修行方向 An Approach for Practice

修行方法:

A method for Practice:

1. 先了解自己，從日常生活的應對中，觀察自己是用什麼態度及方法在處世，碰到事情是用什麼心情面對與處理的，從中看到自己的優點及缺失，才能知道自己需要什麼樣的修改。(我想不論你修哪一派的法門，不了解自己的人如何去修學與進步?! 我很懷疑。如果把上面的說法轉變成佛陀的說法，就是不知道自己究竟是怎麼造業? 與造福的?)

1. First, you need to understand yourself. You need to observe your attitudes and approaches in your daily encounters. You need to know how you face a situation, and what your feelings are. From these, you need to be able to see your strong and week points, so you know how to improve yourself. (I think regardless of schools or traditions, you will not be able to practice and improve if you don't understand yourself. If Buddha was going to make the same point, he would say that you would not know how you create good and bad karma if you don't understand yourself.)

2. 廣泛的閱讀或旅行是必要的，不讀書無法具備思考能力，不旅行不知人生命的不同，視野無法展開，歷代高僧達練者通常有旅行的經驗，唐朝的代表人物玄奘，到近代的虛雲，提出人間佛教的太虛，更遠及歐洲旅遊，讀書與旅行如無法兼具，又以讀書為第一條件。

2. An extensive reading and travel is necessary. If you don't read, you will not obtain ability to reason. If you don't travel, you will not know the differences in people's lives and you will not be able to expand your mind. Historically, many eminent monks had traveled extensively, from Tang Dynasty's Master Xuanzang to Master Hsu Yun of the 20th century. Even the originator of Humanistic Buddhism, Master Taixu, had traveled as far as Europe. If you cannot do both reading and traveling, reading should be a priority.

3. 建立常態性的思維能力，例如；你已選修因緣法，除看懂相關書籍外，還必須常常思考因緣法在跟自己說什麼? 自己懂得它的思考方向嗎? 努力以赴的奠下基礎後，在日常生活的應用上會漸漸熟悉，進而帶出修學因緣法的樂趣。

3. You need to establish a habit to think and reason constantly. For example, if you have chosen to practice Nidānas, other than studying related materials, you also need to think what Nidānas is saying to you. Do you know how to reason with it? If you make efforts in establishing a foundation, and used it in daily life, you will slowly see the joy of learning and practicing Nidānas.

這是我走過的路跟讀者分享。

These are my personal experience.

半寄 Master Ban Ji

肉體與精神 5 (我為什麼修因緣法) Body and Spirits 5 (Why I Practice Nidānas )

用因緣詮釋一下心經   :  觀自在菩薩，行深般若波羅蜜多時，照見五蘊皆空。


I would like to use Nidānas to interpret the Heart Sutra.


When Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara was practicing the profound Prajna Paramita, he illuminated the Five Skandhas and saw that they are Śūnyatā.


通過因緣法解釋； 【觀自在菩薩，體悟深沉的因緣法，進入甚深的因緣法，看見五蘊在因緣法下，呈現空寂。】


If I use Nidānas to explain this, it would become:


When Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara was experiencing deep Nidānas, and penetrating even deeper into Nidānas, he saw that Five Skandhas exhibit Kōngjì[Note].


這是大乘佛學的精義，卻可以從身體觀照起來，進入，回頭看看自己的身體，呈現什麼? 不是當下，不是借給你用的，是因緣所生法，我說即是空 (中觀論)。


This is the essence of Mahayana Buddhism. But it can be illuminated, see, penetrated from the body. When I turned around to see my own body, what did I see? Not "This Instant" and not a loan. It is "The law of creation by nidānas, I said is Śūnyatā" (Mūlamadhyamakakārikā).


半寄 Master Ban Ji


[Note] 空寂: I choose to translate this phonetically because I don't think I can do it correctly in English.


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肉體與精神 4 (我為什麼修因緣法) Body and Spirits 4 (Why I Practice Nidānas )

中國有位趙州禪師(778年至897年) ，【學者問他什麼是禪! 他回答說: 我要去小便】，去小便也是禪嗎? 當然! 若不是!? 哪一件事比這一件事重要? 人真的可以祇要精神，而不顧肉體? 肉體給予自己的真都是髒的，或者真相是精神無肉體支撐，根本無法動彈，而肉體無有精神存在也祇剩下行屍走肉的軀殼。

There is a story about a Chinese Zen Master, Zhàozhōu Cōngshěn (778 AD to 897 AD). A person ask him what is Chan (Zen). He answered: I am going to urinate. Is urinating Zen? Of course! If it is not, what is more important? Can people really only need the "spirit/mind" and ignore the "body?" Is it really true that the body only give you what is dirty? Or is the truth that without the body, the spirit/mind is totally helpless, and body without the spirit is just a walking zombie?

真有形而上跟形而下的差別? 人可能這般的被切割成兩個層面? 還是很多學說自欺也欺人? 人可以站在高峰又低頭對自己說你很髒? 讀通禪宗公案後，會發覺一件事，證悟的禪師們，是歷代(華人)最面對真相世界的修學者，如果中國佛學史少了禪宗，將遜色不少，影響所及恐怕連基本生活，都乏味許多。

Is there really a differences between body and spirit/mind? Can a human being really be split in two like this? Or is it that many theories deceive themselves and others. How can a person stand at the top and then look at yourself, and tell yourself that you are dirty? After reading the koans from Chinese Zen, I found that the enlightened Zen Masters are practitioners that truly faced the world of truth. If Chinese Buddhism did not have Chinese Zen, it would be inferior. Without it, life would probably be a little bit boring.

現在的我可以很輕鬆生活，不見得是物質條件足夠而已! 在穿透因緣法後，不用給自己要求什麼? 也不須要時時刻刻提醒自己，必須記住那個法門，我自己就在因緣裡面生存。

Now I have an easy living. This is not because I have enough things. It is because after penetrating Nidānas, I don't have to ask anything of myself. I also don't have to remind myself all the time to remember this or that practices. I just live and survive in Nidānas.

