Lecture No. 0070
Global Lamrim II
Lecture No. 0070
Tape no.
2A 23:04 ~ 25:55
Date
2018/11/29 ~ 12/02
Outline: Foundation
Topic: Opening Veneration – Veneration before commentary
English Lamrim Vol 1, Page 33
Vol. 1 of Master’s discourse handbook P44-LL2 ~ P46-L3
Good, let’s listen to the next paragraph from Master.
[Master Jih-Chang’s commentary book 1, tape 2A on page Prologue 11]
In Buddhism, besides quality and quantified-measurement, there is one more condition – the so-called “systematic order.” To us, it aligns with our condition. This is of significant importance; to align with our conditions is very important! That is to say, if we are at the Buddha’s level, he will appear as Buddha to help us. If we are at the Mahayana level, he will appear as a Mahayana practitioner, according to our level within Mahayana. In a similar fashion, it applies if we are Hinayana practitioners. This is the systematic order on the path to studying Buddhism. For those who have superior faculties [higher wisdom level], Buddha guides them with the most comprehensive approach. Therefore, the very first Sutra taught by Buddha after his enlightenment was The Array of Stalks Sutra, which is considered the most encompassing [Sutra]. At this time, not to mention that we were never present at that particular time of Buddha, even if we were there, [we would not understand Buddha’s teachings.] According to some anecdotes, Sariputra, the one with the foremost wisdom, participated in the event listening to the Array of Stalks Sutra, but unable to comprehend what Buddha was teaching as if he was mute and deaf. I believe this is a well-known story. In this regard, although we may have faith in Buddha, we might not necessarily experience the same frame of mind [as Buddha]. Let me explain it with a simple example for you to understand. [01′40″]
Do you still remember this short paragraph? Master said, “In Buddhism, besides quality and quantified-measurement, there is one more condition;” then Master mentioned the two words: “systematic order”. This means sequential order and Master continued, “it aligns with our condition,” and he said this is very very important! [02′00″]
Akin to what is stated in the Universal Gate Chapter of Avalokitesvara [chapter 25 of the Lotus Sutra], “those who should be liberated by Buddhas, Avalokitesvara would manifest as a Buddha to give them teaching.” Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva would give us teaching with an appearance in line with our capacity. Master said, “although we may have faith in Buddha, we might not necessarily experience the same frame of mind [as Buddha].” The scriptures described how Buddhas and Bodhisattvas give us teachings according to our capacity and apply the loving mother attitude as an analogy. A mother loves her child with the utmost care; right from the infant stage, till they are slightly older, she would continuously adjust the food recipe. The baby’s food is always changing (to suit his/her need). Why is it so? Because the mother loves the baby. Although she wants to feed the baby with all the delicacies in the world, a baby is not supposed to be fed with too many varieties before his/her teething. [02′55″]
