Lecture No. 0298
Global Lamrim II
Lecture No. 0298
Lamrim Volume 1: P39-L18 ~ LL6
Date: 6 Apr 2022
Topic: Live every day in tranquillity with the habit of guarding ethical discipline and not being thoughtless
What follows is: “Conscientious and alert, with no deceit or pretension, you were not stained by the faults of infractions [V.1, P. 39],” which is eradicating all thoughtless attitude and becoming fully conscientious, equipped with mindfulness and vigilance, without deceit or pretension. Hence, one will not be tainted with any root transgression or the like. When it is evident that one does not abide by ethical discipline purely, damaging their pledges, committing many transgressions, yet proclaim that their upholding of precepts is pure; they are not upholding the vows properly, but act like monastics with pure conduct; this is deceit, whereas not having such conduct means “no deceit or pretension”. [00′37″]
We just explained what the state of no deceit or pretension means; besides, we are introduced to the spectrum of letting loose and conscientiousness. I wonder whether you are clear about the difference between letting loose and being relaxed? Some people may relax, but sometimes they might become so relaxed that their behaviour becomes thoughtless; others might act thoughtlessly as soon as they relax. Letting loose indicates that one is unmindful, right? That is, when one becomes thoughtless, it means he or she is not guarding the mind; he or she is not mindful. [01′05″]
Here it concerns another question: As we mentioned earlier, vigilance acts as a kind of alert, a kind of capacity to monitor ourselves; [so the question is,] if you are aware of being monitored by vigilance, are you still able to feel relaxed? Yes, it is possible; after we have been trained long enough, this is possible to achieve! Let me give you a very simple example – riding a bicycle. In the very initial stage of learning, you would get on it and ride the bike very nervously. I also have the experience of riding a bicycle when I was young. In Mainland China, we called it a bicycle, but in Taiwan it is called a foot-pedal bike. I recall that I should have almost learnt it. However, one day it was quite windy, and as I rode along, I felt I was almost out of control when the wind blew. Somehow, I just couldn’t get off from the bicycle. Out of nervousness, I pedalled hard; the harder I pedalled, the faster the bike moved on. At this juncture, a car filled with passengers appeared from far, coming towards my direction. I thought: Wow! What should I do now? That was a single lane road, and we were facing each other. Because my bike was moving at a very fast speed, it was somewhat downhill slope or the like, I was pedalling furiously with my feet. Right before we were about to collide…. I still had some aesthesia, tilting the handlebar to the right and ended up banging into a tree; and hence I avoided colliding with the car. That car was loaded with passengers, and I saw everyone on that car staring at me with their eyes wide open, looking startled and helpless, because we both were on full speed. [02′23″]
So, what I mean is: this is like a child who just begun to learn how to ride a bicycle. When mounting on a bike, the child would be very nervous when both feet are lifted off the ground as he/she is still unable to manoeuvre it. After a cyclist rides a bike for a period of time, I did observe that some cyclists were almost about to fall asleep while pedalling, and there are those who rode with great ease, looking around leisurely. Adult bikers can put the feet down as they have longer legs than children, they can put it down anytime. The experienced riders have already transformed into a state of freedom; they are no longer that nervous. [02′51″]