半寄 Master Ban Ji 

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肉體與精神 3 (我為什麼修因緣法) Body and Spirits 3 (Why I Practice Nidānas )

清楚的接收來自身體的訊息，近距離看見它以後，反倒可以觀想起因緣法來，第一次很親切的知道因緣法才是對的思想，身體因緣(條件)起變化不同了，當然無法再隨心所欲，想做什麼就做什麼!? 這不是心與心所的問題，人自己不能因為學理的灌輸，或宗教的教育，就可以硬扣一頂帽子，要求自己戴著，而完全不管事實呈現是什麼狀態，這好比是求救無援一般，對自己身體的求助視若無睹，有時候救援別人都比救自己積極。

Once I have clearly accepted the information from my body, and looked at it closely, I was able to see Nidānas. That was the first time I know that Nidānas is the right path. The body changed because its Nidānas has changed, so it can no longer do what it wants. This is not about Idealism. People should not put labels on themselves because of a theory or a religion, and ignore the reality. Ignoring the body's plea for help is to be helplessness,. Sometime, people are more eager to help others than to help themselves.

在因緣法的架構下，比較有勇氣跟眼睛，真正面對自己身體的不適，第一次看自己的時候，才驚覺自己像盲人一樣，眼睛是看不見的，甚至是不敢看的，好可怕! 人竟然是這樣在對待自己，假如不是自己回了頭，回應它的求救，我會知道原來所謂要修行的自己，是這麼不堪嗎?

Under the framework of Nidānas, I had the courage and eyes to look at the discomforts of my own body. The first time that I looked at myself, I was surprised that I was blind. My eyes could not see, and I was even afraid to look. I was horrified to know that this is how people treat themselves. If I didn't turn around to answer it's plea, would I know that I was so helpless and useless?

愈面對自己愈清楚因緣組合下的自己，會因為因緣條件的喪失，也跟著沒了! 很真實的思維，路變得豁然開朗。

The more I faced myself, and clearly understand the self that was composed by Nidānas, and I know that this self will disappear with the loss of Nidānas. After I started to reason truthfully and clearly, the path seems brighter and wider.

半寄 Master Ban Ji

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肉體與精神 2 (我為什麼修因緣法) Body and Spirits 2 (Why I Practice Nidānas )

病痛在折磨的時候，形而上學起不了作用，唯心論也不知跑去哪裡? ( 唯心論者的教法是心想事成，一切外面事物的呈現，唯心所現，是心與心所(對待)產生)，努力的自我振作精神，卻怎麼也無法拿學的思想，去擊敗病痛 !  逼得自己回頭正視身體感官的存在，而它確實也真真實實的存在，不是心跟心所而已，也無法是借用的態度帶過，我清楚的知道，它就是自己的自己，不是別人借給你的，更不是唯心所現的，而這些為什麼這麼被佛教界忽視、漠視 !?

When I was been tortured by ailments, metaphysics was useless to me. Philosophical Idealism was no place to be found either. The teaching of Idealism is that an idea can become reality. Everything that we see are all created by the mind, and appeared for the mind. But no matter how I tried, I could not take an idea to defeat pain and illness. So I needed to look at the existences of my body and senses. And it really exists as well. Your body is not created by your mind, and you could not treat it as a borrowed vessel. I clearly know that it is the self of myself, not a loan from other people, and not created by my mind. But why does the Buddhist world ignore this?

現實的感觸像教人打開眼睛一樣，在生病中思索佛法，自己的身體像老師一般帶我去看佛學沒教的東西，我看見身體不是臭皮囊，也不是明代理學家講的有浩然正氣的充滿，就是一個身體，有感情、有感官、會自己觸摸身體的痛、愉快、失落.......，然後回報給自己它的感受，假使你讓它自己自由，不強迫它用學理回答自己，也不灌輸它該怎麼想?! 怎麼感受?! 那它會真實回答你自己，它是什麼感覺。

A touch of reality taught me to open my eyes. While thinking about teaching of Buddha in ailments, I found that my body is like a teacher and taught me what Buddhism did not teach. I found that body is not simply a bag of flesh and skin. It is also not what the philosophers' from the Ming dynasty called "Full of awe-inspiring righteousness." A body is a body, with feelings, with senses. It will tell you how it feels, pain, happiness, confusion... If you let your body be free, and if you don't force it to use theory to answer you, and if you don't tell it what to think. What would happen? It will tell you truthfully how it feels.

半寄 Master Ban Ji

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肉體與精神 1 (我為什麼修因緣法) Body and Spirits 1 (Why I Practice Nidānas )

記得我成長的年代，當時流行的思想是形而上學與形而下學，還引發廣泛的爭論，那時看只當有趣，大概年輕只覺得這種問題也須要爭論的那麼仔細 !? 後來出家，才更知道，這個問題困擾很多人，連自己也被攪得頭暈，原因在於不能確認到底是形而上(聖潔的)的思想對? 或是形而下(屬汙濁方面)也是對的? 尤其是僧團的環境，說形而下也是對的，可能有如登天的困難。

When I was growing up, the fashionable philosophical ideas and debates at the time were metaphysics and materialism[Note]. At the time, I thought it was interesting. Maybe it was because I was young, and felt that this topic needed this kind of detailed attention. After I became a bhikkhuni, I found out that this question cause a lot of people a lot of problems. Even I was confused by it. The reason is that no one can say if the "spirit/mind" (The saintly aspect) is correct. Or the "body" (The dirty aspect) is also correct. Especially in the environment of sangha, to say that the idea of materialism is correct is almost impossible.

其實每一個人的心裡頭，應該都是認為形而上的思想才是對的，包含高貴的情操，潔淨的心靈，哪個人不愛! 假使不是被某些事觸動! 我想我會認同形而上的想法才是對的到底 ，把這些轉成白話來說 : 就變成肉體與精神哪個比較高貴、重要，有修過佛法的行者，多少都曾經在肉體與精神上徘徊過，程度深淺不同而已。

In the heart and mind of every one, we like to think that idea of the "spirit/mind" is correct. Who does not want noble sentiments and clean hearts and minds. If I was not touched by a certain encounter, I would probably agree with the idea of the "spirit/mind" as well. To say this in a different way, the debate about the "spirit/mind" and the "body" is a debate to determine which is more important and more noble. Many practitioners of Buddhism should all have lingered over this issue, only differ by degrees.

