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1975年8月23日星期六晚
上人：你可以對大家講一講，因為你講的是中文，他們聽不懂。
弟子：好的，……。
上人：他生慚愧心，你聽這兒，這個很要緊很要緊，你要說清楚。
弟子：好。
上人：韋陀菩薩不是說不護他法嗎？他就哭起來了，哭得好像睡覺似的什麼都忘了；忽然間又好像睡覺醒來似的，說，「喔！韋陀菩薩護我的法，以前我也不知道他護我的法，我一樣修行啊；現在他不護我的法，我就不修行了嗎？還是應該修行啊！」於是他還是照常在那兒打坐；坐著，時間一久了，他又睡著了。你要說明了他睡著才掉下去；他沒睡著，他掉下去幹什麼？他因為睡著了，又從倒掛蓮花那個石頭；在那個上面好像倒掛著的一朵蓮花似的，上面大，底下小。那個蓮花上面大，他在上面坐著，掉下去那一定死的。那不知道多深的，不止三千尺那麼高，不知多少尺。那麼他又在那坐著，又掉下去了，這才是事情發生的由來和理由。
那麼掉下去了，韋陀菩薩又來把他托上來他說，「喔！誰來護我的法？」韋陀菩薩就說「喔！我是韋陀。」「哦！」他說，「老韋，你簡直打妄語啊？你也不守戒律；你也講大話了。」韋陀菩薩說，「我沒有講大話；我沒有講妄語。」「你沒有打妄語？你說你八萬大劫不護我的法了，現在你又來護我的法。」韋陀菩薩說，「因為你一念的懺悔，你這個真心的懺悔，超過八萬大劫了，所以我再來護你的法
。」
這個地方很要緊的。你看，字這麼一轉彎，你若說不清楚它，意思就完全沒有了。如果是一定的，那變成死法了，不是活法了；變成定法了，沒有定法的。說釋迦牟尼佛修行三大阿僧祇劫，只不過是說這個三大阿僧祇劫不超出一念，一念就是三大阿僧祇劫。你沒有聽《華嚴經》？你知道你修幾個大阿僧祇劫了？（弟子：不知道。）或者你修六個大阿僧祇劫。（弟子：或者沒有修。）或著以前，也不知道是哪一個念「嗡嘛呢叭彌吽」的法師身上的一個虱子。
弟子：或者現在還是。
上人：果林，你頭先要問什麼問題的？你在那兒唸佛的時候，不可以走出來問問題，這你是太不懂規矩了。
弟子：他問金山寺的宗旨裡面有兩次說「不變」，可是最後又說革命為僧事。
上人：這個不是宗旨。前面那三個才是宗旨；後面那個，就是你照著這個真理去傳佛心印。怎麼樣？還是不懂？
弟子：他的問題是，因為我們提倡正法，怎麼樣可以有一個革命？
上人：就因為正法，所以就要革命。現在其他的地方都是末法了；都是末法了，你要不把他糾正過來，這是不對的。革命是革這個末法的命，不是革正法的命。
好像在中國的佛教和亞洲的佛教，你不知道，你們完全不懂的。譬如叫人上香，就拿這個來講。這個住持上香上完了，叫居士來上香，頭一個居士就要給五千塊錢來這上一上香。這個居士就要給五千塊錢，才可以到這兒上一枝香。不是你們覺得誰都可以來這兒上香不付錢的，是特別的出五千塊錢的，甚至於五萬塊，才可以上一枝香。第二個人四千塊錢；第三個人三千塊錢，這是一定的。你到做法會時，誰出的錢最多，誰就是大護法、大居士，你看這是對不對？
待續
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Saturday, August 23, 1975 (evening)
Venerable Master: Dhyana Master Gao Fengmiao always fell asleep during his meditations and so to prevent this he went to sit on top of a mountain. He sat atop a rock which looked like an inverted lotus, and the drop was who knows how far. He knew that if he fell asleep he would fall over the edge and be smashed to a pulp. The first day he sat very well. The second day went fine. But on the third day he dozed off and slipped over the edge. "I'm finished!" he thought, but just then Weitou Bodhisattva reached out his hand and snatched him out of the air.
