這個貪吃的人，常常作夢就會吃東西，想要吃的東西，就會夢見吃的。一吃，吃得很飽，把肚子脹得很厲害，完了就醒了。醒了覺得吃的這個香味還在口裏！就想，「唉！這是什麼東西？」或「這個味道真好，又香又甜。還能不能再作這個夢呢？」你說這個夢有沒有什麼用處？我說這個夢用處最大。為什麼呢？不需要吃飯就會飽了，作完了夢，吃完了東西也不餓了。你說這個夢，這永遠應該作這些夢，就不需要吃飯。和這一種的夢，其餘的夢都有差不多情形。你們想一想。
人要熱了作夢就會夢到火，要冷呢，作夢就會夢到冰或者水。好像你睡覺的時候蓋的blanket，蓋的毯啊被啊或者少了，睡著凍就覺得有人往身上潑水。或者你願意打坐，這個作夢的時候就參禪打坐，在那坐著如如不動，比醒來的時候坐得更好。或者你歡喜念佛，在夢中念佛，或者你歡喜拜懺，睡夢中也拜懺。你歡喜持戒，在睡覺中也不破戒。這都是好的。能幫助你修行，這都是好的；不幫助你修行，那就沒有大的意思。明天這個經文也講作夢，今天不要講那麼多。這一些個法門，你要能修，全修也可以，專修一個法門也可以；你能全修這也一樣成功，你能專修一個法門也可以成功。修法門就是叫人沒有妄想，放下這一切的執著。你要沒有執著了，沒有妄想了，你修什麼法門都會相應的，你要在這個法上，你再生出一個法來，有所執著，你就修什麼法也不會成功的。
雷音幢相道場神，得隨一切眾生心所樂，令見佛於夢中為說法解脫門。
雷音幢相是這道場神的名字，這一位道場神，他得到佛的境界，能隨一切眾生的心所樂，隨就是隨順，隨順一切眾生的心所歡喜的。令見佛於夢中為說法，令這一切的眾生，都能在夢中見到佛，佛就為他說法。那麼這個人作夢，有很好的夢。你的白天所見的，所遇著的這種境界，有的時候在夢裏就現出來，這是一種回憶的夢。有的境界還沒有來你就作夢夢見這種境界，這是未來的一種神通的夢。有的過去的夢，有的現在的夢，有的未來的夢，種種的夢都是不清淨的。你要能夢見佛，夢見菩薩，或者夢見阿羅漢來跟你說法，令你開大智慧，這都是一種清淨的夢。
這夢本來是虛妄的，有的時候它也有事實現出來，所以這個夢也都不一樣的。因為這個所以你在夢的時候要能覺悟這是最好的。能見到佛，佛又給你說法，這是一種好的夢。
這一位雷音幢相神他就得到這一種的解脫門。雨華妙眼道場神，得能雨一切難捨眾寶莊嚴具解脫門。
雨華妙眼是這個道場神的名字，他得到能雨一切難捨的眾寶莊嚴具。猶如下雨一樣，他這個下雨，言其布施得多，布施一切難捨的眾寶，難捨的眾寶也就是最稀有的一種寶貝。這種寶貝，你就有錢也不容易買得到，所以誰要得到這種的寶貝就捨不得了。那麼現在能雨，佛這種境界能布施一般人所不能捨的這個眾寶，所以叫難捨眾寶。莊嚴具，和種種的莊嚴，種種的這種寶的莊嚴，妙寶的莊嚴。所以這一位雨華妙嚴道場神，他明白佛的境界就是難捨能捨，不能布施的他也布施。好像外邊的國城妻子，他都能布施，內裏頭的身心性命、頭目腦髓他都能布施。
這一位道場神他得到這一種境界解脫門。
清淨燄形道場神，得能現妙莊嚴道場，廣化眾生，令成熟解脫門。華櫻垂髻道場神，得隨根說法，令生正念解脫門。雨寶莊嚴道場神，得能以辯才普雨無邊歡喜法解脫門。
清淨燄形是道場神的名字，他得到佛的境界能普現妙莊嚴道場，普遍現出來一種妙莊嚴的道場。廣化一切眾生，令一切眾生都成熟，成熟就是早成佛道，他得到這種解脫。
華纓垂髻道場神，華纓垂髻是這個道場神的名字，他得到隨根說法，隨眾生的根性來給眾生說法。大根大智的人，佛就給他說最上乘的法，中根中智的人，佛就給說中乘的法，那麼小根小智的人，佛就給說小乘的法，隨眾生的根性而給眾生來說法。令生正念，令一切眾生捨邪歸正。什麼叫邪念？你執著這個貪瞋癡這就是邪念。什麼是正念？你勤修戒定慧這個就是正念。令一切眾生都息滅貪瞋癡，勤修戒定慧，這一位道場神，他得到這種的解脫門。
