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由這點看來，這個世界毀滅的時候，不一定是原子彈；那些個天然的物質，也能把這個世界毀滅了。德國納粹黨的那個魔王希特勒有這麼一個計畫，什麼計畫呢？他計劃用科學的方法，把南冰洋和北冰洋的冰都溶化了。溶化這些冰，這世界人類就沒有了，冰一化成水，這可以說是「洪水淹世人，皆因信假神」了。他這個計劃，預備把冰都用科學方法溶化，讓全世界的人類都淹死，世界只留下他諾爾曼的人種；他預備帶一百萬或者兩百萬人，到一個最高的山頂上去避這個水災。你看！他這種的手段多毒辣！但是他這個事情沒成功。可是這個天然的災難，有的時候你就不能避免。在第八世紀到第十五世紀的時候，就把這格陵蘭（綠洲），完全都被冰封了。現在那個綠洲變得完全都是冰了，根本都不能種植、也不能住人，只是有那麼一個地方，比美國土地的面積還大。由這樣子看，每一個五百年就有一個小變化，五千年就有一個大變化；那麼一萬年呢？就會有一個人類都到毀滅的狀態上發生。
我們由這上面來看，這個世界，一切一切都是無常的；我們要修道，就是修把這個「無常」免了它，我們要生到極樂世界，「無有眾苦，但受諸樂」。那麼這個世界上，就算沒有原子彈，將來冰一化了，比原子彈還厲害，死的人類不可勝數，不知道會死多少？所以考古家現在研究，往往說什麼地方有個陸沉了。好像中國，以前渤海那個地方就是座山來的，現在變成海了；喜瑪拉雅山那個地方就是個海來的，現在變成山了。所以這個世界上，就好像冒泡似的，這個地方補出一個山，那個地方就變成一個海。人的身體，這個地方生個包、那個地方就少一點東西，這個地方鼓起來、那個地方就塌下去；這個世界也是這樣子，這個地方長出一座山、那個地方就沒為一個海，那個地方有個海、這裏就有座山。天地間裏邊，也都是有一股氣在土地裏邊，好像人身有氣有血一樣的。你細研究，這個世界的地球上，有多少動物、有多少植物、有多少飛的東西、有多少在海裏頭的東西？你看人身上，也不知道飛、潛、動、植的東西也很多的，不過牠小而已。在人身有很多細菌，你數不過來那麼多，這也就和地球上有那麼多生物一樣的，所以這個道理，我們要慢慢的才能把它研究明白了，不過這是給你們說一個大概。
誰有什麼問題沒有？這「佛」是一個通名，譬如你叫「人」，他也叫「人」；你叫「鬼」，他也叫「鬼」；各種牛都叫「牛」、馬都叫「馬」，這是一個普通的名詞。但是人有姓張的、有姓李的；這個「如來」也是。好像每一個人都叫說「如來佛、如來佛」，哪一尊佛都叫「如來」；這是一個通稱，有十個名稱，就是你們天天念的那個「如來、應供、正遍知、明行足、善逝世間解、無上士、調御丈夫、天人師、佛世尊」這十個。哪一尊佛都有這十個名稱，你們連這個都不懂，你們說你們真是stupid、太愚癡了！這麼樣聰明的弟子，我沒有法子教，天天講，你們也不明白，你們就要學不明白，你們就要「養成大拙方為巧，學到如愚始見奇」。你盡想學奇了、盡想學巧了，所以把「如來」都忘了、都不知道了，這是一個很淺很淺的問題，你們都不懂，還問我？
你這個人、他那個人，人、人、人、人，有多少個人？你說！喔！這個人是不是鬼啊？人也就是鬼。如來是不是佛？如來就是佛，這個很淺顯的嘛！你說人不是鬼是什麼？人死了就是鬼呢！但是「如來」是佛的十號，每一位佛都有十個名號。好像你沒有結婚的時候，你自己有個姓，結婚之後，就有兩個姓了。那麼又有一個名，等你皈依，又有一個法名；你受戒，又有一個戒名。都是你這個人嘛！這沒有什麼，不是深的道理。
初三回來，今天已經是十七，回來兩個多禮拜了，明天就要走了。頭先我聽旅行的日程表，在明天（十八）要離開香港到泰國、印度去，印度之後是錫蘭，然後是新加坡，新加坡以後就是西貢。在西貢不知道會不會碰到炮彈？會不會和炮彈去碰頭？不知道這個頭硬、是那個炮彈硬？到那個地方，因為西貢滿天飛的炮彈、火箭，但是已經答應了到西貢，就要去。然後在聖誕節那一天，再到台灣，聖誕節到台灣。那麼二十八號，就是舊曆十一月十五，那一天晚間六點半，就在志蓮精舍開始講《華嚴經》的〈淨行品〉。我這一次回來，要給你們各位來一個考驗。所以說：「一切是考驗」，我到什麼地方，就是考驗你們；「看爾怎麼辦！」就看你在考驗的時候，會不會作文章？你若會作文章，就會合格；不會作文章呢？就不合格。不合格怎麼辦呢？「覿面若不識」，覿面，就是「賣」字加上一個「見」字，這個「覿」字（讀笛），有的人說「賣面」，那是不認識這個字，念成「賣」。「覿面若不識」，你若不認識，「須再從頭煉」。那麼煉，也是很不舒服的，練是用火來燒，若燒過火了，就練不成功；若火候不夠，也還是不能成功。所以要恰到好處，這火候燒得正好，這才能成功呢！
待續
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From this case, we can tell that when the end of the world arrives, it’s not necessarily the case that it will be destroyed by nuclear weapons. The natural materials in the world could also bring destruction to the world. Hitler, the leader of the German Nazi Party, the head of the demonic horde, originally had a plan back then. He had a scientifically based plan to melt the ice at both the North and South Poles. As soon as all the ice there melted, the human race would be destroyed by the resulting flood.
