Lecture No. 0180
Global Lamrim II
Lecture No. 0180
Tape: 3B 08:24 ~ 09:50
Date: 2019-12-19 ~ 2019-12-22
Topic: To listen earnestly to the Teachings is to care for our future well-being
English Lamrim Volume 1, page 34
【All those fortunate ones who are unobscured by the darkness of partisanship,
Who have the mental capacity to differentiate good and bad,
And who wish to make meaningful this good life of leisure
Should listen with one-pointed attention.】
Master’s discourse Vol 1 P84-LL4 ~ P85-L6 (NanPuTuo Version Vol 1 P84-LL4 ~ P85-L7)
If [we choose to take our time and] wait for the fruition [of the karmic seed], we will discover that we won’t gain any advantage at all; on the contrary, [we] would have our fingers burned [in the end]. For instance, [two persons pick] two different paths, one takes his time, not in a rush, while the other chooses to apply joyous perseverance, not slacking nor procrastinating. Some people would prefer to have [a slower pace of life], say, taking a stroll, [then] taking a rest [as one likes], sipping a cup of tea while enjoying the view. However, if you are told that [metaphorically speaking,] there are a lot of ferocious animals and bandits, as well as the possibility of falling into abyss on this slow path, [would you still consider that] such a slower path of life [is a good choice]? No! In fact, such [slower pace of life is a] dangerous one, and a very perilous route! Hence, the slow pace [we choose to wait] for the fruition [of the karmic seed] seems to equate to the [notion of] danger; have [we] noticed that? [Taking our time and] waiting for the fruition [of the karmic seed] implies more profound and excruciating sufferings our lives have to endure; those painful conditions and feelings, and [all] the unbearable sufferings await in the future. Listening with perfunctory attitude would not prevent the suffering from happening in the miserable realms. [Why?] Because, [in terms of our meditation practice], we have not been earnest right from the very beginning. [So,] how could we possibly dedicate all of our might to the cause of eliminating suffering? [01:08]
Have [you] noticed that Master [directly] linked our attitude of listening to the teaching with [the fruits of] eliminating sufferings and attaining happiness? Why do [we] want to listen to Buddha Dharma? It is for the sake of removing sufferings and attain happiness! If [we] do not take to heart the matter of eliminating sufferings and attaining happiness, how could [we] possibly avoid suffering? How could we possibly attain happiness? This deduction we arrive at is very penetratingly [logical]! Do you all agree? Usually our attitude is this: I would not be fined for listening to the teaching perfunctorily, nor would I be asked by the teacher to stand in the corner in class as a punishment since I am no longer an elementary school student! If we didn’t [behave ourselves and] study properly in class while attending elementary school, [we] might get a time-out, or be nagged about by our parents, after they had a meeting with teachers; chances are we might be denied of certain benefits that we enjoy as a kind of punishment. Now we listen to the teaching with such perfunctory attitude, but no one is there to supervise us or to mete out punishment on us; it seems that there is nothing or anyone to discipline us. However, self-discipline is the most important in terms of meditation practice/cultivation! Why would we need self-discipline? It is because [we] want to take the initiatives to eliminate suffering and attain happiness in our own hands. If you find yourself with such perfunctory attitude, please rectify it rather than letting it develops freely and worsens]. Remember – I am also saying remember [just like Master] – we need to apply remedies! We need to apply remedies to rectify such perfunctory attitude! With logical deduction, if we listen to Buddha Dharma with such perfunctory attitude or inattentively, how can we be truly eliminating [all the] sufferings? How can we possibly attain genuine happiness? [02:32]
