
simply realize that which has no traces.
Commentary:
Tremendous means great; there is nothing greater than this. Righteous means not deviant. One is not the slightest bit devious or sneaky, and does not have the slightest trace of selfish desire, scattered thoughts, or deluded false thoughts. If one has such faults as selfish desires, scattered thoughts, and deluded thoughts, then one does not have righteous energy.
The tremendous energy of righteousness is incredibly great. Heaven and earth are sustained by this righteous energy, and all sages, worthies, immortals, and Buddhas are born from this righteous energy. This righteous energy could also be said to be the Buddha nature. When you talk about the Buddha nature, people may not understand what it is. Actually, it is just the tremendous energy of righteousness spoken of in Confucianism. Does this energy come from outside, or is it produced from within? Neither. It is inherent in everyone; no one lacks it. No one has more or less than anyone else. If you know how to use it, you can. If you don't know how, then it is as if you own gold and diamonds but don't recognize them for what they are. They are worthless to you.
If you know how to nurture this tremendous energy of righteousness, then it pervades the Dharma Realm. It is neither inside nor outside, nor in the middle. It could be considered the Buddha nature, and it could also be called the human mind or the soul of all creatures. It sustains everything. If you understand this tremendous energy of righteousness, then you will not have a even a bit of selfish desire. If you have even a little selfish desire or impure thoughts involving selfishness, personal gain, contention, greed, or lying, then you do not have that tremendous righteous energy.
If you understand how to use it, then it pervades the Dharma Realm with neither excess nor deficiency. Sages do not possess a little more of it; ordinary people do not possess a little less. It is only that ordinary people don't know how to use it, whereas sages do, so they are able to regain it. It is like an educated person and an uneducated person. Both are people, but the one who has not studied does not have as much wisdom as the one who has. The one who has studied knows how to use what he learns from books, which contain the literature of the world. As for the tremendous energy of righteousness, one has to cultivate it. How? By expanding the scope of humaneness, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness. Start by developing the virtues of of humaneness, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness, and bit by bit, you will nurture the tremendous energy of righteousness until it is full. This tremendous, righteous energy is on an equal basis and connected with all the myriad things of the universe. That's why it is said to pervade the Dharma Realm. It includes all things whatsoever—not only proper energy, but even deviant energy, demons, ghosts, monsters—they all have tremendous, righteous energy, but they have used it improperly and have strayed from what is proper. If used properly and in just the right way, it is tremendous, righteous energy. If used incorrectly, it becomes deviant energy. And so the text says that it encompasses the myriad phenomena. Even demons, ghosts, and monsters have tremendous, righteous energy (but they don't know how to use it). Therefore, this tremendous, righteous energy is the most egalitarian and does not involve any favoritism. It's the same way that anyone who studies can learn to read, and anyone who doesn't study will not know how to read.
To be continued |
