|
1975年8月22日星期五晚
我們今天晚問和你們白天皈依了的一些人，再說幾句話。你們以後無論到什麼地方，人家要問你，誰是你的師父？你要是願意承認我是你的師父，你就這麼樣說，你說世界最笨的那個人就是我的師父，他的名詞叫什麼什麼，再沒有他那麼笨的，再沒有他那麼不懂事的；要這樣答覆他，不要說你的師父很聰明的，又怎麼樣好，怎麼樣好。你的師父沒有一樣好處，你不要替你的師父來宣傳，說你師父有什麼好處什麼好處，有什麼長處什麼長處；什麼長處也沒有，我所有的都是短處。你們到什麼佛教的地方要謙恭一點，不要很貢高的；要覺得人人都比自己好，我自己應該和所有的人來學。譬如拜佛，不要站在中間拜佛，中間那是住持的位置。要拜佛的，要在旁邊；不要叫人家一看說，「喔！你這個師父真是個愚癡的師父，什麼也不會教你，連拜佛都不會拜。」那時候你就說你師父怎麼樣好，人家也不相信的。你要自己做得好，做得很如法，很守規矩的，人家一看你這個徒弟樣樣守規矩，你就不說你師父好，人家一看，「喔！他這個徒弟這麼樣守規矩，師父大概也沒有什麼大毛病。」你們各位相不相信這個道理呢？No？Okay。今天就說這麼多。
1975年8月23日星期六下午
上人：誰有要講話的嗎？
弟子：請問在極樂世界，觀音菩薩成佛了，阿彌陀佛到什麼地方去？
上人：到他的心裡來了。還有誰有什麼問題？
弟子：請問我們生到極樂世界時，是不是在那裡一直到成佛？還是只在那裡一段時間，然後到旁的地方去？
上人：你在那兒成佛。上品上生，生到那就成佛了；下品下生，到那裡要九十個大劫。前幾天果童問《彌陀經》上是不是說，兩個佛一樣的名字，是不是這個問題？這個佛，同名同號的不知多少。極樂世界就有三十六萬億；三十六萬億十一萬九千五百同名同號阿彌陀佛，極樂世界就有這麼多。當時果航答覆他的問題，答得很對，他也還不知道。那麼現在我提出這個同名同號就有三十六萬億十一萬九千五百同名同號接引導師阿彌陀佛，都是接引眾生的阿彌陀佛，就有那麼多。在昨天我講阿彌陀佛就像一塊磁石似的，一切眾生就好像一塊鐵似的，鐵遇到磁石，一定就會被這個磁石攝去。我說其他的佛也像磁石不過力量小一點。
有幾個人昨天晚上睡不著覺，打這個妄想，說是都是一樣的磁石，怎麼又有力量大的，力量小的？佛都是一樣的佛，那麼力量怎麼就有不同的呢？打這個妄想，研究這個問題，可是還不敢來問這個問題。我就打開這個法會
open talk（公開討論），也沒有人敢問，只是打這個妄想，不問這個問題。那現在我答覆這個問題。
因為阿彌陀佛他有四十八願，他這四十八願就是這磁石的力量。其他的佛也是成佛，但是他沒有發這四十八願，所以他力量就小一點。所以修道一定要發願，有願必成。願，就好像在前邊的一盞路燈似的，你向前走路，有一盞燈在那裡照著，一定路很容易走的。我們每一個人修道都要發願。
在金山寺，每一年（陰曆）十二月初八那一天，釋迦牟尼佛開悟，我們想要發願的人都在那一天發願，所以十二月初八那天就叫願天，可不要尤人；這個願是發願的「願」，不是恨怨的「怨」。有的人怨天尤人，「這個天，真不會做天。你這麼樣不公平！」這叫怨天；尤人就是人人都有罪，有錯過了，這樣的人看誰都不對。這個願天，就是發願的那一天。我修道想要做什麼事，也在那天發願；我想要怎麼修行，也在那天發願。那麼平時可不可以發願呢？也可以的。不過那一天是釋迦牟尼佛開悟的日子，我們藉著釋迦牟尼佛開悟這一天來發願，釋迦牟尼佛也會很歡喜的，說，「喔！娑婆世界又有一個眾生，因為我開悟他來發願」。這個因緣也是很殊勝的，所以釋迦牟尼佛也很讚歎，說「善哉、善哉！善男子、善女人，你發這種的願，我一定幫忙你滿你的願。」
待續
|
|
Friday, August 22,1975 (evening)
I now have a few more words for those of you who took
refuge this afternoon. After this, anywhere you go, if
people ask you who your teacher is and you want to admit
that I am your teacher, you can tell him, "The stupidest
person in the world is my teacher. His name is such and
such. There isn't anyone dumber or more ignorant than he
is." That's how you should answer. Don't say something like,
"My teacher is really intelligent and he has all these good
qualities." Your teacher has no praiseworthy qualities.
