上人：這種道理和上帝的有所不同，她說：「我最偉大。我創造了世界，我最清淨，我就是究竟實相！」對上帝的這種講法，有人會說，「你既然是唯一真實的，為什麼要講這些謊話呢？」還有人會說，「如果你講的是真的，你為什麼一定要讓人人都知道呢？這不很謙虛罷！」只有天真愚癡的人才會說「啊，是的！他是真的。」
許多西方人還不相信佛法，以為這不過是種迷信的神秘學。然而他們卻建立、修持一種一神教。上帝說，「我是上帝。」人人都可以說：「我是上帝！我是上帝的父親！基督自稱為神子，那我就是上帝的父親！」這些都是言語而已。要認清究竟哪個正確，我們必須研究他們講的道理。
福克斯先生：是的，西方人對佛法還很無知，誤解也很多。在通訊如此進步之下，這是奇怪的事。當然，真理與謬論似乎以同樣的速度傳播著。
上人：善惡真假是人區別它們時才存在。本來並沒有真假，是人建立起來的，所以你以為是真的就真，你以為是假的就假。
中國「太平天國」叛亂時，領導人靠自稱為上帝而得到權力。他說，「神來了，近了，近了，來了，…祂在這兒！這些是我們必須要做的事！」他講話好像他有上帝的力量似的，他領導的革命有十年之長。可是當革命結束了，劍落下來後，「上帝」的頭也落了下來。
《華嚴經》說，「一切唯心造」，科學技術和哲學，所有的進步都是從哪兒來的？都是從心裡來的；一切都生於人心，所以學習佛法，認識到一切唯心造，心外無物是關鍵。
福克斯先生：有人說，「從天文學上看，人是微不足道的。」可從天文學上看的天文學家卻是人。那誰才是微不足道的呢？
上人：人不小，宇宙也不大；沒有人就沒有宇宙。如果不是為了人，就沒有鬼也沒有佛，因為人才能認識他們；如果沒有人，佛能有甚麼做為呢？一切都是我們創造的，我們是其中的一部分。
這和上帝的立場不同，上帝說，「只有我是真的，你們都是假的。」上帝不說凡人是上帝，上帝是凡人，可是佛法說眾生就是佛；佛就是眾生，沒有不平等，沒有說佛是真的，眾生是假的。因為沒有眾生，就沒有佛，佛就是眾生成的，說一個是真，其他是假，這很沒有道理的。
福克斯先生：我讀到佛教中有許多宗派，這是怎麼回事？
上人：和一切事物一樣，所有的宗教都是眾生業緣的感應。佛法與其他宗教沒有甚麼不同。你懂的道理越多，就越不必要去討論些小問題。你談的道理越廣大，就越接近真理。所有的宗教最初建立時，都是要規矩人們的行為，叫人「諸惡莫做、眾善奉行」可是人起了分別心之後，宗派就出現了，很快就「眾惡奉行。」有宗派的地方往往有許多爭鬥：天主教說他們的經典是真的，新教是異端；佛教徒說只有佛教是圓滿的。佛教徒的這種講法並不太糟，因為圓滿的要以那些本身不圓滿的部分為體才能成就。真正圓滿的一定要包括所有不圓滿的才行。離了不圓滿，就談不上圓滿。可這還只是言談而已。
有一天廟裡來了個人問我，「佛教是不是真比所有其他的宗教都高呢？」我告訴他，宗教沒有高下，宗教只是給人治病的藥；藥吃夠了，病治好了，還繼續吃藥做甚麼？
西方告訴人世界是上帝造的，可是如果世界是上帝造的，為什麼他造得這麼糟糕？為什麼每樣東西都不平等？為什麼世界上有這麼多麻煩？
佛法認為一切都是眾生的因緣業報，並不是我或其他人告訴你去做甚麼。你所做的事，不是外在強迫的。一切都是人自己業行果報的表現。許多人說上帝造萬物，要是這樣的話，他為什麼要這樣做呢？是否為了有人敬拜他呢？若真如此，這位「上帝」肯定是自私的。
正確行為的標準並非是指這個對，那個錯，正確的行為合乎真理。世界上一切事，完全都是按著因果緣起發生的。比如說，你的兒子如果沒有「助因」和「業緣」，就不會到這兒來，更不用說成比丘了。我知道在他來之前，他是很懶的，可現在因緣成熟了，他有恆心而且精進。
福克斯先生：我認識到我兒子真是走在正確的路上了，我很高興。只可惜我們住處相距太遠。如果往來能更方便些，我們就能更經常見面了。
上人：沒有東西能離開你的自性。想想我們今天談的道理，如果你真明白了，千里如在目前；如果完全不明白，目前如相距千里。依著你所明白的道理去修行才是真的。
比如我寫的《水鏡回天錄》裡講到常仁大師，他是我在中國時廟上的方丈。無論我們離得多遠，他都準確知道我在哪，在幹甚麼。我也知道他在哪，在幹甚麼。我們時時刻刻都這樣，不用電報雷達。這是不是個奇蹟呢？
福克斯先生：真是不可思議！
（全文完） |
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Venerable Master: This principle differs somewhat from that of "God", who says, "I am the greatest." "I created the world and I am the most pure." "I am the ultimate reality!" In reply to this "God", one might ask, "Well, if you are the only real one, why do you hang around with all these phonies?" or one could ask. "If that is really how it is, why do you have to tell everybody? That's certainly not very modest." Only the naive and stupid say, "Ah, yes! He is real."