佛教本身很多教育，傾向身體是暫時借用，所以不能太執著，無庸置疑佛教一定是以精神為上的，肉體能不管它就不要管，原本這樣的說法，不太有問題的，也或許是自己的阻礙較深，那時年輕的自己經常有病痛，病久了! 發覺肉體的影響力很強，人在生病時好的想法會不見了，取而代之的是灰色，消極的世界。

There are many teachings in Buddhism that view the body as a temporary accommodation, and that we should not be too attach to it. The implication of this is that Buddhism is more focused on the spirit/mind, and if we can ignore the body, we should. Originally, I thought this line of reasoning is fine. But perhaps it is because I have more obstacles, I often have many ailments in my youth. After a while, these ailments let me know the influences and effects of a human body. When a person is sick, many positive thoughts will disappear, only to be replaced by a grey and negative world.

半寄 Master Ban Ji

[Note] 形而上學,形而下學: 形而上學's standard translation is metaphysics and there does not seem to be a standard translation for 形而下. These two terms came from I-Ching. 形而上 in this context is referring to the mind or the spirit. 形而下 is referring to the body, and I have translated it as materialism here.

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空的正確觀點 3 The Right View of Śūnyatā 3

中觀論這三個字翻譯的名詞用法，讓華人世界一直以為跟中庸的思想一 樣，中庸是中國儒家思想一個相當重要的理念，講究凡事不極端，不偏不倚，不論是人的行為，或者是思想都包含在裡面，這個觀點影響華人思想、生活很深，佔重要地位，算是一個主軸思想。

Mūlamadhyamakakārikā's Chinese translation is "Theory of Middle View". This translation let Chinese people always thought that it is the same as "Doctrine of the Mean." [Note] Doctrine of the Mean is an important concepts in Confucian philosophy, it means "all things in moderation", including behavior and reasoning and thinking. This concept influenced the Chinese people deeply and can be considered as a major factor in Chinese culture.

可是空法講的是邏輯概念，這跟中道是兩回事，儒家思想對人，對事敘述很多，所謂齊家、治國、平天下、 無一不詳盡的分析，唯這其中最缺乏的就是辯論邏輯。

But Śūnyatā is a logical concept and has nothing to do with the "Middle". Confucian philosophy has many narratives on people and related issues, such as "managing a family", "ruling a country" and "calm the world". These topics have all been analyzed in detail in Confucian philosophy. The only thing missing is logical debates.

空的思想是佛教後期大乘佛法的一個重要論點，由龍樹菩薩所建構完成的思想，當時就已傳遍整個印度，幾個世紀已過去時間證明它到現在，仍然具有一定的吸引力，魅力、 吸引成千上萬的修學者想一窺它的面貌。

Śūnyatā is a major theory in the later period of Mahayana Buddhism. The concept completed by Nāgārjuna has already spread across the entire India, and after the passage of centuries, it still has its attractions and charms that attracts tens of thousands of practitioners, trying to have a peak at its truth.

想進一步了解的讀者，可以研究龍樹菩薩相關作品，網路、書店應該都有，祈願修學者早入空法大海。

For readers who are interested in understand Śūnyatā, I encourage them to read Nāgārjuna's works, these should be available on line or in books. I sincerely wish practitioners who are interested can quickly enter into the ocean of Śūnyatā.

半寄 Master Ban Ji

[Note] 中觀 literally means "Middle View", 中庸 literally means "Middle Needs".

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空的正確觀點 2 The Right View of Śūnyatā 2

「無」字在中國被當成「空」的代名詞及解釋，空的思想在中國經歷一下子時間的演變，就已經不是邏輯辯證的東西，「空」就是跟道家講的「無」一樣，是一種虛無飄渺的感覺，這對中論的原本作者龍樹菩薩而言，恐怕比唖巴吃黃蓮還冤枉 ! 道家的哲學被國際學者稱為經驗法則，也就是現實看到什麼，就拿它當比方，老子講的水的看法，莊子的蝴蝶之說，這些是中國的哲學，但不是辯論、辯證學，空在 這裡徹底的糢糢糊糊，就連傳入西洋的空法思想，一樣也跟虛無擺在一起，弄得一大群西洋修學者鎩羽而歸。

In China, "Wu" become a synonym for Śūnyatā and its explanation. After a brief experience in China, Śūnyatā was no longer a concept that needs to be logically debated. Śūnyatā became the same as Taoist's "Wu", with a feeling of "nothingness" and "ephemeral". This is such a disservice to the original writer of Mūlamadhyamakakārikā, Nāgārjuna, he's probably rolling over in his grave. The philosophy of Tao was considered to be "observation based", which means that it tends to use observable phenomenons in the world as a analogies, such as Laozi's view on water[Note 1] or Zhuangzi's butterflies[Note 2]. These are Chinese philosophy, but it is not argumentative, nor dialectical. Because of this, Śūnyatā became vague and nebulous. Even the concept of Śūnyatā that is spread to the West is linked with "emptiness", and cause many western practitioners to retreat from it.

個人不敢說在這方面有所成，但至少知道那種辯論可以從兩方面切入，一、從因緣的成立條件，維持條件，到存在有無可能的問題；二、從時間消逝與生起的掌握問題，朝這兩個方向辯證，一定能明白什麼是空的思想，其實中論也已說明白，中論第一句話的開端就說；因緣所生法， 我說即是空。這句話就已勾出空的藍圖，跟道家思想差異這麼大的學問，被混合在一起，不知為什麼那麼多修學者不會覺得奇怪 ? 反而會覺得虛無飄渺也不錯 ?!

I don't dare say that I have any type of success in this area, but I think there are two lines of arguments that can be used to consider Śūnyatā. One is based on Nidānas and the possibility of a phenomenon as the result of satisfying the requirements of establishment and maintenance. Another argument can consider the passage of time. From these two directions to debate and investigate, I think it is possible to understand the meaning of Śūnyatā. Actually, it was clear from Mūlamadhyamakakārikā, from the first sentence of Mūlamadhyamakakārikā : "Everything is based on Nidānas, that I said is Śūnyatā." This already provided a blueprint for Śūnyatā. This concept is so dissimilar with the ideas of Taoism, how can so many practitioners not consider it strange? Even think that "nothingness" and "ephemeral" is not too bad?

