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Global Lamrim II

Lecture No. 0123

Tape: New Version 02 22:38 ~ 24:31

Date : 2019/06/03 ~ 06/05

Outline: Foundation

Topic: Prologue – Veneration at the beginning of the commentary 

English Lamrim Vol. 1, Pg 34 

Vol. 1 of Master’s discourse handbook P42-LL7 ~ P43-L7

We go to great lengths to blame the external conditions or spent a lot of effort greatly disparaging ourselves. However, can either attitude help us address the issue of being “unable to continue with the learning”? Will these count as an exploration worth our effort? Of course, we would say it is an exploration of why I cannot continue with my learning? However, in order to explore further, how much effort does it take to completely transform the external conditions? Or from what perspective, can I consider myself to be very strong all at once? However, in reality, it is not strong. Thus, both attitudes will lead you to a dead end. [00′37″]

Hence, we might as well honestly abide by what all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas had said unanimously, “stop racking your brains; instead, just accumulate merits and purify obstacles! It is precisely we did not both accumulate merits and purify obstacles sufficiently. There is no need to berate yourself by tagging yourself with so many labels!” All you need to do is work as industriously as you can to accumulate merits and remove obstacles! That’s it! It is the same for everyone, it is not because you are incapable. This applies to everyone! Without accumulating sufficient merits and without purifying one’s obstacles, one just can’t continue with the learning! Thus, these are the pre-requisites one needs to acquire in order to continue with the learning. [In other words,] what one needs to do is obtain these pre-requisites. There is no need to lament, to feel discouraged or to condemn oneself with such negative thoughts; all these are wasting our time and very much increasing our sense of dejection! [01′26″]

From such a perspective, the reasoning Master brought up gives us a sense of illumination. Though trapped by various obstacles and challenges, it enabled us to suddenly realize that, hey, we can actually advance on the path effortlessly! We don’t have to be laden by the different types of external conditions or various self-condemning thoughts. All I have to do is to accumulate merits and purify obstacles! Sometimes we would find Buddha Dharma very abstruse and profound; yet the solutions Buddha Dharma taught us are very straightforward and simple – very explicit and not ambiguous at all. All you have to do is engage in it, and the effect will surely arise! [02′03″]

It was many years ago, there was once I felt, Oh! I was very unsatisfied with my cultivation/ practice, I slipped into a state of very deep distress. I was trapped in distress for quite a while and I pondered: if I continue to be in distress, I would not make any progress. Why not pray earnestly and sincerely instead! With that thought, I made an offering to Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva with all the money I had. At that time, I was a student; how much could an elementary student have, right? I bought a necklace and offered it to Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva.  [02′28″]

In fact, it is not necessary for you to buy a necklace like I did. After I made this offering, I began reciting Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva’s name sincerely, praying for the blessing from Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva. The day after the next, well, I felt the difference! Facing the same adversity, the same arising condition, I found myself changed. I felt that the adversity has become quite insignificant and my mental strength was reinforced. When I saw my reflection in the mirror, I found that my eyes have lit up. Why? Because my mental strength became stronger! Once your mind is energized, you would find that you can overcome such an obstacle with a single stride! Or the obstacle has disappeared before you know it. This is the mental strength. What is mental strength? Accumulating merits and purifying obstacles can foster the mental strength. [03′07″]

Not sure how you feel after hearing about this very simple and practical solution to overcome the issue of “unable to continue with the learning”? Do you think that, after hearing about it, it should be put into practice?  In order to put it into practice, the Lamrim classes can actually do the 35 Buddhas Repentance Practice with full prostrations on a regular basis. I remember back then [when I was a facilitator], we did not have a fixed classroom for Lamrim study. We went to a fellow classmate’s home, there were not too many classmates. We would each find a spot to prostrate, be it on the sofa, or on the floor. We were at every corner of the house, so long as there was space, we would do our prostrations. [However,] sometimes it was very crowded with little space left to prostrate fully. Some classmates would do standing bows slightly bending at the waist because there were too many classmates standing in the front, and it was impossible to do full prostrations. Nonetheless, they were all bowing earnestly and sincerely throughout the 35 Buddhas Repentance Practice. Some lay practitioners are truly endowed with plentiful virtuous roots! [03′48″]

For example, when the sangha is prostrating during the 35 Buddhas Repentance Practice, oh my, the robes of the monastics are soaked through, the robes are repeatedly soaked for several rounds in a day! Some of the monastics uphold very intense mental strength. Thus, if any of these monastics is unable to continue with the learning, then I am truly worried and somewhat sad. However, if all of us are able to take this piece of advice from Master to heart, then would there be any obstacle for us? All we have to do is eliminate obstacles and accumulate merits. Eventually, the obstacles can be transcended! [04′15″]

Hence, I consider this concept very promising. We now realize that accumulating merits and purifying obstacles can help us overcome adversity and it is within our capability to do so. If we can take this statement from Master: “the gist of their manifestations can be summarized with …” like a mnemonic chant, accumulating merits and purifying obstacles, then all obstacles will thus be resolved. This is the gist! The essence of it! Master pointed out this crucial idea while elaborating on “nowadays those making effort at yoga have studied few [of the classic texts], while those who have studied much are not skilled in the key points of practice.” Why can't you study further? And with all the study, why can’t you put it into practice? In fact, it all converges to one cause: lacking sufficient merits and obstacles not removed yet. Thus, we only need to tag along these two aspects would suffice! [04′56″]

