就是頭目腦髓、國城妻子––國，他的國家自己不要了，讓給旁人；城，自己的城池財產讓給旁人了，不要了；妻，最不容易捨的，自己的太太他也可以送人；子，兒子也可以送人。所以內的財––頭目腦髓他能布施給人；外的財––國城妻子他都能布施給人。有人需要嗎？他都給你。因為這樣子，所以他是沒有任何人可以比的，沒有任何人能像佛這樣犧牲的，所以修菩提道，他難行能行。「難忍能忍」：人家忍不了的事情，他都能忍。
「因圓果滿」：他種因種得圓滿了，所以他得到果報也就圓滿了，成就了。「遂致成佛」：於是乎就成佛了。
「既成佛已」：既然成佛了，「化緣周訖」：所應該教化的眾生都教化完了，所以他就入涅槃了。 什麼叫涅槃呢？涅槃就是不生不滅，沒有生死了，把生死了了。
「正法像法」：佛在世的時候是正法時代，正法，人就修行，人人都有禪定，人人都會開悟的。那時候一修行就證果；證果就了生死了，這是正法。像法時候就只有形像了，人不真修行。正法時代是禪定堅固，人人往那兒一坐，就入定了。等像法呢，就只有皮毛了，就是寺廟堅固，那時候人人都歡喜造廟，歡喜造佛像，所以叫像法時代。正法一千年，像法也是一千年，現在是末法時代了。末法就是法已經到枝末上了，好像一個樹到那個樹梢上了，所以微乎其微了。正法就是樹根那個時候；像法就是樹梃子那個時候；末法就到末梢上了。末法有多少時間呢？一萬年，所以我們現在還有八千多年，這都是末法時代。
可是末法裏頭若有真修行，這是末法裏頭的正法；末法裏頭有人造廟、修廟、造寺、造佛像，這也是末法的像法；那麼末法也沒有人修行了，造佛像造廟的人都沒有了，那就末法了。等到末法的時候，所有的佛經都沒有了，自己就都毀滅了，只有一部《阿彌陀經》還在世界存在著。《阿彌陀經》在世界上又多住世五百年，五百年以後，連《阿彌陀經》都沒有了，那時候就有一句「阿彌陀佛」了。「阿彌陀佛」這句佛號在世界上又住世一百年，度無量眾生，然後這佛法就沒有了，誰也不懂得念佛了，什麼都不懂了。現在我們還是一個好時候，雖然在末法時代，還可以用功修行。
所以現在是「正法像法，皆已滅盡」：僅存末法了。「有教無人」：末法有佛教存在著，可是沒有修行人，修行人都和佛教的教義相反了。出家人本來不應該吃肉、喝酒、玩女人，可是他這些個事情也都和在家人一樣了，這就沒有法了。佛教還有名詞，可是沒有人修行了。「有人」，是真修行的人，不是一定說弘法的人。沒有真正修行的人，哪有弘法的人呢？自然就沒有了。
這時候怎麼樣呢？就「邪正不分」：就好像盧勝彥哪，那一些個好行險僥倖的。那一些個出家人不做出家人的事情，這都是邪正不分，分不開。好像外道，他認為：「喔！這也是拜觀音嘛！也是拜關帝嘛！」又是拜什麼拜什麼，這麼樣子。他不知道哪個是邪的？哪個是正的了？邪正不分，是非也不辨了，「是非莫辨」了。
「競爭人我」：就是總在那兒爭強論勝，競爭人我是非。「盡逐利名」：都是在那兒搞名搞利––不是著到名上，就是著到利上。
待續 |
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The prince was ready to give up his country, city, wife, and children. He didn't want his own kingdom and gave it away. He also gave his city and his own wealth and property to others; he no longer wanted them. The hardest thing for a person to give up is his own wife, but he was able to do it. He was able to give his wife and children to other people.