半寄 Master Ban Ji

[Note 1]老子講的水的看法: Laozi used water as an analogy for goodness (virtue) in Chapter 8 of Tao Te Ching. The first 4 words "上善若水" means "The highest form of virtue is like water."

[Note 2] 莊子的蝴蝶之說: 莊周夢蝶: The story is that one day, Zhuangzi had a dream that he became a butterfly, and when he woke, he found that he's Zhuangzi. So he wondered if he had dream Zhuangzi's butterfly, or did he dream of butterfly's Zhuangzi.

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空的正確觀點 1 The Right View of Śūnyatā 1

在中國古代的經典翻譯裡面，對空這個字眼一直是一籌莫展的，華人的字典裡有道家講的 無為的{無}、虛無飄渺、就是沒有單獨的{空}字，早期剛從梵文(印度文)翻譯出來的華語{空}，讓當時俱備修行者兼知識份子輩份的華人，絞盡腦汁想知道它代表的意義，偏偏華人的弱項就是邏輯，空是一種修法也是辯論哲學，通過邏輯辯證才能懂的，空的代表論述中觀論簡稱中論(中文翻譯詞)，裡面有八種邏輯辯論，講的就是空的內容，以及它有無成立的可能。

Śūnyatā was a difficult concept for ancient Chinese when they tried to translate Buddhist Texts from India. In the dictionary for Chinese, there is a word "Wu" (Nothing) from the Taoist, which conjures a images of "nothingness" and "ephemeral." But there is not a single word that can stand for Śūnyatā . When the translation of Śūnyatā first appeared, many practitioners, who were also intellectuals at the time, racked their brains trying to figure out what it meant. Unfortunately, the weakness of the Chinese culture is logic. Śūnyatā is a method of Practice, but also a philosophy. In order to understand it, a person need to go through logical debates. The definitive text on Śūnyatā is Mūlamadhyamakakārikā which is often translated to Knowledge of the Middle Way, there are 8 logical debates in the text, all about Śūnyatā and whether it can be established.

中論是被翻譯了，但接下來對它的解釋變成是棘手的工作，討論半天也沒什麼結果，這時候道家的無字被拉進來，也或許是想用華人熟悉的字眼， 讓他們明白什麼是空?! 佛典傳入中國是東漢的時候，中論空法的翻譯是魏晉南北朝 時，印度高僧鳩摩羅什的作品，大量翻譯作品的出現是唐朝玄奘大師，從印度留學歸國以後的事情，這之前中國道家的說法、無為思想、書籍都已成熟，並且已在學術、文化方面、紮根。

Mūlamadhyamakakārikā was translated, but the troublesome works of explanation remained. There was no resolution for a while, and the word, "Nothing", from Taoist, was brought in. Perhaps they tried to use a word that was familiar to Chinese at the time to understand Śūnyatā. Buddhist Texts were introduced to China in Eastern Han Dynasty. Mūlamadhyamakakārikā was translated by an Indian monk named Kumārajīva during the Period of Disunity in China (225 to 589 AD).

Most of the translation on Buddist Texts was performed during Tang Dynasty after Master Xuanzang returned to China from India. By this time, Taoism was already very mature. The idea of Wu Wei[Note] and books from Taoism have already established deep roots in Chinese academic thoughts and culture.

半寄 Master Ban Ji

[Note] 無為 : Please refer to Wikipedia's entry on Wu Wei

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無常真正的稱呼 3 The Real Name of Anicca 3

佛法有非常多的內容，就字義本身看，已清楚表達文字想傳遞的事實，為什麼已清晰的傳訊大部份人還是茫茫然? 答案應是對所謂大法的迷思! 總認為佛法浩瀚無邊，怎可能是那些字便能說完，所以愈疊愈多，恨不得窮盡所有中文去寫它，結果是論典比經典多出到難以數清的地步，這也無所謂，反正流傳的力量一定會造就論典的數目，比較糟糕的是真正的說法被扭曲。

Contents of Buddhism have already been communicated very clearly by their original words. Why are most people still lost given such clarity in the transmission? The answer should be that people are confused about the context. People always think Buddhism is limitless, how can it be told in so few words? So they piled more and more on top. The result is countless number of Buddhist Texts. Normally, this is fine, because the attempt to spread Buddhism will increase the number of Buddhist Texts. It is natural. However, the problem is the distortion of the real teachings.

就像畫錯了的地圖，拿著它指路，路不是走不到，就是怎麼走繞都在那裡! 這對有心人的傷害太大了! 法門本來沒什麼大小可言，以說清楚後能讓修學者走到，為主要的架構。

It's like take a wrong map to show you the way. It is not that you cannot get on the path. It is just that you will never get anywhere. This is very harmful to people who wants to advance. It is not important if a Practice method is big or small, but clarity, so that practitioners can reach the destination, should be the most important feature.

無常明白提示時間、及有形物質、無形空間的變動，無形空間最親切的體驗，記憶、生活堆積的回憶，在儲存也在流失，另一個角度看，從自己走動的步伐、一步步看到過去、現在、未來、諸行無常多麼好的修法，不要糟蹋了。

Anicca clearly tell us the changes of time, visible objects, and invisible space. The familiar experiences, memories and recollections of life are continuously accumulating and disappearing in the invisible space. From another angle, you can look at your steps, and see your past, now and future step by step. All phenomenons are anicca is such a great method as a Practice, don't waste it.

半寄 Master Ban Ji


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無常真正的稱呼 2 The Real Name of Anicca 2

一個佛教徒懂得時間的概念很重要，它牽引你對變動的接受程度，無常的對照是常，常態為大眾所熟悉，就連自己的感情、感官、也是熟悉常態的運作，而無常就變成是要練習才能接受的現實。

It is important for a Buddhist to understand the concept of time, because it affects how to accept change. The opposite of impermanence (anicca) is permanence. People are familiar with permanence. Even your own feelings and senses are operate in a familiar and regular (permanent) fashion. So you need to practice in order to accept the reality of anicca.

