時間Time

 時間

我們英國讀者笑著說：我時間還沒有寫完。

因為這不是可以寫出的公式，這是一種佛法的概念，卻屬於人體的修行，很難寫出來，

只有在南禪讀書會上，自己帶的成員想聽講述一下，

沒想到肉眼看不見的聖者，受利益最大，非常有趣😁

半寄

Time

 

A reader from the UK joked, “You haven’t finished writing about time yet.”

 

That is because this is not a formula that can simply be written down. It is a Buddhist concept related to spiritual practice within the human body, and it is very difficult to put into words.

 

It is explanined only when the members of my own NanZen study clubs ask.

 

Unexpectedly, the unseen Sage benefits the most. How interesting! 😁

 

Master Banji

印度聖者-空法The Indian Sage — The Dharma of Śūnyatā

 印度聖者-空法

10月20號的文章說：

印度聖者凌晨1:30把我弄醒，把中觀學派的照片塞到我腦袋，

我意識到他跟我去台南讀書會聽了「中觀20品」部分講解，他聽了大概滿意要我寫空法。

昨天23號早上他的侍者要求他回去印度，

他用流利的中文跟我說：這邊還沒有人，他不會回去，留下來看照我，

而且這段期間他跟我交流的空法讓他功力再次大進，他很感謝我！

到了下午，他在半空中對我大喊，你說的空法與時間併行在這裡，他的速度比之前快了一百倍！

所有的快樂，都比不上一位對你講解的內容心神領會並且實證的人物。😄

印度聖者來之後的一個月，就已經跟我照會過說：我講解的空法對他有利益，

讓我有一點錯愕！

上篇文章寫過虛雲老和尚2019年就已經來找我，

但事實上他們對於本身的佛法再進展幾乎是沒有意願的，

因為他們受儒家思想影響，了解的佛法跟印度聖者是不一樣的，以儒家傳統而言，虛老的修行已經到了頂尖的地步！

但這種頂尖一直遊走在儒家道德的溫良恭儉裡面，再加有修行入定的神通。

虛老本身所熟悉的思想已經沒有再擴展空間了，所以不會認為自己需要再吸收什麼？

印度聖者身處的印度環境及他們的數理觀念，讓他們知道還有擴展的空間，

這兩者之間的知識及周遭環境的認知就相距非常遠了！

記得我年輕的時候，看過一位在美國的華人修行者竟然大剌剌在雜誌寫說：

他身處藩邦，ㄧ句英文都不學，

我當時看到這文章，驚訝程度只能用突兀、錯亂形容，

他是修行者，應該再吸收其他民族的智慧，才能正確的引導別人，

把身處的國家視為藩邦，是一種己身民族給的教育錯誤，

還是他個人無知到底了？

路走遠了，才知道你只能跟眼界開闊的人們聊上幾句，

看過場面及閱人無數的人們，懂得什麼是真實的能力。

半寄

The Indian Sage — The Dharma of Śūnyatā

 

In my October 20 article, I wrote that the Indian Sage woke me up at 1:30 a.m. and implanted images of the Madhyamaka school in my mind.

 

I realized that he had accompanied me to the Tainan study club and listened to part of my explanation of Chapter 20 of Nagarjuna’s Middle Way: Mulamadhyamakakarika. He seemed satisfied with my explanation and wanted me to write about the Dharma of Śūnyatā.

 

On the morning of October 23, his attendant asked him to return to India. He spoke to me in fluent Chinese, saying, “There is still no one here. I will not return to India. I will stay here to watch over you.”

He also told me that the discussions of the Dharma of Śūnyatā we had shared during this period had enabled him to make another major advance in his practice. He was very grateful to me!

 

That afternoon, he shouted to me from the air, “The Dharma of Śūnyatā you described operates in parallel with time. Here, my speed is a hundred times greater than before!”

Nothing compares with the joy of encountering someone who fully grasps what you explain and puts it into practice. 😄

 

Just one month after the Indian Sage arrived, he had already communicated to me that my explanation of the Dharma of Śūnyatā had benefited him. This left me somewhat astonished!

 

As I wrote in my previous article, Venerable Master Xuyun had already come to see me in 2019.

Yet, in terms of further developing their own understanding of Buddhism, they had shown almost no inclination to do so.

