前期提示：……就好像喝水似的，這水是熱的？這水是冷的？你自己知道，不要問我。……
我等敬佛故 悉忍是諸惡
為斯所輕言 汝等皆是佛
如此輕慢言 皆當忍受之
濁劫惡世中 多有諸恐怖
惡鬼入其身 罵詈毀辱我
我等敬信佛 當著忍辱鎧
為說是經故 忍此諸難事
我不愛身命 但惜無上道
我等於來世 護持佛所囑
「我等」：就是這各位大菩薩摩訶薩和各位比丘、比丘尼共同來發願。說「我等敬佛故」：我等大眾因為恭敬相信佛的緣故。「悉忍是諸惡」：前邊說的種種的惡事我們都可以忍受。「為斯所輕言」：為這種的人所輕慢，說這種的話來譏諷我們。「汝等皆是佛」：他怎麼樣譏諷呢？他說：「你們都是佛啦！」「如此輕慢言」：像這種輕慢的言語。「皆當忍受之」：他這樣來輕慢我們，我們也都應該忍受這種輕慢的說話。
「濁劫惡世中」：在末法五濁惡世這個時候。「多有諸恐怖」：在這個世界上有很多很多恐怖的事情。「惡鬼入其身」：什麼恐怖呢？在這個末法時代魔王興盛，所謂魔強法弱，有「惡鬼入其身」。這個惡鬼怎麼能入到人的身上來？就因為你心裏不正當了；心裏若不正當，有邪念，就容易為惡鬼入竅，附到你身上，在廣東話叫「鬼上身」。這「鬼上身」是這個人自己什麼知覺都沒有了；自己所說的話，自己也不知道是說的什麼。因為邪迷心竅，那鬼把他這個心給迷住了，迷得他什麼也不知道，所說的話是那鬼說的話，這個人自己不知道了。我在Sacramento街（唐人街）的時候，遇一個就是鬼上身的女人。她就說她是聖人，說她是菩薩。我說：「菩薩應該什麼都知道，妳為什麼什麼也不知道？」結果她也走了。很多的這種的冒充聖賢；她自己本來是個鬼，「惡鬼入其身」她說自己是菩薩或者是什麼什麼佛，來教化眾生的。實際上這都是惡鬼附身。
方才沒說嗎？為什麼這鬼會附到人的身上？就因為這個人的心變成鬼了。雖然是個人在這兒，行住坐臥好像個人似的，可是他心裏惴著鬼。因為他心裏有鬼所以外邊鬼就來了，和裏邊的鬼合而為一，所以他就被這個鬼所支配，自己作不了主，「惡鬼入其身」了。
「罵詈毀辱我」：因為這個惡鬼入到人的身上了，藉著這個人的身體就來「罵詈毀辱我」；罵詈這個修道的人，譭謗這個修道的人，破壞這個修道的人。「我等敬信佛」：我們因為恭敬信仰佛，所以「常著忍辱鎧」，常常地穿著這個忍辱鎧。什麼叫鎧呢？鎧就是甲，好像韋馱菩薩穿的，那就叫鎧；關公所穿的這也叫鎧。這鎧有什麼好處呢？刀槍插不進去。古來的人都使刀槍的，用刀槍插不進去，或者用箭射也射不進去，它有一層鎧甲。現在著上忍辱鎧；忍辱鎧就是他怎麼罵也罵不進來。他譭謗，你也不接受。
這個「罵」字，在梵語叫「阿聚盧奢」，這是罵。若沒有這個「阿」字，單是「聚盧奢」，這叫「喚聲」；有這個「阿」字，就叫「罵」。這個罵，是誰成就的呢？是罵人那個人成就罵的。他罵你，你若不接受這個罵，這個罵還是他自己接受。因為什麼他自己接受？他自己罵人，心裏一定是一種惡了，你不接受他這個罵，他就惡上加惡了。你不接受，他就覺得更不舒服了，更不快樂了。「為什麼我罵你，你都若無其事似的？」所以有人若罵你，你不以為他是罵你，或者你以為他是罵你，你要這樣想：「因為前生我大約罵過這個人，今生我這是還報的。他罵我，罵多幾句最好。你罵，由你罵；你罵多一點更好。」這麼樣子就沒有事了。所以這個惡鬼人到人的身上，他來識謗受持《法華經》的這個法師。受持《法華經》，因為相信佛，所以要著忍辱鎧。
「為說是經故」：因為要講說這一部《妙法蓮華經》的緣故。「忍此諸難事」：把這一切最不能忍的事都應該忍了。「我不愛身命」：我因為弘揚《妙法蓮華》，把我的身命都不重視了，不愛了；我身命有沒有都沒關係了。
「但惜無上道」：可是我但要護持這《妙法蓮華經》，要依照《妙法蓮華經》來修行。「我等於來世」：我們於將來之世。「護持佛所囑」：我們依照佛所囑託吩咐的來保護佛法，弘揚佛法。
待續
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From the last issue: It's like drinking water—you know for yourself whether it is cold or warm. Don't ask me....