人其實一直活在要求的狀態裡下，不好的要求它好，好的要求它不要變，但不管自己的假設為何? 要變動的仍然是在變，既然如此! 為什麼不打開眼睛，去看到變動具體的存在? 我在部落格文章，一直闡述明白理念的重要，理念不明猶如視野低垂，看不見事實、也看不見路，如同黑金與沙子擺在眼前，沒有眼力是無從分辨的，努力吸收理念，再賦予以辨別能力，就是一點一滴在培植眼力。

People always live in the state of constant "wants." We want bad to become good. We want good to not change. But we never consider why. Things that changes will still change, so why don't we open our eyes and see the reality of change? I have always been stressing the importance of understanding concepts. If you are not clear on the concepts, you cannot see the reality and cannot see a path. Just like you cannot tell the differences between black gold and sand if they are placed in front of you. You can develop this ability only by absorbing concepts, and giving yourself critical thinking abilities.

有眼力確認變動的事實存在，更細的是去體會時間變化(諸行無常)，這樣或許才能觸摸，用觸摸形容很驚聳吧! 時間怎麼觸摸? 讀者自己去理解，不提供解答。

It takes abilities to confirm the reality of changes. At a more detailed level, even to empirically experience time. (All phenomenons are anicca.) Maybe this way, anicca can be touch and feel. Is it shocking? How do you touch and feel time? I will leave that as an exercise for readers.

半寄 Master Ban Ji

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無常真正的稱呼 1 The Real Name of Anicca 1

無常這兩個字，還需要寫嗎? 一聽就知道是往生的代名詞，如果不寫每次都得說的嘴破，因為無常不只是要表示往生而已，佛學有許多詞句被指非成是的用，不正本清源一下還真有些麻煩，因為真正的意思被取代，對想要修學的人思考形成障礙 。

Do I still need to write about anicca? It is obviously another word for "death". [Note] If I don't write about it, I will need to explain it over and over until I am blue in the face. Because anicca is not only about "death." Many words and phrases of Buddhism have been so abused and obfuscated, that it might be better to explain them. Because the real meaning of these words have been replaced, and this presents an obstacle for practitioners.

無常真正的意思是變動性，什麼東西變動速度最快 ? 答案是時間，佛教界公認的三法印之一、三法印是佛涅槃後用來認定什麼才是佛說的標準，主要原因是後代雜亂無章的說法一大堆，三法印提供佛學主要的脈絡，佛學說法再多也不能超出這個範圍。(註一)

The real meaning of anicca is "changeable." What changes the fastest? The answer is time, part of the Buddhism's Three Marks of Genuine Dharma. Three Marks of Genuine Dharma are used to determine if a Buddhist Text meets the standard of Buddha's teaching after Buddha achieve nirvana. This is because there are many chaotic and confusing presentations of Buddhism after the time of Buddha. So Three Marks of Genuine Dharma become Buddhism's most important ideas. No matter what you have to say about Buddhism, it can never exceed the boundary set by these three marks.

[ 諸行無常 ] 佔了三法印其中一個重要地位，如果我們用時間來說明無常，應該是很具體 ，時間一秒秒在飛逝 ， 好的 、 壞的 、喜歡的 、討厭的 、想留住的 、 不想留住的 、 都不受人掌握，一切都在變動中，讓想駐足的人茫然， 無所適從 ! 甚至排斥，但時間還是走了 !

"All phenomenons are anicca" is one third of Three Marks of Genuine Dharma. It should be very concrete if we use time to explain anicca. Time passes away every second, the good, the bad, the liked, the hated, the keepers, the throw-aways, none can be held on to by man kind. Everything is always changing, and made people who does not want to change at a loss, not knowing what to do. People even reject it, but time still left.

或許是變動性的東西無情居多，佛教徒不太能接受它，導致需要用到無常來形容事情時，都是已經要往生的代名詞 ! 這麼重要的法門 ，被誤導到如此狹隘的地方 ， 真是萬分可惜 !

Maybe it is because things that changes are mostly heartless and mindless, and Buddhists cannot accept it. So that when they need to describe something with anicca, it is usually about "death." It is a pity that such an important method had been lead to such a narrow confine.

( 註一 :三法印 : 一、諸行無常，二、諸法無我，三、涅槃寂靜。)

[Note1: Three Marks of Genuine Dharma: 1. All phenomenons are anicca, 2. All phenomenons' characteristics are anatta, 3. Still and silent nirvana)

半寄 Master Ban Ji

[Note: 無常 Anicca in Chinese is often used to denote life is impermanent, therefore, all about passing away.]

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一即一切 3 One is All 3

在現實的世界裡，一件事是一件事的道理，一件事可以包括或做為表達一切事的說法，是無法理解的，中國唐朝時有一位名叫李渤的人，問智常禪師，經典上說：「芥子納須彌怎麼可能? 」

In the real life, an issue has its own principle. It is not reasonable to think one issue can include or represent all issues. In Tang dynasty, there is a person named Li Bo, he asked Zen Master Zhichang: "Buddhist Texts talked about putting Mount Meru in a mustard seed. How can that be done?"

意思是一個很小單位的東西，怎麼可能裝下像喜馬拉雅山那麼大個的容量，禪師回答說；你讀的書那麼多，為什麼都可以裝在那麼小的腦袋裡? 這也是大與小之間的比喻，看起來是很好的回答，想一下，腦要裝下書的學問，也是一本本消化過的，腦用它的條理去作屬於它範圍能做的事，也不等於書就在腦裡，就算書在腦裡，想運用出來又是另外一套程序，腦也不等於一切，一即是多，如果可以成立，理論內容尚要補述很多。

What this question means is that how can a small item contain something as big as the Himalayas? Zen master replied, "You read so many books, how can they all fit into your brain?" This is another comparison of large and small, and seem like a good answer. But think about it, in order for brain to fit all the knowledge of books, it still needs to digest them one at a time. The brain uses its methods to do what it can. It does not mean that books are in the brain. Even if books are in the brain, it will require another method to take them out and apply them. Furthermore, brain is not "All." In order to establish "one is many", there still a lot of theories that need to be filled out.

