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Global Lamrim II

Lecture No. 0148

Tape: 3A 18:47 ~ 19:48

Date: 2019-08-29 ~ 2019-09-01

Outline: Foundation 

Topic: Prologue – Veneration at the beginning of the commentary

English Lamrim Volume 1, page 34

Vol. 1 of Master’s discourse handbook P74-LL4 ~ P75-L2 (2016 NanPuTuo Version Vol 1 P74-LL3 ~ P75-L4)

Greetings to all! It is time for our Lamrim discussion again. Everyone, please adjust your motivation; shift your momentum from your typical busy routine to listening to the teaching. Observe yourself, why do you come to study the Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment? What kind of motivation should you have to be in accordance with the teaching? That is, one must reinstate: for the sake of benefiting boundless living beings, I must aspire for Buddhahood, attain the ultimate enlightenment, so that in the future I can benefit immeasurable beings who are like my mother. In that case, what is exactly the cause of achieving Buddhahood? We must know the cause first; in order to find out such cause, we have to listen to the teaching. Therefore, while listening to the teaching, we need to stay focused and integrate what we have heard into our mindstream.  [00′58″]

Today we will learn about the next paragraph in Master’s commentary. In this paragraph, Master shared his personal experience, saying that at the start of learning Dharma, he faced all sorts of dilemmas. In the end, he encountered the Lamrim which solved these dilemmas. From this experience, it is evident that the Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment helps practitioners to resolve their dilemmas. Everyone, please listen well to what dilemmas Master encountered in his initial stage of learning Buddhism, and how studying Lamrim helped him resolve them. Very well, let’s begin to listen! [01′41″]

[3A 18:47~19:48]

From my personal experience, at the beginning of learning Buddha Dharma, I did face various dilemmas as well. Although there are admittedly disputes between the Mahayana and the Theravada, and they even reach the point of being mutually contradictory, for us, this point is not our immediate concern. Theravada is the Buddhism lineage disseminated to the south [of Asia], while ours is Mahayana. However, currently even within Mahayana, I’m sorry to say, there are various issues. Some advocate the Profound View, while others are for the Extensive Deeds; besides, there are also the Mind-only School and the Zen-meditation School. Some put emphasis on this practice, while others emphasize other philosophical views. Even under the same Zen-meditation School, very sorry, there are several divisions, including the five schools and seven sects. Take chanting Buddha’s Name for example; there are also different Dharma categories. Their views are irreconcilable. I really don’t know how to resolve this! [02′43″]

In this short paragraph, Master said, “at the beginning of learning Buddha Dharma, I did face various dilemmas as well.” The phrase “as well” implies that many Buddhists actually face similar dilemmas. So what were the dilemmas Master faced? He said, despite all sorts of disputes existing between Mahayana and Theravada, they seem not too serious. Mainly, it is within Mahayana, similarly being Mahayana, such as the Profound View, the Extensive Deeds, the Mind-only School, or various Dharma categories, like the chanting of Buddha’s Name. When we are unable to reconcile, we will realise that they seem intolerable of each other. With regard to this phenomenon, Master said he “really don’t know how to resolve this!” For example, we may learn something from the Zen Meditation School, the Pure Land practice, and then the Tian-tai school, etc. After we have come into contact with so many Dharma categories, listening to so many, however, when it comes to personal practice, we do not know how to go about it. [03′43″]

I recall some lay practitioners saying, “Should I chant (mantra of) Amitabha Buddha or Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva?” “Should I chant Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, or Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, or Manjushri Bodhisattva?” Or in sitting meditation, when one needs to visualize a statue, should it be Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva or Manjushri Bodhisattva? Just this issue, one cannot decide after quite a few years. Some may consider that any Bodhisattva statue will do, but meanwhile, they feel they cannot let go of any of them. In the end, they cannot make up their mind and sink into a dilemma. [04′17″]

You all may have heard this story* before! There was a person contemplating on a question of karma, not knowing exactly how it will work in the end. Then, he went to ask a practitioner, saying “For great practitioners, are they still subject to the law of cause and effect?” The answer he got was: “not subjected to cause and effect!” Thus, just because of giving this misleading statement, this practitioner was reborn as a wild fox for five hundred lifetimes. This is a very famous story! Actually, he replied wrongly with one [Chinese] character; he should have answered that a practitioner is “not ignorant of cause and effect.” That is, someone with very, very great practice, it is not that he is not subjected to the law of cause and effect, as if the law of cause and effect loses effect on him; it is not so! Rather, it meant that he clearly realizes the law of cause and effect so much so that he would uphold the precepts with vigilance, precision, and joyous perseverance. [05′11″]

[*A story is told by Zen master Bai-zhang of his encounter with a monk who was reborn as a fox for five hundred times after he asserted that the enlightened person is exempted from the law of cause and effect. 

The story goes like this: Whenever Bai-zhang expounded the Dharma, an old man always came to listen to his teaching, along with the other monks; when the monks left the lecture hall, he followed. One day, however, he remained behind, and Bai-zhang asked who he was. The old man replied, "In truth, I am not a human being. Long ago, in the time of the Buddha Kāśyapa, I was the head monk there. One day, a monk asked me, “Is even an enlightened person subject to causality?” I replied, “No, he isn't.”  After this, I have been reborn as a fox for five hundred live times. I now ask you to save me from this fate by teaching me the true nature of causality." He then asked Bai-zhang, "Is an enlightened person still subject to causality?" Bai-zhang answered, "No one can be exempted from the law of cause and effect." Upon hearing these words, the old man attained full enlightenment.]

