2025年9月29日 星期一

致新加坡及香港讀者Dear Readers in Singapore and Hong Kong,

致新加坡及香港讀者

 

我們南禪基金會的部落格天天有新加坡跟香港的讀者在點

 

我個人對新加坡跟香港的讀者印象極為深刻,

 

因為這種情形已經維持一大段時間了!

 

您們想說我也應該跟您們回應一下,跟大家問好!🙏

 

搞不好有緣還會開讀書會喔!哈哈😄

福南禪讀者,佛法體悟豐碩。

 

半寄

 

Dear Readers in Singapore and Hong Kong,

 

Every day, our NanZen Foundation blog receives visits from readers in both Singapore and Hong Kong.

 

I hold a particularly strong impression of our readers from these regions, as this pattern has remained steady for quite some time.

 

I thought it’s time I responded and sent my greetings to all of you! 🙏

 

Who knows—perhaps we’ll even have a chance to hold a study group someday! Haha 😄

 

Wishing all NanZen readers abundant insight in the Dharma.

 

Master Banji





2025年9月27日 星期六

竹科3 Hsinchu Science Park - Reflections and a Possible Restart 3

竹科3

 

大家好!

 

竹科社團的課今天敲定,我們竹科社團也是優質的,

大家的用功我都看到了感謝大家!

 

感謝純德社長的努力,也感謝我自己寫的佛法發揮效應。

 

社團以外,配合純德的退休準備,北部讀書會至多只能再一個聚會,

 

很多問題面對面談起來就是不一樣,

有社團學員說:

他期待再見到我已經很久了!

 

一個社團既然人員沒有減少,

那就代表這個社團有它的價值,

蘊育一段時間以後,你過去把一些觀念深入,

好像整個理念就被抬上來,

尤其面對理工的學員,佛法可以深入講很多,

 

整個過程暢快淋漓,

這也是人生一大樂事。

 

今天感動滿滿,🙏

半寄





 

Hsinchu Science Park - Reflections and a Possible Restart 3

 

Greetings, friends of NanZen!

 

Today we confirmed the schedule for our Hsinchu Science Park study club. I’m proud of the quality of our group and grateful for everyone’s hard work—thank you!

 

Special thanks to President Chunde for his dedication, and I also appreciate the positive impact of the Dharma teachings I’ve shared.

 

As President Chunde prepares for retirement, we will likely add one more study club at most in Northern Taiwan.

 

Discussing matters face-to-face often leads to deeper understanding. One participant told meI’ve been waiting a long time to see you again.

 

The fact that our club membership remains steady proves the value of this club. After spending time contamplating and reinforcing key ideas, our members start to build a clearer concept.

 

Discussing with members from technical fields allows for deeper exploration of Buddhist concepts, making the experience all the more fulfilling.

 

The whole process was invigorating—truly a joy in life.

 

It was incredibly moving today. 🙏

 

Master Banji

 

 


 

 


 

 

2025年9月24日 星期三

轉變Transition

轉變

 

大家好!

 

10月起

我們台南讀書會的《解讀龍樹菩薩27道題》由於大觀念已經講完,

如果讀書會學員沒有進一步的閱讀進展,

我們《中觀論》就先暫停,

台南讀書會改讀《雜阿含經》,

謝謝🙏純德社長的研讀資料。

 

南禪讀書會及我個人的寫作進行好幾年了,

原則上,最近告一個段落的佛法文章,及讀書會錄音檔,

 

個人覺得自己的研讀精銳已盡出,沒必要不再寫出。

 

已經對外開放的錄音檔及文章歡迎點閱思考。

 

其他就是讀書會現場的討論,歡迎大家!

(錄音檔亦暫停錄音)

 

半寄

 

Transition

 

Greetings, friends of NanZen!

 

Beginning in October, our Study Club in Tainanwill pause the reading of “Nagarjuna’s Middle Way: Mulamadhyamakakarika, Śūnyatā ”. Since we’ve already covered the core concepts, and unless there is further reading progress from members, we will also pause our study of the Mūlamadhyamakakārikā.

