【依师 Relying on the Teacher】 向上仰望祖师 Emulate the ancient teachers

依师 ： 向上仰望祖师

【是须一种目向上望增上德者。】

我们要这样作，一定一心仰望他，层次很分明。我们现在看那个佛跟菩萨，一看，哎呀，总觉得远得不得了，这个佛动不动把生命啊﹑脑髓就舍出去，我们太远了；看看祖师啊，就对我们很近！所以自然而然他对我们呢，有这样的一个接引的功效。就像《法华》里边说的<化城喻品>，那么这些祖师们对我们来说，也是个化城，我们更从这个上面找到这个方向，再向上看，就看到最高的佛陀的情况。

来源 SOURCE :

日常师父法语📡14B 23'07" ~ 23'50" 手抄稿第二册P213-L6

14B 23'07" ~ 23'50" Vol 2 of Master Jih-Chang’s Discourse P213-L6
English Lamrim Vol 1  P73

【Relying on the Teacher 】– Emulate the ancient teachers

【Thus you must emulate those whose good qualities surpass your own. 】

We must do this, (we) must emulate them wholeheartedly. The stages are very clear. Now when we think of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, we would feel, ah-ya, they are just too far away. The Buddha readily sacrificed his life, head and marrow to others, we are too far (from this act). When we look to the ancient teachers, they seem closer to us! Thus, naturally, they can influence and guide us. Just like in the “Chapter of the Parable of the Manifest City” in the Lotus Sutra, these ancient teachers are just like a city of manifestation to us. We can find our direction from the [ancient teachers], and continue to look upwards, eventually seeing how the Buddha is, at the highest level.