中觀27道題 Nagarjuna’s Middle Way: Greed and the Greedy

 標題：中觀27道題

南禪朋友好！

貪與貪染者

《中觀27道題》觀察貪與貪染者，67頁第6行直接點出「但是對於阿毗達磨師而言，「人」不是勝義實有。

這裡也是《中觀論》的觀染染者品。

 

「人」不是勝義實有，換句話可以說「人」沒什麼好討論嗎？（哈）說這話的中觀論師們有笑傲江湖的架式！

 

記得苦讀《中論》時也是金庸小說的年代，

在苦悶的年代裡看到觀染染者都要拍案叫絕！

 

而今《中觀27道題》的作者更直接指出論師的立場是「人」不是勝義，

我每次想到都要微笑好幾天！

 

是啊！

憑什麼說大家都是貪婪者？

憑什麼說大家都有貪婪？

有人跟你的處境是不一樣的！（哈）

花的存在就是花，沒告訴「人」它的名字是貪。

而人的存在不是爲了貪染。

 

「人」不是勝義，直接跳過染缸指出「人」的錯覺比較值得討論，令人神情愉悅！

半寄

 

Nagarjuna’s Middle Way: Mulamadhyamakakarika

 

Desire and the One Who Desires

 

Greetings, friends of NanZen!

Nagarjuna’s Middle Way Chapter 6: Rāga-raktaparīkṣā. examines desire and the one who desires. On page 67, line 6, it directly states: "For Abhidharma scholars, “human nature” is not the ultimate truth or the permanent entity."

This is also the core idea in the Observation of Desire and the One Who Desires chapter of Mūlamadhyamakakārikā.

 

So, if " human nature" is not ultimately real, does that mean there's nothing to discuss about "people"? (Ha!) The Madhyamaka masters had an air of carefree grandeur, like heroes from The Smiling, Proud Wanderer!

 

I remember studying Mūlamadhyamakakārikā intensely during the era of Jin Yong novels. Even in those tough times, reading about Observation of Desire and the One Who Desires made me want to jump up and applaud!

 

Now, the authorrs of Nagarjuna’s Middle Way: Mulamadhyamakakarika state even more directly that the Madhyamaka position is: "Human nature" is not ultimately real.

Every time I think about this, I can’t help but smile for days!

 

Yes!

On what grounds do we say everyone is greedy?

On what grounds do we say everyone has desire?

Not everyone shares the same circumstances! (Ha!)

A flower simply exists as a flower; it never tells "people" that its name is greed.

Likewise, human existence is not for the sake of desire.

 

Since " human nature" is not ultimately real, why not skip the murky waters and focus on correcting misconceptions of ‘human nature’ instead? Now, that is inspiring and truly delightful!

 

Master Banji

 

 

空 Śūnyatā

空

南禪朋友好！

  有大德問起「空」是什麼？

我個人依據《中論》的「八不」濃縮成我個人想要探索的方向，

建立一套我自己要用的「空」思惟，

這樣子做長達30餘年，我常常去思索因緣裡的「空」常年建立由淺至深的探討，「空」需要熟悉「緣」的條件。

（也可以說；佛法「空」的認知建立在緣起。思考緣起不能出現矛盾）

《中觀27道題》進一步指出因緣的呈現與狀態-空。

半寄

Śūnyatā

Greetings, friends of NanZen!

Someone asked what "Śūnyatā" is.

Personally, I have condensed the Eight Negations from Nāgārjuna’s Middle Way and developed a way of thinking about "Śūnyatā" that I have applied for over 30 years. I have continuously reflected on "Śūnyatā" within causes and conditions and gradually deepened my understanding. In approaching the Buddhist idea of "Śūnyatā", it’s necessary to have a clear understanding of "conditions".

(In other words, the Buddhist concept of "Śūnyatā" is established on Dependent Origination. If one's reasoning contradicts Dependent Origination, the understanding is flawed.)

