Lecture No. 0211
Global Lamrim II
Lecture No. 0211
Tape: 3B 19:22 ~ 21:31
Date: 2020-04-06 ~ 2020-04-08
Topic: Imparting Dharma teaching needs to be in line with the capacity of the audience
Vol. 1 of Master’s discourse handbook
As discussed in the previous teaching, “to reach the attainment of indisputable experiential knowledge” requires confirmation from virtuous teachers; that is, as to what we feel and what we have attained are purified or incorrect, we need their authentication. However, there are times we feel that we are one hundred percent sure to follow our own way of thinking, but virtuous teachers tell us with one hundred percent assurance that our choice won’t work! Then, what should we do? Let me give you one example: we tend to live within a domain confined by our habitual way of thinking; nowadays there is a term for it, “comfort zone”, right? It means we find it satisfactory to live in an environment that we are familiar with and there are not many challenges. However, once we are used to living in our comfort zone, personal growth is impossible. Accordingly, we should learn to challenge ourselves with what we are afraid of. 00:58
With respect to “indisputable,” the above elaboration is for your reference. For we as practitioners, wish to cultivate the teaching of relying on virtuous teachers earnestly, we should never let Master’s exhortations, even a few words, or a few statements fall on deaf ears; we should constantly contemplate on them! 01:15
Thus, when addressing the topic on “purity”, Master said, “Generally, we know very well that before one has experienced solving one’s own problems in life, trying to help others resolve such problems is not possible. Thus, the purity is accredited when one’s afflictive issues are tamed.” Is that all? There are two more prerequisites, and what are these two? “A thorough understanding of the tenets; then with substantiate scriptural knowledge to reach the attainment of indisputable experiential knowledge.” With these two prerequisites, is it enough? Even if he or she is endowed with these two, while giving the teaching, he or she has to adjust to the capacity of the audience. Master followed by giving us one example; do you still remember the example? If a great and erudite scholar is invited to a kindergarten, like for example our Miao-hui day care center [in Taiwan], what will the great scholar say to them? If he focuses the entire speech on his research, or his crowning academic achievement, the kindergarteners would not understand at all. 02:15
I remember when I was still a student, I went to listen to a talk from an expert on bridge construction. He had built many bridges, but that day he did not talk about the process he had to go through to build a bridge, or the design diagram of the bridges. He only told us, “Alas! Nowadays, people are extravagantly wasteful! A well-built house was sold out. Once the house was in the new owner’s possession, he would tear down the entire interior design and have it completely renovated.” He shared with us his story: he used to stay in an apartment; unfortunately, both upstairs and downstairs units were sold to new owners respectively, and the left unit was sold as well. The banging noises went on and on every day; sacks of demolition debris occupied the walkways! He said, “It was very unpleasant when I stepped out of my apartment, because the walkways were all filled with sacks of demolition debris and it was very dusty. People nowadays live so extravagantly that they do not cherish what they have!” He continued, “When I was young, I remembered seeing the wooden floor was so beautifully laid. If there was just one spare plank, we would cherish it, brought it back and tried to utilize it later. Nowadays, even though the wood flooring is still in good shape, it is torn off completely and dumped as trash!” He said he really couldn’t keep up with the times now. That was his speech to us, nothing about bridge construction. 03:28