Hence, it is not necessary that we have to feel uneasy or jittery once we take the precepts; or feel like we have obtained happiness when we do not guard our mind and become loosened up, such are indicators of someone who lacks experience. After we have sufficient experience, we would in fact, feel that equipping ourselves with mindfulness and vigilance to live through the day clear-headedly, there will not be so much regret and suffering. Because coming to think of it: the fewer transgressions committed on this day; applying ways to purify and repent right away when we identify flaws in our conduct; by so doing, we would lead each day with a sense of tranquillity. Or, you will examine yourselves and recognize there are more precepts that have yet to be upheld properly. If you do that, you will not have a murky view as you look back – one look, it is foggy with dust particles suspending in the air, barely able to see anything at all. If our minds are not alert about events that we are experiencing at the moment, then when we look back to recall it – which matter did I handle well, or which did I not do well in? Were there any violations to the vows that I have taken? You cannot clearly recall what you have done when you try to remember, such a state is quite problematic! [03′48″]
Why is our recollection vague? It is because we are not mindful in the present. Suppose we are mindful as we handle tasks, we would take note at the same time: for instance, “Will what I am going to say violate the vows I took? With the attitude I’m taking toward others, will I commit infractions towards my precepts? Or even so, will this thought in my mind infract the Bodhisattva vows or the Tantric vows and the like? All of these have to take place under an extremely clear state of mind, with a habit of introspection. Therefore, such habit is likely only viable under the state of mind that is not thoughtless, before it is able to detect more and subtler things. Once we allow ourselves to be thoughtless, our mind would be captivated by various matters. For instance, now we are handling some tasks, some people would be eyeing on the outcome whether it will be desirable or not, not taking notice of the activity of the mind – the mind which is glorified by the three types of vows - if we don’t guard our vows properly, it is a failure; if we uphold it well, it is a success! [04′44″]
Speaking of guarding the precepts we have taken, some people may say: “Well, then I will not take on any tasks!” Does keeping away from tasks free us from having afflictions? Will the effect of afflictions and their root causes be all cleansed? It is not so. Whether we are handling any task or not, it is an expedient mean for us to eradicate our afflictions and gradually purify the precepts that we are undertaking. However, once we dive in immediately to immerse in a task, we are so into it that we forget to be mindful of where our mind is heading, totally not mindful of where our mental thoughts are headed towards; examine our actions daily, do we remember the vows we have taken? Do we reflect often enough? The moment we forget these and allow afflictions to grow, in this state, we would for sure cause discomfort to others in a group. This is because things such as complaints or malice etc., many effects of untamed behaviours will be visible to everyone. Nobody would wish to work with someone who is filled with blazing afflictions, because it will be very painful. [05′36″]
