五十陰魔The 50 Māras of the aggregates

南禪朋友好！

五十陰魔

The 50 Māras of the aggregates

華人讀者的大量出現，讓我想寫寫《六祖壇經》，三月份單月

香港朋友在南禪部落格的點閱率破2千，大家法喜充滿！

The large number of Chinese readers visiting the Blog recently has

 inspired me to write about the Platform Sūtra. In March alone, the

 NanZen Blog had over 2,000 hits from readers in Hong Kong. May

 your heart be filled with the joy of the Dharma!

 

再來探討《愣嚴經》的「五十陰魔」，寺廟的早課，都是以

「愣嚴咒」做開頭的，事實上，有好多年我都不知道這「魔」

這麼多該怎麼辦？

參考很多觀點，得出我個人的看法。

Right now, however, I’d like to discuss the “50 Māras of the

 aggregates” in the Śūraṅgama Sūtra. The morning liturgy at the

 monastery begins with the Śūraṅgama mantra. In my young years, I

 was confused with why there were so many Māras and how to 

 practice for a long time. I finally got some ideas after researching

 various viewpoints.

 

《愣嚴經》講的這些魔都是人類的思想、心理問題，例如；認

知不夠或是說我們對很多問題根本就不懂所產生的迷思，但是

冠上佛法專有名詞以後我們要分辨他反而產生困難

如果從人性的弱點下手我覺得比較清楚明白這些艱澀的古代用

詞到底想傳達什麼樣的佛法給我們。

個人覺得魔這字「心魔」為大。

既是「心魔」那麼修行者的心理原本的認知是什麼是不是也該

探討一下！

我個人介意文字傳達的清楚度，所以一定要把一些文字的模糊

地帶搞清楚，指標務必清𥇦！

例如；「五十陰魔」是人性的種種，踏破人性的修行者得而過

關。（目前我還在克服這些魔，但不知怎麼的已經不怕魔，哈！）

It’s possible to understand these Māras as conditions of the human

 mind. You see, our lack of understanding gives rise to all sorts of

 misconceptions, and trying to use Buddhist technical terminology to

 allay our confusion only makes it worse.However, I’ve found that

 approaching the question from the weaknesses of human nature

 makes it easier to understand just what is meant by this abstruse

 ancient terminology.

I personally find it helpful to think of Māra here as mainly referring

 to the defilements of the mind.

In this way of looking at it, we begin with the spiritual aspirant’s

 understanding and state of mind.

For me, it’s important for words to convey their proper meaning. We

 need to be clear about what certain terms actually mean.

In this way of thinking, the “50 Māras of the aggregates” are the

 various tests of human nature that the spiritual aspirant is inevitably

 confronted with. (In my case, I’m still working on conquering these

 Māras, but at least they don’t frighten me any more. Ha!)

 

經驗告訴我自己，除了自己的「心魔作怪」以外，還有誰能撼

動你呢？無知也是吧！

半寄

I’ve learned from experience that we ourselves are our own worst

 enemies; apart from these “Māras of the mind,” who/what else has

 the power to make you agitated?  Ignorance does !

Master Ban Ji

 Translated by Ken Kraynak

     

 

相似的修行Analogies for Buddhist Practice

南禪朋友好！ 

         去登過大山的人應該都有下面文章描述的經驗， 所以很多人在山上認為他們進入修行中的三昧境界，

 我個人都覺得有待商榷，就是根據下面文章寫的經驗，而這只是純粹的爬山感受就可以有特殊的體驗。

       修行依然是陷阱很多的路，小心喔，佛法一定要研究清楚。 

半寄 

Analogies for Buddhist Practice

Greetings, friends of Nan Zen!

Anyone who has ever climbed a mountain will probably know what

 the article below is talking about.

While climbing a mountain, lots of people have an experience they

 describe in terms similar to samadhi.

This topic requires further discussion in light of the experience

 described in the article below; this is a type of experience known

 only to those who have done some mountain climbing.

There are lots of pitfalls on the path of Buddhist Practice, and you

 have to watch your step so you don’t fall into them.