 

The reason was that they had been influenced by Confucian thought. Their understanding of Buddhism differed from that of the Indian Sage. According to traditional Confucian standards, Venerable Master Xuyun had already attained the highest level of spiritual cultivation.

 

However, this supreme level of cultivation remained within the Confucian virtues of gentleness, kindness, respectfulness, frugality, and humility, together with the extraordinary abilities associated with meditative absorption.

 

The familiar intellectual framework within which Venerable Master Xuyun operated no longer seemed to offer room for expansion. Consequently, he would not have thought there was anything further he needed to learn.

 

By contrast, the Indian Sage's environment in India, along with the mathematical and logical perspectives familiar to people there, enabled him to recognize that further expansion was still possible.

The difference between these two approaches to knowledge and their respective understandings of the world around them was enormous!

 

I remember reading a magazine article when I was young in which a Chinese spiritual practitioner living in the United States openly declared that he was living in a foreign land and would not learn even a single word of English.

When I read this, I was astonished. His attitude seemed so out of place that I found it difficult to understand.

 

As a spiritual practitioner, he should have continued to learn from the wisdom of other peoples. Only by doing so could he guide others appropriately.

To regard the country in which one lives as a foreign domain is either the result of educational misconceptions inherited from one's own ethnic culture or a manifestation of profound personal ignorance.

 

Only after traveling a long way do you come to realize that meaningful conversations are possible only with people who have broad horizons.

Those who have experienced the wider world and encountered a great variety of people and situations understand what genuine ability truly is.

 

Master Banji

 

虛雲老和尚Venerable Master Xuyun

 虛雲老和尚

我應該是在2019年，感應虛雲老和尚來找我，

跟我說了一些事，我聽過後也半信半疑？

之前，還沒有已經圓寂的華人高僧跟我講過話，

我也在防範肉眼看不見的精魅，有著高級幻術來騙我。

聽完他說的話，不是很在意，不料他跟我講的話，果然實現。

之後，我便斷斷續續看過他老人家來，大部分都是來跟我表達，他對一些狀況的感受。

他依然是華人的特質，對很多事有他自己的堅持，而且沉默寡言，只使用淡然的情緒讓我知道他的想法。

印度聖者就不一樣了，他就是印度人的性格，有他的想法，也會充分跟我溝通，

跟虛雲老和尚是截然不同的典型。

我藉由對他們的親眼目睹，

也可以很清楚的知道華人跟印度民族，兩個思想系統的完全不同，

ㄧ樣是修持佛法，修行得到的功力內容也不一樣！

這是很有趣的觀見。

虛雲老和尚只關心他要關心的事情，

（這一樣是對虛老的崇敬，只是寫出我的觀察。

如同我對廣欽老和尚的敬仰，但我絕對不會跟他修持淨土宗，

即便我崇敬他個人修持的功力。

這跟我個人喜歡思考性的內容有關，讀者不必做其他想法。）

印度聖者會關心我周遭的事，也會去看看我關心的人，😄

這2年來在我背後及目前的推手不會忘記❗️

想說也把虛雲老和尚寫出來吧！

他在我這裡來來去去也7年了！

半寄

Venerable Master Xuyun

 

I believe I encountered Venerable Master Xuyun in 2019. He came to see me and told me a few things. After listening to him, however, I remained doubtful and was not sure whether to believe what he said.

 

Before this encounter, I had never spoken with a Chinese Buddhist monk of great stature who had already passed away.

I was also on my guard against unseen spirits or entities capable of using advanced illusions to deceive me.

 

After hearing him out, I did not take his words particularly seriously. To my surprise, what he had told me eventually came true.

 

From then on, I saw the venerable old monk appear intermittently. Most of the time, he came to convey his feelings about particular situations.

 

He retained distinctly Chinese characteristics. He had firm convictions about many matters and was taciturn, conveying his thoughts to me only through understated emotional expressions.

 

The Indian Sage, by contrast, is very different. He has a distinctly Indian temperament and his own views, yet he communicates with me openly and thoroughly. He represents a type entirely different from Venerable Master Xuyun.

 

Through my direct observations of these two individuals, I have gained a clear understanding of the fundamental differences between Chinese and Indian systems of thought.

 

Although both have practised the Buddha's teachings, the nature of the abilities cultivated through their respective practices differs as well!

 

This is a fascinating observation.

 

Venerable Master Xuyun concerns himself only with the matters that he considers important. 

