稀世大法 The rare and supreme Practice method

稀世大法   The rare and supreme Practice method

前幾天有人問起不思不想的問題，這個問題倒引出我塵封多年的修學生涯，記得剛起步修學時，佛經一本比一本重，這還不打緊，比較頭大的問題是；大家都說修這個法，是如何又如何的殊勝 ! 而另一個佛法也不遑多讓的說，修我這個法門如何又如何的有大功德 ! 沒被那麼多的佛經嚇死，倒是被很多很多所謂高深大法，逼迫得喘不過氣來。

因為大家都說 : 錯過這個法門，你將萬劫不復，這些話語讓當時還是菜鳥的我，有一種感覺，法都還沒修就已經被嚇死了 ! 還好沒死，來談談一些我死去活來的經驗。

 

佛學大概是世界上最複雜的學問兼宗教，它不像基督教，天主教一本聖經到底，按理說 ； 佛學有幾大派系的思想，應該是可以按個人的興趣選其中一派修學，但人性心理的問題會導致自己怕漏掉了最好的法門，因為害怕只好遊走各宗各派，到最後徒自浪費青春。

 

佛法流傳那麼久一定有其殊勝處，不然也不會吸引那麼多的追隨者，高深的法門確定是存在的，但人縱使想要登天也得要有梯子，我個人是覺得製造梯子的方法比較重要。

The rare and supreme Practice method

The other day someone raised the question regarding stop thinking and empty your mind, and this reminds me of my old days of Buddhism practice years ago. I remember when I started Buddhism learning, the Sutra is heavier one than another. This was not the issue, what bothered me more was that each claimed its Buddhist dharma is the most superb one and by practicing its own dharma will bring great merits. I wasn’t horrified by the numbers of Buddhist sutras. Instead, the pressure of so called advanced Practice methods makes me unbearable. The reason for that is because everybody claims that if you miss the approach, you will go beyond redemption. As a beginner of Buddhism learning, I felt intimidated by the statement before I even started. Outliving the threat, I’d like to talk about my exhausting experiences now.

 

Buddhism is probably the most complex knowledge and religion in the world. Unlike Christian or Catholicism, Buddhist teachings are not only limited to one Bible. Theoretically, Buddhism is separated into few major ideological systems. Buddhist practitioners are allowed to choose among those systems according to their interests. However, the mentality of afraid missing out the best approach leads most Buddhist practitioners to wander among various sects and end up wasting valuable time.

 

Buddhist teachings must be superb, or it won’t attract so many followers for such a long time. Advanced Practice method surely exist; however, we need ladders to climb up high into the sky. I believe finding ways of building ladders is more important.

 

 

來看一下製造梯子的方法，舉個例子；假使人可以不思不想的活著，而且這個人還是人群裡的高手，大家一定想知道不思不想是怎麼辦到的？想知道高深的法門，是不是先得研究一下大腦必須在哪種條件下？才能處於不思不想的世界，而不是一下子就去追求不思不想，先研究一下自己的大腦，至少可以知道可不可能走到哪裡 ?！在佛陀的教學裡，用辯論的方法去研究修學的內容，是一種家常便飯，不管什麼稀世大法！動動腦袋研究一下，如果連自己都說服不了，真的可以修嗎？古代人還會用腦去思辯一下，反而是現代人急於成就，連沒有任何基礎的修學也一口吞下，實在令人搖頭。

但我也不明白，佛學是講究研究及實修的宗教，一個老師會把最高深的修法，像市場叫買一般一直強調嗎？一個老師會把高深的修法，一下子就教給學生嗎？

Let’s discuss ways of building ladders. For instance: if a man can stop thinking and empty his mind and at the same time being the expert in the crowd. Everyone must be curious about how he can make it? But before we rush into this advanced Practice method, shouldn’t we first research into what a brain stopping running is like? We can at least know how far we can go by researching our brain in advance. It is common to debate the practicability of a method in Buddhist teachings. Think about it, is it really practicable if you can’t even convince yourself. People from olden days used to think and reason first. However, people nowadays seek accomplishment and instantly accept a method without any fundamental theories. It’s really depressing to know the fact.

Buddhism is the religion which emphasizes researching and actual practice. Will a teacher repeat the importance of advanced Practice method, like a vendor peddling in the market? Will a teacher teach his elementary students advanced Practice method immediately?

 

曾經我也當過菜鳥，能夠體會怕自己錯失好東西的那種心理，但相信我，冷靜一下，先按耐想要衝動的心，多讀一點佛書，最好是有系列研究的那一種，至少讓自己多一點資料去做判斷，不要哪天想用稀世大法時，卻摔個粉碎。

站在所謂稀世大法的面前? 誰都是不能一下就做出思辨的(根本就不懂，不要說沒看過，連聞一下也沒有過)，但一個學習還不深的人，需要稀世大法嗎?！如果回去當年我還是菜鳥的日子，我想說；先教我如何活著，我連怎麼活著都不太懂 ?

做足了功課走入修學世界，走進去以後或許會發現，生活裡面能用上的想法，跟稀世大法比較也不會遜色很多，畢竟人是在人間活著，大部份的人都得過日子，而學習後的重點，應該是跟原來的自己比較後，多了多少能力，這是我認為的大重點。 半寄

I was once a beginner of Buddhism learning and realized the fear of missing the good. But trust me, before you take a moment of impulse to make a decision, try to calm down and read more books related to Buddha education, especially those in research series. At least you will have more references to consult when making judgments, and won’t feel lost in case you may use the rare and supreme practice method someday.

It is not easy for anyone to think and distinguish all at once when facing so-called the rare and supreme practice methods. (Never seeing or hearing them before, not to mention to understand them.) However, does an elementary learner really need them? If I could go back to my old days as a Buddhism beginning learner, I would like to say, “Teach me how to live first. I barely know how to live.”

Done enough preparation when you enter the path of Buddhism learning, you will probably realize that rare and supreme practice method is not much better than many concepts which can be applied in your daily life. After all, most of us have to associate and deal with the world in our daily life. I believe the major point should focus on the difference and ability you gain after learning.

 Master Ban Ji       

 Translated by Grace Tsai
  Proofread by Sophiea Kuo