It seems that we are unconcerned about our future well-being at all! Regarding the sufferings that are bound to lash out at us in the future, we do not have an overwhelmingly fierce desire to remove it, to eliminate it; nor do we have a strong determination to prevent it from happening. Our mind is like a river, and we just let it cascade forward; wherever it flows matters little, as long as right here and right now I don’t suffer any excruciating pain! Such [mentality reflects] the behaviour which is lack of analysis in the law of cause and effect, and lack of introspection on our current state of lives – actually at the end of our lives, there is the [unavoidable] issue of aging and death, and after that, where will we be: in the three miserable realms, or obtaining the human form of leisure and opportunity again to continue [our] meditation practice/cultivation? This is [a pressing] question that we have to entirely make a discerning choice, and be fully in charge of in this lifetime! [03:14]
So, in regard to the attitude of listening to the teaching, Master elaborated it from “One-pointed attention” to the full responsibility we must take for our future lives. [We] need to contemplate, the kind of future we would like to have depends on the attitude of listening [we should have now, and hence, accordingly the seed we plant now]. Have [you] noticed that this equation is as straightforward as drawing a straight line? In other words, don’t think such perfunctory listening attitude will not bear any effect. That effect will for sure be there! What is that certain effect? What is mentioned earlier is by no means to intimidate us; rather, all the wise ones have mentioned/stated/explained as such. Thus we have to convince our minds, to follow along the safe and steady path described by Buddhas and Bodhisattvas to train our mind. Never should we be indifferent, nor should we disagree with it, assuming that miserable realm does not exist or there is no end to this life! All these misconceptions cling on the [faulty views] of permanence, which need to be awakened from, be mindful of, and be rectified accordingly! [04:16]
After explaining the previous paragraph [in the teaching #177,] Master continued [in the teaching #179] to say that the reason we can strive hard and stay focused [while listening to Buddha’s teaching] is all because of our virtuous roots! Thus, he said: “So, right here, Lama Tsong-kha-pa tells us how rare it is to listen to these instructions!” Again emphasizing “how rare it is”. There were quite a few of “how rare it is” in the previous [paragraphs] as well! [Master] continued: “Now you have the opportunity to hear them”, [meaning] how remarkably blessed we are to be able to hear the Lamrim teaching that Master imparted – “you are truly a person endowed with the virtuous root.” [04:49]
“You have accumulated many virtuous roots from the past lives, and now there is this opportunity, right in front of you, to advance further.” Take heed! Master used the phrase, “right in front of you;” what is the meaning of this phrase? For example, [when we] say: “Well! Look! Look! Look! [Within reach,] this person will come right in front of me soon!” “Look ahead, look! Look! and very soon this person will climb up to the hill top!” It suggests that the speed is very fast. Because we have encountered the sublime [Dharma] teaching in this life, and we have such confidence in the teaching; now the opportunity is right in front of us to advance further! [Hence, Master] followed by saying: “do strive hard for it!” Every time when I read these words, I am very touched as if I were seeing again the sincere/genuine and ardent expression in Master’s eyes, also sensing his [urgent] tone of voice – he was afraid and concerned about the sufferings we have to endure! Now [the opportunity] to advance further is right in front [of us]. Why is it so? Because [we are