初果的完備2 The Completeness of the First Stage of Enlightenment2

 初果的完備2

用佛法的條件學說，精神與肉體都是「因緣所生」的理念去「破身見」後，

進而轉變人性的牽制，才能入「疑」做探討。

「疑」既然是探索前因與後果的問題，

便會有時間與空間的產生，

最具體的說法，因果是；不是不報，只是時間未到？

而福與禍產生的時間點誰說的準呢？

中間還有「緣」條件起變化的問題，

這一課應該是世間最困難的生命交織課題，

複雜到不可置信的地步，

衝破對「前因與後果」的不能理解，

佛法修持才有可能再往前走。

半寄

The Completeness of the First Stage of Enlightenment2

 

By applying the Buddhist teaching of conditionality—that both mind and body arise from causes and conditions—one can begin to dismantle the view of self (sakkāya-diṭṭhi).

Only after loosening the constraints of our human habitscan we proceed to investigate through doubt.

 

Since doubt is essentially about exploring causes and results, it naturally involves time and space.

 

A common way to explain karma is:

it is not that karmic results do not occur, but that their time has not yet matured.

 

However, who can precisely determine the timing of the arising of fortune and misfortune?

 

Furthermore, intervening conditions (pratyaya) continue to shift and influence outcomes.

This makes the whole process extremely complex—perhaps one of the most difficult topics in life.

 

Only by breaking through our inability to understand causes and results can Buddhist practice continue to progress further.

 

Master Banji

 

初果的完備 1The Completeness of the First Stage of Enlightenment

初果的完備1

屏東縣泰武鄉的沿山公路，
有一陣子沒有來了！
下完雨的清晨格外感覺舒適，車子開了兩趟還捨不得走
。
佛法「四聖果」內容我之前都寫過了不再重複，

原則上可以破解自我的「身見」至「痴」入「疑」的探索，

就算佛法基石穩固，
其餘留待有心人自己去探討，
寫太多，
又變成一大堆名詞。

（「疑」是指-對佛法因、緣、果的連貫性的懷疑，

「疑」若解釋為「四不壞淨」
是對佛、法、僧、戒，的信任

跟「法眼凈」字眼是抵觸又矛盾的，

因為修行者自己要修成與擁有「法眼凈」
這跟「信任」無關

我個人認為佛法「四淨信」
在「善根」跟「法次法向」的時候就應該去做善理解。

另一種理解是；
假使修佛法的行者，就連佛法都搞不清楚了，
怎麼可能走「法次法向」？

這是踏著佛法的指引一步接一步走的意思，
那信仰佛法卻搞不清楚佛法，請問你要怎麼走？

「凈信」是給廣大群眾用的。

半寄

（台灣屏東縣泰武鄉）

The Completeness of the First Stage of Enlightenment1

 

On the mountain road in Taiwu Township, Pingtung County,

I realized it has been some time since my last visit.

The morning following rainfall felt particularly pleasant.

I drove the route twice, still reluctant to depart.

 

I have already written about the “Four Stages of Enlightenment” in Buddhism,

so I will not repeat them here.

Basically, this path is about breaking through the idea of self—

starting from identity view, passing through ignorance, and then examining doubt.

This way, the foundation of the Dharma is already well-established,

the rest can be explored by those who are interested.

Excessive elaboration,

however, merely results in an accumulation of technical terms.

 

(Here, “doubt” refers to questioning the coherence of causes, conditions, and results in the Dharma.

 

If we explain “doubt” as the “four kinds of unshakable confidence,”

then it means having trust in the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha.

 

However, this seems to conflict with—and even contradict—the idea of the “purity of the Dharma-eye.”

 

This is because practitioners must personally cultivate and realize the “Dharma-eye”;

it is not something based on trust alone.

 

In my view, “four kinds of pure faith” within the Dharma

should be properly understood at the stage of developing “wholesome roots”

and “practice in accordance with the Dhamma”.)

 

Another way to understand this is:

if practitioners don’t even understand the Dharma,

how can they follow the path step by step?

 

“Following the Dharma” means moving forward step by step based on its guidance.

But if someone claims to believe in the Dharma yet doesn’t truly understand it,

then how are they supposed to proceed?

 

“Pure faith,” in this sense, is meant for the general public.

