不垢不淨 Neither defiled nor pure

2019年

不垢不淨

Neither defiled nor pure

南禪朋友假期愉快！

南禪精舍《般若心經》講述近尾聲，我在「不垢不淨」的講課

裡提到人容易在算盡一切得與失後再去做事情，計算得失本來

就是生存法則，談不上對或者錯！

對於一個想前進的修行者，「不垢不淨」確是必然要修學的。

人們都喜歡風光的事情，但每件成功的事情，都由處理「垢」

的概念做出來的，不能知道個人需要求進步的點，如何塑造好的成品（淨的概念），「不垢不淨」帶出大腦對「垢」的認

知，而讓願意前進的人蹲下來尋求自己的問題點。

唐朝鑒真和尚東渡日本，幾次的失敗再加眼睛也瞎掉，是否該

用業障論斷？！或者是想做事情的人們更該不計世俗的評價，

去做自己認為該做的事呢？！而平凡如我輩者，都是許多前進

者血汗下的獲益人！

「不垢不淨」化解自己的算計，為自我的前進跨越！

半寄（般若心經講課記念文，2019）

Friends of NanZen, hope you’re enjoying your vacation!

Our discussion of the Heart Sutra is nearly finished. In the session on

 “neither defiled nor pure” I mentioned that people tend to do things

 after calculating all the expected gains and losses. Calculating gains

 and losses is a kind of survival strategy, and it can’t be said to be

 right or wrong. For anyone on the path of Buddhist Practice, it’s

 necessary to know what is meant by “neither defiled nor pure.”

 Everybody likes it when things turn out well, but every successful

 endeavor inevitably entails dealing with some kind of “impurity.”

Now, if you don’t have a clear goal in mind, you won’t get good

 results (purity). The idea of “neither defiled nor pure” helps clarify

 what “purity” really is; it also helps someone intent on making

 progress to introspect on whatever problems one may be facing.

Consider the Tang dynasty monk Jianzhen; he failed multiple times

 

 in his attempts to reach Japan, and ended up losing his sight. Should

 

 we attribute his misfortunes to obstructive past karma? When

 

 attempting to do something, should one disregard conventional 

 

values and go ahead with it no matter what others think about it? 

 

Such ordinary practitioners as we are, we all benefit from our 

 

antecessors’

 

 experience gaining from their sweat and toil. This idea of “neither 

 

defiled nor pure” reconciles your contradictory perceptions, 

 

allowing 

 

you to move forward.

Banji (reflections on a series of talks on the Heart Sutra in 2019)

Master Ban Ji

 Translated by Ken Kraynak

 

前世今生2Past lives, present life2

前世今生2

Past lives, present life 2

修習佛法，個人總認為藉由佛法的智慧，看透自己不是單獨的個體，進而在複雜的人際脈絡裡，找到自己的立足點，這比去追尋飄渺虛無的前世更加有意義。

許多可以直接觸摸的佛法，一旦被帶往看不見的世界做著墨，徒增修行者無謂的疲憊感。一件事情藉由佛法弄清楚該怎麼辦才是最好的，實地去做，一旦衝開個人的極限，將感受到生命成長的喜悅，每一次對的著力點，步步在劃開前途，這種個人心靈的茁壯，應該是千金不換的。

修行志在追求對佛法的清楚與實踐，自己前世是誰！除了修行者本身有能力解開生命的枷鎖以外，一般人連立足點都無著落之際，探索前世也只是讓自己對時空更加錯亂而已！

個人很慶幸在年輕時候，紮下一些清楚的觀念，足以抵擋昏暗言論的襲擊，不在錯誤的信息裡窮打轉。

One thing I’ve learned from my study and practice of Buddhism is that we are not unitary individuals, but rather multifaceted beings. Add to this the complexity of interpersonal relationships and the task of figuring out your fundamental view of life, and it’s all much more meaningful and interesting than trying to figure out who we might have been in a past life.    

There’s so much in Buddhism that is directly accessible in the here and now that there’s not much point in groping around for things that we can’t directly experience; doing so is an exercise in futility. The best approach is to use the teachings of Buddhism to make things clear so that we can deal with them in an effective manner. Whenever we come up against our limitations, we should be pleased to have an opportunity to become more mature; every time we make some effort in a skillful way, we go a bit further on the path. This kind of spiritual growth is priceless! When you are sincere in your intention to understand the Dharma and put it into practice, you won’t take any interest in who you might have been in a previous life. Sure there are some highly advanced individuals who can recollect their past lives, but for most people there are much more pressing issues to be dealt with, in which case trying to figure out who you might have been in a past life only exacerbates your confusion. In my own case, I was lucky enough to have understood this clearly when I was still young, so I didn’t get involved 

with dubious or heterodox teachings.

