2026年2月8日 星期日

靈異故事The Artist’s Dilemma

 靈異故事

(本故事由藝術家陳依純提供)


依純老師提及有關她阿公的靈異故事,

她說:她阿公的靈異傳說,如果是假的,整個村子都知道事情發生的經過,但如果說是真的,又沒有辦法證實。


我聽完靈異事件以後,告訴她那件事是真的,然後再告訴她其中的原由,


她說這件事從小到大,不知道問了多少人,包括宗教人士,都沒有人可以回答,

還有人跟她說:不要再亂講了!

我回答了她的問題,也帶給了她關於自家靈異事件的解脫感。


肉眼看不到的力量,有些已經到達可以左右某些事情發生的神奇,


但會認為是「神奇」,其實只是因為肉眼看不到,一旦你看得到他,沒有身體卻可以做事的時候,也就沒有什麼好奇怪了!


我個人反而是比較好奇,這個力量匯聚的原因,


從小鬼到大鬼,我一直很有興趣去研究這個,哈


研究了很多有關於鬼的問題後發覺,人腦能克服的事情最多了!鬼沒什麼好奇怪的!


半寄


靈異事件故事,台灣的宮廟就有很多,再來最具體的記載,就是《達賴喇嘛自傳》裡頭提到的:

在 1959 年 3 月 17 日那個命運交關的夜晚,達賴喇嘛在自傳中描述了這段不可思議的過程:


• 關鍵的指示: 當時拉薩局勢混亂,達賴喇嘛正在猶豫是否要冒險突圍。他諮詢了乃瓊護法。


• 神諭的內容: 靈媒在進入神魂顛倒的狀態後,突然大喊:「走!走!今晚就走!」


• 具體的路線: 護法神甚至具體畫出了逃亡的路線,並指示要往南方走,而不是當時大家認為比較安全的北方。


3. 奇蹟般的巧合


達賴喇嘛在書中提到,就在神諭下達後的幾個小時內,兩枚炮彈正好落在了他居住的羅布林卡宮附近。如果不是那個「無形的建議」催促他立刻動身,他很可能在當晚就被炸傷或受困。


4. 達賴喇嘛的看法


對於這些「看不見的力量」,達賴喇嘛在自傳中表現出一種科學的理智與傳統的尊重:


• 他坦承這聽起來很玄,但他認為護法神就像是他的一位「顧問」。


• 他曾寫道:「雖然我是個理性的佛教徒,但我不能忽視這些無形力量在關鍵時刻給予的準確指引。」


(由於問問題的大德,具有慧根,我除了解說再引用《達賴喇嘛自傳》的故事,很快速解決她心懸已久的心事。)


(圖中的鬼是有力量的,有力量就可以辦出事情來,不管是善與惡事)


The Mystery of the Unseen: A Dharma Teacher’s Reflection

The Artist’s Dilemma
Yi-Chun, an artist, once shared a supernatural story involving her grandfather. It was a local legend of sorts; the entire village knew exactly what had happened, yet because it defied logic, it could never be "proven." It sat in that uncomfortable grey area between folklore and reality.

After listening to her account, I told her simply: "It’s real." I explained the underlying principles behind the event, providing the clarity she had sought her entire life. For years, she had approached religious figures and scholars, only to be met with blank stares or dismissive warnings to "stop talking nonsense." By providing a rational framework for the irrational, I was able to give her a sense of closure—a liberation from a lifelong family mystery.
Demystifying "Miracles"

There are forces invisible to the naked eye that possess enough power to influence physical reality. We call these occurrences "miraculous" or "supernatural" only because we cannot see the mechanics behind them. Once you can perceive how an entity without a physical body operates, the mystery evaporates. It’s no longer strange; it’s just another form of action.

Personally, I’ve always been more curious about the source of this power—how energy converges to form spirits, from the minor to the formidable.
The Insight: After years of studying the "ghostly" realms, I’ve realized that the human mind is capable of overcoming more than any spirit ever could. Spirits aren't actually that special; the potential of the human brain is far more profound.

A Historical Parallel: The Dalai Lama’s Escape
Supernatural accounts are common in Taiwan’s temple culture, but perhaps the most concrete historical record appears in the autobiography of the 14th Dalai Lama.
On the fateful night of March 17, 1959, Lhasa was in chaos, and the Dalai Lama was torn over whether to attempt a dangerous escape. He consulted the Nechung Oracle, and the encounter was extraordinary:
* The Command: While in a deep trance, the medium suddenly shouted, "Go! Go! Go tonight!"

