Lecture No. 0384
Great Ocean of Lamrim
Lecture No. 0384
Lamrim Volume 1: P47-L7 ~ P47-L15
Date: 08 Dec 2021
Topic: It is not reasonable that worldly perception should cancel perception of reality, [Lamrim Vol. 3 P166 LL8]
Greetings to all! It is again time for us to study the Lamrim together. Have you done the preparatory well? This lecture was recorded while I was on the road. We encountered a snowstorm; it snowed all day. When we stepped on the snow, it was above our knees. By morning, ice had enveloped the branches on the trees. Sparkling brightly under the sun’s rays, one by one, they looked like silver lights. It was freezing cold. Nevertheless, I am still very delighted that we are able to record this teaching. I hope all of you will listen [to this teaching] earnestly! [00:36]
Very well! Previously [from lecture #379], Master said: “Our reasons as ordinary beings applied to other ordinary beings is fine, you may win a court case by arguing this way. However, in the context of Buddha Dharma, you will go to the hell realms, this is the cause.” Why would we go to the hell realms by applying our reasons as ordinary beings to the Buddha Dharma. In the previous lectures, we have examined it from the perspective of causality, possibly from the strength in terms of recipient. When facing the recipients in terms of powerful strength, even a very slight harm or kind act would result in a correspondingly grave nonvirtuous effect or great blissfulness. Therefore, we have to be extra cautious! This is explained from the angle of cause and effect. [01:24]
Today, we will examine it from another angle – from a more profound aspect to help us delve into it. In the Lamrim’s Vipassana section, Candrakirti’s Commentary on the “Four Hundred Stanzas” states: “It is not reasonable that worldly perception should cancel perception of reality, because worldly perception is valid only for the world, and because the objects it observes have a false and deceptive quality.” [V. 3 p.166] In the Four Interwoven Annotations, Dra-di Geshe explained this passage from Candrakirti’s Commentary on the Four Hundred Stanzas. He said, “using worldly perception”, here “worldly perception” refers to the visual awareness [as one of our conventional consciousnesses etc]. And what does the “perception of reality” mean? It means reasoning, etc. And what does “reality” refer to? It refers to wisdom of emptiness. Therefore, “perception of reality” refers to the established reasoning to attain the wisdom of emptiness. Take notice! In Tibetan, the “perception of reality” is translated as “reasoning” [this reasoning helps us to obtain the understanding of wisdom of emptiness], instead of the wisdom we know of. [02:17]
“Worldly perception should cancel perception of reality,” means using visual awareness [as one of our conventional consciousnesses] to refute the perception of reality, and this is not reasonable. Why? Because the worldly perception we, ordinary beings, acquire is posit in conventional terms [V.1 p.168]. Besides, the meaning we draw from the conventional terms of visual consciousness, and the like implies.... Pay attention! What does it imply? The world we, ordinary beings, live in is perceived in conventional terms of what we see, hear, smell, and taste through respective faculties. Take heed! Other than the mental faculty, the experience of ordinary beings’ five faculties is limited, because beyond this limit, ordinary beings cannot perceive it with their concomitant awareness. Hence, ordinary beings are unable to comprehend what is even further and vast beyond this point. [03:06]
I recall a fairy tale I read in my childhood, a frog dwelling in the well said: “Alas! The sky is as big as the opening of the well!” Then a bird flying by said: “The sky is not as big as the opening of the well.” This is what we call “to view the sky from the bottom of a well [meaning we are very ignorant and narrow minded]! Similarly, the world in which ordinary beings can comprehend through our five faculties appears to be superficial and very shallow. The scariest part is that it is not how the true nature of reality is. Do you get it? The perception or the view we, ordinary beings, have is inverted, because it does not reflect the reality of the world truthfully. [03:43]
