【亲近善知识 Relying on The Excellent Teacher】未依过患者 The faults of not relying on the teacher P26

【未依过患者】

【善知识敦巴云：「下者虽与上伴共住，仅成中等，上者若与下者共住，不待劬劳，而成下趣。」】
所以这个善知识告诉我们，下等的人啊，虽然跟那个上等人住在一块的话，勉勉强强跟成个中等，所以向上爬不容易啊！但是上等人如果说跟一个下等人，「不待劬劳」，你不要花气力的——跟他一样，这是千真万确的事实。所以修学佛法如逆水行舟，拚命努力都来不及啊! 所以为什么佛在世的时候，处处地方重视啊！现在我们这个地方注意: 修学佛法为什么常常说千万不要迁就情面，情面这个东西，就是本身最大的染污，在佛门当中，真正的大坏蛋倒是没有的，就是自己不晓得自己在无明当中，往往受这个害，然后呢我们情面所累，就跟着下去了，这是最可惜的一件事情。

来源 SOURCE：

日常师父法语 22A 11’13”手抄稿第三册 P185LL1

22A 11’13” Vol 3 of Master Jih-Chang’s Discourse P185LL1
English Lamrim Vol 1,Pg 91

【The faults of not relying on the teacher】

【Geshe Drom-don-ba said:
The worst person, through keeping good company, does not become better than middling. The best, when keeping company with the worst, readily becomes part of the worst. 】

This excellent teacher tells us that for the worst person, through keeping good company, may barely manage to become middling. Therefore it is not easy to advance! But if the best were to keep company with the worst, then "readily," no effort is needed – you will become just like him. This is absolutely true. Learning the Dharma is like sailing against the current. Even if you desperately strive, you may not advance much! This is why during Buddha's time, he emphasized this in many places! We should make a note of this here: this is why we would frequently say that when one trains in Buddhism one should not accommodate personal feelings to maintain relationships. To accommodate personal feelings in order to maintain relationships is the greatest defilement in itself. In this circle of Buddhism, there are no real villainous people. But because people do not know that they are ignorant, so they're often harmed by this. We are often burdened by this maintenance of relationship, which results in following others towards deterioration. This is the greatest pity.