雨寶莊嚴道場神，這個雨還是和前面那個雨是一樣的，雨一切的妙寶來莊嚴一切道場。他得到能以無礙的辯才，普雨無邊歡喜法解脫門，普遍來散佈無邊的歡喜法，令一切眾生都皆大歡喜，說這種的法，得到這種的解脫。
勇猛香眼道場神，得廣稱讚諸佛功德解脫門。
勇猛香眼是這個道場神的名字，他明白佛的境界，得廣稱讚諸佛功德解脫門。廣稱讚就不是在一個地方來稱讚佛的功德，在所有的十方盡虛空，遍法界諸佛國土，他都稱揚讚歎諸佛的功德。那麼有的人聽經聽到這個地方也就生出一種世俗的見解，說，「哦，諸佛也歡喜人讚歎的啊！歡喜人讚歎這還是一種有情的表現。」所以說諸佛也有情感。所以有的魚目混珠這種佛教就說了，說，「佛就是有情，有情就是佛。」是不是這樣子呢？不是的，佛並不歡喜眾生來讚歎他。你讚歎他，他也不歡喜，你譭謗他，他也不發脾氣；毀譽不動，順逆如如。佛是，你譭謗他，他也不動，還是如如不動；你讚歎他，他還是如如不動，遇到逆的境界還是如如不動，因為他照了諸法實相。
佛是世界一個大明白人，明白一切的道理，所以他是寂然不動，覺然常明。不像我們這個知見，你說他兩句好話，他就像吃糖那麼歡喜。你說他一句不好聽的話，他就比吃黃蓮還苦，比吃辣椒更辣，所以這是眾生的知見。那為什麼又要讚佛呢？因為我們眾生讚佛的功德，我們也就增長功德，所以讚佛就是讚自己，你讀自己也就是讚佛。說，「那我就時時讚歎我自己啦！說我自己是天上天下唯我獨尊了，我自己是世界最聰明者，大智慧者。」你要真是大智慧者，可以讚自己，你要不是，想要圖一個虛名，那是沒有用的。所以要有真實的功夫，你百戰百勝，和誰作戰都會勝。你要沒有功夫，你說我是個大英雄，我的武術比任何人都高超，一作戰就失敗了，這是沒有用的。所以這個佛怎樣成了佛呢？就廣讚、稱讚佛的功德，以後他自己就成佛了。
這一個勇猛香眼道場神，他得到這種的解脫門。
待續 |
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People who are greedy for food often dream about eating. In their dream, they stuff their bellies full eating their favorite food, and then they wake up with the taste still in their mouth. "What was I eating that was so sweet and delicious?" they wonder. "I wish I could have that dream again." Would you call that a useful dream? I'd say it's a most useful dream—you get full without having eaten anything! You eat your fill in your dream, and then you're not hungry. You should always have this kind of dream. Then you don't need to eat. Other dreams are pretty much the same.
