一‧楔子
每年春天，在萬佛城有兩個大法會；一是萬佛懺，一是華嚴法會。法會期間正是萬物萌發，草木欣欣向榮之際，也是群樹更新換葉的季節。老葉已落，新葉初萌，片片油亮翠綠，煥發活潑的生命力，莊嚴清淨的道場，帶給佛子們無比清新的感受。每次看著那以新葉的青翠莊嚴自己的老樹，我就連想到這兩個法會，領受到懺悔法門的奧妙和深義。每次在禮拜萬佛，懺悔業障，誦讀《華嚴經》領會普賢菩薩行願時，便學習老樹換葉的精神，讓自己的習氣罪業如同凋落的老葉，化為泥裡的肥料，改惡向善如老樹以新萌的善葉莊嚴自己。
學佛十年，於「懺悔」法門獲益良多；其中富含的深奧人生哲理，是我們進德修業的修身之道。對修行人來說，是修道遠途上披荊斬棘的開路先鋒，蘊含大慈大悲的智慧。
這學期著手寫畢業論文，題目是《華嚴經入法界品》，為深入契合華嚴義海，我針對「華嚴懺」做一個粗淺的探討。但盼我直心的領會，不違釋迦之教，對現代人理解實踐《華嚴經》妙法有所俾益，若有謬誤，懇請善知識慈悲指正。
二‧懺悔法門在中國的發展
「懺悔」這一法門，對修學佛法來講是至關緊要的，普賢菩薩十大行願中第四願即是「懺悔業障」，可見在佛陀的教法中，自來即有這個功課。比如出家人依佛制半月舉行誦戒布薩，在誦戒前如有毀犯，必要在大眾前發露懺悔。在家人在皈依儀式中，懺摩儀式更為重要，必以清淨身口意三業，感發戒體。如五戒，一般是以懺悔文和受戒前禮佛，至心求懺悔；菩薩戒則必須個別向羯磨師一一發露，從小至大，所造一切惡過。它有重新做人的象徵意義。
懺悔法門在大乘佛教中是至為重要的一個法門。中國人歡喜禮懺法會，因此印度佛教傳到中國之後衍發出禮懺的行門，出家人作懺本。譬如「梁皇寶懺」是誌公禪師應梁武帝請，為超薦皇后郗氏脫離蟒身而作；「慈悲三昧水懺」是悟達國師為超薦人面瘡而作。佛教以救度眾生為本懷，從己身因緣憫念眾生苦，而宣揚禮懺之法。除了以上兩種懺法之外，還有「萬佛懺」、「千佛懺」、「藥師懺」、「華嚴懺」、「法華懺」、「楞嚴懺」、「占察懺」、「大悲懺」等天臺懺門，懺門不可謂不多，行之於中國一千多年。中國人對拜懺特別有感應心得，形成中國佛教的一大特色，這是和南傳佛教非常不同的地方。
拜懺原為懺悔業障，為修道的階石。但在中國佛教發展過程中，它受到道教祈福免禍，交換利益式的教風影響，忽略了天臺懺法的禮懺眞義，變成經懺流俗。有的佛寺以此為經濟來源，敗壞教風，莫此為甚。現代佛教要振興教風，不能不以此為殷鑑。
三‧懺悔的真義
懺悔的中文字意，兩字都以「心」部，表示誠懇的懺悔是要出自內心。「悔」字是以「心」、「每」聲，每天心裡要悔過。
待續 |
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I. Preface
Two major Dharma assemblies take place at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas every spring. One is the Ten Thousand Buddhas Repentance and the other is the Avatamsaka Dharma Assembly. Everything is in bloom during these Dharma sessions. At the same time, it's the season of change. Fresh green leaves grow lushly and with vibrant vitality, adorning this pure monastic community and reinvigorating Buddhist disciples in an incomparable manner. Every time I see older trees bedecked with fresh green leaves, I am reminded of these two Dharma assemblies, and again sense the profound wonder and significance of repentances. Every time I bow to the 10,000 Buddhas to repent of my karmic obstacles and every time I read and recite the Avatamsaka Sutra, understanding Universal Worthy Bodhisattva's conduct and vows further, I learn the spirit of an aging tree turning over a new leaf. I let my habits and offenses fall and wilt, just as the leaves become fertilizer for the soil. I learn to turn away from evil and move toward goodness, just as the aging tree decorates itself with budding leaves of goodness.
