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華果光味主林神。得能令一切見佛出興。常敬念不忘莊嚴功德藏解脫門。爾時。布華如雲主林神。承佛威力。普觀一切主林神眾。而說頌言。
「華果光味主林神」：這是這一位主林神的名字。這一位主林神開眾生的般若花，結眾生的菩提果，放般若光，現醍醐味。這是這個主林神的名字，他得一種佛的境界。什麼呢？他「能令一切見佛出興」：他能使令一切眾生見佛出興。他見到佛出興於世，「常敬念不忘」，常常地恭敬而一念不忘於佛。「莊嚴功德藏解脫門」：因為有功德，所以就特別莊嚴，莊嚴妙寶功德都多了。藏就是莊嚴美妙，功德也殊勝，所以叫做藏脫門，得到這種的解脫門。
「爾時」：當爾之時。「布華如雲主林神」：這一位主林神。「承佛威力」：承仗著佛的大威神力。「普觀一切主林神眾」：他普遍觀察這一切一切的主林神眾。「而說頌言」：又用偈頌來講解前邊所沒有講完的道理。
佛昔修集菩提行。福德智慧悉成滿。一切諸力皆具足。放大光明出世間。
佛在以前修集菩提行。修就是修行；集就是聚集在一起。聚集什麼呢？聚集菩提行。怎麼叫聚集呢？就是集少而多，自近至遠，由淺入深，自無而有，自少而多。佛以前和我們眾生是一樣的，不過他就肯勤精進修種種的行門。因為他在最初沒修的時候，沒有，這叫自無而有；以後有了，自一而多，有了一個菩提行，集成多的菩提行。他不捨小善而不為，所集少成多，菩提行也就多了。他修種種難行的苦行，一般人受不了的他能受；一般人不能修的他能修，所以就把這菩提行集得很多了。
「福德智慧悉成滿」：福德圓滿了；智慧也圓滿了，這叫福慧兩足尊。福也足；慧也足：福慧兩足。足也是個滿，所以悉成滿，福德也圓滿了，智慧也圓滿了，這叫福慧雙圓。「一切諸力皆具足」：所修的這個十力，也都具足圓滿了。「放大光明出世間」：於是乎佛修成佛了，放大光明而出現在這個世間上。
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我們金山寺中美佛教總會是佛教講堂化出來的。中美佛教總會的前身就是佛教講堂。最初由一班人成立佛教講堂，以後又改成中美佛教總會。在中美佛教總會成立的時候是一九六八年代。成立之後每一年都打佛七，打禪七。這個佛七是在無聲無息的時間過去了；禪七也是在無聲無息的時間裡邊跑了。每一年每一年都是這樣做。不要說遠的地方，就是在三藩市本市的人都不知道。
那麼我們在這兒打佛七和打禪七，人為什麼不知道呢？就因為我們第一，沒有向外宣傳，沒有去號召，也就是要老老實實地去做。有人知道，他願意來，我們歡迎；沒有人知道，我們裏邊自己的人也照常來打禪七，也不到外邊去化緣，叫人幫助我們這裡打禪七，說我們有一些無心道人，你們應該供養，沒有這個。
在中國打佛七所收入的，甚至於能夠道場裡邊一年都用不了。一年的開銷，打一個佛七差不多了。那麼打禪七也是有很多人發心來供眾、結緣。這個緣法是源源而來，米啊、油啊、麵啊也收入得很多很多的。但是在美國這兒，因為我們不用任何的手段，所以這些緣都沒有了。如果要是會用手段的或者更多。
為什麼我們不用手段，不去找人？就因為我們要老老實實地修行，聽佛菩薩的安排。佛菩薩和天龍八部他看著我們是真正用功的，他自然就會有感應。如果我們不是真正用功的，那麼就有供養，我們也應該生大慚愧。所謂三心不了，滴水難消。我們要是有過去心、現在心、未來心，這三心總生起來就是人家供養一口水也不容易消受；五觀若明金也化，可是我們說佛制比丘，食存五觀。這五觀的道理我們要明白了，我們自己能以「計功多少，量彼來處；忖己德行，全缺應供；防心離過，貪等為宗；正事良藥，為療形枯；為成道業，應受此食」；我們要是能會用這五觀的觀法，就是吃了金子也會消化。吃金子，並不是說你拿一塊金子把它吃了，到這個胃裡邊也能把它化成水。不是的。就是言其你吃那個最值錢的東西，也可以能消受得起。
