【Human Life of Leisure and Opportunity】- Divide it into three topics and think about (the nature of leisure and opportunity

Well then you can divide it into three topics and think about it. The first is to think about “the nature of leisure and opportunity.” What is the special quality of leisure and opportunity? What is leisure and opportunity? You have to continuously think about it. The second one speaks of “temporary and final goals.” It says that once you’ve obtained leisure and opportunity, [it is important] regardless of whether it’s for resources at present (i.e. attaining the temporary goal of high status), or for the final goal, [i.e.] the final goal of the certain goodness of liberation and omniscience. What is attaining the temporary goal of high status? There, it is that your life gets better and better every day; it gets better and better every day. With regards to things that we need to seek for first, even in the Sangha environment where we say we can’t find an excellent teacher now; at that time, it wouldn’t be that kind of situation where you can’t find an excellent teacher but that the teacher would be coming to look for you! And now, our cultivation environment is not that ideal, [however] at that time, a good environment would appear where you would eat well, be clothed well, everything would be good, and benefactors would provide money. These are the benefits at present.

In terms of the final goal? That is the ultimate thing which we wish for now. If you are doing Zen, you wish to be awakened; if you recite Buddha’s name, you wish to go to Pure Land. But actually this is the first step, and the last step is to reach Buddhahood. But all these would begin from this point, that is you must have obtained a human life of leisure and opportunity, and then make diligent effort from there. So with number two, it means [the importance of a human life of leisure and opportunity] regardless of whether you look from the perspective of the benefits of the temporary or final goals. Number three? It is to observe “how it is difficult to obtain in terms of its causes and effects.”

SOURCE 来源 :

32A 22’47’’ Vol 4 of Master Jih-Chang’s Discourse P270 L6
English Lamrim Vol 1 P127

日常师父法语📡32A 22’47’’ 手抄稿第4册P270 L6

暇满 : 三个大纲思考暇满

你把它分三个大纲去想它，第一个想想[暇满的体性]，就是暇满的特质是什么？什么是暇满？要不断地去想一想看。第二个呢，说[现竟门中]，说得到这个暇满以后，不管眼前的受用，所谓眼前增上生，或者究竟的，或者究竟决定胜。什么是眼前增上生啊？喏，生活一天一天比现在好啊，一天一天比现在好啊，要事先去求的。乃至于我们出家的环境，现在说善知识找不到，到那时候善知识他不但……找不到，你找不到他，他来找你咧！而我们现在修行的环境不理想，那时候好环境都出来了，吃的也好、穿的也好、样样也好，施主也送钱来了，这就是现在的利益。

究竟门中呢？就是眼前我们希望的究竟，说你参禅的—开悟，然后呢你念佛的—往生，而实际上这第一步，最后一步的话，成佛。都从这个地方开始的，都要得到了暇满人身以后去努力。这第二个是不管现在的、究竟的利益来看。第三呢？[因果门中难得道理]，说这个非常难得，那么观察那个难得分因门跟果门。