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Global Lamrim II

Lecture No. 0129

Tape : New Version 02 28:12 ~ 30:01

Date : 2019/06/24 ~ 06/26

Outline: Foundation

Topic: Prologue – Veneration at the beginning of the commentary

English Lamrim Vol. 1, Pg 34

Vol. 1 of Master’s discourse P45-L5 ~ P46-L3

Then, Master helped us analyze the incident: “Are you able to distinguish the differences between the two scenarios?” Now, let me ask you first, what are the differences between the two scenarios? One is to complain and what about the other? The other is the conformity to Buddha Dharma. Master said, “Normally, whatever trivial matter happens to us, we will grumble with a lot of justification. What is such justification for? Such justification will only enhance our arrogance and pride, with which we will engage in more negative deeds. What exactly are we learning anyway?” Pay attention to this section! Normally, whatever trivial matter happens to us, we will grumble. What are these trivial matters? Compared with the serious car accident [mentioned in the previous teachings], any other matters would appear quite trivial, things like interpersonal conflicts, even over the issue of who does more work and who does less, or who pulls a long face, so on and so forth; all these kinds of conflicts. When encountering these trivialities, we start to feel disturbed, losing our composure. What would we do once we feel disturbed? We complain. Especially, after we have studied the teaching because we need justifications. When we complain, we would justify ourselves with lots of reasons. All these justifications, for sure, are blaming other parties or the external environment for causing us suffering, or for making things go wrong. All our sufferings or all of the faults are caused by such and such reasons. [01′22″]

With so many explanations and justifications, have we relieved the sufferings of others and ourselves? Have the problems been resolved? Or have things become more promising? Not at all. But what did it do? Increased our arrogance and pride. It is because we applied what we have learned to find fault with others, justifying the complaints made.  Hence, we increased our arrogance and pride. Arrogance is the cause of suffering! Master followed by saying that [with arrogance] “we will engage in more negative deeds.” Master said, this is “also a kind of conformity”, what do we conform to?  “Increase our afflictions!” [01′55″]

The classmate met with such a serious car accident.  However, what arose in her mind was this, to quickly report to Master what were the conditions of her mind. Comparatively, some practitioners, who have never met with such incidents, would look outwards finding fault or giving trouble to others over trivial matters. Using what we have learned as a demon-revealing mirror. Master was actually guiding us in distinguishing the differences between the two attitudes. One is to increase afflictions, while the other is to remove karmic obstacles and accumulate merits. Master said, “This is what truly matters to us.” After listening to the teaching, there are two things we should do when facing arising conditions, namely, purifying karmic obstacles and accumulating merits! [02′47″]

Master continued, “I hope that every classmate sitting here would sincerely realize this point while reading about/learning from this incident.” After having studied the scriptures, we should refrain from measuring others with the high standard of the tenets or complain about everything. Before we started learning Buddha Dharma, we have been in the habit of grumbling. Even though now we have learned Dharma, it is not easy to rectify such a habit. Whenever we encounter any arising conditions, we would still complain. There are some people who have the habit of grumbling from when they were very young till they are very old. As if they have spent their entire life complaining; seems like quite a serious problem. But Master said, “we are all still learning [to better improve ourselves]! As long as we begin to apply what we have learned for self-improvement, that is good. [03′25″]

How to rectify our complaining habit? When something happens, we can sense the disturbance or the afflictions arising in our mind. Are we always blaming external circumstances or other people? Or are we fully aware of what is going on within ourselves? If we seriously take note of the signs of grumbling, when such attitude arises, we would know: “Oh, here it comes, here is comes, it is about to strike again!” The complaints may manifest verbally, mentally, or physically. Then, with such recognition, we can either gradually or quickly rectify such habitual tendency. Why? Because complaining will cause us to engage in more negative karmic deeds as well as increase our arrogance and pride! It neither benefits ourselves nor others. [04′07″]

If we have someone who often complain with us, for example, in a team, the entire team spirit or the morale will likely become low and unpleasant. However, after we encounter any situation, if everyone would reflect on themselves and then help each other out, or at least treat each other very respectfully, then everyone will find that the working environment will be pleasant and positive. [04′30″]

Since the beginningless time, we are used to looking outwards. We always attribute all causes of suffering to external objects. It seems that the causes of suffering have nothing to do with our minds nor with the karma we have created in the past; specifically, they have no relation whatsoever to our past lifetimes. Whatever we encounter, we tend to confine our perspective to a certain point of time in this life; we would even try to reduce the matter to that moment it occurred.  From the moment it just happened till now, just this short duration, using it to compute where that person went wrong. We have never viewed all the conflicts or the unpleasantness happening in our life from the perspective of the infinite past to the present, and into the future. We are not in the habit of looking at things this way; thus we always draw our conclusions by capturing that small portion, and we pass our judgement habitually. [05′19″]