Nagarjuna’s Middle Way: Mulamadhyamakakarika further clarifies how causes and conditions manifest—this is Śūnyatā.

 

Master Banji

 

簡言之,「空」的定義就是「無不變性、無獨立性、無實在性」(印順導師

《般若經講記》),「空」所否定的是事物本質,並不否定事物的生滅變化現

象及其世間作用, 絕非甚麼都「沒有」! 正如夢中所見景象不真實,但不

能因此而否定夢境曾經出現及其影響。(擷取自香港佛門網)

 

In short, "Śūnyatā" means "no permanence, no independence, and no intrinsic reality" (Venerable Yinshun, Commentary on the Prajñāpāramitā Sūtras).

 

"Śūnyatā" denies the essence of things, but does not deny the arising, changing, and ceasing of phenomena or their worldly functions. It certainly does not mean "nothing exists."

 

Just as the scenes in dreams are not real, yet we cannot deny that they occur and leave an impact. (Excerpt from Buddhistdoor, Hongkong)

 

賀新年2025 Happy New Year 2025, friends of NanZen

 南禪朋友2025年 新年快樂！

   一年將盡，感謝南禪精舍潮州、台南讀書會的持續進行！為了

讀書會的講解把曾經只在我個人腦海中思惟過的佛法慢慢整理出

來，過程的煎熬一言難盡！

      從密密麻麻的大藏經，到白話文，到佛法以外的學問⋯⋯幾

乎行雲流水的匆匆，本來認為不可能寫出來的（只供自用），

用禪師一個聲音表白，「啊！」

         感謝海內外佛學者對「南禪精舍修行的探討」部落格的熱

情，

用寫心得的方式闡述佛法，只想縮短很多有心佛學者的徘徊。

願 佛日增輝 佛水長流。

半寄

 Happy New Year 2025, friends of NanZen!!

 As the year is coming to an end, I am thankful for the ongoing

discussions of NanZen Vihara book clubs in Chaozhou and Tainan!

I used to consider the Buddhist teachings which I have contemplated in my mind too vast to organize (and thus only for guides to my personal practice). However, in order to lecture in the book clubs, I try to organize and paraphrase them in plain words gradually.

 

By integrating Taishō Tripiṭaka densely crammed full of words with plain speech as well as knowledge other than Buddhism, I can finally clarify Buddhist ideas I have comprehended in public. As for the sufferings of turning ideas into plain words, it's a long story! As timerushes by like nearly like flowing clouds and flowing water, only the Zen masters’ sigh of ‘Ah !’ is left to express my mood.

   

I appreciate Buddhists at home and abroad who are enthusiastic about my blog "Search For Enlightenment with Nan Zen Vihara; An Investigation into Practice of Buddhism". I explain the Dharma by writing down (actual practice) experiences, merely aiming to reduce and shorten the hesitation of those who set their mind to Buddhist practice.

 Ma Buddha’s sun/virtue brighten the world

and the Dharma Water flow forever

Master Ban Ji

Translated by Grace Jui-hsin Tsai

 

 

 

 

 

無明夢幻2 Ignorance And Illusion 2

無明夢幻2

       我們去看佛法談了很多「心與心所」的問題，也就是我們的感官對應外界的一切知覺，

 我們也可以說它是修行者研究過人的心、意、志的說明。

想要修行成功必須越過人本身的障礙，所以必須研究心、意、志。

 在個人的修持裏如把「心與心所」轉換成「我與我不能超越的ㄧ件事加以挑戰」，

 例如；我與我生氣的一件事，不斷挑戰我為什麼要生氣，一直到躍過這件事情。

（當然這要清楚自我的心理力量，但這樣做賺得一分是一分）

這樣做建立起自己內心的力量成心智，

很多佛法的專有名詞便可以逐一清楚明白。

半寄

                           

Ignorance And Illusion 2

 "The mind and mental concomitants" have been widely discussed in Buddhism. To put it simply, they refer to how our senses correspond to all external perceptions. We can also say that it is the explanation of the mind, intention, and will, as studied by practitioners.

