Lecture No. 0116
Global Lamrim II
Lecture No. 0116
Tape -
Date : 2019/05/09 ~ 05/12
Outline: Foundation
Topic: Prologue – Veneration at the beginning of the commentary
English Lamrim Vol. 1, Pg 34
On the point of “while those who have studied much are not skilled in the key points of practice”, a virtuous teacher also said, “Having realized the meaning of the sublime teaching but not having abided by it in practice, one would be reborn to be the horrible king of hungry ghost.” Would be reborn in the miserable realms! If one has studied much but not put the sublime teaching into practice, (it) will cause rebirth in the miserable realms! Further, Master Tsong-kha-pa has a similar verse in the Peerless Talk of the Three Jewels: “Alas, in order to benefit self and other living beings, one must rely on the sublime scriptures. However, if one only relies on the literal meaning of the scriptures, nothing is more wasteful than this. It is like a nearly drowning person would eventually die from thirst. Even though having studied lots of scriptures, one is still claiming he/she hasn’t encountered sublime teaching. The fault is that one has not taken the sublime teaching to heart. Thus, one should be skilled in applying the teaching as the key points of practice.” That is to say, benefitting self and others is not accomplished through not relying the on the sublime scriptures. The first line of the verse explains that, to fulfil the goal of benefiting both self and others, if one does not rely on the sublime scriptures, not studying, not contemplating, this is completely impossible to achieve! However, if one relies on the sublime scriptures but only persists on the literal meaning of the words, wasting time away and being mesmerised in it, that would be like someone who is drowning and being washed away by the flood, eventually dying of thirst. Everyone think about this, how absurd it is! The person is drowning, but dies from thirst! Studying vastly yet lacking the sublime teachings, what exactly is the cause? It is the fault of not upholding the scriptures as the key instructions! We must preciously turn the teaching we have learnt into key instructions for practice! This is the exhortation from Master Tsong-kha-pa. [01′42″]
In the Bridge to Inspire Faith, Master Khe-drub-je [1385–1438] said, “Those who are devoted to studying and contemplating the scriptures are stubbornly attached to such effort of theirs.” Over here, Venerable Khe-drub-je used the word “stubbornly”. And he continued, “Even though one has possessed prominent prayer flags [representing the teacher and teachings], when one is about to practice, one does not know how to go about the methods of taming one’s mind or what was suggested in the major scriptures? What is the sequential order for upholding the practice? One can’t even recall having read any of these, even to the point of doubting if key points of practice are ever mentioned in the major scriptures.” Look at the level of stubbornness! Already possessing the flags of fame, but at the time of practice, what do the scriptures say when it comes to taming the mind, what is the sequential stages of practice, one cannot even express it. To the extent that there was “no doubt” about the sublime scriptures being embedded with key points for practice; one believes that the sublime scriptures do not contain such key points for practice, being stubborn to this point! We can all reflect on ourselves on this! [02′38″]