Gao Fengmiao thought, "Weitou Bodhisattva is protecting me. How many cultivators are there like me in the world?"
"There are as many as the hairs on a cow," answered Weitou, "and since you are so arrogant, I won't protect your Dharma for the next eighty thousand great eons."
Hearing this, Gao Fengmiao was deeply ashamed. He repented earnestly. He cried and cried until he even forgot about sleeping. He cried himself into a stupor, forgetting everything, until suddenly, as if waking from a dream, he realized, "Before I knew that Weitou was protecting my Dharma, I cultivated the Way. Now, I will continue to cultivate whether he protects me or not. And he sat down again, more determined than ever. It wasn't long, however, before he fell asleep again and fell over the edge. Oddly enough, the same hand reached out and caught him.
"Who's that protecting my Dharma?" he asked. "It's me, Weitou Bodhisattva," came the reply. "Hey, Old Wei," said Gao Fengmiao, "You don't keep the precepts either. You told a lie." "I did not," countered Weitou. "You said you wouldn't protect my Dharma for eighty thousand eons and here you are protecting my Dharma," challenged Gao Fengmiao. Weitou replied, "Because of your one thought of genuine repentance, you overstepped eighty thousand great eons of retribution and so I came to save you."
The important point was that in his one thought of repentance, he was able to cancel out, to pass beyond, as it were, eighty thousand eons. That should answer your question. If the "schedule" for enlightenment was fixed, it would turn into a dead dharma, not a live dharma. It would be a fixed dharma, and there simply are no fixed dharmas. Shakyamuni Buddha cultivated for three great asamkhyeyas of eons, but that's just a manner of speaking. Three great asamkhyeyas of eons don't go beyond a single thought; one thought is just three great asamkhyeyas of eons. Haven't you been listening to the Avatamsaka Sutra? Do you know how many great asamkhyeyas of eons you have already cultivated? Maybe you have been cultivating for six great asamkhyeyas of eons.
Disciple: Perhaps not.
Venerable Master: How do you know that you weren't a louse on the body of a Dharma Master who recited "Om Mani Padme Hum"?
Disciple: Perhaps I still am.
Venerable Master: Guo Lin, what question did you want to ask? You can't come out to ask questions during the time when people are reciting the Buddha's name. That shows a total disregard for the rules.
Disciple: The Gold Mountain Doctrine in two separate places says that "we do not change," and it also contains the phrase, "make revolution in the Sangha."
Venerable Master: The phrase "making revolution in the Sangha" is not part of the doctrine itself. The first three statements are the Gold Mountain Doctrine: "Freezing, we do not scheme. Starving, we do not beg. Dying of poverty, we ask for nothing." What follows is the transmitting of the Buddha's mind-seal in accord with true principle.
Disciple: I was wondering, since you are the Orthodox Dharma, how can you advocate revolution?
Venerable Master: It is just because we are the Orthodox Dharma that we need a revolution. Every place else, it's the Dharma-ending Age. If you don't reform the Dharma-ending Age, you're neglecting your responsibility. Revolution refers to revolution in the Dharma-ending Age, not in the Orthodox Dharma. You don't realize how things are done in Asian Buddhism. For example, during the Incense Praise, the abbot lights the first stick of incense and when he is done he signals to the lay people to offer incense. The one who wants to light the first stick has to pay $5,000 or $50,000 [added during translation] and only then can he approach the altar. Not just anyone can go up and light incense. The first person to light incense pays $5,000, the second, $4,000, and the third, $3,000. That's a fixed rule. In the Dharma assembly, the one who gives the most money is the greatest Dharma protector. Do you think this is right?
To be continued
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