 To succeed in practice, one must overcome difficulties of human nature, so it’s necessary to study the mind, intention, and will.

 In my personal practice, I transform the term "the mind and mental concomitants" into “ challenge/elevate the situations between something I cannot surpass and I”.

 Take ‘challenging something making me angry and I’ as an example.

I continually challenge myself by asking why I am angry, until I surpass my anger.

(Of course, this requires a clear understanding of one's psychological strength, but doing so brings progress little by little.)

 This process builds inner strength and mental clarity, and many Buddhist terms can then be clearly understood one by one.

Master Banji

 

 

無明夢幻1 Ignorance And Illusion

 無明夢幻1

南禪朋友好！

有大德問到，一切是無明、夢幻的佛法問題。

我的回答是： 根據《阿含經》佛陀只說到無明，（也就是不明白）

 

現在講無明大夢，大夢兩個字會把修行的指標弄扭曲，

 

佛法是結構嚴謹的一套理論跟修行，任何要加進去的字眼，

都必須把頭跟尾說清楚，因為那關係到修行能不能成功！

嚴格講是神聖的一件事情。

哪是誰讓自己在做夢？

 

從大夢中醒來，如何證果位從來沒有看見被交代清楚過，

然後不懂無明的人又在無明前面加了「無始」，變成無始無明，

又把無明推得很遠，讓大家修行變成都是沒有希望的！

這些在佛法而言，已是誤解佛法的惡法。

這是學佛者，必定要清楚的點。

 

我個人的修行經驗是「無明」在善根裡面就可以修煉，為什麼！

因為善根是要歷經考驗的，

我們總不能說我們就是好人吧！哈(哈)

 

在面對很多是非、善惡，的題目時善根的衝突點就會上來。

 

一個有智慧的人如何不被自己的無明（情緒）、慾望牽著走而邁向光明面，這裡面的衝突、轉折、處理就是在衝破無明了！

 

Ignorance And Illusion 1

 

Greetings, friends of NanZen!

 

A disciple asked about the Buddhist question “All is ignorance (avidya) and an illusion (dream)”.

 

I replied that according to the Āgamas, the Buddha spoke only of ignorance (which means not understanding).

 

Now, the term "great illusion" or "great dream" can distort the guiding principles of practice. 

 

Buddhism is a religious philosophy equipped with well-structured theories and approaches to spiritual practice.

Any additional terms must be clearly explained from beginning to end, as they affect whether the spirtual practice will be successful!

 

Strictly speaking, it is a sacred matter and have nothing to do with dreaming.

 

How does one awaken from the great dream? There has never been a clear explanation on how to be enlightened from this.

 

Then, those who don’t understand ignorance added the word "beginningless" before ignorance, turning it into "beginningless ignorance," pushing ignorance further away and making the path of practice seem hopeless!

 

These are misunderstandings and harmful interpretations of Buddhist teachings.

 

This is something every Buddhist practitioner must be clear about.

 

In my personal practice, "ignorance" can be overcome in cultivating virtuous roots.

Why? 

 

Because virtuous roots must stand the test of conflicts.

We cannot simply declare ourselves to be virtuous people merely because we have made some donations, right? Haha!!

 

When faced with many issues of right and wrong, good and evil, the conflict of virtuous roots arises.

 

A wise person is one who does not let their ignorance (emotions) or desires control them, but instead moves forward to a bright and virtuous world.

 

The facing conflicts, modifying oneself and handling of these situations are the very process of breaking through ignorance!

 

 

 

挑戰 Challenge

挑戰

南禪朋友大家好！

       在已知的印度觀念「微塵土」中思考《中論》結果是具足挑戰，

在環環相扣的十二因緣中講斷我使、我慢，從來沒有大德反思，

環環相扣如何抽一個環節出來斷掉？

半寄

Challenge

 

Greetings, friends of NanZen!