Once we start to become aware of this problem after learning Buddha’s teaching, I believe, every one of you would proactively make improvements. Why? Because it does not bring us happiness! Are people who complain happy? No, they are not happy. Would they feel gloomy if they like to grumble? Yes, they will feel gloomy! Do they feel resentful? Yes, they feel resentful! Would they feel they are being treated well by people around them? No. If they felt they were well treated, why do they need to keep complaining? Instead, they should be feeling grateful. Do they feel satisfied with whatever they possess now? Not really! Do they cherish what they have? Probably not, as all these fall short of their expectations. Besides, it seems that others are slacking and not trying hard enough for self-improvement. Thus, their lives seem to be full of misfortune, consequently they keep complaining. It is because we relinquished the control of our suffering and happiness into the hands of others. Therefore, using this method of complaining about others, we hope to uplift our spirits or wish that others would improve so that our life can become better. We even justify our complaints as our kind intentions. Anyway, we find all sorts of excuses, we give support to our complaints, in order to sustain our habitual complaining. [06′21″]

In fact, Master said, “Whatever trivial matter happens to us, we will grumble with a lot of justification.” This sentence has such few words! “Whatever trivial matter happens to us, we will grumble with a lot of justification.” With regard to this sentence from Master, how can we apply it to examine ourselves? What is considered a trivial matter? And then we will start to grumble? What are the signs of grumbling? They manifest themselves in our mind, through our eyes, speech and from our gestures. Thereafter, do we rationalize our complaints with reasoning? What kind of reasoning? What are these justifications for? We believe that if we could convince others with the reasoning, or even persuade others to do kind deeds, the world will become peaceful from now on, and all of us will live happily. Master said, “Such justification will only enhance our arrogance and pride.” What Master said is quite the opposite of what we think! We believe that what we do will make everyone engage in virtuous deeds; using complaining as a method to advise others or to resolve issues would work very well. Master said, besides increasing our arrogance and pride, “with which we will engage in more negative deeds. What exactly are we learning anyway?” This is a question we need to ask ourselves. Just like I am asking myself now, “What am I learning?” [07′27″]

Let me repeat it one more time “Normally, whatever trivial matter happens to us, we will grumble with a lot of justification. What is such justification for? Such justification will only enhance our arrogance and pride, with which we will engage in more negative deeds. What exactly are we learning anyway?” [07′46″]

讲次 0129

科判 道前基础

主题〈皈敬颂〉造论宗旨

音档 新版 02 28:12 ~ 30:01

日期 2019/06/24 ~ 06/26

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 P45-L5 ~ P46-L3

手抄段落 结果那位同学他觉得......应该真正懂得这个。

师父接着帮我们分析了一下说：[这两个差别大家分得清楚吧？]那我先问一下是哪两个差别呢？就是抱怨和什么？和法相应。师父说：[我们平常遇到一点点事情就抱怨，讲了很多道理。这个道理干什么？增长自己憍慢，然后还要造很多恶业，我们到底是学什么啊？]注意这一段喔！我们平常遇到一点点事情就抱怨。这一点点事情都是什么呢？跟这么大的车祸的事情比起来，肯定是芝麻绿豆的事情：人与人间的摩擦呀，甚至是谁多干了点活、谁少干了点活，谁脸色不好...... ，都是这些摩擦。碰到这点事情的时候，心里的波涛就起来了，不再平静。不再平静干什么呢？就抱怨。尤其是学法了之后，因为总得讲原因嘛，抱怨的时候还要讲出很多道理。这个道理肯定都是说对方的，或者说自己所在这个环境不好的，所以才让我自己感到痛苦，或者事情才出了错误，都是由于这些等等、等等的原因。 [01′22″]

讲了很多道理，这些道理到底有没有去除自他的痛苦呢？有没有让问题得到解决，而且也让事情朝着好的方向去发展呢？看起来都没有，只是做什么了呢？增长了自己的骄慢。因为所学的道理拿来说别人，成为抱怨的一个理由，所以增长了自己的骄慢。骄慢是苦因啊！师父接着说：[然后还要造很多恶业。]师父说：[这也叫相应]，相应什么呢？ [增长烦恼！] [01′55″]

