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