 

Trying to analyze Nāgārjuna’s Middle Way with the Indian concep of “ minute dust particle” turns out to be challenging.  

 

When discussing breaking off self-indulgence and self-conceit in the interlinked chain of Twelve Nidānas, yet no one has ever questioned:

 

How can one extract a single link from an interconnected chain, and then sever it?

 

Master Banji

 

 

 

雜阿含經262經



南禪朋友好！ 

        10月讀書會補充，佛法裡面對對立性的探討很多，從佛陀的開示後一直延伸⋯⋯ 

雜阿含經262經 　　

      爾時，阿難語闡陀言： 　　「我親從佛聞，教摩訶迦旃延，言：『世人顛倒，依於二邊：若有、若無，世人取諸境界，心便計著。迦旃延！若不受、不取、不住、不計於我，「此苦生時生，滅時滅。」迦旃延！於此不疑、不惑，不由於他而能自知，是名正見如來所說，所以者何？迦旃延！「如實正觀世間集者，則不生世間無見；如實正觀世間滅，則不生世間有見。」 

　　（研讀《中觀論》可互為依據的經典雜阿含經262經，網頁往下拉南禪新竹安捷講解「空」《雜阿含335經》

）

 半寄

讀書會4 Book club4

南禪朋友好！

許多看不到南禪佛法文章的朋友，想方設法來看，激勵我再寫此篇。

Friends of NanZen!

This essay is for all those who haven’t been able to read some of my articles published by NanZen.

 

讀書會4

Book club 4

 

《中觀論》用了「不來不去」闡述時間與運動的「空」觀點。

近代科學認為時間、空間是一致的故用「時空」一詞。

在天文的星星爆炸研究中，認為古代星體的爆炸至今可見，

假設；我們曾生活在明代至今還有明代的福與障那是否代表我們個人的肉體、個人的遭遇中還有明代的時空力量牽制？

這樣一想跟明代有牽連的「曾經」似乎還沒完全燃燒完！

In the Mūlamadhyamakakārikā (Fundamental Verses on the Middle Way), the expression “no coming, no going” describes emptiness in terms of time and motion.

Modern physics sees time and space as identical, hence the term “time-space.”

Astronomers claim that stars that exploded in the distant past can still be seen today.

Looking at it from the perspective of karma and rebirth, all of the good and bad karma you made in a past life 300 years ago is still with you, in your body and in all the fortune and misfortune you encounter; i.e., it’s contained in the space-time energy initiated 300 years in the past.

Looking at it this way, the events of 300 years ago are still having an effect in the present.

 

《解讀龍樹菩薩〈中論〉27道題》第20頁「佛陀的確說過，今生的某人和轉世的此人是『不一亦不異』。」

我個人的講解裡也曾說；如果每一刻的你都是存在著，那是不可能的事情。

（用生滅、擠的、壓縮的都不可能）

那每一刻的你如果不存在又當如何？（哈！這探討費了分分秒秒的時光）

On page 20 of the Chinese translation of Nāgārjuna’s Middle Way, an annotated translation of the Mūlamadhyamakakārikā (Treatise on the Middle Way), we read that the relationship between who you are now and who you were in a previous life is best described as “neither the same nor different.” The way I explain it is that who you are at one point in time is not an eternally self-existent entity, so there’s no individual that can be preserved or held onto by any means whatsoever.

Now, what are the practical implications of this doctrine? (Ha! Practitioners are completely immersed in time-light when cultivating not-self.)

 

時間與空間於佛法而言必須帶入業（福與障），這人群中的糾葛就夾雜與交錯時間跟空間，所以是另一種觀點。

一部簡短的《中觀論》論述了無我、時間、空間、福、業、修持內容的「空」觀點，

 

我個人也是從看到無字天書的迷茫中探討起來，

 

隨著時代中觀空的思想研究越見高明，佛法大幸。

半寄

From the Buddhist perspective, any discussion of time and space has to consider karma, both positive and negative. Karma is inextricably bound up with time and space, so it’s a whole other way of looking at it.