 

Moving forward, the group will shift focus to reading the Saṃyuktāgama Sūtra.

Special thanks to President Chunde for preparing the study materials 🙏.

 

The NanZen Study Club and my personal writing projects have been ongoing for several years. Recently, I feel they’ve come to a natural pause. I believe I’ve already shared the essence of my understanding of the Dharma, and there’s no need to keep writing more.

 

Previously released recordings and articles are still available for your reflection.

 

You are most welcome to join the discussions at our live study sessions!

 

Master Banji




2025年9月19日 星期五

104經2 Saṃyukta Āgama, Volume 5, Sūtra 104 -2

    • 《雜阿含經卷5104經》-2

       


      經文:

      舍利弗言:「我今問汝,隨意答我。云何,焰摩迦!色為常耶?為非常耶?」

      答言:「尊者舍利弗!無常。」復問:「若無常者,是苦不?」答言:「是苦。」

      復問:「若無常、苦,是變易法,多聞聖弟子寧於中見我、異我、相在不?」

      答言:「不也,尊者舍利弗!」「受、想、行、識亦復如是。」


       

      半寄:

      在這段經文裡面舍利弗問焰摩迦:

      你可以理解一切現象都因緣生滅、沒有恆常不變的實體(無常)嗎?

      焰摩迦說他可以理解。

       

      接著提出

      「舍利弗再問:「對於這樣一個無常、苦、不斷變化的東西,一位聽聞正法的聖弟子,會不會在其中找到一個真實不變的『我』、

      或一個『獨立於我之外』的實體、

      或是一個『我與它相互依存』的實體呢?」


      焰摩迦回答:「不會的,舍利弗尊者!」

       

      我在解說這一段經文時說:

      整個佛法修行最困難的就是上面這一段經文,


      在對於我們個體的認知從出生就熟悉的自我,


      一直到佛法的肉體由因緣所集,變動性質的「無我」才是對的,

      而且不能再認為自我以外有另一個大我,以及互相依存的我,

       

      這對人類的認知而言是一個巨大的挑戰!不管就知識、感官、思考都是,


      想在肉體與精神裡面做變動性質的思維,真正需要時間與理性做長期的深入。


      這不是一件容易的事,

      旦成功的修行者所產生的脫胎換骨成就必定是驚人的,


      這是佛陀提出的解脫道所成就的輝煌。

       

      半寄

       

      參考以下AI資料:

      五蘊中的「色」

      五蘊是:色、受、想、行、識。

      其中的「色」代表物質現象,包括身體與外在環境的一切形色。

      意義:

      「色」不是指顏色,而是梵文 rūpa 的翻譯,意為「形體、物質」。

      泛指一切有形可觸的存在,如四大(地、水、火、風)所成之身與器世界。

      在五蘊中,它與「受想行識」的心理活動相對應,顯示人是由身心和合而成。

       

      Saṃyukta Āgama, Volume 5, Sūtra 104 -2

       

      In this passage from the Saṃyukta ĀgamaVenerable Śāriputra asks Yamaka a series of questions:

      Is form permanent?”  Yamaka answers, “No, it is impermanent.”

      Śāriputra continues, “If it is impermanent, is it suffering?”

      Yes, it is suffering,” replies Yamaka.

      Then Śāriputra asks, “Given that it is impermanent, suffering, and subject to change — can a well-informed disciple of the Noble Path perceive in it a real self, something other than self, or something mutually dependent with a self?”

      Yamaka answers, “No, Venerable Śāriputra.”

      Śāriputra affirms, “The same applies to feeling, perception, mental formations, and consciousness.”


       

      Banji:

      In this passage, Śāriputra asks Yamaka:

      "Can you understand that all phenomena arise and cease due to conditions, and that there is no permanent or unchanging entity behind them — that is, the principle of impermanence?"

