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他平時參禪打坐，很容易就睡著了；這回他發願，到這個最危險的地方去打坐。他想：你再睡覺，就會跌死，這回我看你還敢不敢睡覺？那麼在這個倒掛蓮華上邊打坐，經過了七天的時間，也沒有睡覺。因為甚麼呢？他不敢睡；知道這一睡，自己的生命就沒有了，所以無論怎麼樣子，他也不睡覺。那麼等到第八天，他這時候支持不住了，在這兒坐禪的時候，就又睡著了；這一睡著，往前這麼一衝，果然就跌到那山澗裡邊去了。啊！他自己一想：這回完囉！這回什麼都完囉！一定沒有命了！正在這兒把身心都放下了：啊！你死就死了，不管了！這回要睡一個長覺，長長睡了！那麼這樣，正落到這山澗的中間──譬如有五千尺高，這落下去就有二千五百尺高，還有一半；這時候，韋馱菩薩顯了神通，就把他在虛空裏托到上邊去。他就問：「是誰護我法？」韋馱菩薩就說：「護法韋馱！」
他在這時候，就生出一種驕傲心來了，心想：啊！我能感動韋馱菩薩來護我的法，大約在這世界上，像我這種勇猛精進的修道人，是很少了吧？於是他就問韋馱菩薩說：「這個世界上，像我這麼樣子用功修行的人有多少？」韋馱菩薩說：「哦！像你這麼樣子用功修行的人，有牛毛那麼多！」好像牛身上的毛那麼多。「你生出這種貢高的心，我八萬大劫也不護你的法了！」說完了，拿著寶杵，就踊身虛空走了。高峰妙禪師就生出一種後悔的心，說：「啊！這韋馱菩薩來護我的法，我就生出這麼一種驕傲的心。這是不對的！」於是乎就痛哭流涕，生一種慚愧心、生一種懺悔心；哭了很久的時間，他又立起志氣來。他說：「哦！現在我知道韋馱菩薩護法我，我修行；那麼以前我不知道他護法我，我也一樣修行啊！現在他就護法我、不護法我，我都還應該修行！」於是乎又打起精神來坐禪。坐禪，坐坐，又忍不住睡覺了，他就又從這山上邊，衝到下邊去了！跌到下邊，一想：啊！這一回是一定沒有希望了！這個生命也完了！就正在這個時候，又有人把他從半懸空中抽到上邊。他又問：「這次是誰護法我、來救我呢？」救他這個菩薩就說：「還是護法韋馱！」這回這個高峰妙禪師也就發起脾氣來了，說：「哎！老韋！你不是說八萬大劫都不護法我啊？你為甚麼現在又來救我？你這也打妄語啊！」護法韋馱說：「因為你這一哭，生的懺悔心很真，已經超過八萬大劫的時間了！那麼既然超過八萬大劫的時間，我應該來護法你！」所以這一念的懺悔，可以超過八萬大劫。
我們這部經為甚麼叫《妙法蓮華經》呢？就因為它太妙了、不可思議！這種境界，你沒法子看！好像我們有一種電影，用望遠鏡一看，那很遠的地方，就好像在目前似的；你若不用望遠鏡看，你看不見。用望遠鏡一看，很遠都看見了；由這個證明，這「一念五十個小劫」，或者「超過八萬大劫」，也就和你有個望遠鏡一樣的。所以就有五十小劫這麼長，長也可以變短、短又可以變長。
頭先我不講？中國這個胡適，我給他起名叫『胡鬧』；他盡胡鬧，就像小孩子似的，最調皮！他就說，虛老沒有一百二十歲；現在這些個無知的人，也就跟著他說「是的」。他一唱，他們就合起來了；一合，甚至於外國自命是學者的人，也都這麼唱，說：「啊！胡適之這麼講！」胡適之，這根本就是一個無知的人，他不懂佛法！所以這個「時間」沒有甚麼一定的。
待續
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He very much liked to sit in meditation, which he
did quite often. In order to urge himself on in his cultivation, he
vowed to go to that dangerous place. “Let’s see me fall asleep now!” he
said, positioning himself near the edge. He sat there for about seven
days without falling asleep; he didn’t dare! After all, his life was at
stake. Therefore, no matter what, he simply would not fall asleep.