The Buddha was able to give his internal wealth--his head, eyes, brain, and marrow, and also give his external wealth--his kingdom, city, wife, and children. If you needed them, he would give them to you. That's why no one could compare with him. No one else could make such great sacrifices. In cultivating the Bodhi Way, he could practice what was hard to practice and could endure what was difficult to endure. He was able to bear what others found unbearable.
When his causes were perfected and his results were fulfilled, he attained Buddhahood. Since he planted causes to perfection, he received a perfect fruition. He achieved success. That is, he became a Buddha. After attaining Buddhahood, he finished transforming those with whom he had affinities. He taught and transformed those beings whom he was supposed to teach and transform, and then he entered Nirvana. Nirvana is a state where there is no coming into being and no ceasing to be. It is the absence of birth and death. One has put an end to the cycle of birth and death.
The Proper Dharma Age refers to the time when the Buddha is in the world. During the Proper Dharma Age, people cultivate. Everyone can attain dhyana concentration and become enlightened. As soon as people cultivate, they realize the fruition of a sage and end birth and death. That's the Proper Dharma Age. By the Dharma Image Age, however, only a semblance of cultivation remains. No one is serious about cultivation. During the Proper Dharma Age, people are strong in dhyana concentration. When the Dharma Image Age arrives, people focus on the superficial aspects; they are good at building temples. The construction of temples and Buddhist images becomes very popular. The Proper Dharma Age lasted a thousand years, and so did the Dharma Image Age, but they have already ended. In the present Dharma Ending Age, Buddhism is near its end. Taking the analogy of a tree, we could say Buddhism is the branch-tips and is extremely weak. The Proper Dharma Age is comparable to the roots of the tree, the Dharma Image Age to the trunk. Now in the Dharma Ending Age, we are at the branch-tips. How long does the Dharma Ending Age last? It prevails for ten thousand years. We still have more than eight thousand years left to go.
However, if true cultivation occurs in the Dharma Ending Age, then we have the Proper Dharma right within the Dharma's ending. If there are people who build or renovate temples and monasteries or make Buddhist images, then we have the Dharma Image Age within the Dharma Ending Age. If there is no one who cultivates or who builds Buddha images or temples in the Dharma Ending Age, then the it is truly the end of the Dharma. During the Dharma Ending Age, the Buddhist Sutras will disappear. They will be destroyed of themselves. Only the Amitabha Sutra will remain in the world for an additional five hundred years. After those five hundred years, even the Amitabha Sutra will be gone, and only the phrase, "Amitabha Buddha" will remain. The name of Amitabha Buddha will stay in the world for another one hundred years and rescue innumerable living beings. Then the Buddhadharma will completely disappear from the world. No one will know how to recite the Buddha's name or understand anything at all. Right now we are still in a pretty good time period. Although it is the Dharma Ending Age, we can still work hard in cultivation.
The present time is a time when "the Proper Dharma Age and Dharma Image Age have already ended. In the present Dharma Ending Age,? there are teachings but no adherents. Buddhism still exists, but there are no practitioners. The practitioners contradict the teachings. For example, monastics are not supposed to eat meat, drink wine, or flirt with women, but they act just like laypeople with regard to these matters. When this happens, the Dharma is gone. Buddhism exists in name only, but no one practices it. "Adherents" refer to genuine practitioners, not necessarily those who propagate the Dharma. If there aren't even any people who truly practice, how could there be propagators of the Dharma? There wouldn't be any.
At that point, no one can distinguish the deviant from the proper. This refers to people such as Lu Shengyan, people who like to take risks and seek their fortunes. It also refers to monastics who don't act like monastics. They cannot tell the difference between deviant and proper. Also, certain externalist sects think, "We can bow to Guanyin, and we can bow to Guandi; we can bow to this deity and that deity." They don't know what is proper and what is deviant. No one can tell right from wrong.
We compete and struggle with each other. We are constantly arguing about rights and wrongs, discriminating between self and others. We pursue profit and fame. People chase after fame and fortune. If they are not attached to a good reputation, then they are attached to profit.
To be continued |