在現實裡事情通常會因人的糾結、或現場情形顯得複雜，想要在事與理之間無礙，其困難度恐怕不是想像而已，真正做事的人，任何人都必得承當成功與失敗所帶來的一切，如果真可以無礙，也是夢寐以求的。

In real life, an issue will usually be complicated by the people's relationships or the complexity of the circumstance. The difficulty involved to be "unobtrusive in principle and phenomenon." is unimaginable. A person who actually do things will need to be responsible and accept the results of success and failure. If everything can be "unobtrusive", it will only probably occur in dreams.

佛學在華人思想推動下，美的飄逸出塵，誰都希望得到這樣的境界，但真正面臨現實的殘酷時，總願意自己有雙充滿能力的手，好拉拔自己，所以我選從缺陷中修持，先面對老、病、死、的路下手，再談超越，不是圓滿。

Buddhism's elegant beauty was developed by Chinese thoughts. Everyone wants this state of mind, but when they faced the cruel reality, we all hope that we have powerful hands that can pull ourselves out of the situation. Therefore, I choose to Practice amid defects. I choose to face old age, sickness and death first, then work out how to surpass them, and not harmonious perfection.

超越是屬於自己的，有可能! 圓融是對普羅大眾的，難! 話說回來世間真有圓滿，文學是首先消失的，古今中外多少文學之美與殘缺一起發出光芒!

It is possible to surpass yourself. But harmonious perfection is difficult. But, if the world actually has harmonious perfection, literature will probably be the first to disappear. After all, many literary beauties shine alongside with imperfections.

半寄 Master Ban Ji

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一即一切 2 One is All 2

三至四年的時間過去， 浸在美的情愫依然 ， 沒感覺有什麼不對 ! 有一首詩描寫的很好 ，驀然回首， 那人卻在燈火闌珊處 ， 我在那段時間後有驀然回首的心驚 ， 我看見自己只擁有文學性質的美 ，而修行真的是站在不見燈火處 ! 這一驚非同小可， 嚇壞了 ! 不是要修行嗎 ? 怎麼變成只是美的情懷，

After 3 or 4 years, still soaked in the enjoyment of beauty, I still did not believe there is anything wrong with it. But then, just like the scene from the poem "suddenly looked back, that person is still by the dim light", I suddenly looked back with a fright. I found that I only have the literary beauty, but my Practice is no where near any light. I was scared! Wasn't my purpose to Practice? Why did it become only about beauty?

這才懂為什麼當年面見印順導師， 向他老人家問華嚴宗的事理無礙 ，
究竟要怎麼修 ? 只見他皺起眉頭笑著說 : 這很難喔 ! 就沒有下文。

That was when I understood Master Yinshun's answer when I asked him about Huayan school's "the realm of non-obstruction between principle and phenomena." I asked him how does one Practices this concept. He only frowned and said, with a smile, "This is very hard!" And no more.

是啊 ! 究竟要怎樣才能事與理無礙 ，在人間 ! 恐怕連佛陀也答不出來，這麼高標的學理在中國產生 ，背景都是以圓融 、圓滿 做思維、做後盾，假如把圓融觀點當成理想世界，可以接受，如果要用在實修 真得重新看待，缺陷與圓融兩者相距太遠 ， 踏在以缺陷為主的觀點去修， 跟踏在以圓融的觀點去修 ， 絕不可能一樣 ， 我知道有人會認為可以殊途同歸 ，透過一即一切的說法 ， 一假如可以代表一切 ，那這個一要用什麼樣的字眼來形容它 ? 這種說法等於承認一是無限大， 而且大到無所不包， 什麼樣的一可以執行這種任務 ! 至今依然想不透?!

He's right. How do you achieve "Non obstruction between principle and phenomena" in life? Buddha probably cannot answer this himself. This kind of high standard in China usually use "harmony", "perfect" and "success" as its support. If we think of "harmonious perfection" as an ideal world, we can accept this as an ideal. But if we need to actualize this, we need to look at it differently, because the differences between defects and "harmonious perfection" are too far apart. Practice based on defects, and Practices based on "harmonious perfection" cannot be the same. I know that people think they all end up the same, through the concept of "One is All". But if "One" can represent "All", then how do we describe "One" with words? This is saying that "One" is limitless so that it can include everything. I still have not figure out what kind of a "One" can fulfill this requirement.

半寄 Master Ban Ji

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一即一切 1 One is All 1

一即一切這句話的全文是 : [一即一切，一切即一]，出自中國天臺宗，華嚴宗的講學，這兩個宗派跟禪宗一樣，都是在中國形成教派的，而天台、華嚴、是傾向學說講經，他們創立的學說一層一層，嚴謹中見繁瑣，不是一般人可以學習的。

The complete phrase of "One is All" is : "One is All, All are one." This phrase is from the teachings of Chinese Tiantai and Huayan schools of Buddhism. These two schools, like Chinese Zen, are all formed in China. However, Tiantai and Huayan schools tend toward theoretical interpretation of Buddhist Texts. Their doctrines are layers after layers of rigorous but tedious theories, not easy for ordinary people to study.

本來佛法在印度首先提出的是生、老、病、死、的看法，傳到中國以後華人對缺陷，本來接受度就不高，中國喜歡的人事是一種無遺憾的圓滿，老、病、死、人間最不願見到的現象，既然不願看到，在佛法的傳修中，慢慢的演練出另外一套適合華人的佛學來， 【圓融觀】。

Originally in India, Buddhism was all about birth, old age, sickness and death. When it came to China, Chinese people were not keen on defects, and did not accept imperfections easily. What Chinese like are successes with no regrets. Old age, sickness and death are the phenomenons that they do not want to see. Since they did not want to see them, the Buddhism in China evolved to become something that Chinese can accept, and that is the concept of "Harmonious Perfection".

圓融的觀點把佛學推向完美，反而呈現出是一種文學氣息濃厚的學說，也就是華人世界熟悉的: 一沙一世界，一葉一如來，有一段時間我對這樣的世界，產生屬於精神世界的愛執，那是一種美的享受，彷彿浸在裡面就已進入佛的世界，而那裡又如此讓人心曠神怡! 什麼地方可以跟佛的世界比擬?

"Harmonious Perfection" pushed Buddhism toward perfectionism. But because of it, it exhibits an atmosphere of literary beauty; a beauty that is familiar to Chinese: "To see a world in a grain of sand, And Buddha in every leaf." There was a time that I treasured this type of world. It was an enjoyment of beauty, almost like living in the world of Buddha, and I found it even more relax and happy. How could any where compare with Buddha's world?