According to his plan, he was going to preserve the Germans as the only human beings in the world. He planned to take one or two million Germans to the peak of a mountain to escape the flood. See how cruel he was, trying to drown all human beings with a flood from the melted ice. However, his plan didn’t succeed. Nonetheless, natural disasters are sometimes unavoidable. From the eighth century to the fifteenth century, Greenland turned into ice, making it useless for farming or habitation. From here, we can tell that every five hundred years, there is a small change, and every five thousand years, there is a big change. How about in 10,000 years? That’s when people reach the brink of being destroyed.
From this perspective, everything in the world is impermanent. When we cultivate the Way, we are cultivating to be free from impermanence. We resolve to be reborn in the Land of Ultimate Bliss where there is no suffering but only happiness. Even though there may be no atomic bombs dropped in this world, the casualties would be even greater if the ice melts to create a flood. Countless people will die. So the archeologists nowadays say the lands at certain places have sunken. In China, for example, the Bo Sea used to be a mountain; now it has turned into a sea. The Himalayas were originally an ocean; however, it is a mountain range. Thus, there is a bubbling phenomenon in the world: if one place becomes a mountain, another area will turn into a sea. Likewise, on the human body, if a lump grows somewhere, a cavity will appear somewhere else. If there is a protrusion here, there will be a dent over there. The world’s phenomena are just like that, too. If one place bulges out to become a mountain, then another place will cave in to become a sea. If one place is hollowed out to become a sea, another place will rise up to become a mountain. There is energy in nature between heaven and the earth just like people have blood and energy. You should investigate this further and see how many animals, how many kinds of plants, and flying creatures are on the earth; and how many beings are in the sea. In our bodies, there are also a lot of flying creatures and plants; however, they are miniscule in size. Just as you can’t count all the bacteria, so, too you can’t count the number of creatures on the earth. It takes time to understand this principle. I am just giving you a general idea about it.
Do they have any questions? How did you answer him? Buddha is a general name. Just as you are identified as a human, he is also known as a human. If you are known as a ghost, he is also a ghost. All cows and oxen are called cattle. Various kinds of horses are called horses. This is a general name. Just as among people, some have the surname Zhang, some have the surname Lee. The Thus Come One is like a person and is called the Tathagatha (Thus Come One). This is just a general title, of which there are ten. They are the Thus Come One, Worthy of Offerings, One of Proper Knowledge, Perfect in Understanding and Conduct, Skillful in Leaving the World Through Liberation, Unsurpassed Lord, Taming Hero, Teacher of Gods and People, Buddha, and World Honored One. Every Buddha has these ten titles. If you don’t understand this, you are rather ignorant. I can’t teach such clever disciples. I lecture on this everyday and you still can’t comprehend it. If you don’t understand the materials, you must study them. You need to learn to a point that “seemingly clumsy or foolish, one actually becomes wonderfully wise and clever.” It’s because you only try to learn the clever and wondrous ways that you forget about the Thus Come One; you don’t even know or recognize him. This is a very easy question. Not only did you not understand it, you even had to come and ask me about it.
You are a person; he is a person. How many people are there? Tell me. Oh, you say this person is a ghost. In actuality, people are ghosts. Is the Thus Come One the Buddha? The Thus Come One indeed is the Buddha. This is really simple. People are considered ghosts after all. When they die, they become ghosts. The Thus One is one of the ten titles of a Buddha. It’s like before you get married, you have your maiden name. After marriage, you have two surnames. When you take refuge, you will have another name. Upon taking the precepts, you also have a new name as a preceptee. These are all names for people. They all refer to you. There is nothing profound about it.
I came back on the third day of the month. It’s already the seventeenth day, which means more than two weeks have passed. I will be leaving for Thailand from Hong Kong tomorrow. And then I will go to India, and afterwards Ceylon. The itinerary is such that I go to Singapore after Ceylon. The next stop is Saigon, where I am not sure if I will encounter the bombs. I don’t know if my head is harder or the bombs are harder. On Christmas Day, I will arrive in Taiwan. On the 28th, which is the fifteenth day of the eleventh lunar month, I will start lecturing on the Pure Conduct Chapter of the
Avatamsaka Sutra at 6:30pm that night at Zhi-Lian Hermitage. On my return this time, I want to give you a test. It’s said: “Everything is a test to see what you will do.” Wherever I go, I test you to see if you know how to write a report. If you know how, you will pass. If you don’t know how, you fail. What happens if you don’t pass? “If you don’t recognize what’s before your face” if you don’t know it, “you’ll have to start anew.” Having to start over is not a comfortable feeling. When starting anew to retrain yourself, we use fire to smelt you. If the fire is too strong, you won’t be successful. On the other hand, if the fire is not strong enough, you will fail as well. Therefore, the smelting fire needs to be set at the right temperature in order to successfully smelt you.
To be continued
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