Many people in the West do not yet believe in the Buddhadharma. They think that it is just superstitious mysticism. Yet, at the same time, they establish and practice a religion with just one god who says, "I'm God." Well, anybody can say that: "I'm God! No! I'm God's dad. Jesus said that he was God's son; well I'm God's father." This all just talking. Ultimately, to recognize what is real, we must examine the principles which are taught.
Mr. Fox: Yes, there is a great deal of ignorance and misunderstanding among Westerners with regard to Buddhism. This is strange considering the great advancements made in communications. Of course, it seems that truth and falseness are communicated with equal speed.
Venerable Master: Good and bad as well as true and false exist only because people recognize them as much. Originally there is no true and false; people establish them. So, what you think of as true is true, and what you think of as false is false.
In China, the leader of the Taiping Rebellion gained his power by calling himself God. He would say, "The spirit is coming, closer, closer, here it comes...Ah! Here it is! Here's what has to be done!" He spoke as if he possessed the power of God and led a revolution that lasted for ten years. But when the revolution was over and the sword fell, God's head went with it.
The Avatamsaka Sutra says, "Everything is made from the mind alone." Science, technology, and philosophy, all progress. Where do
they come from? They come from the mind. All things are produced from the mind of man. So, in studying the Buddhadharma, it is essential to realize that everything is made from the mind alone, and that there is nothing outside of the mind.
Mr. Fox: It has been said, "On the astronomical scale, man is insignificant." Yet man is also the "astronomer." Who, then, is insignificant?"
Venerable Master: People are not small and the universe is not big. If there were no men, then there would be no universe. If it were not for men, then there would be no ghosts and no Buddhas either, because it is only men who recognize them. If there were no men, what possible function could the Buddha perform. It is all made by us, and we are part of it. This does not accord with the position of God who says, "I alone am true: you are all false." God does not say that ordinary men are God and God is just ordinary people. But in the Buddhadharma, it says, "Living beings are just the Buddha; the Buddha is just living beings." There is no inequality. It is not said that the Buddha is real and living beings are false, because without living beings, there would be no Buddha. Buddhas come from living beings. To talk of one being true and the other false has no principle.
Mr. Fox: "I have read that there are many sects in Buddhism. What about that?"
Venerable Master: "All religions, as well as everything else, manifest in response to the karmic conditions of living beings. The Buddhadharma is no different from any other religion. The more principle you understand, the less is it necessary to discuss little points. The more expansive the principle you speak, the closer you approach truth. Originally all religions were established to regulate conduct, so that men would not do any bad, but instead offer up all good. But as soon as men discriminate, sectarianism appears, and men are soon offering up all bad. Where sectarianism develops, there is often a great deal of quarreling. The Catholics say that they have the true doctrine and that the Protestants are heretics, and so forth. Then the Buddhists say that only the Buddha's teaching is really full and
complete. Well, this talk of Buddhists is not too bad, because what is completely full accomplishes its substance from those parts which are not in themselves complete. What is truly complete must include everything which is incomplete. Without the incomplete, it would be impossible to speak of the complete. But, this is still just talk.
One day, a visitor to this temple asked me, "Isn't it true that Buddhism is higher than all other religions?" I told him that there is no high or low with respect to religions. Religions are simply medicines to cure the ills of men. After having taken enough medicine to completely cure the illness, why continue to take medicine?
Here in the West, it is taught that this world is made by God. Alright, but if God made this world, then why did he do such a poor job? Why is everything not just and equal? Why is there so much trouble in this world?
The Buddhadharma explains that everything is the result of the karmic causes and conditions of living beings. It is not the case that I or anyone else tells you to do what you do. Nothing you do is imposed from without. All manifestations are retribution for the karmic actions of men. It is said by many that God made the myriad things. If so, why did he do it? Did he do it so that there would be someone to respect and worship him? If this is really the case, then this "God" is certainly selfish.
The standard of proper conduct is not a matter of this being right and that being wrong. Proper conduct accords with true principle. Everything which happens in the world is in perfect accord with the interacting conditions of cause and effect. Your son, for example, could not have come here if he did not have co-operating causes, the karmic conditions. How much the less could he become a bhikshu? I know that before he came here, he was really very lazy, but now as the conditions ripen, he has become constant and vigorous.
Mr. Fox: I see that my son has really found the right path to follow. This pleases me. I only regret that we live so far apart. If it were more convenient, we would all be able to see each other more often.
Venerable Master: There is nothing which is apart from your own self-nature. Think about the principles we have discussed today. If you fully understand, then even at a distance often thousand miles, we are face-to-face. If there is no understanding, then even at the time when we are face-to-face, we are ten thousand miles apart. Practicing the principles that you understand is the only real thing. For example, in the book which I have written, Reflections in Water and Mirrors: Turning the Tides of Destiny, there are accounts of events in life of the Venerable High Master Chang Ren, who was the abbot of a temple where I lived in China. No matter how far apart we were, he knew exactly where I was and what I was doing, and I knew where he was and what he was doing. We were like this every moment of every day, and yet we needed no telegraph or radar. Is this miraculous or not?
Mr. Fox: That is truly inconceivable.
(The End) |