Sutra:
Because we revere the Buddha,
We will endure all of this evil
For this we will be mocked
And people will flippantly say,
"All of you are Buddhas."
All such words of ridicule
We will patiently endure.
In the turbid eon, in the evil age
When there will be much to fear,
Evil ghosts will possess others
In order to slander and insult us.
But, revering and trusting the Buddha,
We shall put on the armor of patience;
In order to speak this Sutra,
We shall endure all these difficulties.
Not cherishing body or life itself,
But caring only for the supreme Path,
We in the ages to come
Will protect and uphold the Buddha's entrustment.
Commentary:
Because we revere the Buddha, / We will endure all of this evil. All of the Great Bodhisattvas, Bhikshus, and Bhikshunis made vows, saying, "We will patiently endure all evil, because we all revere the Buddha and believe in him."
For this we will be mocked / And people will flippantly say, / "All of you are Buddhas." People will insult us and tease us saying, "You folks are all Buddhas!"
All such words of ridicule / We will patiently endure. They will hold us in contempt, but we will bear the insults nonetheless.
In the turbid eon, in the evil age / When there will be much to fear, / Evil ghosts will possess others. In the Dharma-ending age, the demons will be strong and the Dharma will be weak. How do people become possessed by ghosts? It's easy for a ghost to possess people who maintain improper and deviant thoughts. When one is possessed by a ghost, one loses one's awareness. One speaks, but one doesn't know what one is saying. The ghost confuses one's mind so that one doesn't know anything. The ghost does the talking while the person isn't consciously aware of what is going on. When I lived on Sacramento Street, I met a woman who was possessed. She said she was a Sage and a Bodhisattva. I said, "Bodhisattvas are supposed to know everything. How come you don't know anything?" She had no answer, and so she left. People possessed by evil ghosts may claim to be Bodhisattvas or Buddhas who have come here to teach people.
Ghosts possess people whose minds have turned ghostly. These people walk around looking like everyone else, but they're thinking about ghosts. With ghosts on their minds, they attract ghosts from the outside. The inner and outer ghosts get together and the person is controlled by ghosts.
In this case, the ghost takes over the person
in order to slander and insult us—cultivators of the
Way. But, revering and trusting the Buddha, / We shall put on the armor of patience. We wear a suit of armor similar to that worn by Weitou Bodhisattva and General Guan. The armor protects us from being stabbed by swords and lances, the military weapons of ancient times. Wearing the "armor of patience," one can endure slander and abuse. No matter how anyone scolds you, the scolding won't affect you.
The word for "scolding" in Sanskrit is akrosha. Without the first long 'a' syllable, the word becomes krosha, which means "shouting sound." With the initial long 'a', the word means "scolding."
If someone scolds you and you don't receive it, it returns to the mocker. When someone scorns you, it is because his mind is evil. If you refuse the insults, the evil in that person's mind makes him even more uncomfortable. "Why do you ignore my scolding?" he cries. So if someone reviles you, you shouldn't think of it as a scolding; think, "In a former life I must have yelled at this person, thus now I am undergoing the retribution. Reprimand me some more!" That way, the matter is resolved. Therefore, when a possessed person scolds a Dharma Master who upholds the Dharma Flower Sutra, that Dharma Master should don the armor of patience, because he reveres the Buddha.
In order to speak this Sutra, / We will endure all these difficulties. We will bear all these unbearable things,
not cherishing body or life itself, / But caring only for the Supreme Path. / We, in the ages to come / Will protect and uphold the Buddha's entrustment.
In propagating the Wonderful Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra, we will forget to value and love our bodies and lives. The only thing we will care about is protecting and maintaining the
Dharma Flower Sutra and cultivating according to its doctrines. We will carry out the Buddha's orders in protecting and propagating the Buddhadharma.
To be continued |