 

王國維‧《浣溪沙》

山寺微茫背夕曛，鳥飛不到半山昏，

上方孤磬定行雲。

 

試上高峰窺皓月，偶開天眼覷紅塵，

可憐身是眼中人。

Wang Guowei, “Sands of the Washing Stream”

Mountain temple, hazy silhouette in the fading dusk behind; flying birds’ shadows disappear halfway up the darkening slopes; above, a solitary chime pins down the moving clouds.

Let me mount the summit, to gaze upon the moon so bright; the divine eye---let it open that I may see the red dust; alas, it is only me I see.

 

年輕時這首《浣溪沙》常伴著苦思佛法的自己，一心拼命的想解開眼前的障礙，哪裡會想到前世！哈哈！

This was the poem I frequently recited in my youth, while struggling to wrap may brain around some abstruse Buddhist doctrine. So when your full attention is occupied with solving the conundrums that are right in front of you, the question of past lives doesn’t even come up!

Master Ban Ji

  Translated by Ken Kraynak

 

 

前世今生1Past lives, present life1

前世今生1

Past lives, present life 1

         有人說：為什麼有些人會知道自己過去的生命是誰？（也就是上輩子）但仔細聽內容，大都會說自己的上輩子跟皇室有關係！哈

真要提到前世的話，如果只是身份問題倒是好解決！如果提到跟身份有關的恩怨時，上輩子就變得複雜了！人們總期望自己的過去是完美的，或下輩子是完美的，但人活在跟人相處的世界裡，其中演變的人生，恐怕是比上輩子是誰還重要的，人跟人的緣分至少是由一個家族開展出來，不是一個人的問題，透過通婚讓緣分的展現更加複雜，人生光是這樣的歷程，今生想釐清楚都有困難，更何況是前生！

Someone asked why it is that some remember their past lives. As I see it, it would be better to ask why in most of their past lives they were members of the imperial family! Ha!

Now, the real significance of our past lives is not so much who we were, but rather the emotional tones associated with them, which adds another layer of complexity. We naturally hope that our past lives were ideal, and the same goes for our future lives. Yet what’s more important is one’s current life, embedded as it is in a web of relationships formed as we interact with others. The family in which one is born is the primary stage in which these relationships get played out, with relationships through marriage adding another layer of complexity. So when it’s already hard enough to clearly understand the relationships of the present life, it’ll be even harder to make sense of our past lives!

 

       一個修行者透過今生努力的修持，也未必可以化解生活中人與人的歧異，例如；達賴喇嘛的流亡奮鬥，也是一世無法解決的事情。一世的事就複雜的可以，上輩子的事，真的只是自己身份問題嗎！？

果真許多人都是皇室家族再來重生，皇室已滅，真看到自己是皇室成員時，該當如何！？

佛法講的世界很廣大，有些世界肉眼看不到，人們容易在看不到的世界賦予想像，如果用今生的經驗反推，看不見的世界也不會太神秘的。

半寄

Even someone who’s devoted his entire life to Buddhist Practice may not be able to solve certain difficulties he has with others. Take, for example, the Dalai Lama; he’s spent most of his life in exile, and there’s not much chance that he will ever return to Tibet. When the affairs of the present life are already so complex, how could simply knowing who you were in a past life be of much use? Lots of people who claim to remember their past lives say they belonged to the imperial family in a previous incarnation, but seeing that the imperial family is no more, how should one feel about having been a member of it?

Buddhism speaks of various worlds that can’t be experienced with the normal sense faculties, and it’s easy for us to project our own imaginations onto these unseen worlds. However, if we use our experience of this world to extrapolate about these unseen worlds, they will seem less mysterious.

 Master Ban Ji

Translated by Ken Kraynak

 

 

Correct interpretation and Misinterpretation of Non-attachment

Correct interpretation and Misinterpretation of Non-attachment

People nowadays talk all the time about non-attachment. After investigating it, it is supposed to be a term used to make Buddhist teaching more easily comprehensible.