Having studied the Buddhadharma for ten years now, I have gained a lot from the practice of repentance. It embodies an outlook on life that is profound and provides a way for us to cultivate our karma and advance our virtue. To cultivators, this is the pioneering practice of great kindness and compassionate wisdom, blazing a trail on the long and obstacle-ridden road of cultivation.
Since I am in the process of writing my graduation thesis on "The Chapter on Entering the Dharma Realm" in the Flower Adornment Sutra, I have researched the Avatamsaka repentance in particular, in order to deeply enter and assimilate the Avatamsaka's sea of meanings. I only hope that my instinctive understanding does not clash with the teachings of Shakyamuni. I also hope that people during this time and age will reap some benefit from understanding and applying the wonderful Dharma within the Avatamsaka Sutra. I earnestly request that good advisors kindly correct any mistakes that I make.
II. The Development of Repentance in China
Repentance is most critical in cultivating and learning the Buddhadharma. The fourth vow of Universal Worthy Bodhisattva's ten great vows is "to repent and reform karmic obstructions." Evidently, there has always been this particular practice according to the Buddha's teachings. For instance, monks and nuns recite the pratimoksha every half a month. Anyone who has violated a precept must repent in front of the assembly before they recite the precepts. Karmavachana (formal procedure) is especially important in the refuge ceremony for laity. Lay people must purify their three karmas of body, mouth, and mind to generate the precept substance. With the Five Precepts, for example, one typically repents from the depth of one's heart by reading the repentance text and bowing to the Buddhas before receiving the precepts. With regard to the Bodhisattva Precepts, one must individually reveal every act of evil, whether large or small, to the Karmavachana Master. This symbolizes a new birth, a way to begin anew.
Repentance is a most important practice within Mahayana Buddhism. The Chinese enjoy Dharma assemblies for bowing and repenting. Hence, repentances that include bowing appeared after Buddhism came to China by way of India. Monastics wrote and compiled repentance texts, such as that of "Jeweled Repentance of the Emperor of Liang." Dhyana Master Zhi wrote this repentance at the request of Emperor Wu of the Liang Dynasty to release the former queen Xi from the body of a python. "The Repentance of Compassionate Samadhi Water" was written by National Master Wuda to cure a sore that appeared as a human face on the emperor's knee. Buddhism's main goal is to save all beings; one empathizes with and is mindful of all beings' suffering while observing one's own causes and conditions. As a result, Buddhism promotes the practice of bowing repentances. Besides the above two repentances, there are also the "Ten Thousand Buddhas Repentance", "One Thousand Buddhas Repentance," "Medicine Master's Repentance," "The Avatamsaka Repentance," "The Dharma Flower Repentance," "The Shurangama Repentance," "The Divination Repentance," "The Great Compassion Repentance," and other repentances of the Tiantai School. There is no small number of repentances that have been practiced in China for more than one thousand years. The Chinese especially felt the responsiveness and reaped insights from bowing repentances, thus effecting this major feature in Chinese Buddhism, which is very different from Theravadan Buddhism.
To bow repentances is to repent of one's karmic obstructions, and is a stepping stone in the cultivation of the Way. In the development of Buddhism in China, however, the practice of repentance was influenced by the Taoist custom of praying for blessings to eliminate calamities. Consequently, the true meaning of the Tiantai Repentance Dharma was overlooked, and repentance became secular in nature. Nothing is worse for Buddhism than the commercialization of repentance in nonorthodox Buddhist monasteries. If Buddhism is to flourish again, it must closely examine such phenomena.
III. The True Meaning of Repentance and Reform Both of the Chinese characters for repentance and reform, 懺悔, contain the radical for "heart," signifying that sincere repentance and reform must come from the heart. The character for reform 悔 is composed of the radicals "every [day]" and "heart."
To be continued |