Master Ban Ji

Translated by Ken Kraynak

 

（本文引述自中時人間書摘，作者陳德政）

      ⋯⋯ 隔天清晨全隊像從一座孤島上被撈起，每個人都冷得打顫，在草坡上站成一排等著被太陽救贖。拔營後，我跟在大隊後面登上合歡北峰，領隊像旅行團的導遊把大家集合起來，拍了張到此一遊的合照，接下來就一路走回登山口。

 這時，一個微小的奇蹟發生了……下山的路途，我完全不覺得自己是個徹夜未眠這時，一個微小的奇蹟發生了……下山的路途，我完全不覺得自己是個徹夜未眠的人。我步伐輕盈，心情滿足而歡喜，全身肌肉柔韌且富含力量。更奇特的是，我的腦袋清澈無比。 美國作家彼得．馬修森當過特工，他在一九六O年代率先嘗試了LSD迷幻藥，體驗改變心智的能力。後來他與一位生物學家同行，前往喜馬拉雅山脊尋找高貴的動物雪豹，在自然書寫的經典作《雪豹》中描述道：「是不是高度使然？我感覺開朗、清明，再度像個小孩子。」⋯⋯

(Several quotes in this article are excerpts from a book by Chen Dezheng which appeared in the “World of Words” column in the China Times newspaper.)

Early the next morning, after being scooped up from an islet, the entire team is lined up on the grassy field, shivering from the cold and waiting to be saved by the sun. After breaking camp we follow the crowds of mountaineers making their way to the North Peak of Hehuan Mountain. Our guide assembles the team for a group photo, and then we return to the trailhead.

 

Then I become aware of something that strikes me as quite amazing. Even though I hardly slept last night, on the way down I don’t feel it. My steps are steady and graceful, I’m in a buoyant state of mind, my muscles are flexible, and I have lots of energy. What’s even more remarkable is that my mind is incomparably clear.

The American writer and one-time CIA agent Peter Matthiessen experimented with LSD in the 1960s, an experience which revealed to him the hidden potentials of the mind. During the early 1970s he made a field trip to the Himalayas with a biologist to search for the elusive snow leopard, based on which he wrote Snow Leopard, a classic work of nature writing in which he reflects, “Is this the result of being at such a high altitude? I feel so expansive, bright, and clear; it’s like becoming a child again.”

  Master Ban Ji

                                                               Translated by Ken Kraynak

     

六祖壇經3 The Platform Sutra 3

 

南禪朋友好！

《六祖壇經》3

              在華人佛學修行裡蘊育的禪宗，講究意在言外，

若用了名、相、詞（辭）去形容「禪」便落個俗套，

然而想「不立文字」的超越，卻換來比手畫腳的笑話與痛楚，

 禪宗終究在失去佛法系統支持下沒落！

         不立文字終究也用了文字，言語道斷最終也名相的交代了修行者的境界。

 名、相、詞（辭），用得好，嘉惠無數佛學者，

何必定要不立、不落文字， 

本來就說- 「本來無一物」 哈！

半寄

The Platform Sutra 3

Greetings, friends of Nan Zen!

As an integral part of its Chinese heritage, the Zen school

 emphasizes that the essence of the Buddhadharma is ineffable, such

 that all recourse to names, concepts, and terms is merely making a

 perfunctory bow to convention. On the other hand, completely doing

 away with language and using only gestures to convey the teachings

 is tedious and even laughable, and attempting to do so would

 deprive Zen of the many benefits of presenting the Dharma in a

 systematic way.

Despite this reminder to not rely on words, we still have to use

 language; moreover, refraining from all use of words can easily

 become a mere substitute for the level of experience we seek to

 attain through Buddhist Practice.

Master Ban Ji

Translated by Ken Kraynak

 

 

六祖壇經2 The Platform Sutra 2

南禪朋友好！ 

 《六祖壇經》2 

        幾天前寫的公案，引起回響，再來寫一則。 

六祖大師云：「不思善，不思惡，正與麼時，那個是明上座本來面目？」。

 很多人都會問什麼叫  「不思善，不思惡」這要怎麼修？

 人性大都黏著善、排斥惡！ 

善、惡兩者間幾乎是選擇題，

 現在說：不思善、不思惡，如何去思索！

 我請教過醫生，所謂惡人在診療間救嗎？

 救，答案是肯定的！ 

 善、惡常一起上演，六祖惠能的「不思善、不思惡」 在生活中

顯得重要。 

 《碧巌録》第三十五則 無著問文殊。此間如何住持。 殊云。凡

聖同居龍蛇混雜。 著云。多少衆。 殊云。前三三後三三。

上面這則公案更難！ 

「凡聖同居龍蛇混雜，」 緊接著提示，「前三三後三三」

 祖師意是；前三與後三「平等？」 大難題！

 半寄

The Platform Sutra 2

Greetings, friends of Nan Zen!