Let us say, even if it may seem that our consciousness is boundless, is there a boundary to the consciousness of the ordinary beings? In fact, it is limited. Because these consciousnesses ordinary beings have cannot comprehend the sages’ minds. The minds of the sages are almost inconceivable to the consciousnesses of the ordinary beings. The state of mind of the sages is incomprehensible to the ordinary beings, which you all understand, right? Hence, the state of mind of the sages is, to an ordinary being, almost hidden phenomena, that is, it is almost inconceivable. For example, when kindergarteners start to recognize words, they would say: “Ah! This is mountain, this is river…” At this stage [of learning], would they understand what quantum mechanics is? It is definitely beyond what an average child can comprehend. [04:23]
Thus, we live in the world perceived by our senses, like forming a prison where we cannot get out, because we are unable to attain the state beyond the range of our cognition. Therefore, compared to the true nature of reality, our cognition is confused. As the object of knowledge [of the true reality] is enormously vast, but the object of knowledge we ordinary beings can comprehend is relatively narrow, even totally ignorant. Everyone is aware that the object of knowledge is boundless and infinite right? Is that right? The mind is able to recognize the object of knowledge. Yet, the object of knowledge that ordinary beings can perceive is way too narrow, and even to the point of being inverted. However, the mind of the Buddha is omniscient, it is as big as the object of knowledge. However immense the objects of knowledge are, the mind of the Buddha is just as expansive. Thus, the Buddha is the complete and perfect enlightened one! “Complete and perfect enlightened one” means that Buddha has the most accurate and complete understanding of all objects of knowledge. Have you noticed this [fact]? You will know it by comparison, what kind of attitude should ordinary beings have toward the Buddha and what Buddha taught? If you examine the object of knowledge, then you will know the answer. [05:27]
So, let us recap the quote from the Commentary on the Four Hundred Stanzas, “using worldly views, such as visual consciousness to refute the perception of reality”, for ordinary people using our five faculties to perceive the objects and conditions in the realm of emptiness, is obviously illogical. [Why?] Because they are simply disparate! The worldly view is established based only on the commonly known conventional terms. However, with regard to the ultimate truth, the wisdom of emptiness, is it qualified as valid cognition? That [conventional knowledge] is not valid cognition at all! Besides, what the worldly view relies on is also false and deceiving instead of the unmistaken wisdom of emptiness. [06:07]
So, have you ever questioned: “When would our faculties reveal the state of true reality? Would that day ever come?” Yes! When we achieve Buddhahood, our faculties would manifest omniscience. Thus, the one whose faculties manifest the state of true reality is none other than Buddha - the Guru who shows us the path, the Buddha in whom we seek refuge! [06:32]
【广海明月 讲次: 0384】
讲次 | 0384 (2021-12-09 ~ 2021-12-12)
标题 | 以世间见遣真实见非正理
《广论》段落 | P9-L8 ~ P9-L9 故有说云……是相违因。
音档 | 6A 16:58 ~ 6A 17:26
手抄页/行 | 第1册 P171-L7 ~ P171-LL5 ( 2016 南普陀版：P171-LL6 ~ P171-LL2 )
手抄段落 | 所以我说到这个地方……所以说我这个地方随便一提。
(更新日期: 2022年2月18日)
00:00
大家好！又到了我们一起学习《广论》的时间了，你们准备好前行了吗？这一个讲次我是在路途中录的，我们遇到了大雪，下了一天，踩下去的时候雪已经过膝了，天亮的时候树上都结冰了，所以被阳光照耀的时候就像一盏一盏的银灯一样，非常非常地冷。但是能录这一讲我还是很高兴的，希望大家能够认真地听！00:36
好！之前我们学到师父说：“我们凡夫的道理，你讲凡夫可以，跟人家打官司你可以打胜，讲佛法的话你会下地狱。”为什么用凡夫的道理讲佛法的话会下地狱呢？在前面的讲次从因果的角度我们讲了有可能是具力业门，面对具力业门略作损益就会感得很大的恶果或者很大的福报，所以要非常非常地小心！这是一个从因果的角度来理解。01:24
那么今天我们可以从另一个角度、一个更深的角度来理解。在《广论》“毗钵舍那”中，月称菩萨的《四百论释》有这样说：“以世间见遣真实见亦非正理，彼唯于世间立为量故，彼所缘义亦是虚妄欺诳法故。”在《四家合注》里，札帝格西有解释这段《四百论释》。他说“以世间见”，此处的“世间见”就是指眼识等。那此处的“真实见”是指什么？就是指理智等；“真实”又是指什么？就是指空性。所以真实见就是指证得空性的理智。注意！藏文翻成“理智”，而不是我们那个智慧。02:17
“以世间见遣真实见”，就是指用眼识等世间见破斥理智等真实见，这是不合理的。为什么呀？因为世间见只是依着世间共许的名言安立为量的缘故。而且世间见眼识等所缘的意涵，注意！什么意涵？就是眼所见、耳所闻、鼻所嗅、舌所尝、身所触、意所缘的这个世界，凡夫在自己这样的世界里，注意！除了意根，他五根所感受的世界都有一定的界限，因为过了这个界限就不知道了，就缘不到了，就完全不知道，所以对于更远、更辽阔的没有办法去了解。03:06
记得小时候学那个童话，有一个青蛙坐在井里面说：“哎呀，天就像井口这么大！”结果一个飞鸟来了之后，它说：“天不是像井那么大。”就坐井观天嘛！所以凡夫的五根所接触到的世界是非常地浮面、非常地浅，最恐怖的──它不是世界真实存在的样子。有理解到吗？它是颠倒的，因为它不是世界真实的样子。03:43
比如说就算我们的意识好像没有界限，但是凡夫的意识有没有界限？是有界限的。因为凡夫的意识无法了解圣者的心，圣者的心对于凡夫的意识几乎就是不可见的东西。凡夫心不能知道圣者心的境界，这个大家都了解吧？所以圣者的内心世界，对凡夫来说几乎就是隐蔽法，就是几乎完全看不到。举个例子，刚上幼儿园的小朋友在认字阶段，说：“啊！这是山、这是河……”这种时候，他怎么会了解量子力学是怎么回事呢？它绝非是一般小孩的境界。04:23
所以我们住在我们的诸根所感受的世界，好像构成了一个监狱一样，我们出不去，因为我们无法证得更辽远的境界。所以我们的现量对于真理来说它是错乱的，因为所知太过浩瀚，而凡夫的心对于所知的认知又太过地狭窄，甚至完全地不知道。大家知道所知无边无际吧？对不对？心是可以认知所知的，但是凡夫认知的所知的范围可是太狭小，甚至颠倒。可是佛陀的心是遍及一切所知，它跟所知一样大，所知有多大，佛陀的心就有多大，所以是正遍知嘛！“正遍知”就是佛陀对一切所知有最正确的、最完备的了解。有没有发现？比一下就可以知道，凡夫应该对佛陀和佛陀讲说的佛法抱持着什么样的态度──你研究一下所知，你就可以知道。05:27
那么我们再回过来统摄一下，《四百论释》中说的：用眼识等世间见破斥理智等真实见，所以对凡夫而言，用五根所对境显现的东西去衡量空性的境界，显然是不合理的，因为完全不对等！世间见只是依着世间共许的名言而安立为量，对于真实义空性而言，它是量吗？它完全不是量！而且世间见所缘的意涵也是虚妄欺诳的法，而不是真实不欺诳的空性。06:07
那大家有没有问题说：“什么时候我们的诸根所显现的就是真实的境界呢？有没有那样一天呢？”有的！成佛了，我们的诸根所显现的就是一切所知。所以他的诸根所显现就是真实的境界的，唯有佛陀──我们的示道大师，我们皈依的佛陀！06:32