（This is still an expression of my reverence for him; I am simply sharing my personal observation. Similarly,

 I deeply admire Venerable Master Guangqin, yet I would never choose to follow his Pure Land practice, 

even though I greatly respect his personal spiritual attainments. 

This reflects my personal preference for thought-provoking content; readers are not expected to draw any further conclusions.）

 

The Indian Sage, however, takes an interest in the events around me and even checks on the people I care about. 😄

 I will never forget those who have been driving me forward behind the scenes over the past two years and continue to do so today. 

I thought it was time to write about Venerable Master Xuyun as well!

He has been coming and going here for seven years now!

 

Master Banji

印度聖者-看護 The Indian Sage — Watching Over Me

 印度聖者-看護

我10月18號完成南禪兩處讀書會講解後，就開始感冒，

印度聖者不知道我感冒，還凌晨1:30把我弄醒，

經過我寫文章抗議以後，那一天還開玩笑逗我開心。

昨天晚上感覺他在看護我，還把他的侍者拉來看我在生病！

害他的侍者也很緊張😓

昨晚ㄧ夜安眠，清晨醒來，看到他坐在床邊看照我，讓我好感動！身體也好多了！

剛還跟我說：他終於清楚我要處理很多事，

不是只是一位單純的修行者！

真的，都是熟悉才能認識彼此。

感謝印度聖者🙏

半寄

（台灣屏東縣大武山

有位讀者提醒我說：中國的虛雲老和尚也曾經有這樣的經歷。

節錄一段分享讀者。

半寄

事件背景：雲門事變入定

1951 年春（民國四十年），虛雲老和尚時年 112 歲，在廣東雲門山大覺禪寺修行。不幸遭遇歹徒闖入寺內非法搜查並殘酷毒打，老和尚被打至肋骨折斷、五竅流血。

面對酷刑，老和尚隨即盤腿趺坐進入禪定狀態，不發一言、不吃不喝，任憑歹徒毆打。

老和尚在定中端坐了九日（自三月初三至初十一）。到了初十一日，老和尚呈現斷氣、脈搏停止的狀態，但面色如常、體溫尚存。

⏳ 悠然甦醒：體感僅數分鐘

至三月十二日早晨，老和尚微微呻吟，侍者法雲趕緊扶他起坐，並告訴他已經入定整整九天。

老和尚聽了驚訝地回答：「我覺才數分鐘耳。」 隨後，

他叮囑侍者迅速拿筆記錄下來，切勿輕易對外人宣說，以免引人疑謗。

🌌 兜率內院的詳細見聞

根據老和尚的口述，他在定中的見聞如下：

• 莊嚴的景象：老和尚在定中（口述中謙稱為「夢」）神遊至兜率內院，那裡的建築與景緻莊嚴瑰麗，絕非凡間所有。

• 遇見故人宿識：他看到彌勒菩薩高座法台之上正在說法，

台下聽眾非常多。其中有十多位是他過去在世間就認識的高僧大德，

包括江西海會寺志善和尚、天臺山融鏡法師，以及明代四大高僧之一的紫柏尊者等人。

• 菩薩指引座次：老和尚向眾人合掌致敬，大家指著東邊頭序第三個空位讓他坐下。

當時由阿難尊者擔任負責維持法會秩序的「維那」，座位就緊鄰著老和尚。

• 與彌勒菩薩的對話：

當時彌勒菩薩正在宣講「唯心識定」。

話還沒講完，彌勒菩薩便指著虛雲老和尚說：「你回去！」

老和尚回答：「弟子業障深重，不願回去了。」

彌勒菩薩勸告他：「你業緣未了，必須回去，以後再來！」

（照片來源維基百科）

The Indian Sage — Watching Over Me

 

After completing my explanations at the two NanZen study clubs on October 18, I came down with a cold.

 

The Indian Sage did not know I was sick, yet he woke me up at 1:30 a.m.! After I wrote an article to protest, he even joked around with me that day to cheer me up.

 

Last night, I felt that he was watching over me. He even brought his attendant over to see me while I was ill! That made his attendant nervous too. 😓

 

I slept peacefully through the night. When I woke up early this morning, I saw him sitting beside my bed, looking after me. I was deeply touched! I was also feeling much better.

 

Just now, he even told me that he finally understood that I had many things to take care of and was not simply a spiritual practitioner.

 

Indeed, it is only through becoming familiar with one another that we truly come to understand each other.