This concise Treatise on the Middle Way discusses emptiness from the perspectives of not-self, space, time, merit, karma, and spiritual practice.

My own approach has been to enter into a dialogue with these often-abstruse materials. Fortunately for students of the Buddhadharma, these days there are an increasing number of good books elucidating the doctrine of emptiness in the Treatise on the Middle Way.

 

Master Ban Ji

Translated by Ken Kraynak

讀書會3補充解釋

南禪朋友好

讀書會3 補充解釋

南禪精舍請人翻譯(Translated by Ken Kraynak)的英文用Google翻譯為中文是； 「想想重力對身體恆定的影響」 這樣的表達辭意比我原先寫的中文更清楚，沒錯，

這一關對修行者而言就是天關。

 半寄

 

讀書會3Book Club《中觀論》no coming, no going

讀書會3

Book Club 3 

《中觀論》八不裡面不承認來去，就是《不來不去》。舉例； 我走到前面-目標設定是前面，設定就構成「來去」的認知，到達目的地，設定消失， 如不立前面（目標），就只剩下運動，運動裡面沒有來去-這是粗觀（較容易認知的內容）。 

One of the pairs in the eight negations in the Treatise on the Middle Way is “no coming, no going.” For example, when I walk forward, I set “forward” as my destination, and this entails the perception of “coming and going,” and when I reach this destination, this intention to go forward comes to an end. However, if I go forward without setting “forward” as the destination, only the movement remains, without the concept of coming and going. This is seeing things on a general level, a simplified way of explaining it.

 

細觀-則還要加入時間有無存在的問題。 因為我們都習慣座標、認定，所以要突破「來去」簡直是找自己麻煩，還要外加「不」來「不」去，宛如「天關」直聳眼前！

Taking a more detailed approach, we have to take into consideration whether or not time exists. Since we habitually desire certainty, we tend to have a lot of difficulty seeing through and transcending the concept of coming and going, not to mention the idea of neither coming nor going!

 

 如能克服自我的慣性（慣性如同重力拉著身體，身體根深的慣性運作不會幫助自己去脫離慣性，哈！） ，力克慣性才能進入「諸行無常」的認知。這也是運動產生的變化性，運動進入深觀，「來、去」消失。 如此，行雲流水的體現將豐富修行者的世界。 

Only after endeavoring to overcome our mental inertia can we recognize that all conditioned things are impermanent. Our mental inertia is like gravity, pulling the body, and the bodypulled by the deep-rooted inertial will not push itself to escape from the inertia, haha! This is a transformation produced by movement, and when movement is seen on a deeper level, both coming and going cease. This is how someone far advanced in spiritual practice sees the world---as evanescent as floating clouds and flowing water.

 

 （華人世界廣為流傳的《般若心經》 一開頭就明白講；「觀自在菩薩行深般若波羅蜜時（進入深觀）照見五蘊皆空」。）

In this connection, there is the famous opening line of the Heart Sūtra, “While Guanyin Bodhisattva was abiding in the profound perfection of wisdom, i.e. entering seeing things on a deeper level, he observed the emptiness of the five aggregates.”

半寄

Master Banji

Translated by Ken Kraynak

中觀論讀書會2. Book Club2

 讀書會2

Book Club 2 

 

 遇到看不懂佛法的方法， 例如；「去我執」這詞，如用推敲方法如下， 我把「我執」去了！

 那就變成「我」以外還有一個「我」， 所以才有一個「我」可以去， 哪留下的這個我是？ 

如果沒有另一個我可以「去」，那「去我執」得再想想🤔 

這是我個人的推敲方法之一，提供參考。 

When you come across a teaching in Buddhism that you find difficult to wrap your brain around, there are various ways you can approach it. For example, if you’re grappling with the idea of getting rid of self-attachment, it can help to ask yourself: It becomes that there is another ‘self’ besides ‘self’, so there is a‘self’ to eradicate. What is the sense of self that remains once self-attachment is eradicated? In other words, if there is no self to get rid of, then what does it mean to get rid of self-attachment? I’ve found it helpful to think of it in this way, and you might too.