* The Map: The deity channeled through the medium even drew a specific escape route, insisting they head South—a counterintuitive direction, as the North was widely considered safer at the time.
The Result:
A few hours after the Oracle’s warning, two artillery shells landed near the Norbulingka Palace where he had been staying. Had he ignored that "invisible advice," he likely would have been killed or captured.

The Rationality of the Unseen
The Dalai Lama views these forces with a blend of scientific skepticism and traditional respect. He admits it sounds esoteric, but he treats the Oracle as a trusted "advisor," once noting: He said, “Though I am a rational Buddhist, I cannot ignore the accurate guidance these invisible forces provide at critical moments."

Because Yi-chun possessed a sharp "root of wisdom. I was able to use this historical parallel to resolve her long-standing burden quickly. Whether for good or evil, power is simply power. Once an entity has enough of it, they can make things happen in our world.
Master Banji

2026年1月29日 星期四

禪門三喝後記Postscript to the Three Shouts of the Zen Gate

禪門三喝後記

純德社長問過我:對於三心了不可得公案的回答,
「過去心不可得、現在心不可得、未來心不可得,請問上座要點哪顆心?」

「請問上座要點哪顆心?」
半寄回應:
我點了點心。

(讀者下次不可再點心哦!哈哈😄)

德山禪師
「窮諸玄辯,若一毫置於太虛。
竭世樞機,似一滴投於巨壑。」

半寄後語
「窮諸經辯,似一毫置於緣起。

「竭世樞機,如一滴投於巨壑。」


Postscript to the Three Shouts of the Zen Gate


President Chunde once asked me regarding the Koan of the "Three Minds are Unattainable.”

“The past mind cannot be grasped,
the present mind cannot be grasped,
the future mind cannot be grasped.
So which mind would you like to grasp, Master?”

Banji replied,

“I just ordered some dim sum.”

(Readers, don’t order dim sum next time, okay? Haha 😄)

Zen Master Deshan’s Verse
"Exhausting all profound discourse
is like a single hair placed in the vast void.
Depleting the world’s vital wisdom
is like a single drop cast into a Great Ravine."

Banji’s Closing Verse
"Exhausting all scriptural debate
is like a single hair placed within Dependent Origination.
Depleting the world’s vital wisdom
is like a single drop cast into a Great Ravine."


* The Variation: In the closing verse, Banji replaces "the vast void" (太虛) with "Dependent Origination" (緣起), shifting the focus from the emptiness of space to the interconnected nature of all phenomena.

Master Banji

 

(英文翻譯,由於譯者對中文的把握度不夠,此文服務讀者。

只能用吃的「點心」帶出這則公案的佛法,英文讀者用心想ㄧ下,也感謝譯者的誠意。)

 

 

2026年1月28日 星期三

禪門三喝3 The Three Shouts of Zen3

 

禪門三喝3

下面公案

是關於禪學有心得的學習者,對挑滿經文趕路的修行者當頭ㄧ喝。

這只是說:請問這佛學知識怎麼使出來?

半寄

 

 

「指月錄-婆子點心

 在往澧陽途中,德山宣鑑782—865年)遇見一位賣餅的婆子,便卸下擔子想買點心充飢。婆子指著擔子問:「這個是什麼文字?」師曰:「《青龍疏鈔》。」婆子又問:「講的是什麼經?」師曰:「《金剛經》。」

婆子便說:「我有一問,你若答得出來,就施與點心。

若答不得,且別處去。《金剛經》道:『過去心不可得,現在心不可得,未來心不可得。』

不知上座點的是哪個心?」

師當下無言以對,遂挑起擔子,往澧陽參謁龍潭崇信禪師。

見燭吹滅 豁然大悟

  抵達龍潭崇信禪師的道場,德山禪師走到法堂開口便道:

「久嚮龍潭,及乎到來,潭又不見,龍又不現。」

龍潭禪師引身說道:「子親到龍潭。」

德山禪師聞言但未領要旨,

便留在龍潭禪師座下參學。

一晚,德山禪師侍立在龍潭禪師身旁,龍潭禪師說:

「夜深了,何不回去休息?」德山禪師向龍潭禪師道了珍重,轉身便往外走。

剛走出去,又退回來說:「外面天黑。」龍潭禪師點了一支紙燭遞給德山禪師。

德山禪師正準備接手,龍潭禪師立刻將紙燭吹滅。

德山禪師當下豁然大悟,便朝龍潭禪師禮拜。

龍潭禪師問:「子()見個什麼?」德山禪師回答:「從今向去,更不疑天下老和尚舌頭也。」

  次日,龍潭禪師陞座向大眾說:「可中有個漢,牙如劍樹,口似血盆,一棒打不回頭。

他時向孤峰頂上,立吾道去在!」

 