So, speaking of catering to our capacity/aligning with our conditions, we should appreciate the kindness of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Buddhas and Bodhisattvas understand the suffering we are experiencing in this cyclical existence. And as a beginner on this path of studying Buddha Dharma, we are just like babies or toddlers. Hence, what kind of Dharma flavor would they need to give us that is suitable for our level? For instance, why would Master teach Lamrim in this manner (by means of giving us the commentaries)? Master’s diary was not written in this style. Obviously, when Master wrote his diary, he used a style he was comfortable with – in semi-classical Chinese, with concise words. Sometimes, there were just two words, such as “mutual encouragement,” and “abide by this as the ethical discipline.” However, Master elaborated Lamrim in lengthy discourse by telling us stories with great patience. Back then, when some classmates started listening to Master’s recording, they thought this was Master’s style of teaching. In fact, this is not his style; his true style is reflected in his diary. [03′58″]
Master didn’t usually show his diary to others. One day, I visited Master in the morning, hoping to prostrate to him, but usually, he wouldn’t let me do that. I knocked on the door, and Master answered, “Come in!” As I went in, I found him at the desk, writing his diary. I walked toward him and said, “Master, you are writing diary!” And Master covered what he wrote on the diary with his hands. Then I said, “Master, may I take a look?” He said, “Diary is not for others to read. Diary should be truthfully written, it is meant for oneself.” Then I stood next to him and said, “Master, could you show me just one line, please?” Later, he covered the text with books and left just one line for me to glance at. After I looked at it, Master said to me, “No rush! All of these will be yours!” At that time, I did not pay too much attention to what he was saying; I merely focused on reading the line [that I was allowed to take a glance at]. I was quite anxious because he covered the rest of the other lines. I was worried that he had to cover them for too long, so I just glanced at it quickly. Actually, after reading it, I cannot even remember what it was about now. [04′57″]
Why do I mention this? In order to eliminate the obstacles for his disciples in the Chinese land to accept the teachings from Manjusri [Bodhisattva], Master actually considered many many methods, including giving the teaching in a way that he might not be used to, just to cater to our ability/align with our conditions. As a result, many people started to develop in studying Lamrim; some even regretted not having encountered it earlier. They have studied Lamrim earnestly for ten, twenty, thirty years; this all originated from Master’s skilful introduction at the very beginning. Were it not for such an approach, how could so many lay practitioners be inspired to study such a commentary! Besides, after [they have] studied it, many are aspired to study other commentaries because Lamrim contains quotes and references from many other scriptures. [05′42″]