On the way back, we were wondering, “Why did we meet the professor specializing in the bridge construction? All we wanted was to have some knowledge in bridge construction, for we knew nothing of it - like how to construct a grand bridge; which bridge is the most splendid one? How it was built? We were especially curious about the bridge piers in the deep water, what kind of machine was needed to drill deep holes, so deep that the piers could be securely erected in the mud to support the bridge. However, the professor did not mention any of these at all; rather he just told us not be wasteful!” 03:56
So, everybody came back somewhat disappointed, we didn’t say much during the feedback session. Later on said, “Didn’t Master teach us to observe-merits-and-appreciate-kindness? It seems that we are faultfinding now, complaining that the professor did not share any knowledge on bridge construction with us.” And then some classmates said, “Even if you had learned about some knowledge of building the bridge, so what? It would be nothing but another opportunity for you to boast about, ‘I have met so and so bridge building professor. I know which bridges were built by him and the stories behind them.…’ For younger generation like us, isn’t it true that what we need most is to learn how to be thrifty and frugal, to pick up such traditional virtues from the older generation?” Then, we quieted down and contemplated, the sharing we had from the bridge building professor was specifically tailored for us, indeed he probably would like to help us construct the spiritual bridge in our mind – a grand bridge leading to material simplicity and extreme abundance in spirituality. Subsequently, we felt that professor was somewhat unfathomable in terms of his philosophy of life! When Master mentioned [in teaching #209] “in line with the capability of the attending audience,” it reminds me of this occurrence years ago. 05:01
Hence, as far as a virtuous teacher is concerned, Master said, ”A virtuous teacher must have verified scriptural knowledge and experiential knowledge; besides, the teaching given has to be in line with the capacity of the audience. Everyone can take a look: in regards to ’the criterion of purity in speech’, the lineage of how to impart the teaching is still rigorously passed down! 05:19
【全球广论 II 讲次: 0211】
讲次 0211
标题 说法一定要对机
音档 3B 19:22 ~ 21:31
日期 2020-04-06 ~ 2020-04-08
广论段落 P2-L6 ~ P2-L7 胜那兰陀诸智论师……圣教盛行，
手抄页/行 第1册 P89-LL1 ~ P90-LL3 ( 2016 南普陀版：第1册 P89-LL1 ~ P90-LL2 )
手抄段落 那么哪三样东西啊……这是 “轨范语净”
00:00
刚才讲到“确定不疑的悟境”要得到善知识的确认，我们现在所感受到的、所确认到的，到底是清净的还是不对的？但是有的时候，我们会觉得有百分之百的理由要沿着自己那样的思路走，但是善知识有百分之百的理由告诉你说此路不通！这个时候要怎么办呢？比如说，我们就是活在自己思路的一个范围之中，现在有一个词好像叫“舒适区”，对吧？自己习惯的、不是那么挑战的，觉得这样可能还不错。但这样的区域是没法令自己成长的，老活在自己舒适的感觉里没法成长，必须去挑战你害怕的。 00:58
所以由这个“确定不疑”讲了这一点，供大家参考。因为我们都是希望能够在依止法上好好修心的人，所以不要放过师父讲的哪怕几个字、几句话，要常常放在心里想！ 01:15
所以，在谈到“清净”的这个问题上，师父说：“平常我们也晓得的，自己没有解决问题，帮别人解决是不可能的，那么自己解决了，那个算是清净了。”那就是了吗？还要有两个条件，是哪两个条件呢？ “教理上面要有圆满的认识，然后验证上还有确定不疑的悟证的境界。”有了这个就可以了吗？虽然有了这个，可是在说法的时候，也还有对机的问题。接着就举个例子，大家还记得师父举的例子吗？一个大学者，学识非常地渊博，如果来幼儿园看看大家，比如说我们妙慧童子园，那大学者会给我们讲什么呢？如果完全讲他的论文，或者说他很深的造诣的最高境界，小孩是完全不知道的。 02:15
就像我以前还是学生的时候，去听过一个桥梁专家的分享。他建过很多很多桥，但是他没有给我们讲建桥要经过怎么样怎么样的程序、设计图，他只是给我们讲：“哎呀，现在的人真是铺张浪费呀！一个屋子建得好好的，然后卖给另一个屋主，那个屋主一进来，把原有的屋主建的东西全部都砸了！然后他自己重新装潢一遍。”他说他住那个单元，非常不巧，楼上卖了新的、楼下卖了新的，然后左边又卖了，乒乒乓乓，每天都在敲东西，走廊里全部都是麻袋！他说：“一走出来就不高兴，因为走廊里全部是麻袋，而且有灰尘。现代人活得实在是太过奢侈了，不惜福啊！” 他说：“我们小的时候，那个地板铺得那么好，有一条木板都得拿回去好好地珍惜着、想用它干个什么；这地板铺得好好的，哗啦哗啦就全部都拆了！直接变成垃圾了。”他说他真的有点跟不上这个时代了。他当时给我们讲的是这个，没有讲桥梁。 03:28
我们回来说：我们为什么去见桥梁教授呢？就想听一些关于桥的知识，因为我们对桥完全都不了解──怎么建大桥啊？哪座桥怎么辉煌啊？它是怎么建的？比如说我们就特别好奇那个桥墩要扎在那么深的水里边，最初要什么机器才能钻那么深，在那个淤泥中要把桥墩立住。桥梁教授完全没有告诉我们，只告诉我们不要浪费！ 03:56
所以大家回去就有点失望，在讨论心得的时候，我们都不太讲话。后来说：“不是师父教我们观功念恩吗？我们好像现在都在观察过失，说桥梁教授没有教给我们建桥的知识。”然后有的同学就说：“你掌握了建桥的知识又有什么呢？还不是出去夸海口说：‘我见到了某个桥梁教授，我知道哪个桥、哪个桥他建的，经历了什么故事……’一个年轻人学会节约、学会简朴、学会老一辈的这种传统，会不会是我们更需要的？”那时候我们的心就静下来，觉得我们这次去听那个桥梁教授的分享，他确实是为我们考虑给我们讲的，可能是想要建设我们心中精神的大桥吧！通向物质简朴、精神极度丰美的一座大桥。后来我们就觉得那个教授有点深不可测了！所以师父这里讲对机的时候，我想起了以前的那件事。 05:01
那么对于一个善知识来说，师父在这里边说：教理上有印证、悟境上有，然后说法一定要对机。大家可以看看：对“轨范语净”，如何说法这件事的传承还是非常严格的！ 05:19