      Yamaka replies that he can understand this.

       

      Then Śāriputra continues:

      For something that is impermanent, marked by suffering, and constantly changing  would a noble disciple who has heard the true Dharma still see within it a real and unchanging ‘self’? Or a separate entity that exists apart from the self? Or something that mutually depends on a self?”

      Yamaka answers: “No, Venerable Śāriputra!”

       

      When I explained this passage, I said:

       

      This may be the most difficult aspect of Buddhist practice.

       

      From the moment we are born, we grow familiar with the idea of a "self." But according to the Dharma, the body is not a permanent entity — it is a collection of conditions that arise and pass away. True insight into this leads to understanding anattā — non-self. We must also let go of the idea that there is a greater self apart from us, or even a mutual interdependent self.

      This goes against everything our senses, intellect, and experience seem to tell us.

       

      To develop an understanding of impermanence within both the body and the mind requires time and sustained rational inquiry.

      Yet, for those who succeed in this transformation through practice, the result is a radical inner rebirth — a profound achievement.

      This is the brilliance of the path to liberation the Buddha taught.

       

      Master Banji

       

      AI Data :

       

      On "Form (rūpa)" in the Five Aggregates

      The five aggregates are: form (rūpa), feeling (vedanā), perception (saññā), mental formations (saṅkhāra), and consciousness (viññāṇa).

      Form refers to the physical or material aspect of experience, including both the body and the external world.

      Note:

      • “Form” here does not mean color, but is a translation of the Sanskrit rūpa, meaning "shape" or "matter."
      • It includes all tangible phenomena composed of the four great elements: earth, water, fire, and air.
      • In the five aggregates, it represents the physical side of experience, while the remaining four are mental or psychological processes.

      Together, they show that a human being is a compound of body and mind, not an independent, unchanging self.

       

       

104經1 Saṃyukta Āgama, Volume 5, Sūtra 104

 《雜阿含經卷5104經》

 

大家好!

 

最後一段經文,為英文讀者文字解說:

 

「尊者舍利弗說是法時,焰摩迦比丘遠塵離垢,得法眼淨。」

 

佛法原始教典裡面最初的證果「法眼淨」,

意味著對不能了解的佛法已經清楚,也是修行者幾乎親身去看到(法眼)佛法邏輯的問題,跟一般人沒有辦法相信的因緣果。

 

親身去觸及佛法邏輯,不管對西方、東方人而言都是很陌生的說法,

 

因為邏輯一般是用理論去建構的,而這個建構在佛法裡面除了是用大腦去理解理論以外,

更是修行者的肉體親身觸及佛法論述的那個世界。

這個理解內容,已經跨越東西方哲學,

 

佛陀自己的修行解脫其實是採取這樣的態度與實地的修證,

這跟後來已經宗教化的佛教有著顯著的差別。

 

而這個修證的內容,

不管是佛學理論或實地的修證也是吸引後代千千萬萬人想追尋的一個內心解脫的聖地。

 

104經》記載了一個修行者對佛法的誤解,

經由尊者舍利弗的指導後,到達證入「初果法眼淨」,

 

我在讀書會指出這經文是少了「過程」的一個記載,原始教典《雜阿含經》整個口誦(述)內容把佛法敘述的很清楚,

 

但是對於修行者整個證悟必須去成熟個人思想與熟悉佛法內容的修行過程,都省略掉了!

 

以致以,後代的修行者在修證過程之中,不斷地所謂瞎子摸象各執一詞,

 

104經》經文清楚指出一個修行者對佛法的誤解,

經由指導而到達證初果,都在同一經文裡面實現,

這在現實裡面是不可能的。

 

這是我在《104經》指出來的佛經記載對「修證過程」的省略。

 

英文讀者的用功一直在我心裏,

這是913號的讀書會重點,我用文字再敘述一次。

 

半寄

 

Saṃyukta Āgama, Volume 5, Sūtra 104


Greetings, friends of NanZen!