我們現在由今天晚間又開始打禪七。我們這個禪七和中國的禪七不同。中國的禪七，打七就是打吃，晚間一定要吃麻油包子。就是金山高旻－－高旻這個包子做得越大，這個人吃得越精神。尤其麻油越多，吃得那個嘴更滑了。嘴滑了，頭也滑了；頭滑了，那麼就變成滑頭了。什麼叫滑頭呢？打七就是為了吃麻油包子，所以很多的禪和子，老參，參得頭髮都白了，牙都掉了，耳朵也聾了，眼睛也花了，參得還是放不下麻油包子。要一沒有麻油包子就趕快逃之夭夭，走了。你這兒沒有麻油包子，我到那地方去；那個地方麻油包子好吃，就往那個地方去。並不是我譭謗中國，這一些修道的人放不下吃，的確是如此。這個一點我們和中國的打七不同。
我們這兒打七沒有麻油包子吃，沒有小食吃。什麼叫小食呢？這個打七，到主方，坐在那個地方，有些時候拿來兩個桂圓或者四個桂圓，給你吃了。或者另外一枝香，又有餅乾拿來了，又吃了。又有一枝香，往那一坐，坐的時候，又有鍋巴拿來吃了。那個鍋巴用油煎的，比今天煎的那個東西還好吃。有的時候又拿來花生糖結緣。這居士都要供養這無心道人，都要叫這無心道人生出來一個吃東西的心。有的時候又要喝茶。這喝茶有一定的規矩的。看你是不是老參，就看拿這個茶杯就知道啦。這茶杯要這麼樣拿的，拿著倒茶。那麼喝茶，吃餅乾，吃麻油包子，一天到晚把這個肚皮弄得鼓鼓的，什麼也放不下了。連一個肚皮都放不下，你說還講其它的，那談不到了。
我們這兒打禪七是從早晨開始就行行坐坐，坐坐行行。有的時候或者有一點牛奶來喝一喝；有的時侯願意喝茶，可以隨便喝，沒有其它的東西吃，這是很苦的。我們這兒就是苦幹、苦修、苦行；行人所做不到的這個事情。但是這生死七，你要把「生死」這兩個字掛到你眉毛梢上，不要忘了生死；不要儘覺得很疲倦了，睡眠不夠，坐這個地方正好我入這個睡覺三昧，這是一樣的，這樣子就不要有成就。要捨死忘生來打七，也不知道生，也不知道死了。我們認真用功，認真打七，必須要得到自己應得的受用。不要隨波逐浪，看人家行，我也行，人家坐，我也坐，跟著人家後邊來做。看人家坐那兒睡覺，我也睡覺。
我老實告訴你們，我在過去參加幾個地方打禪七。在任何的地方我沒有被監香的打過香板。為什麼呢？因為我不睡覺。白天也是在禪堂裡坐，晚間還是在禪堂裡頭坐；也不知道什麼叫休息，什麼叫睡眠。我那時候當參學的時候是這樣子，就是每一秒鐘也不是隨隨便便把它放過去的。做什麼呢？要把功夫提起來，用自己應該用的功夫。
你們各位都是善根深厚的人，都是聰明有智慧的人，應該把這個事情看重了。尤其今年這個禪七一定要有開悟的，如果沒有開悟的話，那每一個人打完了禪七，一個人要打一百香板。你要是覺得能受得了一百個香板，你就不開悟；要受不了的話，就要開悟。再有害怕的時候，現在沒開始打禪七就退席，說我不參加這個禪七了，我要退出去這個禪七。這也可以的。那麼既然參加這個禪七之後，再想要退，那就不行了。因為禪堂裡頭，你告了生死假就不可以退出。假如死了，放到這個坐單底下都不往外邊抬，況且你沒有死，就不可以隨便退出去了。我們這兒只是要立生死的門庭，不是生就是死，不是死就是生。你捨不了死，你就換不了生；捨不了假，就成不了真，這是金山寺的門檻。
待續 |
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Sutra:
The Forest-Ruling Spirit named Luster and Flavor of Flowers and Fruits obtained the liberation door of an adorned treasury of merit and virtue from enabling everyone to see the has appear and to recollect them with constant reverence and without forgetting them.
At that time, the Forest-Ruling Spirit named Spreading Flowers like Clouds received the Buddha's awesome might, contemplated all the multitudes of forest-ruling spirits, and spoke the following verse.