 

My thanks to the Indian Sage. 🙏

 

Master Banji

(Sunrise over Dawu Mountain, Pingtung County, Taiwan)

 

 

A reader reminded me that the Chinese Chan Master Xuyun also had a similar experience.

Below is an excerpt shared by that reader.

Master Banji

 

Background: Master Xuyun’s Meditation During the Yunmen Incident

 

In the spring of 1951 (the 40th year of the Republic of China calendar), the elderly Chan Master Xuyun was 112 years old and practising at Dajue Chan Monastery on Yunmen Mountain in Guangdong, China.

 

Unfortunately, a group of intruders broke into the monastery, conducted an unlawful search, and brutally beat the old master. His ribs were broken, and blood flowed from the five facial openings.

 

Facing this brutal treatment, the old master immediately sat cross-legged and entered a state of deep meditative absorption. He remained silent, neither eating nor drinking, as the intruders continued to beat him.

 

The old master remained seated in meditation for nine days, from the third to the eleventh day of the third lunar month. On the eleventh day, he appeared to have stopped breathing, and his pulse was no longer detectable. However, his complexion remained normal, and his body was still warm.

 

Awakening Calmly: It Felt Like Only a Few Minutes

 

On the morning of the twelfth day of the third lunar month, the old master began to moan softly. His attendant, Fayun, quickly helped him sit up and told him that he had been in meditative absorption for nine full days.

 

Surprised, the old master replied, “It felt like only a few minutes to me.”

 

He then instructed his attendant to take a pen and record the account immediately. He also cautioned him not to disclose it casually to outsiders, lest it provoke suspicion or criticism.

 

Detailed Experiences in the Inner Court of Tuṣita Heaven

According to the old master’s own account, he experienced the following while in meditation:

• A magnificent scene: During his meditative absorption, which he modestly referred to as a “dream,” the old master travelled in spirit to the Inner Court of Tuṣita Heaven. The buildings and scenery there were magnificent and splendid, unlike anything found in the human world.

• Meeting familiar people from the past: He saw Bodhisattva Maitreya seated high on a Dharma platform, teaching the Dharma.

There was a large audience below.

 Among those present were more than ten eminent monks and Buddhist teachers whom he had known during their lifetimes in the human world. They included Master Zhishan of Haihui Monastery in Jiangxi, Dharma Master Rongjing of Mount Tiantai, and Venerable Zibo, one of the Four Great Monks of the Ming dynasty.

• The Bodhisattva showed him where to sit: The old master greeted everyone with his palms joined in respect. They pointed to the third vacant seat from the front on the eastern side and invited him to sit there.

At the time, Venerable Ānanda was serving as the weina, the monastic responsible for maintaining order during the Dharma assembly. His seat was right next to the old master’s.

• The conversation with Bodhisattva Maitreya:

Bodhisattva Maitreya was teaching what was described as “the meditative concentration of mind-only consciousness.”

Before the teaching was finished, Maitreya pointed at Master Xuyun and said, “You must return!”

The old master replied, “My karmic obstacles are so deep that I do not wish to return.”

Maitreya advised him, “Your karmic conditions remain unfinished. You must return. Come again in the future!”

 

 