Just one word! Think about it, when you are having doubt about a question, and if it is a genuine doubt, it will be stuck in your head! And then, you would continuously explore this question, perhaps discussing it with many people; however, the answer you get may not be very satisfactory. Then you read up scriptures and commentaries yourself, and it seems to bring more doubts. A question in your heart can cause accumulation of despondent for ten years. Like the person asking about the question of cause and effect, if he had believed in the answer given and asserted that “great practitioners are not subjected to cause and effect,” as if the law of cause and effect is exempted on him. If he had practised based on this, it would also be very dangerous!  [05′54″]

Thus, when we are earnest about our spiritual training, we will encounter all sorts of challenges. Master said, “I really don’t know how to resolve this!” [Why?] Because this is a very serious matter! We are very, very serious in using our life to seek for liberation, to seek for the experience of enlightenment. However, once we are sunk into doubts, with no one to guide us, and unable to find the answer, this process is indeed very painful. [06′25″]

讲次 0148

科判 道前基础

主题 〈皈敬颂〉造论宗旨

音档 3A 18:47 ~ 19:48

日期 2019-08-29 ~ 2019-09-01

广论段落 P2-L1 故离智者欢喜道……故我心意遍勇喜

手抄页/行 第1册 P74-LL4 ~ P75-L2　( 2016 南普陀版：第1册 P74-LL3 ~ P75-L4 )

手抄段落 以我个人的体验来说的话......不晓得怎么办是好！

大家好！又到了我们一起研讨《广论》的时间了。请大家端正一下自己的动机，把自己的续流从平常忙碌的那些事情上转到闻法上。观察一下自己为什么要来研讨《菩提道次第广论》呢？应该用什么样的动机才能跟这样的法相应呢？就是一定要再安立：为了利益无穷无尽的有情，我必须希求佛果、成就无上正等菩提，将来才可以利益无量无边的如母有情。那么成佛的因到底是什么呢？因一定要先知道，要想知道这样的因就必须要闻法，所以闻法的时候注意要专注，要将所闻的法义结合内心。 00:58

今天我们来学习师父讲的下一段，这一段师父是从他的经验来说的。说刚开始学习佛法的时候遇到了种种的困境，最后是接触到了本论之后解决了这些困境。可以从这个经验中，知道《菩提道次第广论》本身是会解决修行人遇到的困境的。大家可以听一听，师父到底刚开始学的时候示现遇到了什么样的困难呢?《广论》又是怎么解决的呢？好！大家开始听！ 01:41

以我个人的体验来说的话，我当初修学佛法以后，也是遭遇到种种困难。那个大乘、小乘固然是彼此间有种种诤论，乃至互不相容，可是对我们毕竟比较更隔阂一点。南传是小乘的，我们都是大乘的。但是就以我们目前来说嘛，我们同样是大乘的，对不起！这个里边又有各式各样的问题。有说性宗、有说相宗，然后呢又是教下、又是宗下，有人讲修行的，有人讲这个。乃至于同样的宗下，对不起，它有五家七宗；同样的念佛嘛，它又有这样的不同的法门，大家互相彼此间不能相容，我实在是觉得不晓得怎么办是好！ 02:43

这一小段，师父说自己[当初修学佛法以后，也是遭遇到种种困难]，这个[也是]就是很多人学佛法其实会遇到困境。那么师父遇到的困境是什么呢？说大小乘纵然有种种诤论，但是好像还好，主要是大乘内部的；同样是大乘的，性宗啊、相宗啊、教下呀，乃至各种法门、念佛法门之间，当我们不会融会贯通的时候，就会发现彼此好像是不能相容的样子。然后说：[实在是觉得不晓得怎么办是好！ ]比如说看一个禅宗的，然后看个净土的，再看看天台宗的......等等，接触很多法门之后，听得很多，但是要自己用功的时候都不知道怎么办了。 03:43

我想起来有一些居士说：[到底是念阿弥陀佛呢？还是念观世音菩萨呢？ ][是念观世音菩萨呢？还是念地藏菩萨呢？还是念文殊菩萨呢？ ]甚至观想佛像要打坐的话，到底是观想观世音菩萨呢？还是观想文殊菩萨呢？这问题好几年都决定不下来，觉得好像哪个都行，又觉得哪个都舍不下。到最后就莫衷一是，陷入犹豫的困惑。 04:17

像之前大家都听过一个公案吧！就是有一个人他在思考因果的问题，不知道这因果到最后是怎么回事？后来他就去问一个修行人，说：[如果是大修行人的话，还落不落因果呢？ ]那个人就回答他说：[不落因果！ ]然后就是因为[不落因果]这句话，他得到了五百世的野狐身。这个故事很有名喔！其实他就答错了一个字，应该答[不昧因果]，就是非常非常有修行的人不是不落因果，好像因果的法则在他身上失效了，不是这么回答！而是说他不愚昧于因果，他会对因果了了分明、毫厘不差地精勤持戒。 05:11

就一个字喔！你想想，当我们对一个问题起了疑惑之后，如果是真正的疑惑，就会梗在心头啊！然后你会一直探索这个问题，可能跟很多人探索，但是你得到答案并不是很满意，然后自己去看经典、看论典，好像看得疑云更重了，一个问题在心里有的会郁积十年。像那个人问了因果的问题，后来给他答的是这样答的，如果他信了的话，说：[最有修行的人就不落因果]，好像因果法则在他之外了。如果这样去修的话，也是非常危险的！ 05:54

所以当我们很想修行的时候会遭遇到种种困难，师父说：[不晓得怎么办是好！ ]因为对这件事非常认真啊！我们是非常非常认真用生命来求解脱，希求证悟的体验。可是一旦陷入疑惑，没人指导、问不到答案的时候，真的是非常痛苦的。 06:25