A few days ago I mentioned a certain gongan; based on the feedback,

 it seems that further clarification is necessary.

It’s a statement by the Sixth Patriarch: “Thinking of neither good nor

 evil, at that very moment, what is Venerable Ming’s original face?”

Now, lots of people ask how one cultivates this practice of thinking

 neither good nor evil, since it’s human nature to gravitate towards

 the good and to reject what’s evil.

Our default way of thinking is to make a choice between good and

 evil, but now we are being told to think of neither good nor evil, but

 just what does that mean?

I once asked a physician if he had ever treated a patient who most

 people would consider a scoundrel. He answered, “Of course I

 have!”

 

Good and evil typically come into play together, and the Sixth

 Patriarch’s admonition to think of neither good nor evil clearly has

 great significance for how we are to live.

In Case 35 in the Blue Cliff Record Asaṅga asks Mañjuśrī, “How is it

 [buddhadharma] maintained around here?” Mañjuśrī answers,

 “When ordinary people and sages dwell together, dragons and

 snakes intermingle in confusion.” Then Asaṅga asks, “How many

 assemblies of monks are there?” Mañjuśrī answers, “Three threes in

 front; three threes in back.”

Now this gongan is even more challenging!

First he says, “When ordinary people and sages dwell together,

 dragons and snakes intermingle in confusion,” and his very next

 reply is “Three threes in front; three threes in back.”

The ancient commentators take it as a way of indicating nonduality

 or the equality of front and back, but it remains a highly enigmatic

 statement!

Master Ban Ji

Translated by Ken Kraynak

 

六祖壇經1 The Platform Sutra 1

南禪朋友早安！《六祖壇經》

              最近看著《解讀中觀27道題》這書，   

想起二次世界大戰後學者們想為華人思想找一條路走，對學問的用功程度令人敬仰！ 

其中胡適先生對《六祖壇經》諸多考證，

初見《六祖壇經》對於「風動、幡動，仁者心動，」

看來總覺得怵目驚心， 思緒似乎瞬間被「仁者心動」 逼殺到盡頭！ 哈

禪宗很多公案都只飄盪在風中就沒了下文！我如今倒想問真的「只有我心動？」 

風、幡應該有作用吧！ 至少眼睛、皮膚都一起起作用！

而「心」飄盪在風裡、幡裡、感官裡！

「禪」也應該這樣參！

 半寄

The Platform Sutra 1

Good morning, friends of Nan Zen!

I recently read the Chinese translation of Nagarjuna’s Middle Way,

 an annotated translation of the Mūlamadhyamakakārikā. It reminded

 me of the amazing amount of effort sinologists made during the

 period immediately following World War Two.

Amongst these was Hu Shi, who conducted extensive textual

 research on the Platform Sutra.

When first confronted with the line “What is moving, the wind, the

 flag, or your mind?” he was instantly taken aback by the idea of the

 mind as the agent of movement. Ha!

Lots of gongan consist of non sequiturs, coming to an abrupt halt

 without any sense of connection to what follows. Revisiting this

 one, I wonder if it’s only the mind that’s moving.

You see, it seems that the wind and the flag also play a part; or at

 least your eyes and skin do!

So when the mind is fluttering like that, it’s doing so in the wind, in

 the flag, and in the sense organs.

This is how to practice Zen

 Master Ban Ji

                    Translated by Ken Kraynak

梵谷畫作

 

《中觀論》The Doctrine of the Middle Way

南禪朋友好！

       以後講解《中觀論》的「空」觀點一定會運用新的思維方式。 

這是隨著時代演變而出現的新解釋。我個人覺得很好，

佛法的「空」思維必須處理與理解我（無我）的存在，及時間的經驗問題，於我個人而言只有沉浸其間，絕不厭倦。

禮敬龍樹菩薩

由衷感謝日本佛學者對研究與接軌時代的佛法做出的貢獻，

謝謝 

半寄

The Doctrine of the Middle Way

 

Greetings, friends of Nan Zen!