Hence, with regards to this point, Master said, “we might not necessarily experience the same frame of mind [as Buddha].” That is, can a child understand the mothers’ caring love towards them? In many cases, the children might not sense it. But mothers would not stop doing so just because their children cannot sense it. On the contrary, because the children cannot understand, the mothers would try even harder to think of all kinds of possible means to teach their children. Such is the actual compassionate attitude of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas! [06′10″]
Well! Now let’s listen to the next paragraph.
[Master Jih-Chang’s commentary book 1, tape 2A on page Prologue 11~12] For example, we are sitting here today, studying this Lamrim. Maybe [for us] it is the most inspiring, the most exciting commentary and all of us are wowed [by it]! Whether it is the audience or the speaker, [everyone is] filled with joy! If a stranger who does not respond to the teaching comes in, [he] would sit there without any interest. Good grief, [he] would not know what [we] are talking about. This is one example. There is another one: consider that there is a banquet today with many dignitaries and all sorts of important figures attending and we have the opportunity to participate. If we bring a little boy, or a child with us [to this banquet], and upon returning from the banquet we ask him, “Today you attended a big event. What did you see?” He may simply reply that he saw chocolate. Is there anything else? No, nothing. Not knowing what to look for, [he] didn’t know [who] any of those strangers [were]! However, [what] another attendee saw would make himself exclaim, “Wow!” [He saw] the most popular politicians or a famous scholar who gave a great speech. Wow, [for him] it was extraordinary! I believe we all have similar experiences! How so? The next section is of great importance. [07′36″]
In the previous paragraph, Master mentioned catering to our capacities/align with our conditions from the perspectives of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, who would definitely want to cater to our capacities/conditions. However, from the perspectives of the disciples, it is not easy to appreciate such intention. Hence, for us to experience this, from a student’s perspective, how do we understand the issue of catering to capacity/conditions, Master told us this story. This story was explained from two angles/standpoints. One is when we discuss a commentary that we like, an irrelevant person who have not studied this before, would not appreciate the discussion, because he does not know what we are talking about, does not understand and is disinterested! [08′12″]
The next example is very lively, perhaps everyone can relate to it. Imagine when you were at a very young age, attending a party, what would catch your attention the most? The children would probably focus the most on food. Children could have all attended parties before! I attended them when I was young too. I was arranged to sit at the table with lots of other children. There were probably about 20 or 30 children altogether. What do the children like to do when sitting together? For instance, after all the dishes were served, the food made into ball-shaped was probably what all children loved, and that dish would be consumed quickly. Some children would start to cry if they couldn’t get it; since it was everyone’s favourite, it was quickly gone. When some children began to cry, grown-ups would come to check on us. [08′52″]
