台南3月讀書會重點 Highlights of Study Club in Tainan, March 2025

南禪朋友好！

台南3月讀書會重點

 昨天台南讀書會的課上的意外得好，參與者也有同感，我自己都有點驚訝！   

 可能最近努力筆耕把一些研究過的佛法拉了出來，昨天在台南讀書會一併講出，效果好的意外！

 昨天讀書會成員把我之前公告的「四聖果」表格重新貼出在群組要研讀，

 我解釋著「四聖果」的修持內容，強調一個重點，佛法其實不是一個理論， 像說；我們在教育裡面都教導著我們應該如何修心養性做好一個人，

而佛經其實是沒有這個環節的，它整個內容根本就是在陳述一個修道的過程與事實，

如果只當一個理論的方向去做研究，一輩子是不可能懂佛法的！

 像圖表中畫出的「分別忍」，是在交代我們在修持佛法的過程中不可能一下子成就，而修行者渴望成就的心是備受煎熬的，這個時期的忍耐就變得很重要！

 我強調說；「分別忍」如果不是真的有修行經驗，怎麼可能在那麼遙遠的年代發展這麼有具體跟真實的說法，而且佛法的排列順序完整，

 佛法根本是證悟者在講祂們走過的路，而不是一個純粹的理論。

 再來是從涅槃延伸到菩薩的存在，具體說明南北傳佛法的不同思想。

 還有大陸內地原有的思維模式，對佛法體系的影響，林林總總⋯⋯

 講的太順！提大陸內地時連芥川龍之介都講到了，所以沒有辦法寫出，就抓個重點。

 半寄

 

Highlights of Study Club in Tainan, March 2025

 

Greetings, friends of NanZen!

 

Discussion at the Tainan study club yesterday was surprisingly successful, and the participants felt the same way. I was quite surprised myself!

While I was writing in the blog, some Buddhist ideas I had researched before popped out. Yesterday, I shared them at the Tainan study club, and the response was better than expected.

 

The members of the study club re-posted my " The Four Fruitions" chart in the group for further study. I explained the content of the " The Four Fruitions" practice, emphasizing one key point: Buddhism isn’t just a theory. We are often educated how to make ourselves good people, but the Buddhist scriptures don’t follow this approach. Instead, they describe the actual process and experience of spiritual practice. If you approach Buddhism as just a theory, you will never truly understand it.

 

For example, the " differentiating endurance " shown in the chart reflects the truth that one cannot reach enlightenment immediately. The practitioner's desire to attain enlightenment often causes great suffering, so patience becomes crucial during this phase.

 

Moreover, I stressed that " differentiating endurance " couldn’t have been developed with such specific and real teachings without actual practice experience. The structure of Buddhist teachings is complete, with teachings from the enlightened who have walked the path, not just theoretical ideas.

 

Next, I spoke about the transition from Nirvana to the existence of Bodhisattvas, illustrating the differences in thought between Northern and Southern Buddhist traditions, and how traditional Chinese thinking has influenced the Buddhist system.

 

There was much more covered---I even referenced Japanese author Ryūnosuke Akutagawa when talking about China, but I’ll keep it brief here.

 

Banji