so] fortunate to listen to the sublime teaching, [this implies that we are] truly endowed with virtuous roots! We are truly those who are endowed with virtuous roots! [Master] said, now that “You have accumulated many virtuous roots from the past lives, and now there is this opportunity, right in front of you, to advance further; do strive hard for it!” How to strive hard for it? “One should strive with one-pointed attention!” Master said so, so did Lama Tsong-kha-pa. What about Buddha? “Listen well, listen well, and contemplate well on it!” They all said the same thing. Such is the earnest exhortation [all the way from Buddha, Bodhisattvas to great Masters in the past] throughout all ages! It has always been the same advice; never ever has it changed at all! [06:22]
How many times such earnest exhortation has resonated/reverberated through our ears, after all? We are able to hear such exhortation from virtuous teachers, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas again. It is like the advice from a loving mother; are [we] able to take such advice to heart? Can [we] cherish such advice? [The virtuous teachers] are truly concerned about the sufferings we have to endure; they devoted their attention wholeheartedly to our well-beings, keeping us close to their heart - Those virtuous teachers are endowed with Bodhichitta/spirit of enlightenment, they can’t bear to see us in sufferings even for a second. [If they could], they would want to totally take on our sufferings; such is the [mindset of] Buddhas and Bodhisattvas and this is their earnest advice to us! Thus, [we] “should listen with one-pointed attention.” Master is passing on the poignant intention of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas – they couldn’t bear to see us in sufferings. You and I should definitely take this earnest and tireless exhortation to heart! [07:22]
【全球广论 II 讲次: 0180】
讲次 0180
标题 认真听闻就是关心自己未来的幸福
音档 3B 08:24 ~ 09:50
日期 2019-12-19 ~ 2019-12-22
广论段落 P2-L2 诸有偏执暗未覆……诸具善者专励听
手抄页/行 第1册 P84-LL4 ~ P85-L6 ( 2016 南普陀版：第1册 P84-LL4 ~ P85-L7)
手抄段落 那么这个地方也说一下......告诉我们。
如果发现等到慢慢地成熟，我们根本也占不到便宜，而且会吃更大的苦头。比如说有两条路，一条路是慢慢走的，不要着急；一条路就是要精进，不可以懈怠、不可以迟缓。那说：啊！一边走着、一边坐着、一边喝茶，然后看风景，有的人就愿意走这样的路。但是如果跟你说这个慢慢走的路里边有很多猛兽、强盗，还有可能会掉进深渊，那是一条慢路吗？ No！那是一条危险的路，非常非常危险的路！所以慢慢成熟和危险好像划等号了，有注意到吗？慢慢成熟，我们的生命就要经历更深刻的痛苦，更难以面对的那些情景和感受，难以堪忍的痛苦就等在未来。浮浮泛泛地听闻，就遮除不了恶道的痛苦，因为在一开始我们就没有认真了，我们怎么能够在灭苦的因上全力以赴呢？ [01:08]
有没有注意到师父把我们听闻佛法的一个状态，跟离苦得乐直接连结起来？为什么要去听闻佛法？就是为了离苦得乐呀！如果对离苦得乐这件事本身一点都不在意，怎么能离苦？怎么能得乐呢？这个推理是非常通透的呀！大家觉得是不是这样？平常就觉得我浮浮泛泛地听闻也不会被罚款呀，也不会被老师叫起来罚站，因为不是小学生啦！小学上学的时候不好好学习，家长开会回来可能还要被罚站，可能应得的一些利益都得不到了，好像有惩罚。那现在浮浮泛泛地听闻，没人管、没人惩罚自己，好像也没有一个什么管束自己的。但是修行最重要的就是自律呀！为什么我们要自律，因为要主动地去离开痛苦、得到快乐。如果自己是一个浮浮泛泛的状态，不要任由它发展下去，记住——我也说了记住——要起对治啊！要起对治，把这种浮浮泛泛的状态对治下去！因为照理这样推下去，浮浮泛泛地听闻、不认真地听闻，我们岂能认真地消灭痛苦？岂能认真地得到快乐呢？ [02:32]
我们好像对自己未来的幸福一点都不关心啊！对自己未来要受的那些危险，没有一种猛烈地想把它遮除、把它灭掉、不要发生那样的决断。好像就任由自己的心这样向前，像河一样流去，不管它流在哪里，反正此处、此时我没感觉到极端的痛苦就行！这是一种没有对因果进行观察，没有观察自己生命的现行——其实尽头还是有个老死的，老死之后到底会在三恶趣还是再得到暇满人身修行？这个问题完全是我们这一生要决断的、要做主的！ [03:14]
所以师父在听闻状态这件事，由“专、励”两个字，讲到了我们必须对我们的后世要负有完全的责任感，要去考虑我要什么样的未来我就要有什么样的听闻状态。有没有发现这个划等号是划得这么直线的？意思就是：不要认为这样浮浮泛泛的听闻状态不会感得一个结果，是会有那样一个结果的！那样的结果是什么呢？不是要恐吓我们，而是所有的智者如是说。所以我们要说服我们的心，沿着佛菩萨所说的那样的安稳道去修链自己。不要漫不经心，不要不以为然、以为没有恶趣、此生的生命没有尽头！这些常执是需要被点醒的，需要觉察、对治！ [04:16]
在讲了上一段之后，师父又接着说，如果能够努力、能够专心的话，这就是我们的善根啊！所以师父说：“这个地方告诉我们，你要听到这个真不容易呀！”又说一个不容易，前面也有很多不容易呀！然后说：“现在有幸听见了”，现在我们能听到师父的法音在宣说《广论》，是多么大的一个幸运啊！ “这是真正具足善根的人。”[04:49]
“现在因为宿生积了这么多善根，现在眼看着可以上去了”，注意喔！师父用了“眼看着”，眼看着是什么速度啊？比如说：“欸！看着、看着、看着，这个人走到眼前了！” “看着、看着、看着，这人爬上山顶了！”它的速度是很快的。因为我们这辈子遇到了教法，而且我们对教法有这样的一个信心，眼看着可以上去了！接着说：“千万要努力呀！”每次看到这几个字内心都很感动，好像又看到师父在眼前殷切的那种眼神，还有那种语气——怕我们受苦啊！现在眼看着可以上去了，为什么眼看着上去了？因为有幸听见了，是真正具足善根的人啊！真正具足善根的人！说：“现在因为宿生积了这么多善根，现在眼看着可以上去了，千万要努力呀！”怎么努力？ “专心、努力！”师父这样说的，宗大师也是这样说的，佛陀呢？ “谛听、谛听，善思念之！”都是这样说的。千古的叮咛啊！从未改变、从未改变的叮咛！ [06:22]
我们的耳畔到底是多少次又响彻这样的叮咛？又可以听到善知识、佛菩萨这样叮咛我们了？犹如慈母的叮咛一般，能否把这种叮咛放在心上？能否珍惜这种叮咛？觉得真的是怕我们受苦，全心全意地想着我们、把我们放在心上的人——善知识，具有菩提心的善知识，一刹那的苦都不愿意我们受，想要把我们所有的痛苦都拿去他受，那样的佛菩萨，对我们这样的叮咛！所以“诸具善者专励听”，师父传递了佛菩萨的痛切之心、难忍我们受苦的心。谆谆地叮咛，你我千万要放在心上啊！ [07:22]