Then, Master Khe-drub-je also wrote another paragraph, pay attention! “When am I being hunted down by the messengers of aging and suffering?” He used the word “hunted down” – being hunted down by the messengers of aging, starting to fear the punishment from the lord of death, what would this person, who has studied lots of sublime scriptures, do? The above question is added by me. Take heed! “When one is hunted down by the messengers of aging and suffering, and begins to fear the punishment by the lord of death. One would go to a foolish man who has not studied anything; seeking help from someone who had been secluded in the forest his whole life. One would totally abide by everything this unwise one instructed. One would regret what one has learned in the past but willingly dwell on the instructions taught by the Chinese Ha-shang [v.1 p.41] – a practice that is so instinctive and intuitive like animals. One would consider all of the great scriptures are totally of no use at the time of death. One spends the rest of one's life bearing the grave karma of repudiating the Dharma!” [03′35″]
That was from Master Khe-drub-je, which bespoke his distinctive characteristics: very sharp-witted and right to the point! He said, “Do you know what is the consequence of studying much yet not being skilled in the key points of practice? At the time of old age, being chased by the suffering of old age, until in the end, being fearful about the punishment from the lord of death, it strikes them that, Alas! I have not practiced what I have learned from the teaching; I had better quickly find someone who has. This practitioner has studied and contemplated the scriptures feels that he has not practiced, and many others have not practiced either. They end up soliciting help from someone who has not studied any scripture at all but has lived in the forest for the entire life. They may do whatever this hermit said. Hence, this practitioner feels regretful for the teaching he has studied in his entire life! This practitioner regrets having listened to so many of scriptures and he feels that it has not benefitted him, leading him to? “arise great regret” and “dwell on the instructions taught by the Chinese Ha-shang,” meaning not thinking of anything, and not focusing on the virtuous meditation objects, which is a very strange way of meditation practice. And Master Khe-drub-je said it pungently: such intuitive and instinctive practice is like animals. These practitioners consider the great scriptures are of no use at the time of death, and bearing the grave karma of deprecating the excellent teachings; they spend the rest of their lives with such line of thought and go on to their next lives. Everyone can imagine where the future rebirth will be! [04′40″]
So here “those who studied much are not skilled in the key points of practice,” Master Tsong-kha-pa regarded this as not practicing what one has learned from the scriptures, and he followed by saying that we should cherish what we learned from the scriptures and internalize these instructions in our own mind stream! This is the exhortation from Master Tsong-kha-pa. Master Khe-drub-je elaborated by saying that if we don’t cherish what we have learned from the scriptures, we end up finding the teaching not helping us at all. We still need to find a way to grasp the method of practice, because we have already understood many questions relating to death and rebirth, end up looking