Thus, ethical discipline can calm our mind; once the mind is in tranquillity, we would not need to be in so much pain. Once we are not in that sort of pain, actually we find it easier to get along with people around us; we won’t keep feeling troubled, or continue to quarrel back and forth with one another. These are just the immediate benefits we can reap for this lifetime; if we discuss the benefits brought by upholding the precepts for future lifetimes, that would be incomparable, the benefits are too great! Attainments such as high-status rebirth, certain-goodness, and the good qualities of the Vajrayana practice, once there isn’t ethical discipline to act as the foundation, all would be futile! [06′08″]
Hence, over here, I’d like to advise myself and those of us who are able to feel a concordance with Master Tsong-kha-pa’s teachings; please don’t get used to being in a thoughtless state of mind; we should habituate ourselves to be mindful. Don’t regard taking the precepts as something that will place us in an uptight state. If you notice that you are very tensed up, you can take deep breaths to regulate your state of mind, and then tuning your mind to a state that is serviceable, not too tense nor too lax, it is very comfortable. Gradually, we would resonate that it is better for our mind to consistently monitor, and guarding it would be better. [06′40″]
As for “deceit or pretension”, this should have a very direct connection to our attachment to the fame and personal interests. When one did not do well but act as if he/she has already achieved good outcomes, these are deceit and pretension. In The Eighty Verses of Praise, it says, “no deceit or pretension”; praising Master Atisha who was free of such conduct. There is no discrepancy between his speech and his mental action; regardless of him being in the presence of someone else or alone on his own, inside his heart he stood with the same stance; there was no duality. He does not need to put up a front for others and revert to a different person in private, just one consistent image. Why so? Because by doing so can one be liberated! Doing this can allow us to completely eradicate all the non-virtuous deeds that propel us towards the three miserable realms, then only would high-status rebirth and certain goodness be achieved. [07′26″]
Usually, why do people want to practice deceit and pretension? It is for fear of losing face, right? Worrying that others may belittle us. However, once we are deceitful and pretentious, it would be very difficult to have the aspiration to repent for our unpure practice of ethical discipline, because it feels like this is none [of such transgressions]. But Master said: we may be able to deceive others, we cannot deceive ourselves. It is not possible to deceive Buddhas or Bodhisattvas; they know our every thought. So regarding this, there should not be any avenue for us to take the easy way out; nor is there any path we can uphold pure ethical discipline without putting in effort; just like a shortcut can also take you there, here it is not possible! It is a must to religiously guard our vigilance and mindfulness, for instance: one precept verse, first we can familiarize ourselves with that one precept verse, and then move on to the practice of the Six-session Guru Yoga, everyday examining how I have observed these precepts; upon noticing any faults, I should repent right away. [08′19″]