In practicing The 4 Noble Truths (suffering, its cause, its cessation, and the path to its cessation), the level of non-attachment is supposed to be located between ‘its cessation’ and ‘the path to its cessation’, which is Nirvana. Since everything in human world is totally irrelevant to a nearly-enlightened saint, it is obviously not necessary for him to attach or let go.

However, the teaching of non-attachment evolves into a daily expression and a sanctuary commanding others to follow, where a person who adheres appears to be ordinary. No one wants to become vulgar.

Apart from a catch phrase, a throwaway remark of non-attachment /letting go is self-contradictory since worldly people can not live without adhering or shouldering.  This teaching deserves deeply examining.

So does Buddhist Practice. But for adherence to examining the right path to Buddhism, how can a practitioner know if he advances?

I adhere to examining the idea I accept, and especially, the path I step on while striving to let go of what I was attached to. What a joy when having let go of the past! Therefore, the wise know clearly that adhering is indispensable.

Master Ban Ji
translation. Grace Tsai

不執著的正義與反義 Correct interpretation and Misinterpretation of Non-attachment

不執著的正義與反義
        時下人們常掛在嘴邊的不執著，真正去了解不執著的內容，「那應該是佛法教學上面為讓大家易於明白，而採用的詞語。」在苦，集，滅，道四聖諦的修道裡面，如果可以放入不執著的境界，應該是在「滅」而要進入「道」的境界，也就是要涅槃了，所以人世間的一切跟一個要證入涅槃的聖者，不再相干，當然也無須執著與放下。
只是，這不執著的教學方法，怎變成了日常用語，跟要求別人要這樣做的殿堂，彷彿執著了就只是凡夫俗子，而大家都害怕自己是俗人！？
       掛在嘴邊的不執著，除了只是口頭禪以外，隨便說出的不執著、放下，如同常常在打自己的嘴巴，因為一般人不執著與不挑著，將如何生存！？這要思慮一下！
       就是修行也一樣，不執意於佛法的道路究竟對不對，將如何知道自己是否有前進了！？
        我時時都執著於檢視自己接受的想法對嗎？更執著於自己的腳步踏在何方！同時也努力讓自己能放下已經走過的執留，真能放下以往，又是如何欣喜啊！
      所以，  聰明的人們應該很清楚執著是必要的！
半寄

Correct interpretation and Misinterpretation of Non-attachment

 People nowadays talk all the time about non-attachment. After investigating it, it is supposed to be a term used to make Buddhist teaching more easily comprehensible.

In practicing The 4 Noble Truths (suffering, its cause, its cessation, and the path to its cessation), the level of non-attachment is supposed to be located between ‘its cessation’ and ‘the path to its cessation’, which is Nirvana. Since everything in human world is totally irrelevant to a nearly-enlightened saint, it is obviously not necessary for him to attach or let go.

However, the teaching of non-attachment evolves into a daily expression and a sanctuary commanding others to follow, where a person who adheres appears to be ordinary. No one wants to become vulgar.

Apart from a catch phrase, a throwaway remark of non-attachment /letting go is self-contradictory since worldly people can not live without adhering or shouldering.  This teaching deserves deeply examining.

So does Buddhist Practice. But for adherence to examining the right path to Buddhism, how can a practitioner know if he advances?

I adhere to examining the idea I accept, and especially, the path I step on while striving to let go of what I was attached to. What a joy when having let go of the past! Therefore, the wise know clearly that adhering is indispensable.

Master Ban Ji
translation. Grace Tsai

接受是修行也可以是毒藥Acceptance as a virtue and as a drug

接受是修行也可以是毒藥

Acceptance as a virtue and as a drug

日前跟一位女士聊天，她說：佛教的辯經這兩個字她聽起來很刺耳，《經》為什麼要辯呢？

我說：那叫做《因明學》，也就是把不懂的人事物透過辯論去理解，當然也包括經典。

她很生氣的說：她只能接受就是接受，不能還要辯論。

我說：比方:我口吃，天生身體有缺陷，在佛法而言，都可以透過辯論問問為什麼我跟別人長得不一樣！？

她說：就是接受啊！

這位女士一生應該都是幸福的！

A few days ago I was chatting with a laywoman, and she said that the whole idea of debating the scriptures strikes her as quite odd and of dubious value.

I explained that Buddhism has a long tradition of logic and debate, and that it’s used to refine and verify our understanding of important matters, including the meaning of the scriptures.

She wasn’t very happy with my explanation, and said that even though she might have to accept the role of debate in Buddhism, she has no intention of engaging in it herself.