Commentary:
The Forest-Ruling Spirit named Luster and Flavor of Flowers and Fruits causes living beings' Prajna flowers to bloom, so that they bear the fruit of Bodhi. He emits the light of Prajna and reveals the flavor of ghee. That's the meaning of his name. He obtained the state of the Buddha and
the liberation door of an adorned treasury of merit and virtue from enabling everyone, all living beings,
to see the Buddhas appear in the world
and to recollect them with constant reverence and without forgetting them. Through such merit and virtue, he is particularly adorned with fine hallmarks. The abundance of merit and virtue makes it a treasury, a beautiful and adorned treasury of sublime merit and virtue. He obtained this liberation door.
At that time, the Forest-Ruling Spirit named Spreading Flowers like Clouds received the Buddha's awesome spiritual
might, contemplated all the multitudes of forest-ruling spirits, boundlessly many of them, not just one,
and spoke the following verse to explain certain principles which were not fully explained earlier.
Sutra:
The Buddha formerly cultivated and accumulated practices for Bodhi,
Thereby achieving perfect blessings, virtue, and wisdom.
Being completely endowed with all of the powers,
He emerges in the world with resplendent light.
Commentary:
The Buddha formerly cultivated and accumulated practices for
Bodhi. In the past, the Buddha accumulated the practices for Bodhi, so that starting out with a little, he gradually acquired a great amount. This accumulation took him from the near to the far, from the shallow to the profound, from having none to having some, and from having few to having many. The Buddha started out being the same as living beings. However, he vigorously cultivated all manner of practices. In the beginning, he had no practices of Bodhi. So, he went from nothing to something. He went from one Bodhi practice to many Bodhi practices. He did not bypass even the smallest opportunity to do good. Therefore, starting out with a little, he accumulated a lot. He did all kinds of difficult ascetic practices. He was able to endure what most people found unendurable and cultivate what most people could not cultivate. In this way, he amassed a large quantity of Bodhi practices,
thereby achieving perfect blessings, virtue, and wisdom. Having perfected both blessings and wisdom, he is known as the Doubly Perfect Honored One.
Being completely endowed with all of the powers. The Buddha has cultivated the Ten Powers to perfection. Upon realizing Buddhahood,
he emerges in the world with resplendent light.
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The Sino-American Buddhist Association at Gold Mountain Monastery was established out of the Buddhist Lecture Hall. In the beginning, some people founded the Buddhist Lecture Hall. Later on, it became the Sino-American Buddhist Association. Since the establishment of the Sino-American Buddhist Association in 1968, we have held Buddha recitation sessions and Chan sessions annually. These sessions have quietly gone by without much notice. Every year we hold them, but even the people of this city of San Francisco are not aware of them, not to mention people elsewhere. Why aren't they aware of the recitation and Chan sessions here? First of all, it's because we haven't done any publicity or broadcasting. Our intention is to honestly cultivate. If other people find out about our sessions and wish to participate, they are most welcome. But even if no one knows, we continue to hold our sessions regardless. We don't go out begging, asking people to help us with our Chan sessions, saying, "You ought to make offerings to these cultivators who have attained the state of no-thought." We don't do that.
In China, the offerings given during a Buddha-recitation session would be sufficient for a monastery for a year and more. The income from one recitation session would about cover a year's expenditures. During Chan sessions, many people also make offerings to create affinities with the assembly. The offerings would pour in huge quantities of rice, oil, flour, and so on. In the United States, on the other hand, because we have not resorted to any tactics to get offerings, we haven't received any. If we were clever at using exploitative strategies, perhaps the offerings would be even more abundant than in China. Why do we refrain from using any manipulative schemes? We are determined to practice sincerely and leave it to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas to make arrangements for us. When the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and the eight divisions of gods, dragons, and Dharma-protecting spirits see us applying genuine effort, we will naturally obtain a response. However, if we don't really work hard, then we ought to be extremely ashamed for our offerings.
There is a saying which goes:
When the three thoughts are not ended,
Even water is hard to digest.
If we constantly have thoughts of the past, present, and future, then we will have difficulty receiving even the offering of a sip of water.
If the five contemplations are understood,
Even gold can be absorbed.