Don't go around promoting your teacher and talking about
how great he is. He doesn't have any good qualities at all,
only shortcomings.
Whenever you go to a Buddhist temple you should be humble.
Do not be arrogant. You should feel that everyone else is
better than you, and that you have much to learn from them.
For example, when you bow to the Buddha, don't stand in the
center aisle, because that is the space reserved for the
Abbot. Bow off to one side. Don't cause those who see you
to think, "Oh, your teacher is really stupid. He hasn't
taught you anything. You don't even know how to bow to the
Buddha." Then no matter how good you say your teacher is,
no one will believe you. On the other hand, if you do
everything well and according to the rules, then you won't
even have to say anything about your teacher being a good
teacher. People will just take one look at you and think,
"He's so well-behaved and well-mannered; probably his
teacher doesn't have any major flaws." Do you believe this?
No? Okay, that's all for today.
Saturday, August 23, 1975 (afternoon)
Disciple: When Guanyin Bodhisattva succeeds Amitabha Buddha
in the Land of Ultimate Bliss, where will Amitabha Buddha
go?
Venerable Master: He's going to go right into your heart.
Who else has a question?
Disciple: When you are born in the Land of Ultimate Bliss,
do you stay there until you are a Buddha or get
enlightened, or do you stay only briefly and then leave?
Venerable Master:
You become a Buddha right there. Those born in the superior
grade of the superior lotuses become Buddhas as soon as
they appear. Those born in the lower grade of the lower
lotuses must wait ninety great eons to become Buddhas.
Several days ago Guo Tong asked a question about why there
were two Buddhas with the same name in the Amitabha Sutra.
There are unreckonably many Buddhas with identical names.
In the Land of Ultimate Bliss alone, there are three hundred
and sixty billion, one hundred nineteen thousand, five
hundred Buddhas all called the "Guiding Master, Amitabha
Buddha." The answer that Guo Hang gave to his question was
correct. There are that many Amitabha Buddhas, all of whom
guide living beings.
Yesterday, I said that Amitabha Buddha was like a magnet
and that all living beings are like iron filings. When iron
filings meet a magnet, they are irresistibly drawn to it. I
also said that the other Buddhas were like magnets, but
their magnetism was not as strong as Amitabha's. Several
people couldn't sleep last night because they were having
this false thought: "If all the Buddhas are like magnets,
how come some of them have a stronger magnetic field than
others? How can their powers be different?" Today, when I
asked if there were any questions, no one dared bring the
matter up, but I will answer it anyway.
It is because Amitabha Buddha has made forty-eight vows,
and these vows are like the power of a magnet. Other
Buddhas have also realized Buddhahood, but they have not
made these forty-eight vows and so their power is not as
great. Thus, in cultivating the Way, one must make vows. If
you have vows, they are certain to come true. Vows are like
a lamp that illumines the road ahead. When you are walking,
if you have a lamp to light the path, it is very easy to
travel. Each one of us should make vows in our cultivation.
At Gold Mountain Monastery, every year on the eighth day of
the twelfth lunar month, the anniversary of the
enlightenment of Shakyamuni Buddha, those who wish to do so
may make vows. That day is called "vow day." Although the
word vow (願 yuan) in Chinese sounds the same as the word
for resentment (怨 yuan), it is not a day of resentment.
Some people resent heaven and blame their fellow human
beings, saying, "Heaven! You really don't know how to do
your job. You are so unjust! And every soul on this Earth
is wrong!" People like that think everybody else is in the
wrong. That's the day to make vows. You can make a vow
about something you want to accomplish or about how you
want to cultivate. Can one make vows at other times as
well? Yes. However, that particular day is the anniversary
of Shakyamuni Buddha's enlightenment and so, when we make
vows on that day, he is very pleased. "Oh! In the Saha
world another living being has made vows because of my
enlightenment! These are supreme conditions!"
And so he says, "Good indeed! Good indeed! Good man,
goodwoman, you have made these vows and I shall certainly
help you to fulfill them."
To be continued
|