And some adults noticed that my bowl was empty because the dishes were beyond my reach, and by the time I tried to fetch it, it was all gone; thus I didn’t get to eat much. There was an auntie who treated me really nicely. She brought me to the adults’ table and filled up my bowl. I have the habit of finishing the ones I don’t like first and saving the good ones for later. This auntie gave me the food that was not to my liking; thus after she did that, I finished it first. When noticing it, she immediately gave me another serving. Again, I ate it all, and she gave me another again. I ate it all again … in fact I did not like that food. [I ate it first not because I liked it but] because I wanted to finish the food I didn’t like first. However, that auntie thought otherwise, that I finished my favourite food first. I ended up eating the food I didn’t like throughout the entire meal. Nevertheless, I did not say anything about it. Anyway, that meal went by just like that. [09′43″]
As you can see, I also participated in a huge banquet! All I remember is that auntie who kept on giving me the food that I disliked. I ate a lot of the food I didn’t like while keeping what I liked at the bottom of the bowl, which was all covered by other foods the auntie kept on giving me. You see, all I remember is this. Until this day I still remember it, which shows that children really care about food. [10′05″]
Master applied this story to point out the matter of catering to capacity/condition of alignment. In fact, “alignment” refers to what your focal point is, or the matter that you specifically care about. That could be what the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are trying to point out to us: that is, in the past, you must have had a weighty habituated tendency towards certain matter. [10′24″]
So in this short paragraph, Master brought up a question: we did not pay attention to the remarkable speech delivered by those dignitaries and scholars, but we would only notice the chocolates [or the food]. Why? He applied the story of a child to illustrate the issue: on the matter that catches our attention, why do you care about it? Of course, why would a child care most about [food]? That is just because he/she is young and that is a good enough reasoning. However, when it comes to alignment, we would ponder why it is that I only respond to this, he only resonates with that, and another person just accords to that? Master was teaching us to explore this issue. [10′59″]
【全球广论 II 讲次: 0070】
讲次 0070
科判 道前基础
主题 〈皈敬颂〉论前皈敬
音档 2A 23:04 ~ 25:55
日期 2018/11/29 ~ 12/02
广论段落 P1-L6 如极难量胜者教……我礼龙猛无着足
手抄页/行 第1册 P44-LL2 ~ P46-L3 ( 2016 南普陀版：第1册 P44-LL1 ~ P46-L4 )
手抄段落 佛法本身……这个才是真正重要的。
好，那我们再来听师父讲的下一段。