When people feel hot, they dream of fire. Those who are cold have dreams about ice or water. For example, if you get chilled as you sleep because your blanket falls away, you might dream that someone poured cold water over you. If you like to meditate, then in your dream you might sit very still and motionless in meditation, sitting even better than when you are awake. If you like to recite the Buddha's name, you might do that in your dreams. If you enjoy bowing in repentance, you may find yourself bowing in your dreams. If you like to hold the precepts, you won't break the precepts even in your dreams. These are good dreams, because they help you cultivate. If your dreams are not beneficial to your cultivation, then you should not attach much significance to them. Tomorrow's Sutra text talks about dreams, so we won't say too much today.
As for these Dharma doors, you can cultivate all of them or just one. Whether you cultivate all of them or concentrate on just one, you can be successful. The purpose of cultivating a Dharma door is to help us get rid of false thinking and renounce all attachments. Once you are free of attachments and false thinking, you will be able to gain a response in whatever Dharma door you cultivate. If you become attached to the Dharma, creating a concept of "Dharma" in addition to the Dharma itself, you will not succeed at any Dharma you cultivate.
Sutra:
The Way-place Spirit named Thunder-Sound and Banner-like Characteristics obtained the liberation door of according with what living beings like and enabling them to see the Buddhas speak Dharma for them in their dreams.
Commentary:
The next Way-place Spirit is named Thunder-Sound and Banner-like Characteristics. He obtained the state of the Buddha, the liberation door of according with what living beings like, what makes their hearts happy, and enabling them to see the Buddhas speak Dharma for them in their dreams. All living beings get to see the Buddhas in their dreams, and the Buddhas speak Dharma for them. People have all kinds of dreams. The states they see and encounter during the day sometimes appear in their dreams. These are dreams of recollection. Sometimes events that have not yet happened appear in dreams. These are dreams involving psychic knowledge of the future. All these various dreams involving the past, the present, or the future are impure. Pure dreams are dreams in which you see Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, or Arhats speak Dharma for you, enabling you to develop great wisdom.
Dreams are basically unreal. Occasionally, however, they may manifest something real. There are different kinds of dreams. Therefore, the very best thing is to awaken as you are dreaming. If you see the Buddha and he speaks Dharma for you, your dream is a good one.
This Way-place Spirit named Thunder-Sound and Banner-like Characteristics obtained this liberation door.
Sutra:
The Way-place Spirit named Raining Down Flowers Wondrous Eyes obtained the liberation door of being able to rain down all kinds of adornments made of a myriad treasures that are hard to give up.
Commentary:
The next Way-place Spirit is named Raining Down Flowers Wondrous Eyes. He obtained the liberation door of being able to rain down all kinds of adornments made of a myriad treasures that are hard to give up. He made offerings of a myriad treasures in such profusion that they resembled rain. These treasures were the rarest of precious things, so rare that they could not be obtained at any price. Therefore, once one possesses them, one holds them very dear and cannot bear to give them up. In this state of the Buddha, he could give away these cherished treasures which most people cannot bear to give. He gave away all kinds of adorned articles made of these precious things.
The Way-place Spirit Raining Down Flowers Wondrous Eyes understood the Buddha's state of being able to renounce that which is difficult to renounce. For example, he was able to give away external things such as his country, cities, wife, and children. He was also able to give away his internal wealth—his body, mind, and life, including his head, eyes, brain, and marrow. This Way-place spirit obtained such a door to liberation.
Sutra:
The Way-place Spirit named Pure Blazing Form obtained the liberation door of being able to display marvelously adorned Way-places for the sake of extensively transforming living beings and bringing them to maturity. The Way-place Spirit named Strands of Flowers Draped from the Cowl obtained the liberation door of speaking Dharma according to beings' faculties so that they produce proper thoughts. The Way-place Spirit named Raining Down Jeweled Adornments obtained the liberation door of being able to everywhere rain down boundless dharmas of happiness by means of eloquence.