 

「破我執」直接在本身作因緣法思索，大方向是觀察什麼原因讓自己抓著執著，自己「抓著執著」若意會到會讓自己莞爾一笑！ 

Eradicating self-attachment entails directly contemplating the causes and conditions related to its arising, so as to reveal how this attachment to self arises. It can be amusing to realize how this attachment comes about,recognizing that you are ‘graspingattachment’.

 

 讀書會的雅玲老師對中觀27道題的回應是； 「師父：我最近看了中觀-中論27道題這本書，第一章因緣，就讓我看得頭昏腦脹的。但，頭腦真的有在被洗的感覺，它不斷的在挑戰頭腦。我昨天很恐懼時，我在想，我的恐懼為什麼？」    

During the book club Yaling commented, “Shifu, while recently reading the first chapter on causality in Nāgārjuna’s Middle Way, my head was spinning. Still, grappling with this highly challenging material has also had a kind of cleansing affect on my mind. For example, yesterday I was feeling very apprehensive about something, but I somehow had the presence of mind to ask myself, ‘Where is this fear coming from?’”

 

 人是肉體，時刻被各種情緒包圍，我個人已養成從種種角度看到自己的感受，或許是ㄧ份佛法的理性ㄧ直伴隨，很多事情的解脫已不關乎執著。 

Being human means having a body, as well as experiencing emotions that assail us at any moment. I’ve made it a habit to examine whatever I experience from multiple perspectives, and I’ve found that when examining something from the perspective of Buddhist principles, the liberation of many things no longer has anything to do with attachment.

半寄

Master Ban Ji

Translated by Ken Kraynak

中觀論讀書會1 Book Club1

 

南禪朋友好！ 

 6月讀書會的時候，幾位學理工的居士唉聲嘆說： 《解讀龍樹菩薩〈中論〉27道題》這本書讓大家看得焦頭爛額！ 我則哈哈大笑！ 

 

Greetings, Friends of NanZen.

During the Book Club in June, several members majoring in sicence and engineering said that they were finding the Chinese translation of Nāgārjuna’s Middle Way, an annotated translation of the Mūlamadhyamakakārikā (Treatise on the Middle Way), to be exasperatingly abstruse, much to my amusement!

 

 在我年輕的時候台灣講解《中觀論》的只有印順導師的糸列書籍可以做參考，我在看完印老糸列書藉後，又把西洋哲學史這些書籍全部看完，書中各式理論、及佛教論師們的推敲，有翻山越嶺的喜悅，也有搜索枯腸的焦慮！ 

When I first read the Treatise on the Middle Way many years ago, the only expository material on this topic was a series of books written by Master Yinshun. After reading them, I set about reading every book I could find on the history of Western philosophy, and I found the approach and manner of expression in all these works to be both delightful and exasperating.

 

40年過去龍樹菩薩的「八不論空」是我個人植入腦海的修鍊。 從擔心《中觀論》的解說相關書籍太少，（我個人很清楚要做《中論》解說是多麽困難的任務，）如今，相關書籍也百家爭鳴。 如果說；修行者的修持生涯至關緊要的是「破我執」，那麼永遠祈盼《中觀論》「八不論空」正確的傳遞下去是我所願。 

In the four decades since then, however, Nāgārjuna’s eight negations have become an integral part of my practice and how I think. I used to bemoan the lack of expository material on the middle way---I am well aware how challenging a task it is toexpound it---but today there are countless related publications. If eradication of self-attachment is of utmost importance in spiritual practice, may Nāgārjuna’s eight negations be correctly passed on!

 

 

半寄

Master Ban Ji

Translated by Ken Kraynak