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我到這個國家先講的是《楞嚴經》。說《楞嚴經》是假的，為甚麼呢？人家看見都發楞，認不清楚，所以就以為不是真的，是假的。那麼就是真的，你若拿它當假的，也是假的；是假的，你若認為它是真的了，也是真的。為甚麼呢？「一切唯心造」嘛！真、假，在你自己心裏分別「仁者自生分別」。根本在這個經上，甚麼是真？甚麼是假？對你有幫助，就是真；對你沒有幫助，就是假；對你有利益，這就是真了；對你沒有利益，這就是假。甚麼叫「真、假」？那個「真、假」，在你自己的地方，不是在經那個地方！我們現在講《法華經》是真的，但是你若不懂，真的也沒有用；你若懂了，就是假的，都有多少用處。所以這第二次講經，就講《法華經》。頭一次講《楞嚴經》，第二次就講《法華經》，第三次就講《大方廣佛華嚴經》。說：「那麼你又講過《地藏經》、《金剛經》，我都聽過！」那些是小經，我們這是講大經、真經。
明天是大勢至菩薩的誕辰。這位大勢至菩薩是誰呢？他是西方極樂世界阿彌陀佛的徒弟。阿彌陀佛左邊就是觀世音菩薩，右邊就是大勢至菩薩。等阿彌陀佛退休的時候，就是觀世音菩薩做極樂世界的教主；觀世音菩薩退休的時候，就是大勢至菩薩做教主。所以這一佛二菩薩，是西方極樂世界的「三聖」。明天是大勢至菩薩的誕辰，所以我們由明天開始，就念『南無阿彌陀佛』；一方面是慶祝大勢至菩薩的誕辰，一方面是舉行盂蘭盆法會，超度一切眾生。
我滅度後。求佛道者。
欲得安隱。演說斯經。
應當親近。如是四法。
「我滅度後」：釋迦牟尼佛說，我入涅槃之後，「求佛道者」：有修菩薩法、行菩薩道，而求佛道這樣的菩薩，「欲得安隱」：他想要得到安隱而快樂。「演說斯經」：他講演、解說這部《妙法蓮華經》。「應當親近如是四法」：應當親近像前邊長行所說這四種法，就是「身安樂行、口安樂行、意安樂行、願安樂行」；要親近這四種的法、實行這四種的法。
讀是經者。常無憂惱。
又無病痛。顏色鮮白。
不生貧窮。卑賤醜陋。
「讀是經者」：若能常常讀誦這《妙法蓮華經》這樣的人。「常無憂惱」：常常也沒有甚麼憂愁和煩惱。「又無病痛」：又能常常也沒有甚麼病痛。「顏色鮮白」：面目很光鮮的。光鮮，就是面上有一股紅光滿面，不是好像有一股黑氣。你看這個人，他這個面上有一股紅光，很新鮮的，那個面不發黑，這個人就有智慧。你看那個人，若是面上發黑色的──黑人當然不在這個範圍之內了！普通人的面，不應該黑色；那麼他現出黑色，這就不吉祥了，他會遇著很不吉祥的事情；你常常紅光滿面，就會遇著吉祥的事情。這個「鮮白」，也就是「紅光滿面」，很好看的。
「不生貧窮」：他不生到貧窮的家庭裏去。「卑賤醜陋」：也不會給人做下人；下人，就是做工人的，賺的錢也很少，做那工作很低很低的。也不會醜陋；醜陋，就相貌很不好看。
眾生樂見。如慕賢聖。
天諸童子。以為給使。
「眾生樂見」﹕那麼你修行菩薩道，也沒有病、也沒有憂惱、也不窮、也不卑賤、不醜陋，所以眾生就歡喜看見你。「如慕賢聖」﹕就好像仰慕聖賢、菩薩一樣的。「天諸童子」﹕這諸天上一切的童子。有天上的小孩子，「以為給使」：來給你做工人。
待續
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In this country, the first major lecture series I
gave was on the Shurangama Sutra. The Shurangama Sutra is false. Why?