 

Master Banji

真不是幻覺5 Not an Illusion 5

真不是幻覺 5

 

憑藉著我佛法剛入門讀的是《中觀論》，我的直覺一直覺得那個「痴」字不是中文「痴」的意思，

中文的「痴」字

形容，

一般會聯繫到文學的《紅樓夢》，

 

但印度民族性的邏輯觀念極強烈，這個應該不是文學的「痴」！

 

但那也不管了，一樣破解看看。

直到我發覺整個「四聖果」從頭到尾的連貫性，驚呼連連，

太神奇了，古代人竟有這麼嚴謹的邏輯思維跟證悟境界！

 

半寄

 

Not an Illusion 5

 

At the beginning of my study of Buddhism, I read the Mūlamadhyamakakārikā.

I intuitively felt that the term “delusion” (痴) did not correspond to the conventional meaning of the Chinese character.

In Chinese usage, 痴 is often associated with literary expressions, such as those in Dream of the Red Chamber.

 

However, given the highly developed logical tradition in Indian thought, it seemed unlikely that this term referred to the kind of “foolishness” portrayed in literature.

 

Setting this concern aside, I continued my inquiry.

Eventually, when I recognized the full coherence of the Four Stages of Enlightenment from beginning to end, I was deeply astonished.

 

It was truly remarkable—how ancient practitioners could possess such rigorous logical reasoning and profound levels of realization.

 

Master Banji

 

真不是幻覺4 Not an Illusion 4: (The Challenge of Metaphors)

真不是幻覺 4 （譬喻法的重重困境）

 

譬喻法到了華人區域「以手指月」成為最經典的修行指導方式，

 

但終歸月亮在天邊，誰也撈不到！

佛陀的「四聖果」修法從自身的貪、瞋、痴說起，

看似簡單的人性，搞起來卻要命！

 

我個人的經驗是從「痴」下手，大概都可以解決，

「痴」的範圍太大了，

愚蠢的事是「痴」，不能理解卻硬要做的事是「痴」，佛法專有名詞的「無明」也是痴，⋯⋯。

 

如果人們大部分能理解自己的盲點是什麼？

著手去處理、包括解決事情，效率相對會提高，

 

原則上不能處理，不能解決或是盲點太多時，會讓貪跟瞋的情緒變得不能控制。

 

貪跟瞋的情緒一般跟能力有關，

而明智的思維解開「痴」，個人的性格也會獲得轉變，

 

我個人一直在這個方向做很大的努力，

再配合佛法的注入，成績上面我自己滿意。

如果沒有走錯的話，解開「痴」的思維越成熟，
趨近於「四聖果.初果」的「疑」破解。

 

半寄

 

Not an Illusion 4: (The Challenge of Metaphors)

 

In Chinese Buddhist culture, the use of metaphors has evolved into the classic teaching of “pointing at the moon with a finger.”

 

But the truth is, the moon is always far away—no one can actually reach it.

 

The Buddha’s path of the Four Stages of Enlightenmentstarts examining one’s own greed, anger, and delusion.

What appears to be simple human traits can, in practice, be extremely difficult to deal with.

 

Based on my experience, working on “delusion” first can resolve most issues.
Delusion has a broad scope: it includes foolish behavior, acting without understanding, and what Buddhism refers to as “ignorance.”

 

If one can identify one’s own blind spots and actively work to resolve them,
one’s effectiveness in handling problems will improve.

 

Conversely, when problems cannot be managed, resolved, or when blind spots are excessive,
greed and anger tend to become uncontrollable.

 

Greed and anger are usually connected to one’s ability.

When delusion is reduced through clear thinking, a person’s character will also change.

 

I have invested significant effort in this approach,
and, combined with the application of Buddhist teachings, I am personally satisfied with the results.

 

If one’s direction is correct,
then as one’s capacity to resolve delusion improves,
one gradually approaches the elimination of “doubt,”which is part of the first stage of enlightenment.

 

Master Banji

 

 

回應 Response

回應

 

讀者好！

 

我知道《雜阿含經》就有很多修行者生病的記載，

 

但口誦的經文記載表示，那時候都是佛陀親口所説，

用漢語的思想就是佛陀在世，佛陀說了算，

 

那時候看《雜阿含經》沒有激起太大的衝突感，

 

更應該說：因為佛陀在世，還沒有把佛法神化（話）掉。

 

看「大天五事」已經是佛陀涅槃後一百年的事，

看到當時佛教這麼強烈的分裂歷史，

心中對佛法修行要實際清楚的想望，一下子激盪起來，

「原始教典」是當經典在研究，

那時（已近40年前）自己功力也還不足，沒有想要跨進去的動力。

 

這是我個人的經歷，當然佛法這麼多，觸動個人心裡章節，都是不一樣的。

 

半寄

 

Response

 

Dear readers,

 

The Saṁyukta Āgama records many instances of practitioners experiencing illness.

 

As orally transmitted texts, these accounts are framed as the Buddha’s own words. Within a Chinese interpretive framework, this often implies that while the Buddha was alive, his authority defined the Dharma.