for someone who rarely listens to the teaching for guidance. Notwithstanding that, we would stubbornly consider what we have studied before is totally wrong and thus denigrate the teaching! Thus, the fault of “those who studied much are not skilled in the key points of practice” is very weighty! Just like what was stated at the beginning of this teaching, “Having realized the meaning of the sublime teaching but having not abided by it in practice, one would be reborn to be the horrible king of the hungry ghost.” Then descending to the miserable realms is bound to happen! [05′33″]
Encountering such earnest advice from all the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and masters of the past, how fortunate are we practitioners to have the opportunity to hear such advice. Whenever we have doubt, we are able to hear such advice, even listen to it every day, every moment having an alarm to awaken ourselves. A lamp that is ever illuminating. In this way, our every deviated step will be rectified by the advice from Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Most important of all, can we treasure and persist, bolstering it as our application guideline and sincerely putting all teachings from Buddhas and Bodhisattvas into practice. And not using the theories we have heard from Lamrim, considering it only as hearsay, or just for the purpose of lecturing others, not applying the sublime teaching to transform our own life. Master said this is very serious and this is detrimental! Master said it is detrimental [in teaching #104]! [06′27″]
【全球广论 II 讲次: 0116】
讲次 0116
科判 道前基础
主题 〈皈敬颂〉造论宗旨
音档 -
日期 2019/05/09 ~ 05/12
章节 佛法的最初修链－法镜内照标题 [多闻还却匮正法]的毛病
广论段落 P1-LL1 今勤瑜伽多寡闻……复乏理辩教义力
在[广闻不善于修要]这一点上，也有一位善知识他说：[了知了正法不修持的话，当生恐怖饿鬼王。]是会堕落的！如果广闻却不修行正法的话会堕落！另外宗大师在《无上三宝谭》里也有这样的一个偈颂，说：[呜呼成办众二利，非不依诸清净典，依已但若乐文词，空度时日惑于斯，彼如溺水而渴死，多闻还却匮正法，过在未现教为诀，悉将所学现为诀。]说成办有情的自他二利，不是不依靠清净教典所能做到的。第一句话就是解释了想要成办有情的自他二利，如果不依靠清净的教典，不听闻、不思惟，是完全做不到的！那么依止清净的教典，如果只爱着于文词，以此空度时日，而且迷惑于此的话，那就像有人溺水被水冲走，最终他口渴而死。大家想想这多颠倒！溺水了，却口渴而死了！广学多闻却匮乏正法，到底是什么原因啊？就是没有将教典现为教授的过失啊！要珍爱地将所学的内容现为教授啊！这是宗大师的教言。 [01′42″]
克主杰尊者在《起信津梁》里面有一段，说：[如是对于经论努力闻思的人，就顽固地一心耽着于闻思]，这里面用了一个[顽固地]，[纵使拥有名望的飞幡，但当他要修行的时候，对于调伏自心的方法诸大经论是如何说的？行持次第又是如何？这些都说不出来，甚至不曾怀疑诸大经论当中有如是修持的扼要。]看看这个顽固到什么程度！已经拥有名望的飞幡，但是想要修行的时候，对调伏自心的方法在经论上是怎么讲的、行持次第是怎么样，连说都说不出来。甚至都没有怀疑经典当中有这样的修持扼要，认为经典中没有修持的扼要，就是顽固成这样子。我们可以看一看自己！ [02′38″]
然后接着克主杰尊者又写了这样一段话，注意喔！ [何时自己被老苦使者所追捕]，用了一个[追捕]，老苦的使者——老啊，所追捕，开始怖畏死主的惩罚的时候，这个努力听闻了很多教典这个人会干什么呢？这句话是我加的。注意喔！ [何时自己被老苦使者所追捕，开始怖畏死主的惩罚时，就会去到一个什么都不学的愚夫——尽其一生隐于山林的人面前求救，对他所说的教授一点儿都不能违犯，对于过去所努力的一切闻思，当成是生大忧悔之处，安住于支那和尚的宗规——任何亦不作意的畜生修法。认为诸大经论在死时毫无用处，背负着极大的谤法的业障下度过了生命！] [03′35″]
这克主杰尊者讲的，很像他的风格嘛！很犀利、很到位！说：你知道广闻不善于修要的结论会怎样啊？到老的时候被老苦追捕，到最后开始怖畏死主的惩罚的时候，那时候想：欸！我都没有修行，那我赶快找个有修行的。那闻思教典的人他认为自己没有修行、很多人都没有修行，去找一个什么都没学过的、都在山林里待一辈子的人去求救，然后他说什么就是什么。所以，对自己这一生所听闻的这一切闻法生大忧悔！他后悔他听了这么多教典，他觉得没有帮到他，成了一个什么？ [生大忧悔之处]。 [安住于支那和尚的宗规]，就是什么都不想，不作意、没有善所缘的这样一个奇怪修法。然后说得很犀利：任何也不作意的畜生修法。认为诸大经论在死的时候毫无用处，背负着极大的谤法的业障，这一生这样度过，然后就这样去来生了。大家可以想像会去哪里！ [04′40″]
所以在这里边[广闻不善于修要]，宗大师会认为没有把所学的教典现为教授；然后接着说要珍爱所学的内容，要把这些内容现为教授来自己的身心上实践啊！宗大师这样告诫我们。然后克主杰尊者就会说：如果不珍爱所学的教典，最后你会发现你所学的教典没有帮到你；那还是要找一个能够抓到的修行方式，因为已经了知了死和来生这样的很多问题呀，居然到最后去找了一个不怎么听闻的人修行。而且会执着地认为自己听的全都是错的，还谤法了！所以[广闻不善于修要]的这个过失就极大了！正如开始说的：[了知正法不修持，当生恐怖饿鬼王。]就堕落了！ [05′33″]
面对佛菩萨、祖师们苦口婆心这样地劝诫，我们学人多么幸运能够听到这些忠告。每当自己不太对的时候就会听到忠告，甚至天天听闻，时时刻刻有警醒自己的这样一个警钟一直在响，一个灯一直在照亮。这样的话，我们的每一步偏差都有佛菩萨的教言来调整。最重要的就是：能不能够珍爱执持，作为自己修行的一个指导，真心地去实践佛菩萨的这些教言？而不要把《广论》上听来的东西，认为只是口耳之学，或者只是出去给别人讲的，没有真实地拿这个正法来改变自己的生命。师父说这非常地严重——这就害了！师父说害了！ [06′27″]