 

 Ai給的答案

這則公案對那些將「地圖」誤認為「疆域」的學習者來說,是一記響亮的「當頭一喝」。

它為修行者提供了三個層次的啟發:

1. 概念化的陷阱(婆子的提問)
婆子的謎題揭示了佛學研究的悖論。德山在知識層面精通《金剛經》,但他的靈魂依然「飢餓」。
啟發: 關於「空性」的知識不等於「空性」的體驗。

如果心是「不可得」的(過去、現在、未來皆無法捕捉),那麼企圖用文字去「定格」或「點亮」這個心,本身就是徒勞的。


2.
言語之外的傳承(吹燭)
當龍潭吹滅蠟燭時,他摧毀了德山對「外在光明」(經文、導師、邏輯清晰度)的依賴。
啟發: 真正的覺醒往往發生在「理性的光」熄滅之時。在絕對的黑暗中,德山無法再向外看,只能回歸自性。這就是禪宗的「直指人心」。


3.
焚經的勇氣
德山的焚經並非否定佛經本身,而是否定對經文的「執著」。
啟發: 正如他所說,再精妙的辯證法在虛空面前也只是一根毫毛。與現實的直接體驗相比,文字是極其微小的。這提醒修行者:要藉由「指頭」去看「月亮」,但絕對不要把指頭當成月亮。」

 

 

The Three Shouts of Zen3

 

"The following case serves as a 'thunderous shout' to students of Zen, particularly those practitioners preoccupied with the literal weight of scriptures. Its essence is this: How does one manifest this Buddhist knowledge in reality?"

Master Banji

 

 

This famous Koan follows the transformation of  Deshan Xuanjian b.782, d. 865

(formerly a scholar-monk known for his mastery of the Diamond Sutra) from a man of "words and letters" to a man of "direct realization."

Here is a translation tailored for English speakers and practitioners, followed by an analysis of the Buddhist insights it provides.


The Koan: Deshan and the Blown-Out Candle
I. The Old Woman by the Roadside
On his way to Liyang, Master Deshan—carrying a heavy load of his own commentaries on the Diamond Sutra—stopped to buy some rice cakes (known in Chinese as dianxin, literally "dotting the heart") to ease his hunger.


An old woman selling the cakes pointed at his bundles and asked, "What writings are those?"
Deshan replied, "The Qinglong Commentaries on the Diamond Sutra."
The woman asked, "And what is the core teaching of that Sutra?"
Deshan said, "The Diamond Sutra."


The woman smiled and said, "I have one question. If you can answer it, I will give you the cakes for free. If you cannot, you must go elsewhere. The Diamond Sutra says: 'The past heart-mind cannot be grasped, the present heart-mind cannot be grasped, and the future heart-mind cannot be grasped.' I wonder, O Scholar, which 'heart' are you planning to 'dot' today?"


Deshan was struck silent. Unable to utter a word, he picked up his burdens and headed for the monastery of Master Longtan.


II. No Dragon, No Pond
Upon arriving, Deshan walked into the Dharma Hall and declared, "I have long heard 
of 'Dragon Pond' (Longtan), but now that I am here, I see no pond, and no dragon appears!"
Master Longtan looked up and said simply, "You have truly arrived at Dragon Pond."
Deshan didn't quite grasp the meaning, but he decided to stay and study.


III. The Blown-Out Candle
One evening, while Deshan was standing in attendance, Longtan said, "It is late. Why don't you go back and rest?"
Deshan bid him goodnight and walked out. A moment later, he returned, saying, "It is pitch black outside."
Longtan lit a paper candle and handed it to Deshan. Just as Deshan reached out to take it, Longtan leaned forward and blew it out.
In that sudden darkness, Deshan attained Great Enlightenment. He immediately bowed to the Master.