Commentary:
The next Way-place Spirit is named Pure Blazing Form. He obtained the state of the Buddha, the liberation door of being able to everywhere display marvelously adorned Way-places for the sake of extensively transforming all living beings and bringing them to maturity, that is, helping them quickly attain the Buddha Way. He obtained this liberation door.
The Way-place Spirit named Strands of Flowers Draped from the Cowl obtained the liberation door of speaking Dharma according to beings' faculties and dispositions. For those with great faculties and wisdom, the Buddha speaks the Dharma of the Great Vehicle, which is superior. For people of average faculties and wisdom, the Buddha speaks the Dharma of the Middle Vehicle. For people of inferior faculties and wisdom, the Buddha speaks the Dharma of the Small Vehicle. The Buddha speaks Dharma according to living beings' faculties, so that they produce proper thoughts, renouncing the deviant and returning to the proper. What are deviant thoughts? They are thoughts of attachment to greed, anger, and stupidity. Proper thoughts involve diligent cultivation of precepts, concentration, and wisdom. So, the Buddha causes all living beings to extinguish greed, anger, and stupidity; and diligently cultivate precepts, concentration, and wisdom. This Way-place spirit attained such a door to liberation.
The Way-place Spirit named Raining Down Jeweled Adornments, similar to one of the previous Way-place spirits, rains down myriads of wondrous treasures to adorn every Way-place. He obtained the liberation door of being able to everywhere rain down and sprinkle boundless dharmas of happiness by means of his unobstructed eloquence, making all living beings happy and joyful. This spirit speaks this kind of Dharma and attained this door to liberation.
Sutra:
The Way-place Spirit named Courageous Fragrance Eyes obtained the liberation door of extensively praising the merit and virtue of the Buddhas.
Commentary:
The Way-place Spirit named Courageous Fragrance Eyes understood the state of the Buddha and obtained the liberation door of extensively praising the merit and virtue of the Buddhas.
"Extensively praising" means extolling and praising the Buddhas' merit and virtue not only in one place, but in all Buddhalands throughout the ten directions, to the ends of empty space and the Dharma Realm.
When some people hear this explanation, they interpret it in a worldly way, thinking, "Oh, so the Buddhas like to be praised, too! Liking to be praised is a quality of sentient, emotional beings. This proves that the Buddhas also have emotions." There is a type of pseudo-Buddhism that says, "Buddhas are sentient beings, and sentient beings are Buddhas." But is this the case? No. Buddhas do not really enjoy being praised by living beings. You may praise them, but they won't be delighted. You may slander them, but they won't be upset. Praise and slander cannot affect them. Whether the situation is favorable or adverse, they remain in a state of unmoving suchness because they thoroughly understand the reality behind all phenomena.
The Buddhas are those of great understanding in the world. They understand all principles. Therefore, they are tranquil and unmoving, enlightened and always clear. They are not like living beings. If you give them a little praise, they are as happy as if they had candy to eat. If you say one bad thing about them, they feel the comment is more bitter than huanglian [the most bitter of Chinese herbs] and more pungent than hot pepper. That's how living beings take things.
"Well, why should we praise the Buddhas, then?" you ask. When living beings praise the Buddhas, we grow in merit and virtue. In praising the Buddhas, we are actually praising ourselves. Self-praise is also praise of the Buddhas.
"In that case, I'll just praise myself all the time," you say. "I will say: 'In the heavens and below, I alone am honored. I am the most intelligent and wise person in the world.'" If you really are, then it's alright to say that. If you aren't and you hope to create a false reputation by praising yourself, it won't work. You must have genuine gongfu. Then you will be victorious in every battle, no matter who your opponent is. If you lack gongfu, you may claim to be a hero and a martial arts champion, but as soon as someone challenges you, you will be defeated. You will lose every battle. And so, such false claims are useless.
How did the Buddha get to be a Buddha? He extensively praised the merit and virtue of all Buddhas, and so, later on, he himself realized Buddhahood. The Way-place Spirit Courageous Fragrance Eyes obtained this door to liberation.
To be continued
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