半寄 Master Ban Ji

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佛經的人性運用 3 Buddhist Texts' Treatment of Human Nature 3

既然是談修行，就是承認自己需要做某種程度的修正，要修正的自己會好看嗎? 一定不會，好看! 要等到修成時，修正的第一要務，衝破不需要有的臉皮(面子) 問題，是必要的，這樣的自己才能如實、如實的、看見自己，用安於自己的沉澱力量，一條條、一絲絲的拉出自己，絕對不要用醜陋的眼光看待自己，用自己有這麼多弱點，難怪一直不好，現在藉修道的方法讓它呈現，終於有了改變的機會，這樣的去想人性，才會有生機，假使不是這樣想，說要修行卻一直拋不下世俗看法，反而拼命往自己的臉戴面具，到底修行是要給別人交代，還是給自己一個交代，修行者自己得捫心自問!

If we want to talk about Practice, then we need to admit there are parts of us that require fixing. A self that requires fixing is not going to be pretty. If you want to look good, you need to wait until after you have been fixed. Therefore, the first priority in Practice is to remove the issue of "pride". Only then, will you be able to truly look at yourself. You need to use the force within you to drag yourself out one thread at a time. You should never consider yourself to be ugly. You should think that your weaknesses are keeping you in a bad situation. Then, you can use Practice to make them surface so that you have some chances to change these weaknesses. You need to think of human nature this way to have any chance at success. Otherwise, if you cannot remove the common view and keep putting masks on yourself, are you Practicing for other people or for yourself?

一個成功的修行，剛開始觀念就得擺對，不然道都還沒摸著，就又被拖進另一個跟世俗沒兩樣的世界，白忙一場! 一個對的思考方向，像一盞強而有力的燈，照明夜空給柔弱的人性帶來希望!想走得遠，必得面臨弱點的排除，不是醜陋，清理完! 前面的路將再次展開，何樂而不為?

To be successful in your Practice, you need to have the right concept. Otherwise, before you even get on the path, you are already dragged into the secular world. What a waste of time! A correct direction is like a powerful spot light, it lights up the darkness to give the weak human nature a ray of hope. If you want to go far, you need to face the exclusion of weakness, not ugliness. After you are done, the road will open up in front of you, so why would you not do it?

半寄 Master Ban Ji


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佛經的人性運用 2 Buddhist Texts' Treatment of Human Nature 2

上面的文用{ 要脅｝，指的是面對外界的指責，尤其是華人社會，最不願去想人性的問題，在一定的社會氛圍裡，縱使自己願意面對，也會覺得無力，所以我用要脅，那是無言的 意識型態逼迫，讓願意面對醜陋的人無法立足，誰都只願看光鮮亮麗的一面，
 
In the previous article, I used the word "threat" to describe the influence of "thinking ourselves as ugly." The "threat" here is used to denote the accusations of the outside world, especially the Chinese society. Chinese culture does not like to think about the issues of human nature, so in this type of social environment, if you want to stand up and face human nature, you will feel powerless. Therefore, I used the word "threat" to say that this is a voiceless pressures of consciousness that forces a person who's willing to face ugliness to have no place to be. Everyone is only willing to look at the bright side.

舉個例子：台灣前陣子有一位女消防員被撞，人都還在急救，媒體就一直報導她如何又如何勇敢？！是很勇敢要不然不會選擇消防的職業，但她是個人為什麼不先拋開勇敢？去關心她的痛苦，這麼先進的時代還會亂戴人帽子｛勇敢｝，不能想像，我一直極端不能接受被架著走的道德，倘若你是她再下來是要喊痛？還是女英雄當到底？所以我說是一種要脅！

For example, there was a female firefighter that was hit by a car in Taiwan. While she was still in the emergency room, the media were all over the news with her bravery. Of course she was brave, otherwise, she would not choose fire fighting as a profession. But she's still a person. Why can they not ignore "bravery", but to be more concern about her pain? In this civilized age, why are we still putting a label (bravery) on people? I have never been able to accept hijacked morality like this. If you were her, would you want to yell in pain, or do you want to appear as a hero all the way? This is why I said it is a type of "threat."

很多事願意攤開來說，醜陋也可修正到光明，但是還沒通過這個環節之前，都只是戴面具及社會型態要求要看到的! 一個真心誠意要修行的人，要有勇氣過被制定成社會型態的這一關。

Ugliness can be fixed. But until we pass this level of discussion, we are all just wearing masks that are demanded by society. A person who really wants to Practice must be brave enough to pass through this barrier created by society.

半寄 Master Ban Ji

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佛經的人性運用 1 Buddhist Texts' Treatment of Human Nature 1

宗教常常會見到的問題，戒律(條)的規定，原本一個團體要運作秩序，制定一些規範這沒什麼不對，但戒條的遵守問題容易引申『罪』的成立，有罪會形成醜陋的感覺，進而讓人感覺自己是骯髒的，本來想修道是好事，變成這樣的結果只有更不幸。

Establishment of percepts and commandments is an issue that all religions need to face. There is nothing wrong with rules of conducts in an organization, because an organization requires rules to operate. But the problem is that disobedience to these percepts and rules can often be extended to "Sin." "Sin" leads to the feeling of ugliness, and ugliness led people to feel dirty. The desire to Practice was originally a good thing, and it is unfortunately that it leads one to feel dirty.

人一定是有弱點，假使弱點是人性無可避免的，該換個想法讓自己面對，把醜陋看成是自己的絆腳石，絆腳石不設法挪開，修行再努力仍然無法進展，想通了這一點，反而願意讓自己去面對自己的人性醜陋，我在前面的文章一直有提到，個人不願意用極端的想法去說人性，因為那樣不 僅沒有用，而且會製造一個效果，讓每個人都戴上面具，誰會喜歡讓自己的醜陋曝光，一直激烈撻伐人性後，面具愈戴愈深，修行愈來愈遠。

Human beings have weaknesses. Since weaknesses are unavoidable, we should find ways to face them. If we treat ugliness as our blocking stone, we will not get anywhere in our Practice if we don't remove the stone. If you can understand this point, you will be more willing to face the ugliness of your own human nature. As I have mentioned in previous articles, I don't like to think about human nature in extremes. Not only is it useless to do so, it will also cause everyone to put on a mask. Who would want to show his own ugliness to the world? So the more we attack human nature, the further we will retreat behind our masks, and further away from Practice.