Therefore, gradually our minds can move away from the states of deceit and pretence, emulating Master Atisha, one of our goals will be to become “Conscientious and alert, with no deceit or pretension”; strive to achieve “not stained by the faults of infractions.” It is the goal that every practitioner to look up to. Taking the same vows, how is it that Master Atisha was able to uphold them with such purity? What methods did he adopt to uphold these vows? We should explore the profound mystery within, find the path, and persevere at doing it for eternity. [08′52″]
【全球广论 II 讲次: 0298】
讲次 | 0298 (2021-02-04 ~ 2021-02-07)
标题 | 习惯护戒、不放逸，清凉地过每一天
《广论》段落 | P5-L4 ~ P5-L7 成就金刚乘律仪者……犯罪不染尊。”
入门段落 | 第1册 P121-LL2 ~ P122-L3 后面说“慎念无谄诳......没有这种行为就是“无谄诳”。
(更新日期: 2022年4月6日)
00:00
后面说：“慎念无谄诳，犯罪不染尊”，就是断除一切放逸的心而具足不放逸，并且具足正念、正知，没有谄诳，因此不会被根本堕等堕罪染着。明明是持戒不清净、残破不堪，犯了许多戒，嘴上却说自己戒律清净；本来不是清净比丘，却令人看上去像清净比丘，就是谄诳，没有这种行为就是“无谄诳”。00:37
这一段解释了一下无谄诳的状态，提出了放逸和不放逸。这个放逸，不知道大家会不会放逸和放松界限不清楚？有的人放松放到放逸，还有的人可能一放松就放逸。放逸是心没有正念，对吧！没有正念、没有护心的这个状态。01:05
这里又涉及到一个问题：我们提到正知是一种警觉、一种监视自己的力量，那如果正知监视你自己的时候你还会放松吗？是可以的，做久了的时候是可以的！举个最简单的例子，譬如说骑脚踏车，一开始骑的时候你会非常紧张，然后就上去了。像我小时候也有骑脚踏车的经验——大陆叫自行车，台湾叫脚踏车——我记得我已经好像练会了，可是有一次那天风有点大，然后我骑着、骑着，风一吹之后就觉得已经快失控了，然后怎么也下不来，因为就特别紧张，就拼命蹬那个齿轮，然后它就越走越快、越走越快。这时候前面正好很远处来了一辆车，车上全都是人，然后我在想：哇！这个怎么办？就一条路，我们是走对头。因为速度已经非常快，好像有点像下坡又不像下坡，而且我的脚拼命蹬、拼命蹬，结果就在快撞上的时候，我还有点知觉，就把那自行车往右侧扭一下，结果就撞树上，然后躲过了那辆车。那辆车上全是人，我看到那辆车上所有的人眼睛瞪得大大的，都没办法，因为都在疾驰。02:23
所以我的意思是说：就像一个刚开始练习骑脚踏车的小孩，上车的时候因为他没法驾驶，他双脚离地会非常紧张。久了之后，我看有的骑自行车的人好像快睡着了，还有的人骑自行车的时候轻松极了，东看看、西看看，然后腿也够长了，不像小孩腿也不够长，他随时可以把脚还拿下来，他已经变成了一个很自由的状态，所以他就没有特别地紧张了。02:51
所以并不是一持戒就很紧张，全身不舒服，然后一不持戒的状态，一放松好像就得到快乐，这就是经验不足。经验足了之后，还是觉得提起正念、正知，清清醒醒地过一天、清清醒醒地过日子，不会有那么多的忧悔和痛苦。因为想一想，这一天越少的罪染着，发现错了之后赶快去还净和忏悔，这样就会觉得一天过得清清凉凉的；或者你会去检查，还有越多的戒律还没有好好持。这样的话，你不会有一种回头一看雾茫茫的全是灰烬，根本也看不清楚什么的状态。正在经过的事情头脑就不清醒，然后回头再去回忆的时候——刚才哪件事我做得对、哪件事做得不行？有没有对于我所受的律仪的违犯之处？你回忆的时候也回忆不清楚，这样是比较麻烦！03:48
为什么回忆不清楚呢？就是心不在此。如果我们心思一边做事的时候，一边都注意到：比如说我讲这句话会不会犯到我所受的戒律？我对别人这个态度会不会犯到我所受的戒律？甚至还有我心中的这个念头会不会违越菩萨戒？会不会违越密乘戒？等等。这些都是要在非常清晰的状态下，自我检测的一个习惯。那么这种习惯应该是在不放逸的状态下，才能够检查越多、越细。如果一旦放逸，就有点什么事情心全部被吸引住了，现在比如说我们做事情，有的人就眼睛一直盯着这个事情到底是成还是败，没有注意到这个心——有三乘律仪所庄严这个心——如果不好好护戒就败了，如果好好护戒就成了！04:44
那么一谈到护戒，有人说：“好，那我不做事！”不做事，烦恼就没有了吗？烦恼的现行和根源就都清除了吗？也不是的。做事与不做事，它都是一个我们能够净化烦恼，让律仪慢慢清净的善巧方便。可是一旦做事的时候一头扎进去，完全不看看自己的心念在朝哪里走、看看自己每天的行为，有没有记得自己所受的戒律、有没有常常去反省，一旦忘了这些之后，任烦恼滋生，这样的话，我们在一个团队中，其实也会让别人很不舒服。因为诸如抱怨、发嗔恨心等等，很多不调伏的现行是大家都可以看到的，谁也不希望跟一个烦恼炽盛的人合作，因为会很痛苦。05:36
所以戒律使这一颗心清凉，这颗心一旦清凉之后，我们就不用那么痛苦；一旦我们不用那么痛苦的时候，其实和周围的人也自然相处得融洽，不会一直烦烦恼恼的、一直吵来吵去的。这只是就现世利益的部分，如果是就律仪成办的后世的利益，那就更不用说了，那利益太大了！增上生、决定胜这些，没有戒律作基础，还有密乘的这些功德没有戒律作基础，是一事无成的！06:08
所以在这里，想要劝自己和我们这些能够对宗大师教法相应的学习的人，不要去习惯放逸，要去习惯不放逸。不要觉得持戒是一种好像很紧绷的状态，如果你发现你很紧绷，你可以深呼吸调整你的状态，然后把你用心的状态调到不紧不松、很舒适的。慢慢就会体会到其实这颗心还是一直看着它比较好、守护着它比较好。06:40
那么对于这个“谄诳”，应该是和名利心有非常直接的关系。自己没有做得很好，然后又假装好像做得很好的样子，这就是谄诳。在这里说“无谄诳”，赞美阿底峡尊者没有这种行为，就是他嘴上讲的和他心里行的，在别人面前还有在独处的时候，他内心所坚守的东西都是一样的，并没有两种样子。他也不用在别人面前装一种样子，回头又一种样子，就是一个样子。为什么？因为这样子才能解脱呀！这样子才能够把自己趣向于三途的这些恶行都去掉，才能成办增上生及决定胜。07:26
通常为什么要谄诳呢？就是应该怕丢脸是不是？怕别人轻视自己。但是一旦谄诳了之后，就很难发心去把持戒不清净的罪忏掉，因为好像没有的样子。但是像师父说的，骗得了别人，骗不了自己。骗佛菩萨也骗不了，佛菩萨每个念头都可以知道。所以在这件事上，我们应该是没有什么偷心的路可以走，也没有什么不努力好好地护心就能够把戒律持清净的路径，好像抄小路一样可以抄到，都做不到！必须是老老实实地守护正念、正知，比如说一条戒、一条戒先把它熟悉了，然后像六座瑜伽，就每天要检查这些戒律我持守得怎么样；如果发现不对的，赶快就要忏悔。08:19
所以，慢慢地让我们的心离开谄诳的状态, 像阿底峡尊者一样，“慎念无谄诳”，争取做到“犯罪不染尊”，这样是我们的一个目标啊！是所有修行人仰望的一个目标。同样受的戒律，尊者的戒律怎么样持守得这么皎洁？用什么方法持守的？我们应该去探索其中的奥秘，找到路径，持之以恒地做下去。08:52