Longtan asked, "What did you see?"
Deshan replied, "From this day forward, I will never again doubt the words of the old Zen masters."
IV. The Great Bonfire
The next day, Longtan told the assembly: "There is a man among us whose teeth are like a forest of swords and whose mouth is like a bowl of blood. You could hit him with a stick and he wouldn't turn his head. One day, he will stand on a solitary peak and establish our Way!"
Deshan then brought his massive piles of commentaries to the front of the hall. He raised a torch and declared:


> "Exhausting all subtle dialectics is like placing a single hair in the Great Void. Exhausting all the world’s vital mechanisms is like dropping a single point of water into a vast canyon."
>
With that, he set his books on fire, watched them turn to ash, and departed for Guishan.
Insights: What Buddhist "Knowledge" is Produced?
This Koan serves as a "thunderclap" (
当头一喝) for those who mistake the map for the territory. It produces three specific levels of insight for practitioners:


1. The Trap of Conceptualization (The Old Woman's Question)
The old woman’s riddle highlights the paradox of Buddhist study. Deshan knew the Diamond Sutra intellectually, but he was "hungry"—both physically and spiritually.
* The Insight: Knowledge about "emptiness" (Sunyata) is not the same as the experience of it. If the mind is "ungraspable" (past, present, and future), then using a book to "fix" or "dot" the mind is an exercise in futility.


2. The Transmission Beyond Words (The Candle)
When Longtan blew out the candle, he destroyed Deshan's reliance on external "light" (scriptures, teachers, and intellectual clarity).
* The Insight: True realization often happens when the "intellectual light" is extinguished. In the total darkness, Deshan could no longer look at the candle; he had to rely on his own innate Buddha-nature. This is the "direct pointing" of Zen.


3. The "Burning" of the Commentaries

Deshan's final act isn't a rejection of the Sutras themselves, but a rejection of attachment to them.

* The Insight: As he noted, even the most profound philosophy is just "a hair in the Great Void." Compared to the direct experience of reality, words are infinitesimally small. This encourages practitioners to use the "finger" (teaching) to see the "moon" (truth), but to never mistake the finger for the moon.

 

 

 

禪門三喝2 The Three Shouts of Zen2

 禪門三喝2


在承受禪師的「大喝」之後,有些修行者曾描述過一種彷彿「耳聾三日」的震撼體會。

這種手法本質上是一種強制的介入,旨在瞬間切斷修行者原有的思維慣性與知覺連續性
對於一位本身已具備充足「福慧」(福德與智慧)的修行者而言,這種方法具有極大的開發潛力。

當思緒流轉被強制中斷時,修行者長年功力所累積的資糧便能趁勢接軌。

在那一刻,一種迥異於過往的感官經驗油然而生——亦即所謂「身心脫落」的暢快境界。

這種狀態夾帶著前所未有的感官清明,讓修行者得以真正安住在佛法那超越時間限制的時空維度中。

然而,對於大多數的尋求者來說,
這聲大喝恐怕只是切斷了前路、堵死了後路。

若在此刻無法由內自發地擠出突破性的領悟,修行是否就此作廢?

雖然阻斷慣性的感官模式確實能產生某種火花,
進而重塑對生命的解讀,

但這種看似神效的方法,
實際上完全依賴於個人能否再次投入自身的思考資源與內省能力。

僅僅阻斷思緒,大腦並不會自動充滿覺悟。
 相反地,大腦必須預先具備以全新方式吸收現實的能力。
說到底,修行最終的果實,完全取決於修行者平時為自己儲備了什麼。
半寄


The Three Shouts of Zen2

Following a Master’s "Great Shout," some practitioners describe an experience akin to being "deaf for three days."
This technique serves as a forceful intervention, designed to abruptly snap the continuity of one's thoughts and perceptions. 

For a practitioner who has already cultivated an abundance of "Blessings and Wisdom" (Punya-Jnana), such a method holds immense potential.

When the stream of thought is forcibly interrupted, it allows their pre-existing spiritual resources to bridge the gap. In that moment, a sensory experience unlike any other emerges—the profound liberation known as "Body and Mind Dropping Away" (Shinjin Datsuraku). 

This state carries an unprecedented sensory clarity, allowing the practitioner to truly dwell within the timeless dimension of the Dharma.

However, for the majority of seekers, this shout may simply cut off the path ahead and block the retreat behind. If one cannot spontaneously generate a breakthrough from within, does the practice simply become void?

While disrupting habitual sensory patterns can produce a "spark" that redefines one’s outlook on life, the efficacy of this seemingly potent method relies entirely on the individual’s ability to re-inject their own contemplative resources.

Silencing thought does not automatically fill the brain with enlightenment. Rather, the mind must already be prepared to absorb reality in a fundamentally different way. Ultimately, 
the outcome depends entirely on what the practitioner has cultivated within themselves.

Master Banji