所以修道你一定要真正地明白道理，才不至於墮坑落塹，不至於走錯路；你若不明白佛法，好容易就走錯路的。你沒有功夫，那不成問題；有功夫的時候，那個魔王時時刻刻都看著你的，一有機會可趁，他就來惱亂你了。
「阿難，復以此心精研妙明」：再用這個心精研這種微妙而光明的情形。「其身內徹」：內裏通徹光明了。人修行修行，自己身體裏邊什麼東西都看見了。要是常常能看得見，那就可以；要是不是常常看得見，只是偶爾看見，這就是一種境界，這是五陰中色陰的一種境界。
「是人忽然，於其身內，拾出蟯蛔」：這個人忽然間在他的身內，可以在肚皮裏面自己拿出蟲子來。這蟲子有長的、有短的、有大的、有小的，他都可以伸手就拿出來。拿出的蟲子是清清楚楚，真實不虛的，但是肚皮也沒有壞。你說他怎麼拿出來的？你若伸手到肚皮裏頭拿這蟲子，肚皮應該壞了，可是肚皮也沒有破裂。「身相宛然，亦無傷毀」：這個身相宛然，這個地方就有兩個解法：可以說這蟲子身相宛然一點都沒有壞，是整個的是完整的，是活的是生動的，這是一個講法。又可以說，你自己的肚皮也宛然沒有損壞，這也是一個解法。
「此名精明」：這叫什麼呢？這就叫精明。精到極處，也明到極點了，所以就其身內徹，「流溢形體」：這不是你用手到肚子裏面去拿出來的，是從你身子裏邊流溢出來的。所以，「斯但精行」：這就是你用功用得精微，得到一種奧妙，發生一種妙行。「暫得如是，非為聖證」：暫時間這個樣子，不是常常這個樣子；你若是常常這個樣子，那又另當別論了。這不是證果聖人的境界。
「不作聖心，名善境界」：你若不是作證果聖人的想法，這還可以，過得去，沒什麼大問題，沒有大的麻煩。「若作聖解」：你要是說：「我現在證了聖果囉，我肚裏邊的東西，我隨便可以拿得出來，你說這有多妙！這個境界你是沒有的」。你若一有這種貢高我慢心，一有這種的執著心，「即受群邪」：就會被魔王拖去了。拖去，就變了魔王眷屬了。
又以此心。內外精研。其時魂魄。意志精神。除執受身。餘皆涉入。亙為賓主。忽於空中。聞說法聲。或聞十方。同敷密義。此名精魄。遞相離合。成就善種。暫得如是。非為聖證。不作聖心。名善境界。若作聖解。即受群邪。
「又以此心」：那麼又以精研妙明這種的心。「內外精研」：精益求精，深造不已。「其時魂魄」：其時自己的魂魄––魂有三個，魄有七個。
以前我不是講在人身上有十兄弟嗎？有的就單單有耳朵；有的就單單有眼睛，沒其他的五根；有的就單單有個鼻子，沒有嘴，也沒有眼睛，也沒有耳朵。這三魂七魄各有一根，沒有其餘的五根，所以它單獨的就不能成立，必須要大家來共同合作。你有耳朵的，幫忙我沒有耳朵的：你有眼睛的，幫忙我沒有眼睛的。這真是互相利用，互相幫助，他們很合作的。【註五】
待續 |
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Therefore, you have to truly understand the principles of cultivation! Only then can you keep from falling into a trap or going down the wrong road. If you don't understand the Buddhadharma, it is very easy to go astray. There is no problem if you do not have any real skill. But when you gain some skill, the demon kings will have their eyes on you every moment, and the first opportunity they see, they will come to disturb you.
Further, Ananda, as the person uses his mind to intently investigate that wondrous brightness, the light will pervade his body. If you persist in your cultivation, you will eventually be able to see everything inside your own body. It's one thing if you are always able to see like that, but if you only have this ability once in a while, then it is merely a state of the form skandha.
Suddenly he will be able to extract intestinal worms from his own body, yet his body will remain intact and unharmed. In this state, suddenly you can pull worms out of your own abdomen. There are long worms and short ones, big ones and small ones. You can just reach your hand in and pluck them out. The extracted worms are real, and yet there is no injury to the abdomen. How do you suppose they came out? If you reach your hand into the abdomen to pull out the worms, the abdomen should be injured, but there is no rupture at all. "His body will remain intact" could be explained in two ways. One way would be to change the translation to read "their bodies will remain intact" and say that the worms' bodies' are still intact, not in the least damaged; they are whole and complete, alive and healthy. You could also say that your own abdomen is intact and uninjured.
This state is called "the pure light surging through one's physical body." An extremely pure and brilliant light penetrates your body. You do not actually put your hand in the abdomen and pluck the worms out; they issue forth of themselves. It is a temporary state in the course of intense practice and does not indicate sagehood. This state is not something that happens all the time. If this were a perpetual state, the situation would be different. This is not the state of a sage.
If he does not think he has become a sage, then this will be a good state. It is fine; it won't cause any great trouble. But if he considers himself a sage, then he will be vulnerable to the demons' influence. If you say, "I've attained sagehood. I can take things out of my stomach. Isn't it wonderful? You don't have such a state." If you become arrogant and attached to your state, you are in for trouble. You will be dragged off by the demon king to become part of his retinue.
Sutra:
Further, as the person uses his mind to intently investigate inside and outside, his physical and spiritual souls, intellect, will, essence, and spirit will be able to interact with one another without affecting his body. They will take turns as host and guests. Then he may suddenly hear the Dharma being spoken in space, or perhaps he will hear esoteric truths being pronounced simultaneously throughout the ten directions. This state is called "the essence and souls alternately separating and uniting, and the planting of good seeds." It is a temporary state and does not indicate sagehood. If he does not think he has become a sage, then this will be a good state. But if he considers himself a sage, then he will be vulnerable to the demons' influence.
Commentary:
Further, as the person uses his mind to intently investigate the wondrous brightness inside and outside, striving to exceed excellence, incessantly trying to refine that process, his spiritual and physical souls undergo a change. There are three spiritual and seven physical souls residing in the human body.
I have mentioned these ten "brothers" before. Some of them have only ears or only eyes. Some have merely a nose, but no lips, eyes, or ears. Each of them possesses only one sense organ and lacks the other five, so they cannot function on their own. They must work cooperatively as a team. Those with ears help out those lacking ears; those with eyes help out those lacking eyes. They depend on and help one another.5
To be continued |