So, the approach Master provided to us is very practical and effective; it can be applied directly! I sincerely hope that after listening to this, you will find it somewhat helpful to deal with any challenges you face in life. Take our chanting of the Perfection of Wisdom Sutra for example; some of you keep chanting it every day, at a regular time of the day. Some find attending the Dharma assembly quite enjoyable. However, you are not aware of how many karmic obstacles have been purified. If we can dedicate all these efforts to our study-contemplation-meditation, be it volunteering, listening to the teaching, attending to the Three Jewels, making offerings during Dharma assembly, helping those in need, or even rescuing a stray dog, etc., then we are not wasting our time in every single day. Whatever we are doing is all for the purpose of purifying obstacles and accumulating merits. [05′45″]

讲次 0123

科判 道前基础

主题 〈皈敬颂〉造论宗旨

音档 新版 02 22:38 ~ 24:31

日期 2019/06/03 ~ 06/05

广论段落 P1-LL1 今勤瑜伽多寡闻……复乏理辩教义力

手抄页/行 凤山寺版：第1册 P42-LL7 ~ P43-L7

手抄段落 换句话说.......自然会感觉得很不一样的内涵。

我们用了很长的篇幅去评论环境的过失，用了大量心灵里的自我抨击的声音去打击自己，但是这些东西对我们[学不下去]这件事到底有没有帮助呢？是不是有价值的一个探索？当然我们会说这是探索为什么我学不下去？但这个方向探索下去，要多大力气可以把整个环境都改变？或者我用什么样的观点，会一下子认为我是很强的？看起来就是不强。所以从这两方面都是碰壁的。 [00′37″]

那我们不如就老老实实地听所有佛菩萨他们异口同声的这个观点，说：[不要想那么多，就是集资、净障！就这两件事做得不足，你不要给自己贴那么多标签！]如果你把这两件事做足了，你就行了！任何人都是，不是说你不行，所有人都是这样的！如果资粮不够、业障没有净化的话，就是学不上去！所以这是能够学进去的条件，你只要圆具这些条件就好了，不用对自己发出那么多慨叹、悲伤，又是很多很多自我否定的那些言论，都会蹉跎时日，而且给自己添了太多的伤心吧！ [01′26″]

所以从这样的观点，我会觉得师父这个理路给我一种很亮丽的感觉，让我们在重重困境的围困之下，突然看到：欸，我轻装就可以上来！我不用去一直背负着环境这样、那样的，背负着我对我自己那种诸多的看法，我只要去集资、净障就可以了！有的时候佛法我们觉得艰深、觉得深邃，但佛法教给我们的解决困境的方式，是如此地简洁明了，非常地清晰，一点都不含糊。你做就是了，做就会有结果！ [02′03″]

很多年前吧！有一次我也觉得：哎呀！对我的修行非常不满意，陷入了一个很深的苦恼。苦恼了一段时间，我在想：苦恼下去也没什么进展啊！那还是老老实实地祈求吧！所以我就去供养观世音菩萨，用仅有的钱——一个学生嘛，一个小学生有多少钱——买了一串项链，然后就供养观世音菩萨。 [02′28″]

其实你也不用买项链，不用学我一样。我买了之后供养他，然后我就开始认真地念观世音菩萨，祈求加持。过了一天，第二天我就觉得：欸，我好像不一样了！面对还是那样的困境、还是那样的状态，我突然觉得我变了，我觉得那个困境很小呀！我很有心力。然后自己去照镜子的时候，发现自己眼睛变亮了。为什么？心力变强了嘛！当你心力变强了之后，你就会发现这个障碍一步就可以踏过去了！甚至已经过了！其实就是心力。心力是什么？集资、净障就可以长心力。 [03′07″]

所以这个非常简洁、实用的、让我们[学不进去]这件事情可以解决的办法，不知道大家听了之后什么感觉？你们会不会觉得听了是要实践的？要实践的话，其实定期一段时间，广论班就可以一起拜三十五佛忏。像那个时候，我们也是没有固定的教室啊，就在居士的家里边，人也不是很多，在沙发上拜的、在地板上拜的，反正到处都是，有个地方大家就拜佛。人挤人拜不开的时候，就是弯腰一下，因为前面已经都站满了磕不下去，但是他的心也是诚心诚意地拜三十五佛。看有一些居士真的是很有善根！ [03′48″]

像在僧团拜三十五佛的时候，出家人，哎呀！衣服都湿透了，一天就湿透好几轮啊！有一些修行人的心力真的是很猛的。看到这样的修行人如果学不下去，真的我是心里很担心，也有一些难过。但是如果能够听进去师父的这一番话，那你说我们哪有什么难点？难点集资、净障就好了，然后就会穿越！ [04′15″]

所以我会觉得这是一个非常大的希望，我们知道了集资、净障可以穿越困难，而且我们有能力集资、净障。如果我们能对师父讲的这句话，说：[最重要的浓缩起来......]就像一个口诀一样，集资、净障，然后就一切都能解决。这精髓喔！精髓喔！师父在[今勤瑜伽多寡闻，广闻不善于修要]里边，就切入了这个要点。为什么你不能广闻？为什么你闻了之后不能修要？其实就是资粮未具、障碍未除，只要沿着这两点就可以了！ [04′56″]

所以师父给我们的方法是非常有力的、可以直接操作的！非常希望大家听了之后，能对现在遇到的困难有帮助。比如说我们诵《般若经》，看起来天天诵、到时间就诵，好像参加法会挺欢喜，可是不知道净化多少看不见的业障。还有去服务啊、当义工啊、听法呀、承事三宝呀，还有供养法会呀，甚至去帮助需要帮忙的人，甚至我们去救一只流浪狗......，这所有的一切如果都回向闻思修的话，那我们没有一天是在浪费时间的，我们所做的一切都是为了净罪、集资。 [05′45″]