命脈 The Lifeline of the Dharma Dear all,

 命脈

各位大德好

佛法「四聖果」斷層已久，
既然我已經把祂鑽研出來，勢必定要清楚寫出來的，為佛教在此時留下一個見證。

第一次世界大戰以後，掀起的佛法考古熱，
不知道投入了多少金錢及注入了多少人才？！

這一場這麼大的世界級投資，不能就這樣白白的浪費掉！

也不能因為生活所需，而必須斷送佛法命脈，

一般「淨信」的大眾佔比例是最高的，

相信只要好好的宣揚佛法，
還是可以維持一般生活的，
這是我個人的拙見，
也請為佛法想一想。
半寄

 

The Lifeline of the Dharma

 

Dear all,

 

The teaching of the Four Stages of Enlightenment in Buddhism has been disconnected for a long time.

Since I have studied and worked through this issue, I feel it is my responsibility to explain it clearly and leave a record for Buddhism in this era.

 

After World War I, there was a major global interest in studying early Buddhist texts.

A great deal of money and many talented scholars were involved.

 

Such vast, worldwide efforts should not be wasted.

 

Nor can the very lifeline of the Buddhadharma be sacrificed for the sake of worldly survival.

 

It is a fact that the majority of practitioners follow the path of “pure faith.”

 

As long as the Dharma is properly shared and explained,

it is still possible to sustain an ordinary life.

This is only my personal opinion,

but I ask everyone to consider the future of the Buddhadharma.

 

Master Banji

 

聖果的時間2 The Timing of Attainmeing Enlightenment 2

 聖果的時間2

（請讀者參考聖果的時間1的內容）

初果的「疑」要解決因果法則，
所以需要時間成熟，

如果只是「淨信」是不需要再跨下一世的，

只是淨信的修行者，也沒有能力去理解真正的因、緣、果。

可以說整個四聖果從初果的證入，

才起了開端而已！

如果初果的證入是淨信的話，
那後面2-4果整個都沒有辦法再推動了，

有心於佛法證入的修行者，

啟動大腦去做思維。

半寄

The Timing of Attainmeing Enlightenment 2

 

(Please refer to “The Timing of Attainmeing Enlightenment 1” for reference.)

 

At the first stage (Stream-entry), “doubt” must be resolved through direct understanding of causes and results.

And this requires time to mature.

 

If one relies only on “pure faith,” there is actually no need to proceed into another lifetime.

Practitioners limited to pure faith lack the capacity to truly comprehend causes, conditions, and results.

 

In fact, the path of the Four Stages of Enlightenment only really begins with the attainment of the first stage(Stream-entry).

 

If the first stage were achieved only through pure faith,

then the advancement to the second, third, and fourth stages would become impossible.

 

For those who genuinely aspire to realize the Dharma,

one must activate the mind and engage in deep contemplation.

 

Master Banji

聖果的時間1 The Timing of Attainmeing Enlightenment 1

 聖果的時間1

四聖果.初果「疑」的內容，既然是前因與後果的明白，

時間上就有可能是跨過前世與今生的，

「疑」這一概念是指對因與果之間關係的清楚理解。

若是如此，那麼對因、緣、果的這種理解，
很可能會延伸並跨越過去與今生。

事實上，《雜阿含經》中記載了許多佛陀的授記，
這些授記都超越了單一生命的範圍，
顯示出生死輪迴的過程是跨越多生多世而展開的。

我記得自己在多年前曾思考過這個問題。

佛陀衡量「生命」時，並非以單一一生為單位，
而是以多生多世來看待。

在這些生命歷程中，某些條件必須逐漸發展並成熟。

那麼，在修行道路上，智慧的成熟以及身心經驗的體證，是否會因人而異呢？

答案是肯定的。

每個人的理解程度不同、

智慧成熟度不同，

執行運作的速度也各不相同。

半寄

（見6月10號文章及這裡部分文字的截圖）

（以下AI資料）

給孤獨長者是佛陀時代極具名望的護法。在他臨終前，舍利弗與阿難去探望他，並為他開示。長者在聽完法後感動落淚，不久後去世，隨即化為天子，半夜來到祇樹給孤獨園禮拜佛陀。