In further discussing the meaning of emptiness in the doctrine of the

 middle way, it will be necessary to adopt a new way of thinking.

It’s a modern mode of interpretation which accords with recent

 trends in thought, and I’m fine with that.

In approaching the Buddhist idea of emptiness, it’s necessary to also

 have a clear understanding of what’s meant by “self” and “not-self,”

 as well as our experience of time. It’s a topic I never get tired of.

For our understanding of this topic, we owe a debt of gratitude to Nagarjuna,

as well as to the various Japanese scholars who have done a

 marvelous job of integrating contemporary modes of inquiry into the

 academic study of Buddhism.

Master Ban Ji

                                                                Translated by Ken Kraynak

 

 

 

《物不遷論》

 

南禪朋友好！

南禪基金會執行長跟我提起有人跟她講，中國東晉時期的僧肇法師寫的《物不遷論》

我看了一個網站寫得很不錯跟大家分享。

 用文言文寫的《物不遷論》只有專精研究的人才能看懂， 這個網頁寫的有趣的比喻讓中文思想裡面的「空」 多一個觀點。

 半寄

https://philomedium.com/blog/81226

 

 

心猿意猴The Monkey Mind

 

南禪朋友早安！

                 最近認識的大德有些焦慮自己的前途，

提供一個基本功。 

          當你的腦海浮現看到別人過好日子，你就認為他們都是搶

來的或是他們都是很容易就做到！ 那就應該告訴自己，他們一

定付出很多， 我自己做自己的。

魔鬼無非就是在你腦袋給你負面的顛倒妄想， 大家都生活的

好， 全世界只有你自己不好， 你盡量去嫉妒、盡量去掠奪⋯⋯  

當你的腦袋僅有這些負面的想法的時候， 其實你的福報已經在

報銷了， 魔鬼給你嗎啡吃，讓你完全顛倒妄想， 如果我們可以

克制這樣的想法，只看好自己， 讓自己的腦袋能從黒暗中透出

光明，

可以克制這些顛倒妄想， 除了供養功德外更為自己造福， 不必

怕自己不能往前走！

我個人就這樣修的， 個人早年很用功這樣做， 墊下一個雄厚的

基礎，幫助我有力量往前走！ 

             換句話說:佛經一直講「貪瞋癡薄，」反應的是光明的力量， 

自己的前途也會因光明的力量而開拓一條路的 

只問自己拿什麼能力往上爬。 

           佛陀自己也常說：天魔波旬常在搜尋祂的弟子腦袋，（意識） 

找佛陀弟子腦袋幹什麼？

裝進各式各樣的顛倒妄想啊！ 看似靜態的修行， 但只要大腦一

直是顛倒妄想，就一直在消耗自己福報， 

修行只要能反制不論是自己的，或是別人給的顛倒妄想，

基礎從此墊下。 

半寄

（上圖照片，不聽、不看、不說顛倒妄想，泰國佛寺）

（自己盯著自己，只要了解自己的心意識，不過只是一隻猴子

而已，哪有心思去看別人在幹什麼！ 拼命往前跑都來不及）

The Monkey Mind

Good morning, friends of Nan Zen!

Amongst the people I’ve recently become acquainted with, some are

 worried about the future, and I’d like to speak about that.

When we see others who are doing well, we tend to assume that

 everything has always been easy for them, or that their success has

 been acquired through nefarious means! It would be better to tell

 yourself that whatever they are now enjoying is surely the result of

 meritorious deeds done in the past, and that I can do the same.

The main way in which an evil spirit brings you to harm is to sow

 negative and deluded thoughts in your mind, the sort of thoughts

 that make you believe that you are the only one in the whole world

 who has problems, so that you begin to envy others, and may even

 start thinking that you might be justified in getting ahead by

 engaging in illicit activities.

 

When you fall prey to these sorts of negative thought patterns you

 actually attenuate whatever blessings you might have otherwise had

 coming your way. This is the morphine the devil gets you hooked on

 so that your thinking gets all twisted. What we need to do is to put

 an end to this way of thinking; when you gain a clear understanding

 of yourself, it’s as if a bright light comes shooting out of the

 darkness; by practicing the virtue of generosity you generate

 blessings and good fortune for yourself, enabling you to

 courageously go forward!

For a long time now I have been diligently practicing in this way; it’s

 a way of laying down a solid foundation, and it gives you the

 strength needed to keep moving ahead!