前面那个人遇到了这么大一个事情，他心中现起的是这个，赶快跟师父报告他心里有什么什么状态。而平常没遇到什么事情的修行人，却一点点事情就朝外面去观察过失或者找别人的麻烦，所学的法都拿来做所谓的照妖镜了。师父就是在让我们分得清楚这两种听法后的差别，一个是增长烦恼，另一个是净除罪障、积聚资粮。师父说：[这个对我们才是真正重要的。]听完之后在对境的时候要做这两件事，就是净除罪障、积聚资粮！ [02′47″]

师父接着说：[我但愿我们在座的每一位同学学这件事情的时候，应该真正懂得这个。]学了经典之后，应该懂得不要拿经典的高度去到处绳人、到处抱怨。没学佛前就抱怨，学了之后也不太容易改，还是遇到境就抱怨；甚至有的人从年轻的时候抱怨到年龄很大的时候，好像一辈子都在抱怨，好像毛病满严重的。但是师父说：我们都在学嘛！学了之后开始改就好了。 [03′25″]

抱怨的毛病怎么改呢？有事情发生的时候，你会看到自己心里不寂静，或者起瞋心的那一面。看看都是责怪外境、责怪其他人呢？还是内心也有觉察自己的部分？这部分只要认真地意识到什么是抱怨的这种行相，当这个毛病又来的时候，自己要知道：哇！来了、来了，又开始了！一个是嘴上抱怨，一个是心里抱怨，还有一个可能动作上有抱怨。那么我们可以慢慢地，或者很快地改掉这种习气毛病，为什么？因为会造恶业呀、增长骄慢哪！对自己和他人一点好处都没有。 [04′07″]

如果我们周围有一个常常抱怨的人，比如说一个团队，整个团队的气氛大概都会有点低迷或者很不愉快。可是如果遇到事情之后，大家都来看自己的问题，然后互相帮助，用一种至少是非常礼貌的状态来对待他人的话，那这个团队的工作气氛也会很愉快的。 [04′30″]

我们无始劫来向外看，把所有痛苦的根源都归结为境那方面出现的，而跟我的心关系不大、跟我过去所造的业关系不大，尤其是跟我的过去生好像没什么关系。我们看什么问题都局限在此生此世的某一个时间点，甚至缩小在刚刚发生的事情，就从刚刚发生的事情到现在这么短的距离，去计算一下那个人错在哪里。我们没有从无限的过去到现在、到未来这样的一个时间轴，去看待自他的生命所起的所有冲突或者所有的不如意。我们不习惯这样看，所以常常撷取那一小段就给它下定义，而且是习惯性地去评判。 [05′19″]

一旦我们听佛法开始意识到这个问题的时候，我相信每一个同学都想积极地改善，为什么呢？因为这并不愉快！一个抱怨的人快乐吗？不快乐。抱怨的心情郁闷吗？郁闷啊！愤愤不平吗？不平呀！他觉得周围的人对他好吗？不好！好为什么要抱怨？就感恩了！那么对他现在拥有的一切感到满足吗？没有啊！珍惜吗？可能也没有。因为这一切都如此地不如意，而且大家好像都不努力、都不改善，所以好像满苦命的，就是一直抱怨。因为我们生命的苦乐都操纵在其他人的手里，所以我们用抱怨别人的方式试图能够心情好一点，或者希望别人能够改善，我的生命状态会好一点，甚至说我抱怨你其实是出于善意。总之会有种种的理由，我们给抱怨很多条支撑它的柱子，让这个抱怨的习气能够延续下去。 [06′21″]

但实际上师父说：[遇到一点点事情就抱怨。]这一句话就这么几个字喔！ [我们平常遇到一点点事情就抱怨。]这句话师父在这里讲了，但是我们怎么样能够把这句话放在自己身上观察一下？什么是一点点事情？然后就抱怨了吗？抱怨的行相是什么？在心里出来、在眼里出现、在口中出现、在自己的动作中出现。然后我讲道理了吗？讲了什么道理？讲这些到底干什么呢？我们会认为用这个道理说服别人，甚至规劝别人行善，世界会从此和平，我们大家会过得很安乐。师父说：[增长自己骄慢。]观点都跟我们感受的是相对的！我们会觉得这样的话大家都会造善业了，我用抱怨的方式规劝别人或者解决问题的话会很好。师父说除了增长自己骄慢，[然后还要造很多恶业，我们到底是学什么啊？]这句话是反问自己的。就像我现在反问：[我在学什么呀？] [07′27″]

我再说一遍：[我们平常遇到一点点事情就抱怨，讲了很多道理。这个道理干什么？增长自己骄慢，然后还要造很多恶业，我们到底是学什么啊？] [07′46″]