 佛陀的授記： 在《雜阿含經》及南傳相應部中皆有記載，佛陀隨後向大眾證實，給孤獨長者死後升到了兜率天（或欲界天），他已經證得聖果，屬於「七死七生」或「一來」的階段，絕對不會退轉，必定會在限定的生世內徹底解脫。

 

(詞彙說明：)

我們的翻譯瑞欣老師問說：

聖果:翻成哪個較好，證悟或解脫?

 

半寄：

證悟比較清楚，

解脫，解脫了什麼事？

其實是證悟者自己明白的事，

外人沒有辦法理解。

 

證悟：是一個形容詞，

形容修行者證入果位，

沒有證悟的外人，看起來會比較明白。

The Timing of Attainmeing Enlightenment 1

 

In the First Stage of Enlightenment, the Stream-Entry, the notion of “doubt” 

refers to a clear understanding of causes and their results.

If that is the case, then this understanding of causes and results may very well extend across past and present lives.

In fact, the Saṁyukta Āgama contains many accounts of the Buddha’s predictions that transcend a single lifetime, indicating that the process of saṁsāra unfolds over multiple lifetimes.

 

I recall having reflected on this question years ago.

The Buddha measured life not as a single lifetime, but as multiple lifetimes.

Within these lifetimes, certain conditions must gradually develop and mature.

So, does the maturity of wisdom and bodily experience on the path differ from person to person?

 

Yes, it does. People have different levels of understanding, different degrees of wisdom, and different speeds of development.

 

Master Banji

 

(See the June 10 article and partial excerpts here.)

Doubt (Vicikicchā): This is not normal doubt. It means being unsure about how causes and resultswork. Hakuju Ui explains that when a person “cuts off doubt” at the first stage of enlightenment, it means they fully understand the idea: “If this exists, that exists; if this happens, that happens.” Their understanding becomes completely certain and cannot be shaken anymore.

 

(AI Reference Material Below)

 

Anāthapiṇḍika was a famous supporter of the Buddha. Before he passed away, Śāriputra and Ānanda visited him and taught him the Dharma.

He was so moved that he cried. Not long after, he passed away and was reborn as a heavenly being. That night, he returned to Jetavana Monastery to pay respect to the Buddha.

 

The Buddha’s Confirmation:
According to the Saṁyukta Āgama and the Pāli Saṁyutta Nikāya, the Buddha later said that Anāthapiṇḍika had been reborn in heaven and had already attained enlightenment—either at the stage of “seven more lives” or “once-returner.” He would never regress and would reach full liberation within a limited number of lifetimes.He would not fall back and within a limited number of future lives.

 

 

(Terminology Note: “Noble Fruits” — Enlightenment or Liberation?)

 

Our translator, Ms. Juihisn Tsai, asked:
Should “Noble Fruits” be translated as enlightenment or liberation?

 

Banji responds:
“Enlightenment” is clearer.

If we say “liberation,” one might ask: liberation from what?
In reality, this is something only the one who has realized it truly understands—
it is not something outsiders can easily comprehend.

 

“Enlightenment,” on the other hand, functions as a descriptive term.
It conveys that a practitioner has attained a certain stage of realization.
For those who have not experienced it themselves, this term is easier to understand.