I replied, “Suppose I have a congenital stammer. In the Buddhist approach, we could use debate to inquire into how it came about that I’m different from others in this respect.”

She reiterated, “Enough already; I accept it!”

I suppose she is the type of person who never has any problems!

Buddhism, she has no intention of engaging in it herself.

I replied, “Suppose I have a congenital stammer. In the Buddhist approach, we could use debate to inquire into how it came about that I’m different from others in this respect.”

She reiterated, “Enough already; I accept it!”

I suppose she is the type of person who never has any problems!

Master Ban Ji

 Translated by Ken Kraynak

 

失落的地平線

失落的地平線

       昨天中午1點來了1位近20年不見的不速之客，還帶另一位居士前來，被打擾的我沒生氣，還問他們吃飯沒！怕沒吃飯不能喝茶，有喜歡喝什麼茶？
       不料他帶來的居士反問我，我們喝茶都不挑了，師父還挑茶喝！……（我差點回答說：昨晚媽祖託夢給我，要我這樣問的，佛陀請原諒我！哈哈！很後悔把禪杖丟掉。）
         我經常要面對跟我說：他們已經什麼事都不執著的人們，說完不執著後，馬上問我，師父我現在的苦惱該怎麼辦？
但我從沒反問，你們不是不執著了！？
台灣的宗教教育錯亂的可以。
      這兩天才知道，最近流行人家跟你說什麼話，不要辯，就接受，然後心就會靜下來。那如果開口回應，就成罪人！？
半寄

南禪朋友大家好

南禪朋友大家好
要看讀書會錄影檔的朋友，請上YouTube查詢「南禪精舍」從「慧解脫」開始看。
YouTube裡面的錄影檔比較多。
謝謝！半寄上

佛陀，孔子，老子Buddha, Confucius, Laozi

佛陀，孔子，老子

Buddha, Confucius, Laozi

經常在一些有關佛法講說場合，會聽到所謂佛，儒，道（老莊）最後都是歸到「道」的範圍！每次聽到這樣的言論都會想

要大笑！

如果孔子還在人間，去問他老人家您讚成佛法的修行嗎？他老

一定說：那是什麼理論？太消極。同樣的話問問佛陀，佛陀一

定說：世間苦處，當修行得大解脫！所以，我永遠聽不懂什麼

是儒，道，釋的道路是殊途同歸的！（個人相信真正想走道路

的人，在不同的三條道路奔走，其結果是還沒到達終點，就已

經累死了！）

我向來尊重各種學問的存在，也由衷佩服各家學問講學成脈絡

過程的辛苦，但說各家學說都是相通的，聽了實在是消化不良！

我只懂佛法！而且絕不敢輕易的說也可融合別人的學問

In discussions relating to Buddhism, I’ve repeatedly heard it said that

 the three main religions of China---Buddhism, Confucianism, and

 Daoism---are not very different, and that the former two should be

 seen as arising out of the latter. This strikes me as rather ludicrous!

If Confucius were still alive and you asked him what he thought of

 

 Buddhism, he would surely reply, “What sort of a doctrine is that?

 

 It’s much too negative and pessimistic.” And if you asked the

 

 Buddha what he thought about Confucianism and Daoism, he would

 

 surely admonish you with words such as, “The world is the abode of

 

 suffering; liberate yourself from it by practicing with diligence.”

So I’ve never really understood why people say that these three

 religions are a way of reaching the same goal by different means. As

 I see it, if you try to walk three paths at the same time, you’ll just

 tire yourself out without getting anywhere!        

I’ve always had a lot of respect for various philosophies, and I

 sincerely appreciate all the hard work that has gone into

 systematizing them into a coherent school of thought, but to say that

 they are all saying the same thing is ridiculous.

I only know Buddhism, and I would never think of trying to combine

 it with other systems of thought.

 

在老子的《道德經》裡面，充滿了比喻；例如：「上善若水」

觀察到水是萬物所需，進而讚嘆水的功德。

然而，這其間我始終不能明白，水若惡時，當如何！？

直到閱讀黑格爾的哲學書時，黑格爾直接點明老莊哲學是屬於

「經驗理論」，從德國人的判讀裡面，似乎得到理解。經驗會

隨著事物的轉變而改變當事人的看法，所以，當相反的經驗出

現時，會對原來的經驗產生不知所以的無奈或措手不及。

原來自己經歷的事物也需要時間的考驗。

這麼不同的觀點，如何讓佛，儒，道融合！？

關於佛陀的說法，請參考YouTube裡面半寄「四聖果」的講解。

Laozi’s Daodejing (The Classic of the Way and its Power) is full of

 metaphors and analogies. For example, he writes, “Supreme

 goodness is like water,” which could mean that goodness, like water,

 is something that is required by all living things; or it could be a way

 of praising the virtues of water. The problem for me is that I’ve

 never been able to really imagine what evil water would be like!