佛法本身，它除了如理、如量以外，还要一个条件，所谓“次第”。对我们来说，应我们的机，这个很重要的，应我们的机，很重要的！就是说我们的机如果是已经到了佛地了，他就现佛身来救我们；如果说我们大乘，他就以大乘的行者，然后大乘当中又有种种的差别；小乘，以小乘的。这个就是我们修学佛法过程当中的次第。那么最上根利智的人，他以最圆满的方法来接引他，所以佛出世的时候第一部说的是《华严》，那个是最圆满的。可是这个时候，不要说我们根本完全不在那个地方，就算看看佛世时候的公案，大智如舍利弗坐在这个华严会上，听《华严经》是如聋如哑，听得不晓得他说些什么东西，我想这个公案我们大家都知道。这一点，我们虽然信得过佛，可是不一定体会得到这个心情。我们现在不妨用一个眼前非常简单的例子一说，我们就可以体会得到。 [01′40″]
这一小段，大家还记得吧？师父说：佛法本身，除了如理、如量之外，还要一个条件，就提到了“次第”两个字。这个次第，师父就接着说：“应我们的机”，说是很重要、很重要的！ [02′00″]
像在〈观世音普门品〉里边也有说：“应以佛身得度者，即现佛身而为说法”，应以怎样的身得度者，观世音菩萨就现怎样的身为他说法。师父说：“我们虽然信得过佛，可是不一定体会得到这个心情。”经典里讲说佛菩萨是怎样应我们的机给我们说法的，会比喻成一个慈母的心。比如说一个非常非常爱护小孩的母亲，在小孩婴儿的时候给他吃什么，从很小的小孩、小小孩到稍稍大一点，她会不停地调整他的食谱，他的食物是一直在变化着的、变化着的。为什么呢？因为慈母疼爱着这个幼儿，虽然很想把世界上所有好吃的都给他吃，但是他没长牙的时候，你是不能给他吃很多东西的。 [02′55″]
所以，在提到应机的这个问题上，会很感念佛菩萨的恩德。佛菩萨体恤我们在生死中的这种痛苦，在学习佛法这条路上还是刚刚起步，就像婴儿和小孩一样，所以他要给我们调治出什么样的法味才是适合我们的次第、应我们的机的呢？比如说师父为什么会选择用这样的方式来讲《广论》？师父的日记完全不是这种风格，很显然师父写日记的时候是他自己习惯的一种风格，就是半古文式的，而且文字非常地简洁，有的时候就两个字，比如说“共勉”，还有“以此为戒”。但是在讲《广论》，师父所采用的方式就是非常长篇的，给我们讲故事啊，会讲得特别特别耐心。当时有一些同学开始听师父的带子的时候，会认为师父就是这种风格。其实师父应该不是这种风格的，他的日记应该才是他的风格。 [03′58″]
师父的日记是不给别人看的。像有一天，我早晨去礼拜师父，给师父磕头，但师父通常都不让磕头。去敲门，师父说：“进来！”然后我就进去。进去之后，发现师父坐在桌前写日记，我就走过去说：“师父，您写日记哪！”然后师父就用手把他写的日记都盖起来。我就说：“师父，可不可以给我看一下？”师父说：“日记不能给人家看，因为日记力求真实，这是写给自己的。”然后我在师父旁边说：“师父，那我看一行，行不行呢？”后来师父就用书把上面挡上了、下面也挡上了，就留出那一行字给我看了一眼。我看完了之后，师父当时对我说了一句话，他说：“你不要急，这些都是你的！”当时我没太留心这句话，只是很注意看那一行字到底是写什么、很着急，因为师父上面也挡着、下面也挡着，我害怕让师父挡久了，我就迅速地看了一眼，其实看完了，现在我都不记得了。 [04′57″]
为什么讲到了这一点呢？师父为了我们这些汉族的弟子能够在心里无碍地接受文殊的教法，其实他是想了很多很多办法的，包括想了一个他可能不是很习惯说法的方式，就是为了应我们的机，他用这种方式讲。结果一讲呢，很多人就对《广论》开始产生好乐心了，甚至是相见恨晚，甚至十几年、二十年、三十年，就是这样子专心地学《广论》 ，这都源于师父当时对我们那个善巧的接引。一旦没有这样的方式给我们讲，怎么可能这么多居士会发心学这样一部论呢！而且学完了之后，还会发心学很多论，因为《广论》里有很多经典。 [05′42″]
所以师父对于这点，他说：关于这种心情啊，不一定能体会得到。就是母亲对孩子的心，孩子是否能体会得到呢？可能很多时候是体会不到的。但是母亲不会因为孩子体会不到，就不用这样的心去对孩子；正因为体会不到，她会更加善巧地想各种办法，来教导这个小孩成长。这真是佛菩萨的悲心所在啊！ [06′10″]
好！现在我们来听下一段。
譬如今天我们坐在这个地方，大家研究这部《广论》。不一定啦！就是不妨说最起劲、最高兴的一部论，我们大家每一个人，啊！听的也好，讲的也好，欢喜得不得了！假定说现在带一个其他的不相干的人来，他跟佛法不相应，坐在那个地方的啊，他听得是一点味道都没有，唉呀！不晓得你说些什么东西。这是一种例子。那么更另外一个例子，譬如说今天是有一个很大的宴会场合，这个宴会场合有很多大人物出现，各式各样的大人物出现，我们有机会去参加。结果我们如果说带一个小弟弟，或者带一个小孩子去，那个小孩子去了以后，如果回来的时候你问他：“欸！今天你参加了一个盛大的宴会，你看见了什么啊？”他说不定会说看见巧克力糖。 “还有没有啊？”看不见，不晓得看见什么，那些陌生人不晓得什么！可是另外人就看见：哎哟！当代第一类的这个大政治家、大学者发表了不起的言论，哇，觉得这不得了！这我想我们都有这个经验吧！那为什么原因？下面这个才是真正重要的。 [07′36″]
上一讲师父讲了应机，从佛菩萨的那一面，佛菩萨一定想应我们的机；但是从学的人的角度，可能很难体会这种心情。所以师父为了让我们体会一下，从我们学的角度怎么样去体会这个机的问题，然后师父讲了这个故事。这个故事分两个：一个是在讨论我们特别喜欢的论的时候，一个不相干的人，他没有学过，进来听的时候一点味道都没有，因为他不知道在说什么，完全不了解、没有兴趣！ [08′12″]
后面的例子就很生动了，这可能大家都有体会。比如说你特别特别小的时候，去参加一个宴会，那只注重什么呢？小孩最注重的应该就是吃的。小朋友可能都会去过宴会吧！像我小的时候也去过，我是被安排到小孩儿那一桌，那一桌全是孩子，可能二十个孩子、三十个孩子在一起。小孩在一起干什么呢？比如说菜上齐了之后，大概小孩都是喜欢吃丸子吧，很快就被吃光了。有一些小孩可能夹不到菜就自己哭了，因为喜欢吃的这一盘很快就什么都没有了。小孩哭了的时候，大人就过来管我们。 [08′52″]
然后有几个大人发现我的碗里是空的，因为菜太远就夹不到了，等到我去夹的时候就不见了，所以就没吃到什么。结果有一个阿姨就对我非常好，把我抱到大人那一桌，给我碗里夹菜。我的习惯是先把不喜欢吃的吃了，然后把好的留在后面。这个阿姨就给我夹了一个菜，我是不太喜欢吃的，所以她夹完之后，我就先把那上面吃了。阿姨一看我把它吃了，立刻又把那个菜再给我夹一遍；我又把它吃了，然后她再夹一遍；我又吃了……其实我不喜欢吃那个，因为我想把不好吃的先吃了。结果那个阿姨以为我是另一种类型的，就是先把好吃的吃了，所以那一天我整场都在吃不喜欢吃的东西，但是我也没讲，反正那一餐饭就那样过了。 [09′43″]
你看！我也是参加了一个很大的宴会哦！我就只记得那个阿姨一直给我夹一个我不喜欢吃的，我吃了很多我不喜欢吃的东西，我喜欢吃的就一直盖在碗底，都被阿姨新夹的东西盖住。你看我就记住了这件事情，这么大了还记住这件事情，可见小的时候对吃的真的是很在意。 [10′05″]
师父用这个故事来点出应机的这件事。其实“应机”就是你注意的点是什么，你有没有特别在乎的那件事，那件事可能就是佛菩萨会点拨我们的一件事情，就是你曾经对这件事很强烈地串习的。 [10′24″]
所以在这一小段，师父提出了一个问题，说：为什么那些大人物、大学者，发表了了不起的言论我们都没在意，我们只看到了巧克力，为什么呢？这用小孩的故事讲了一个观察点的问题，就是在乎的点，为什么你会在乎这个呢？当然一个孩子为什么在乎？因为他小，好像理由就没了。但是涉及到机的时候，我们就会思考：为什么我只相应这个，他只相应那个、他又相应那个呢？师父在教我们探索这个问题。 [10′59″]