 

因緣條件的成立On the Arising of Conditions

 因緣條件的成立

半個月前，一直看到很多大老鼠，
這一兩年已經難得看到這麼多老鼠了，起初以為是隔壁稻田成熟的問題，想想不太對勁，
會不會是要淹水的徵兆，老鼠在搬家？
動物的感官基本上小到螞蟻，都可以感知天氣預報。

昨天想起來，我半個月前的想法，
真的淹大水了！

這個如果在印度的宗教思想裡面，
都要覺得那是什麼神、又什麼神的寓言？

問題在於：
當宗教中充斥著大量神話，
而這些神話又未經理性梳理檢視時，
神話本身就可能帶來危害——使人忽視現實。

過多的神話，就如同沉浸在幻象之中——
最終會失去辨別真實的能力。
而一旦失去這種智力上的清明，又要如何前進？

在我修行的前十年，
我接觸了大量北傳佛教的內容。
隨著時間推移，我逐漸意識到，
必須刻意將那些深植於腦中的神話觀念剝離。

試想：當你看到老鼠時，
你會把它解讀為神的啟示，
還是某種無形力量在作祟？

當一個人的心中充滿神話時，
會常常失去第一時間的判斷能力。

佛法經常探討「意識」的本質。
當心中充滿錯誤的觀念時，
便會混淆現實、佛法與幻象。

最終，心智變得混亂而模糊——
直到你再也分不清，什麼才是真正的存在。

半寄

On the Arising of Conditions

 

Half a month ago, I began noticing an unusual number of large rats.

Such a sight has been rare in recent years. At first, I suspected the nearby rice harvest—but the explanation did not hold.

 

A thought arose:

could this be a sign of impending floods?

Were the rats relocating?

 

Animals—even ants—possess a natural sensitivity to environmental change.

 

Yesterday, that earlier thought returned—

and it proved true: severe flooding occurred.

 

Yet within certain strands of Indian religious thought,

such an event might be interpreted as a divine message

or turned into a mythic allegory of gods.

 

The problem is this:

when religion contains a great deal of mythology,
and those myths are not critically examined,
myth itself can become harmful—leading people to ignore reality.

 

An excess of myth is like immersion in illusion—

one eventually loses the ability to distinguish what is real.

And without that clarity, how can one move forward?

 

In the first decade of my own practice,

I was exposed to a great deal of Northern Buddhist teachings.
In time, I realized I had to deliberately free myself

from the mythological ideas embedded in my mind.

 

Consider this: when you see rats,

do you interpret them as divine signs

or as the mischief of unseen forces?

 

When the mind is filled with mythology,

one loses the ability to make clear judgments at the very first moment. 

 

Buddhist teaching frequently addresses the nature of consciousness.

When the mind is filled with erroneous ideas,

it confuses reality, Dharma, and illusion.

 

In the end, the mind becomes confused and chaotic—
until you can no longer tell what is what.

 

Master Banji

謙讓 Yielding

 謙讓

有時候讀者會勸我說：
不要對立，
我接受了建議，把一些諷刺性的文字刪除，

刪除那一些不重要的立場，
緊接著很多人開心的希望我文章全部刪完，
不然就關閉南禪的資訊，
哈哈😄

能讓嗎？
讓的結果別人就希望你全軍覆沒。
我才會寫說：
我們受儒家思想影響太深了！
都願意先讓自己吃虧，
讓敵人快樂拍手這一切才會圓滿？

我寫的佛法文章是我一生的研究，全部刪掉嗎？

那我就從容就義好了。
站著死比躺著死，光榮。

半寄

 

Yielding

 

At times, readers urge me:

“Don’t create conflict.”

I accepted this and removed my more satirical remarks.

 

After letting go of those minor positions,

many then went further—hoping I would erase everything,

or even shut down all NanZen communication.

How amusing 😄

 

But can one simply give in?

Concession invites expectation—

until others demand your total defeat.

 

This is why I say:

we are too deeply shaped by Confucian values.

We are conditioned to accept loss first,

believing that only when others are satisfied can harmony be achieved.

 

Yet my writings on Buddhism represent a lifetime of study.

Am I to delete them all?

 

If that is the only path,

then I would rather meet my end with composure and dignity.

To die standing is honor;

to fall without resistance is not.

 

Master Banji