This is why the Buddhist scriptures repeatedly stress the importance

 of attenuating greed, hatred, and delusion; doing so generates a

 bright kind of energy which helps to illuminate the way ahead.

It’s up to us to generate this energy and to use it to keep moving in

 the right direction.

 The Buddha repeatedly said that Mara is always observing the hearts

 of those on the path of Buddhist Practice.

What for?

He’s looking for his chance to install all sorts of devious and twisted

 ideas in their hearts! Someone may appear to be enrapt in

 meditation, but as soon as a deluded thought pattern arises, one’s

 blessings are consumed.

So an essential part of practice is being able to overcome and

 eradicate these deluded thought patters, be they of one’s own

 making or learned from someone else.

This is one of the foundations of Buddhist Practice.

Master Ban Ji

Translated by Ken Kraynak

 

(photo: Three monkeys showing the idea of “Hear no delusion, see

 no delusion, speak no delusion” at a monastery in Thailand)

(By turning inwards, you come to realize that your mind is like a

 restless monkey; you won’t learn this by observing others! The mind

 is so fast that you’ll never catch up with it.)

龍年 Year of the Dragon

 南禪朋友好！

       

          在這裡跟大家拜個早年  ，十幾天來新加坡、香港的朋友們點閱部落格文章又破了1200次，讓我有一點喜悅!  

       從開始寫佛法，個人就認定好的文章靠口碑就可以傳出去！

所以也沒有任何廣告，任何的推動。

 我個人一直維持看書的習慣，自己看到好的文章、好的書藉也

一樣會去介紹，所以也認定自己如寫的好應該也會有口碑的。 

         在此感謝新加坡讀者熱心的介紹，「南禪精舍修行的探

討」 大家龍年如意！ 

半寄暨南禪精舍、教育基金會執行長郭芳純、董事會一同敬上

Year of the Dragon

Greetings, friends of Nan Zen!

I’d like to wish everyone an early happy new year! I’m pleased to

 report that over the past ten days or so the articles on the blog have

 had over 1,200 hits from our friends in Singapore and Hong Kong.

Right from the start of writing about Buddhism, I’ve found that a

 good article gets sufficient publicity by word of mouth alone.

So there’s no need for advertising or publicity.

I’ve always been an avid reader, and whenever I read a good article

 or book I recommend it to others; by the same token, if anything I

 write is of good quality, it will naturally get sufficient exposure by

 word of mouth alone.

I’d also like to thank the reader from Singapore for the review of

Search For Enlightenment with Nan Zen Vihara. Best wishes for a

 happy year of the dragon!

Sincerely,

 Banji, Nan Zen Vihara, education foundation CEO Sophiea

 Kuo, and the board of directors

 

 

修佛法2 Practicing Buddhism 2

 

修佛法2  

           我常常會面對有人說： 師父你10年前、20年前講過的

話，現在怎麼可以改變了呢！？ 

我常被要求在原地20年、30年都不可以動一下， 語言也不可以

轉換，也不可以修正！哈

 那我豈不變成阿呆師哈！ 人心裡的恐懼是無以言喻的！

 那種恐懼會恐懼到要求別人都跟自己站在一條線、一個點， 然後不可以動， 人性說也說不完⋯⋯

               我常覺得人怎麼可以這麼封鎖的去過完自己的一輩子！

 一個出家師父身上背負的重擔難以想像!

只能說；聽清楚了佛法，去修自己，把那個龜縮（鎖）的自己拉出來，

天下第一大神功，哈

 Practicing Buddhism 2

People often ask me how it is that what I’m now saying is different

 from what I said ten or twenty years ago.

It’s as if I’m being asked to not make any modifications, corrections,

 or improvements to what I said or wrote two or three decades ago. A

 teacher who never improves---what a scary thought!

Out of fear of change, some people cling to their current views and

 understanding, and expect others to do the same; this is human

 nature.

It’s unfortunate that some people live their entire lives enclosed in a

 tiny box. Imagine the heavy burden this places on a monk or nun

 trying to teach the Dharma!

In a nutshell, my advice is to learn the teaching well, and then apply

 it to yourself, in such a way that you extricate yourself from your

 self-created, limiting views.

Of all the amazing things in this world, this one is of foremost

 importance.

Master Ban Ji

Translated by Ken Kraynak