把人性的醜陋想成是自己透過修道才明白的自己，這個觀點一旦建設起來，修行大大不同，試問這世間有幾個人? 一出生就是天生麗質，既然人是要被教導，甚至是用修行才能改變的人生，為什麼不願意用健康的觀點來看待人性? 假如修道是件費盡心力的事，更該讓自己早點認識自己的人性，趁著有體力、有腦力時、對自己下手，扭轉不聽指揮的自己，人會有很多醜陋大部份是順從自己的結果，很多的順勢造就漏洞百出的自己，同樣很多的自我要求，造就成功的自己，這其中的關鍵在於自己對人性的看法，是否有能力擺脫醜陋想法的要脅?

If we consider the ugliness of our nature as the self that we will only understand through Practice, our Practice will be completely different. How many people are born a natural beauty? If people need to be educated, or using Practice to change ourselves, why can't we apply a healthier point of view to consider human nature? If Practice requires the devotion of heart and mind, shouldn't we try to understand our human nature first? And do this while we are still strong and healthy? Shouldn't we do this while our mind is still clear, so that we can change ourselves? Many of our ugliness is the result of submission to ourselves. These submissions created many weaknesses. Similarly, we can require a lot of ourselves to create a successful "I." The key is how we look at human nature, and the ability to remove the threat of the thinking that we are "ugly."

半寄 Master Ban Ji

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如理思維 3 Reasoning 3

修學佛法如果一直無法建立思維，(也不見得一定要多麼有系列的想，留點神想一下的那種想法總做得到吧!)是要走很多冤枉路的，有了思維能力，如同有篩選工具，不致使自己全無方向感，無方向感的走法太恐怖。

If you cannot establishing an ability to reason in your Practice of Buddhism (Actually, it doesn't even have to be that complete a system. All you have to do is to pay attention and think about it.), you will walk down many wrong roads. Having the ability to reason is like having a filtering tool, so that you will not be totally aimless. Walking aimlessly is too scary.

回到如理思維的原點，為了專注而訓練大腦緊盯念頭，一樣會有成就，譬如；容易入定、容易專心、但如果用在思維會是很無力的，一個念頭畢竟不是一個想法，做一個比較來看這兩者之間的不同；「我討厭你」，是一個念頭，「我為什麼會討厭你?」是一個想法，前者已無討論空間，後者可再延伸的解決方案無限! 只要你自己思維能力夠，想就這個話題想到哪裡，修到哪裡，都是可能的，這即是思維的厲害，想用頭腦去完成修行，該想想這兩者的內涵，很多事無法用比較去衡量，但修行方法一定要討論一下，愈清楚愈好。

Let's go back to the original point of "reasoning". If you can train your mind to focus on only one thought, you will have success as well. For example, it will be easier for you to enter samadhi, and it will be easier for you to concentrate. But it does not help you think. A thought is not thinking. "I hate you" is a thought. "Why I hate you?" is thinking. There is no room for discussion in the former, but there are limitless extensions to the later so that a solution can be found! If you have enough ability to think, to reason, you can use this ability to reach whatever destination you desire, and will be able to practice so you can actually get there. This is the power of thinking. If you want to use your brain to Practice, you need to think about the meaning behind "thoughts" and "thinking." Many things cannot use comparison to judge, but methods of Practice need to be discussed. You need to be clear about your Practice.

如理思維養成習慣以後，判斷力自然增強，想不進步都難!

Once "reasoning" becomes a habit, your ability to think critically and differentiate will improve as well, and you cannot help but make progress.

半寄 Master Ban Ji


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如理思維 2 Reasoning 2

佛陀的教學，處處可以看到啟發修行者自己去想的語句，以前看經典看到「如理思維」時，有說不出的喜愛，後來乾脆寫在書案前，時時去想這句話蘊藏的意思。

You can see words and phrases that constantly inspire practitioners to reason and to think in Buddha's teaching. When I saw "reasonable thinking", I felt indescribable joy. In the end, I wrote it on my desk, and think about the meaning of this phrase all the time.

這大概是我看到「念頭用看」的修法，不能想像的主因，印度的教派真要說也數不清，一天吃一點芝麻的，拜火的、絕食的、泡恆河水想洗淨污垢的............太多了，

This is the main reason that I was not able to imagine a method that talked about "mindful of your thoughts." There are countless numbers of Practices in India, some only eats a bit of sesame a day, some worships fire, some use fasting, some try to wash away their impurity in the Ganges river...too many to mention.

這裡邊只少了動大腦的修法，其餘修法一應俱全，修道變成跟腦袋無關，跟身體有絕大關聯，按照這些修法身體佔很重要的位子，應該是要好好了解它、理會它、因為自己不斷要求身體，做很多嚴苛的事，

The only method that is missing is the one that uses brain. All these methods want to have nothing to do with brain, but everything to do with the body. The body seems to be very important to these methods, so I would think they will try to understand their body, because they kept asking their body to perform many harsh acts.

可是很奇怪大部分的修行者，最不理會的就是身體，就算你自認吸收一門很好的修法，在修持的過程中是不是也應留意一下，這個修法帶給你的感覺如何? 自己雖不一定具足判斷能力，但自己的感官總不至於把痛苦當歡樂傳導給自己吧?! 修法再多，也沒有自己神經誤傳的法門，傾聽自己身體的反應，也是一種解讀! 除非自己一直吸食鴉片，已不願意好好看待自己。

But it is strange that most practitioners tend to ignore their bodies. Even if you have encounter a very good method, shouldn't you at least pay attention to the feeling that this method is giving you? You might not have the ability to differentiate, but would your own senses treat pain as happiness? There are many methods, but none that teaches your nervous systems to lie to you. Listening to your body is also a part of interpretation of a Practice. Unless you are always smoking opium and no longer willing to treat yourself well.

半寄 Master Ban Ji

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