People become dazed when they read it. They get confused, so they
mistakenly think it’s false. It’s not really false. Even if it is true,
if you think it’s false, then it becomes false. If it is false, but you
think it’s true, then it becomes true. Why? Everything is made from the
mind alone. True and false are merely discriminations made by your
mind. It is people who make discriminations. What does it mean for the
Sutra to be true or false? If it helps you, it’s true. If it doesn’t
help you, it’s false. If you benefit from it, then it’s true. If you
don’t benefit from it, then it’s false. Truth and falsity depends on
you, not on the Sutra. We are lecturing the Dharma Flower Sutra, and it
is true. If you don’t understand it, even if it’s true, it’s of no use
to you. If you understand it, then even if it were false, it would be
of some use.
The second Sutra I am lecturing is the Dharma
Flower Sutra. The third Sutra I will lecture on will be the Great Means
Expansive Buddha Flower Adornment Sutra. “What about the Earth Store
Sutra and the Vajra Sutra that you’ve lectured?” you ask. Those are
smaller Sutras. I’m talking about the major Sutras.
Tomorrow is Great Strength Bodhisattva’s birthday.
Great Strength Bodhisattva is Amitabha Buddha’s disciple in the Land of
Ultimate Bliss in the West. Guanshiyin Bodhisattva stands on Amitabha’s
left, and Great Strength Bodhisattva stands on the right. When Amitabha
Buddha retires, Guanyin Bodhisattva will take over as the teaching host
of the Land of Ultimate Bliss. Then, when Guanyin Bodhisattva retires,
Great Strength Bodhisattva will become the teaching host. The three of
them are known as the three sages of the Western Paradise. Tomorrow and
the day after we will recite Amitabha Buddha’s name, and in this way we
will celebrate Great Strength Bodhisattva’s birthday and also celebrate
the Ullambana Dharma Assembly in order to rescue all living beings. We
will recite the Ullambana Sutra and perhaps lecture on it as well.
Sutra:
After
my extinction,
Those who seek the Buddha path,
Who wish to gain peace and ease,
And proclaim this Sutra
Should draw near
Four dharmas such as these.
Commentary:
Shakyamuni Buddha continues, “After my extinction,
my entry into Nirvana, / Those who seek the Buddha path, such great
Bodhisattvas, who wish to gain peace and ease, / And proclaim and
explain this Wonderful Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra / Should draw near /
Four dharmas such as these.” The four dharmas described in the prose
above are:
1. Happily-dwelling conduct of the body
2. Happily-dwelling conduct of the mouth
3. Happily-dwelling conduct of the mind
4. Happily-dwelling conduct of vows
They should draw near to and truly practice these four dharmas.
Sutra:
Those
who read this Sutra
Will have no worries or afflictions;
They will be free from the pain of sickness,
With a countenance fresh and clear.
They won’t be born poor,
Lowly, or ugly.
Commentary:
Those who read this Sutra—who always read the
Wonderful Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra—will have no worries or
afflictions. They will have no cares or vexations. They will be free
from the pain of sickness, / With a countenance fresh and clear. Their
faces will be bright and radiant, with rosy auras. If you look at
people’s faces and they glow with a fresh, rosy light without any dark
shadows, those people have wisdom. If someone’s face looks dark (of
course people whose pigment is black are not included in this),
that is, if it has a black cast to it, it means he
is going to encounter inauspicious events. On the other hand, if a
person’s face is always bright and rosy, auspicious things will happen
to him. Here, “fresh and clear” means their faces have an attractive
rosy glow. They won’t be born poor, into a household plagued with
poverty. They won’t be born lowly and have to work as someone’s servant
doing menial tasks and not making very much money. They won’t be born
ugly, with an unattractive countenance.
Sutra:
Living
beings will be happy to see them,
As if they were longed-for sages.
All the children of the gods
Will act as their messengers.
Commentary:
Living beings will be happy to see them. If you
cultivate the Bodhisattva Path, have no sickness or worries, and aren’t
poor, lowly, or ugly, then living beings will be glad to see you. As if
they were longed-for sages, Bodhisattvas. All the children of the gods
/ Will act as their messengers. They will work for you.
To be continued
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