靈性的傲慢-補充篇 Spiritual Arrogance— Supplementary Note

 靈性的傲慢-補充篇

讀者說：我昨天貼的AI資料有一段「化學反應」的說法，

他們想了解一下「化學反應」的看法。

南禪部落格國外讀者很多，在容許的範圍裡面，我會盡量引用現代知識來解釋修行，

不必太過驚訝！

半寄

AI 模式對話

以下是昨天的內容：

科學化：它像做實驗一樣，

發現了因果規律。

只要你修行，心智就會產生特定的「化學反應」，這是一個可預測、可觀察的心理現象。

這是我昨天查得一段AI給我的資訊，

這裡面的「化學反應」要做怎麼解釋：

        AI:在這段話中，將修行的過程比喻為「化學反應」，

其實是一種「隱喻（Metaphor）」的修辭手法，

用來將抽象的心理與精神轉變，具體化為科學、可預測的物理現象。

我們可以從以下兩個層面來理解這裡的「化學反應」：

1. 比喻層面：質的轉變與不可逆性

在化學中，化學反應意味著「舊物質的消失」與「新物質的誕生」，通常伴隨著本質的改變（例如：氫氣與氧氣結合變成水）。

• 心智的重塑：

這段話的意思是，當你開始「修行」（無論是冥想、正念、內觀或自我反省），你的心理狀態、思考模式和情緒反應會發生本質上的轉變。

• 可預測與因果律：就像在實驗室裡，把 A 物質加入 B 物質，就「必然」會產生 C 反應一樣。這段話強調修行不是玄學或靠運氣，

而是只要你投入了正確的方法（因），心智就「必定」會產生相應的轉化（果）。

2. 生物學層面：真實大腦物質的改變

如果從現代神經科學（Neuroscience）的角度來看，這個比喻其實非常接近真實。

當大腦在修行、冥想時，確實會引發一連串真實的「神經生化反應」：

• 神經傳導物質的改變：科學研究證實，長期冥想或修行可以刺激大腦分泌多巴胺（Dopamine，帶來快樂與動力）、血清素（Serotonin，穩定情緒、抗憂鬱）以及內啡肽（Endorphin，緩解痛苦、帶來平靜）。

• 大腦結構的重塑（神經塑料性）：

這種「化學反應」長期累積下來，會改變大腦的神經迴路。

例如負責恐懼與焦慮的「杏仁核」會縮小，而負責理性、專注與情緒調節的「前額葉皮質」會變厚。

總結來說：

這裡的「化學反應」並不是指你的大腦真的像試管一樣在燒灼，

而是強調「修行能對你的心理與大腦帶來實實在在、本質上、且可以被科學觀測到的正向轉變」。

 

Spiritual Arrogance— Supplementary Note

 

A reader said:

 

“There was a passage in the AI Data I posted yesterday that referred to ‘chemical reactions.’ Some readers would like to understand this idea better.”

 

There are many international readers of the NanZen blog. Within reasonable limits, I will do my best to use modern knowledge to explain spiritual practice.

 

So, there is no need to be too surprised!

 

Master Banji

 

AI-Mode Conversation

 

Here is yesterday’s discussion:

 

Scientific approach: It is like conducting an experiment to discover patterns of causes and conditions.

When you engage in spiritual practice, your mind undergoes specific “chemical reactions.” These are predictable and observable psychological phenomena.

 

This is a passage from information I obtained from AI yesterday.

How should the term “chemical reactions” in this passage be explained?

 

AI:

In this passage, comparing the process of spiritual practice to “chemical reactions” is a figure of speech known as a metaphor.

 

It is used to make abstract psychological and mental changes more concrete by comparing them to scientific and predictable physical phenomena.

 

We can understand the term “chemical reactions” here from two perspectives:

 

1. As a metaphor: Qualitative change and irreversibility

In chemistry, a chemical reaction involves the disappearance of the original substances and the formation of new ones, usually accompanied by a fundamental change in their nature. For example, hydrogen and oxygen combine to form water.

• Reshaping the mind:

This passage means that when you begin spiritual practice—whether through meditation, mindfulness, insight meditation, or self-reflection—your psychological state, thinking patterns, and emotional responses undergo fundamental changes.

• Predictability and causality:

Just as adding substance A to substance B in a laboratory produces reaction C, this passage emphasizes that spiritual practice is not something mystical or a matter of luck. Rather, if you apply the right method (cause), your mind will inevitably undergo the corresponding transformation (result).

 

2. From a biological perspective: Actual changes in the brain

From the perspective of modern neuroscience, this metaphor is actually quite close to what happens in reality.

When people engage in spiritual practice or meditation, their brains do undergo a series of actual neurochemical reactions.

• Changes in neurotransmitters:

Scientific studies have shown that long-term meditation or spiritual practice can stimulate the brain to release dopamine, which contributes to pleasure and motivation; serotonin, which helps regulate mood and is associated with depression; and endorphins, which help relieve pain and promote a sense of calm.

• Changes in brain structure (neuroplasticity):

Over time, these “chemical reactions” can lead to changes in the brain’s neural circuits.

For example, the amygdala, which is involved in fear and anxiety, may become smaller, while the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for reasoning, attention, and emotional regulation, may become thicker.

 

In summary

 

The term “chemical reactions” here does not mean that your brain is literally being heated or burned in a test tube.

Rather, it emphasizes that spiritual practice can bring about real and fundamental positive changes in your mind and brain, and that these changes can be scientifically observed and measured.