 

For this reason, my early reading of the Saṁyukta Āgamadid not evoke much inner tension.

 

More precisely, it may be said that since the Buddha was still alive at that time, the Dharma had not yet been overly idealized or mythologized.

 

In contrast, the “Five Points of Mahādeva” appeared about a hundred years after the Buddha’s parinirvāṇa. When I encountered the intense divisions within early Buddhism during that period, it stirred in me a strong desire for a clear and practical understanding of Buddhist practice.

 

As for the “early scriptures,” I approached them mainly from an academic perspective. At that time—nearly forty years ago—my own level of understanding was still limited, and I did not feel motivated to delve deeper into them.

 

This reflects only my personal journey. The Dharma is vast, and what resonates with each person inevitably differs.

 

Master Banji

真不是幻覺3 Not an Illusion 3: (The Challenge of Metaphors)

真不是幻覺3

（譬喻ㄧ詞的重重困境）

昨天稍微提了一下部派佛教的「大天五事」。

困難1.

這種在現實裡發生的嚴重糾紛，是無法用「譬喻」來解釋的，

我在研讀佛法過程中，因為都是中文文言文，讀入過深，面對現實根本無法適應，

當看到「大天五事」時的唐突與抵觸至今印象深刻，而這還事涉佛法證果的問題，

這不是用「譬喻、比諭」可以帶過的，我該怎麼辦呢？

2.重新解讀佛經，面對那麼龐大的經典，那是要命的事！

3.總有一個方法吧！

那就是從實修下手，就知道怎麼判斷了！

真實的體驗，再加上既有的經典指引，應該可以找出一個脈絡吧！

釐出一個頭緒，好像把自己從泥沼裡拉出來。

至今，看到「意識跟幻覺」一起的「譬喻」形容，已經不能接受，

不要認為我對佛法是不恭敬的，

那是錯的！

佛陀為了教育旁人用了「譬喻法」，但譬喻是打個比方的解讀，

可以隨著時代的成熟，再做另外的解釋。

如果唯識學解釋的「夜間看到繩子會當成蛇」的恐怖，

我用的方法是；那就是看夜間的100遍繩子，跟夜間的100遍蛇，

去做辨別，不再譬喻裡面打轉。

我寫過佛法「四聖果」證悟的層次，裡面是沒有矛盾的，

我們內部思考過這個問題的有社長純德，

及甫考上他台大母校資管博士班的志強，

志強跟我說：他也是一直在找佛法的矛盾點，找不到，佩服了！

在一流的地方，與一流的人才討論，

思緒飛越而去，讓人愉快到極點。

半寄

 

Not an Illusion 3: (The Challenge of Metaphors)

 

Yesterday, I briefly mentioned the “Five Points of Mahādeva” in early Buddhism.

 

Difficulty 1

Serious disputes that actually happened in real life cannot be explained away with “metaphors.”

 

During my study of Buddhism, I was immersed in classical Chinese texts for so long that I gradually lost my ability to relate to reality. So when I first encountered the “Five Points of Mahādeva,” the shock I felt is still vivid today.

After all, this issue concerns the attainment of realization in Buddhism.

 

This is not something that can simply be glossed over with metaphors or analogies. So what should I do?

 

Difficulty 2. Reinterpreting the vast body of Buddhist scriptures is extremely difficult.

Difficulty 3. There must be a solution.

 

My solution is to begin with actual practice. Practice helps me develop the ability to judge and understand.

 

With real experience, supported by the guidance of scriptures, we should be able to find a clear direction.

 

This process feels like pulling oneself out of a swamp.

To this day, I can no longer accept metaphors that equate “consciousness” with “illusion.”

Please don’t mistake this as disrespect toward Buddhism—that would be wrong.

 

The Buddha used metaphors as teaching tools, but they are only comparisons, not literal truth.

 

As times evolve, interpretations can also evolve.

For example, Yogācāra uses the metaphor of mistaking a rope for a snake in the dark.

My approach is simple: observe a rope many times at night, and also observe a snake many times—learn to distinguish them directly, instead of getting stuck in metaphors.

 

I have written about the four stages of enlightenment in Buddhism, and there are no contradictions in that framework.

Among those who have discussed this issue with me are President Chunde and Xiaoqiang, who was just admitted to a PhD program in Information Management at National Taiwan University.

Xiaoqiang once told me he had tried to find contradictions in Buddhism but failed. He was deeply impressed.

 

Discussing ideas with top minds in a top environment allows thoughts to soar freely—

it is an immensely joyful experience.

 

Master Banji