Then I read something quite interesting by Heidegger. He describes

 Daoist philosophy as a kind of empiricism, and this seems to fit wel

l into the German way of thinking about such things. When we

 experience things changing, it changes our view of things, and if it

 happens that that view is contradicted by subsequent experience, we

 have a hard time making good sense of it.

So you could say that our experience has to stand the test of time.

Seeing that the perspectives of Buddhism, Confucianism, and

 Daoism are so divergent, how could they possibly be integrated into

 a single coherent system of thought?

For more on the Buddhist way of explaining things, see my talk on

 YouTube titled “The Four Noble Results.”

 

回應

在我所傳達的佛法裡面，找出個人的衝突點，去促使自己內心

層次的進步，也是佛法學習裡面的一大挑戰！

PostscriptIn Buddhism, especially the way I teach it, one of the

 biggest challenges is to discover what you’re having difficulty with,

 and then using that as a springboard for increasing your depth of

 self-understanding.

Master Ban Ji

  Translated by Ken Kraynak

 

 

 

Not Coming, Not Going

Not Coming, Not Going

Here is a joke. When I try to compare ‘a few seconds’ to the popular term ‘This Instant’, my mind, being trained by Buddhist practice,

keeps shutting down. Since my brain has investigated and calculated

the existence of ‘a few seconds’, it does not know how to apply

‘This Instant’. Readers may feel confused by now.

Let me clarify it in the following example. Say seeing and

comprehending what happened take only a few seconds. When

trying to describe ‘a few seconds’ with ‘This Instant’, I question

myself right away, ‘Were it not for “a few seconds”, what would be

the percentage of “This Instant” in “a few seconds”?’  Ha! And then I

find myself too stupid to adopt this popular term because I realize

that it is about gathering of ‘a few seconds’, instead of about ‘This Instant’

Mūlamadhyamakakārikā’s ‘Not Coming, Not Going’, about time and

movement, analyzes issues of time staying. After analyzing it

critically, I am aware what minutes and seconds are like and will

follow and execute my recognition automatically. That is, my

recognition of minutes and seconds goes beyond this popular term,

stops me from adopting it, and thus I become too stupid to keep up

with the trends.

The bygone is gone,

‘This Instant’ is not staying,

The coming is not coming yet.

The three points above clarify Buddhist viewpoints of ‘not coming,

not going’, which is one of the essence of Śūnyatā. I keep observing

how time affects me and find myself having shaken a lot off and also

advanced a lot unconsciously along the way.

Ban Ji
Translated by Grace Tsai

不來不去

不來不去

說個笑話，我曾嚐試用「幾秒間」跟時下流行用語「當下」做比較。
結果，自己受過佛法訓練的大腦一直當機，因為已經接受過「幾秒」到底能不能存在的訓練，「幾秒」的存在都計較過，所以不知道「當下」是怎麼使出來的？哈！看的人一定一頭霧水！

舉個例子：就算只用眼睛看一件事情，應該會有「幾秒」的時間存在，如果事情用「當下」形容的話，就會自己問自己，剛看那些事明明就是「幾秒」的時間，「當下」到底是幾秒之幾？哈！然後覺得自己真是癡呆！明明就只是個流行用語，自己用起來就是不能接受，因為自己明明感受到是「秒」的匯聚而不是「當下」！

《中觀論》有個「不來不去」的時間跟運動的概念，會分析到時間駐留的問題，很認真分析後，會去執行分、秒在自己身體的感覺，所以就癡呆的不會流行了！哈！

去者已去
當下不住
來者未來

這三個點，訴說佛法「不來不去」！更是空的精神之一。
金剛經裡面有「過去心，現在心，未來心皆不可得」，或許也可以跟「不來不去」做個參考。

我常觀察時間對自己的影響力，不知不覺遺落很多，也前進很多。
半寄

（大家好：這些屬於空的寫出都只是介紹性質的文章，想了解更多的大德們，可以參閱印順導師著作《中觀論頌講記》一書）