 

Explanation: the last passage of Saṃyukta Āgama, Volume 5, Sūtra 104 for English readers

 

"When Venerable Śāriputra explained the Dharma, the monk Yamaka became free from defilements and attained the purity of the Dharma Eye."

 

In the early Buddhist scriptures, purification of the Dharma Eye” represents the first stage of awakening—a moment when the practitioner directly perceives the nature of Dharma. This is not merely theoretical understanding, but a bodily and mental experiencing ofthe principle of Causes, Conditions, and Karmic Results, known as dependent origination.

Directly encountering the logic of the Dharma in this way is an unfamiliar experience, whether for Westerners or Easterners.

 

Such realization differs from standard logic or philosophical reasoning. In Buddhism, logic is not just intellectual but also experiential. This unique approach transcends both Eastern and Western philosophical traditions.

 

The Buddha himself practiced and achieved liberation through this experiential method, which stands in contrast to the later institutionalized or ritualized forms of Buddhism. The depth of this realization—both conceptually and practically—has drawn countless practitioners through the centuries to seek a path of true liberation.

 

In Sūtra 104, we see a record of a monk who initially misunderstood the Dharma but attained the first fruit (stream-entry) under Śāriputra’s guidance. However, as I mentioned in the study group, this sūtra presents the realization as an immediate event, omitting the necessary preparatory process—intellectual maturation, engagement with the teachings, and meditative cultivation.

 

This omission has implications for practitioners today. Without understanding the gradual path, many approach the teachings blindly, interpreting them inconsistently—like the parable of the blind men and the elephant.

 

Sūtra 104 compresses the misunderstanding, correction, and realization into a single narrative, but such a sudden transformation is unrealistic. This compression represents a textual gap regarding the actual path of practice.

 

This was the focal point of our study session on September 13, and I’ve written it out here for the benefit of English-speaking practitioners who may not have been present.

 

Master Banji

2025年9月16日 星期二

竹科2 Hsinchu Science Park - Reflections and a Possible Restart 2

竹科2

 

大家好!

 

去竹科社團上課帶給我很大的衝擊,這佛學還要講得更白話,

沒有去新竹的日子,

努力的把佛法絞盡腦汁的寫明白、寫清楚,想說寫成這樣我自己也覺得滿意,

 

那跟我學佛法的大德們都這麼聰明,看一看都可以解脫了吧!哈哈😄

所以才會想要退休,

 

想收筆了!才發現我還是得去竹科那邊回應社團的等待,

 

想到竹科,想到畫家朝寶老師夫人待我不薄,疫情前談的讀書會本來想說也都看文章就好了,

嗯,想想,加入台北。

人間愛晚晴,出發。

 

🙏讀者送予弘一法師的

「天意憐幽草,

人間愛晚晴」

 

半寄

 

Hsinchu Science Park - Reflections and a Possible Restart 2

 

Greetings, friends of NanZen!

 

Teaching in Hsinchu really surprised me.

I realized that Buddhist teachings need to be even easier to understand.

 

While I wasn't going to Hsinchu,

I worked hard to write the Dharma clearly, using simple words and ideas.

I thought, “If I can write it like this, even I feel happy with it!”

 

And the people learning from me are so smart—maybe just reading this would be enough for them to find freedom! Haha 😄

So, I started thinking about retiring.

 

I wanted to stop writing.

But then I realized—I still need to answer the people in Hsinchu who have been waiting patiently.

 

Thinking about Hsinchu also reminded me of the painter Chaobao’s wife, who was always kind to me.

Before the pandemic, we had talked about a study club.

At the time, I thoughtmaybe just reading the articles is enough.

 

But now, upon reflection, I’ve decided—let’s include Taipei as well.

"In this world, people still cherish the twilight years." And so, we move forward.

 

🙏 Thank you, readers. Share with you Master Hongyi’s favorite couplet:
"Heaven shows mercy to the humble grass;
The world treasures the late sunset glow."

 

Master Banji