我們這個性靈也是，你若會用，它那個智慧光明就現出來了；你若不會用，也就像一棵樹似的，不認識的人只可以燒火。生了又死，死了又生。我們佛教，所以和其他的宗教有多少不同，其他宗教都是你人做不到的，只有佛教，佛是一個大智慧者，他叫我們人人都開智慧，人人開了智慧都可以成佛。
成佛就是怎麼樣子？成佛就是不爭、不貪、不求、不自私、不自利、不打妄語。說「就那麼簡單嗎？」嗯！就那麼簡單！你做到這六大宗旨那就是佛，就恐怕你人做不到。說是說我不爭了，事情來了，還是一樣爭；說是我不貪了，到那個利害交關的時候，還是要貪；說我不求了，等到我需要的時候，還是要求；說我不自私了，那麼有這個很重要的地方，還要自私；不自利，還是要自利。說是不自利、不自私，但是那個境界來了，還是放不下，看不破，又加上打妄語；打妄語這一點，你不用學，每一個人都會打妄語。你若說他打妄語，他就說這是方便語；方便，他應該這樣說。你看！這有什麼辦法？妄語他當做方便語；方便語，他就認為是應該的。那麼就這個六大宗旨，你要是徹底把它認識了，徹底能照著做，那就距離成佛不遠了。雖然不能說即刻成佛，但是也離佛不遠了。
那麼這不是說「云何尊重己靈」嗎？怎麼對己靈要尊重呢？就是你要重視你自己這個佛性，不要把它糟蹋了。你不要拿著可以做佛龕或者做供桌，這麼很有價值的東西拿它燒火了，那就一點價值也沒有了。所以這要尊重己靈。第七點發菩提心的因緣就要尊重己靈，你不要自己把自己看輕了，你要自己尊重自己這一種智慧，所以才說「云何尊重己靈」。
「謂我現前一心」：這個己靈也就是你的心。這一念的心，也不是過去心，也不是未來心，就是現前這一念心。「直下與釋迦如來」：本來應該說直上的。這個直下是說從佛那兒，到我們這兒，這是直下。我們這兒應該是直上的。直上和釋迦牟尼佛，「無二無別」：沒有兩樣。釋迦牟尼佛也是用這個己靈成的佛，用他的心成的佛；我們也是用這個己靈，用心成佛，所以我們這個心和佛是無二無別的，沒有兩樣的。「云何世尊」：可是既然一樣的，為什麼佛已經在無量劫來，「早成正覺」？早就成佛了？正覺也是佛。「而我等昏迷」：而我等現在還是在這兒昏迷，沒有覺悟，在「顛倒」的裏邊，「尚做凡夫」？那麼我們為什麼不成佛，仍然做凡夫呢？
「又佛世尊」：又說佛「則具有無量神通智慧。」他有六種神通，就是天眼通、天耳通、他心通、宿命通、漏盡通、神足通，這六通；又有三身，是法身、化身、報身：法報化這三身；又有四智，就是平等性智、妙觀察智、成所作智、大圓鏡智，有這四種的智慧；五眼，就有佛眼、法眼、慧眼、天眼、肉眼：佛有這五眼六通。天眼通能看見天上，一切天人的動作，他都知道；天耳通，天人所講的話，他能聽他知道；他心通，這就是彼此之間，你這心裏動一念，他已經知道你那兒在想什麼，不要說出來，這叫他心通；宿命通，就是你前生是個牛啊是個馬啊，是個人哪是個豬啊，他一看就知道。甚至於，你前生再前生，生生世世作過多少世人，多少世馬，多少世驢，多少世飛禽，多少世螞蟻，多少世蚊蟲，都知道的，所以有這個神通智慧。「功德莊嚴」：他怎麼有這個神通智慧呢？就因為他有功德，功德圓滿了。莊嚴，就是萬德莊嚴其身。
待續
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Our spiritual nature is the same; if you know how to use it, then the bright light of wisdom will manifest. If you don't know how to use it, then it is like a tree which is used for firewood by people who don't understand its usefulness; that's why we are born and die. Buddhism is different from other religions because the Buddha is a wise, enlightened one who teaches us how to develop our wisdom. When our wisdom opens up, we can become Buddhas. Other religions do not agree.
How can one become a Buddha? To become a Buddha involves not fighting, not being greedy, not seeking, not being selfish, not pursuing personal advantage, and not lying. You say, "Is it that simple?" Yes! It's that simple! If you can put the six guiding principles into practice, then that is Buddhahood. But it is not easy to carry out these six principles. You may say, "I will not fight," but when you get into a disagreement, you still fight. You may say, "I will not be greedy," but when things reach a crucial point, you are still greedy. The same goes for not seeking, not being selfish, and not pursuing personal advantage. When you are in trying circumstances, you still selfishly seek personal gain. You become attached and cannot let go of matters. On top of that, you lie. Everyone knows how to lie—you don't have to teach them. If you say that someone is lying, he will say that he is using expedient means. If he regards lying as being an expedient means, what can you do?
If you thoroughly understand these six guiding principles and really put them into practice, then you are not far from being a Buddha. Even though you can't instantly become a Buddha, you are not far from being a Buddha.
What is reverence for our own spiritual nature? How do we protect our own spiritual nature? We should carefully observe our own Buddha nature and not ruin it.
For example, this very valuable table could be used as an altar or an offering table, but if you burn it, then it will have no value. We should revere our own spiritual nature. The seventh cause and condition for resolving the mind upon Bodhi is reverence of our own spiritual nature. We should revere our own wisdom and not take it lightly.
It is right now in a single thought: this spiritual nature is the single thought right now. It is neither the past nor the future, but the present. In one true thought, I can directly be one with Shakyamuni Thus Come One without any difference at all. Our true mind is the same as the Buddha's true mind; they are not two. Shakyamuni used this spiritual nature and cultivated to become a Buddha, so there is no difference at all. Why is it then that the World Honored One realized Proper Enlightenment an infinite number of eons ago, yet we are still muddled, confused, and upside down—still only ordinary people?
The Buddha, the World Honored One, has also perfected infinite spiritual penetrations and wisdom. He has the six spiritual penetrations, which are: the Penetration of the Heavenly Eye, the Penetration of the Heavenly Ear, the Penetration of Others' Thoughts, the Penetration of Past Lives, the Penetration of the Exhaustion of Outflows, and the Penetration of the Complete Spirit.
The Buddha has Three Bodies: the Dharma Body, the transformation bodies, and the Reward Body. He also possesses the Four Wisdoms, which are: the wisdom of equality, the wisdom of wonderful contemplation, the wisdom of accomplishment, and the great perfect mirror wisdom.
He has Five Eyes: the Buddha eye, the Dharma eye, the wisdom eye, the heavenly eye, and the flesh eye.
These are the Five Eyes and the Six Penetrations. People with the penetration of the heavenly eye can know and see the movements of all the gods in the heavens.
People with the heavenly ear can hear and understand what the gods are talking about. Those with the penetration of others' thoughts are able to know what is on your mind as soon as you have a thought. Someone with the penetration of past lives is able to know whether you were a cow, a horse, a person, or a pig before, just by looking at you. He knows what you were in your last life or the lives before that. He knows how many times in your past lives you were a person, a horse, a mule, a bird, an ant, a fly, and so forth.
The adornments of merit and virtue: How did these people come to have the spiritual penetrations and wisdom? It is because they have merit and virtue. Once their merit and virtue are complete, their bodies are adorned by the myriad virtues.
To be continued |