However, on the eighth day, he could no longer
control himself. While sitting in meditation, he dozed off. As soon as
he fell asleep, he slumped forward and tumbled right off the edge.
Waking, he thought, “It’s all over. I’m certainly not going to come out
of this alive.”
Just then he gave up his body and mind. “If I must
die, then I will die. I’m not going to pay any attention; I’ll get
ready for the big sleep.”
When he had fallen halfway down the mountain, Wei
Tou Bodhisattva manifested his spiritual powers. From right there in
space, he dragged the Dhyana Master back up to the top of the mountain.
“Who is this protecting my Dharma?” the Master
said.
“It is I, Dharma Protector Wei Tou!” came the
reply.
The Dhyana Master suddenly became arrogant and had
the thought, “You mean I influenced Wei Tou Bodhisattva to protect my
Dharma? Probably, in this world, there are very few cultivators who are
as courageously vigorous as I am.” And so he asked Wei Tou Bodhisattva,
“How many cultivators are there in the world who work as hard as I do
in their cultivation?”
“About as many as the hairs on a cow,” said Wei
Tou Bodhisattva dryly. “And since you are so arrogant, I’m not going to
protect your Dharma again for eighty thousand great eons!” So saying,
he took his jeweled pestle, rose up into space, and disappeared.
Dhyana Master Gaofeng Miao really regretted what
he had said. “Wei Tou Bodhisattva was protecting me, and I had to go
and get arrogant. That was really a mistake,” he lamented. Tears of
remorse began to roll softly down his cheeks. He cried for quite a
while before he gave rise to a renewed resolve: “I was cultivating
before I knew that Wei Tou Bodhisattva was protecting me. Why should I
quit cultivating now that I know he isn’t? I should cultivate whether
he protects me or not!” Then with great determination, he took his seat
on the ledge once again and commenced to meditate.
A little while later, sure enough, he fell asleep
and dropped over the edge again, plummeting down the mountain. “This
time, I’ve really had it,” he thought. “It’s all over now!” Suddenly,
he was hauled back up to the top again; he had been caught in midair
when he was about halfway down. “Now, who saved me this time?” he asked.
“It is I, Dharma Protector Wei Tou, once again,”
came the reply.
This irritated Dhyana Master Miao. “Old Brother
Wei, didn’t you say that you weren’t going to protect my Dharma for
eighty thousand great eons? Why did you save me again? Doesn’t that
make you a liar?”
Wei Tou Bodhisattva replied, “Your tears and shame
were very genuine; they canceled out eighty thousand great eons worth
of time. Therefore, I was obliged to come to your aid. Your one thought
of repentance took you across eighty thousand great eons!”
Why is this Sutra called the Wonderful Dharma
Lotus Flower Sutra? Because it is extremely wonderful, inconceivable.
It’s a state you have no way to see. If you use a telescopic lens you
can see things very far away, just as if they were right before you.
Without the telescopic lens, you would have no way to see that far. The
above story about Dhyana Master Gaofeng Miao proves that one thought
can transcend fifty small eons, or even eighty thousand great eons.
This is the same principle as looking at things through a telescope:
What is long can become short; what is short can be lengthened.
Didn’t I mention earlier that I renamed Hu Shi [a Chinese scholar who
advocated colloquial Chinese] Hu Nau (“troublemaker”), because he
talked and acted irresponsibly, like a child! He said that Venerable
Master Xu Yun had not lived 120 years. Now some ignorant people agree
with him and say he’s right. As soon as he sang, they sang as his
chorus. Even though foreign scholars quote him, saying, “Hu Shi said
so,” actually he is not knowledgable and doesn’t understand the Buddha
Dharma!
To be continued
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