At noon we chant, "The Buddha told the Bhikshus: While eating, observe the five contemplations." The five contemplations are:
1. Consider the amount of work involved to bring the food to where it is eaten.
2. Consider whether or not one's virtuous conduct is sufficient to enable one to accept the offering.
3. Guard the mind from transgression, of which greed is the principle cause.
4. Properly taken, the food is like medicine, to keep the body from wasting away.
5. This food is accepted only in order to accomplish the Way.
If we can practice these five contemplations, then we can digest even gold. Don't take this literally and think that if you eat a piece of gold, your stomach will be able to break it down. This line means that you are deserving of eating the finest and most expensive foods.
Tonight the Chan session begins. Our Chan session is different from those held in China. In China, Chan sessions are basically "eating sessions." In the evenings, the cultivators are served steamed buns with sesame oil. This is the case even at Gold Mountain and Gaomin Monasteries. The bigger the buns, the more energetic the cultivators. The more sesame oil, the more slick their mouths. With their mouths greased, their heads become slick too. "Slick heads" refer to people who join the session just to eat sesame oil buns. Many longtime Chan cultivators have cultivated for so long that their hair has turned gray, teeth have fallen out, ears have gone deaf, and eyes have become blurry, yet they are still attached to sesame oil buns. If no sesame oil buns are offered at one place, they will run off to another. They search out the place with the best-tasting sesame oil buns. I am not slandering Chinese cultivators by saying that they are attached to food. I'm simply telling things the way they are. This is one difference between our sessions and those in China.
We offer no sesame oil buns or other snacks during our sessions. What do I mean by snacks? Sometimes, as you're sitting in a session in China, the host may hand you two or four
guiyuan (dried longans) to eat. During another period, crackers might be passed out. In yet another period, you might get a piece of rice-crisp to eat. That deep-fried rice-crisp tastes even better than that fried stuff we had today. Sometimes you are given peanut candy as a way to create affinity. The laypeople all want to make offerings to the cultivators who have attained no-thought, but they are actually causing them to have thoughts of eating.
Sometimes tea is served, and one can tell whether a person is a seasoned cultivator by the way he holds his teacup. The teacup has to be held in a certain way. Drinking tea, eating crackers and sesame oil buns, one comes to have a perpetually stuffed belly. You can't down anything else. If you cannot even let go of your stomach, then you can forget about anything else.
In our Chan session, we start in the early morning and alternately walk and sit. Sometimes there is milk, and you have the choice to drink some tea, but there is nothing to eat. It is quite bitter. Our session is one of bitter cultivation and bitter practice. We try to practice what others cannot practice. During this "birth and death" session, you must keep the words "birth and death" before your eyes. Don't forget about birth and death. Don't decide, "I haven't had enough sleep. I'm really tired. I might as well sit here and enter the sleeping samadhi." If you do that, you won't accomplish anything. You must renounce life and forget about death as you participate in the session. Without paying attention to birth and death, diligently apply effort in the session. Be determined to attain the benefit you ought to attain. Don't just follow the crowd, mindlessly walking and sitting when you see others doing so. Don't think, "I will just follow everyone else. When I see someone else doze off, I will doze off too."
I will tell you that in all the Chan sessions I have participated in, the proctor never had to hit me with the incense board, because I never slept. I sat in the Chan Hall during the daytime, and at night I continued sitting in the hall. The words "rest" and "sleep" were not part of my vocabulary. In those days when I was a student, I would not casually waste a single second. I constantly worked at developing my skill.
All of you have deep, thick, good roots. You are endowed with intelligence and wisdom. You ought to see the importance of this session. In this year's Chan session, I insist that someone become enlightened. If no one becomes enlightened, then after the session everyone will receive one hundred strokes of the incense board. If you feel you can bear that, then don't get enlightened. If you don't think you can take it, you'd better get enlightened. If you are really scared, then before the Chan session starts, you can back out and not join the session. That's also acceptable. However, once you begin the session, you cannot retreat. Once you enter the Chan Hall, you have bid farewell to birth and death, and you are not allowed to leave. Even if you die, your body will be put under the Chan bench and not be carried out. If you haven't died, then you have even fewer reasons to readily leave. We are setting up the threshold of life and death. If you are not on the side of life, then you are on the side of death. If you are not on the side of death, then you are on the side of life.
If you cannot renounce death, you cannot gain life in return.
If you cannot renounce the false, you cannot achieve the true.
That is the threshold at Gold Mountain Monastery.
To be continued |
