【THE THREE TYPES OF PERSONS】- ordinary-being “virtuous teachers” who help us become Buddha

Thus, now, for those around us, they may be ordinary beings, yet they are our virtuous teachers. Why? It is an opportunity for us to practice in front of this ordinary being. Through your practice, you perfect your generosity, ethical discipline, and patience, and even cultivate your attitude for veneration. Well, those who have helped you to foster all these are at the same time helping you to achieve Buddhahood. Aren’t they virtuous teachers? This is very explicit! Just like when we do business now, you may dislike poor people. If it were not for them, your business would not succeed! If you open up a shop, and they don’t buy from you, your business will not work out! Isn’t this very obvious? Now, for those of us who are sincere about applying Buddha Dharma, yet we are confused about these concepts, this truly is a pity, really a pity! So the most important thing is when you have acquired the correct view, all these practices become easy. So when we recite the Bodhisattva vows, alas, to refrain from speaking of others’ faults, it is so difficult ... slandering the four types of followers [monks, nuns, male and female lay practitioners] seems to be very easy to commit. Once you truly have the above understanding, then upholding the vows is very easy. Needless to say that you will not find faults in the four types of followers, even when seeing a very common, un-presentable person, you will commiserate and sympathize with him. You need to respect him the same way you would respect a Bodhisattva, this is very clear. Because you understand this clearly: by respecting him the benefit is yours in the end! He went through all these sufferings to make you a Buddha, how can you not be grateful to him?

SOURCE 来源 :

35A 24’16”Vol 5 of Master Jih-Chang’s Discourse P85 L2
English Lamrim Vol 1 P137

日常师父法语📡35A 24’16”手抄稿第5册P85 L2

道次引导 : 帮我成佛的凡夫'善知识'

而眼前，我们那些眼前的人哪，他是个凡夫，却是我们的善知识，为什么？就在这个凡夫跟前你练习啊，经过你练习，把你的布施、持戒、忍辱统统做好了，恭敬心也提起来了。欸，那些人帮助你提起这个来，帮助你成佛，不是善知识吗？这很清楚啊！现在像我们做生意人一样，你嫌他们穷；没有这些穷人，你生意还做不成呢！你开了个店，他不买你东西，你生意就做不成欸！这不是很明白吗？这我们现在真正修学佛法的人，都对这种概念都颠倒，实在是可惜啊，实在是可惜啊！所以真正重要的，你有了正知见，自然很容易办到。所以平常我们说诵菩萨戒，哎呀，说这个，说人家的过失，很难哪……谤四众，好像很容易犯。你真正了解了以后，持这个戒实在很容易，不要说四众的过你不会，就是一个普通的、四不像的人，你看见了也怜悯他，也同情他，你要恭敬他—一个菩萨你当然要恭敬他，这个很清楚。因为你了解得很清楚，你恭敬他，这结果是使你好处欸！他这么苦难让你成佛，你还不感激他吗？