血的緣The Bond of Blood

 血的緣

    

大家好！

 

在台南讀書會成員裡面，家人有從事醫療背景的大德很關心DNA的問題，

我說基因其實也是修行裡面的天關，

 

比方說；你不喜歡家人的遺傳，但是你偏偏有著跟他們一樣的想法、生活習慣，

 

假設你有著修行的概念，想衝過去這一關，血緣便宛如天關聳立在你眼前。

如同我寫過的影子一樣，這一關說有多難就有多難，

華人小說《封神榜》寫出哪吒「剔骨還父，剔血還母，蓮花化身。」

精準地說出修行，必須歷經脱胎換骨依

佛法（蓮花）而重生。

脱胎換骨的意義於我就等同認知「性空緣起」般，在天關面前徘徊又徘徊，不甘心再不甘心，

 

如果；粉身碎骨沒了身體如何修行？

如果拖著身體沒有蛻變這一切的能力，又如何看待自己？

「修行」真不是兩個字寫得清楚的。

 

每一個肉體都有一個「基因印記」，這些探索對於修行者反而是必要的，

經典指向解脱，而解脱來自蛻變。

半寄

 

The Bond of Blood

 

Greetings, friends of NanZen!

At our study group in Tainan, someone whose family are with a medical background raised questions about DNA.

I responded that genetics is actually one of the big barriers one must confront in spiritual practice.

For instance, you may find yourself resistant to your family’s inherited traits, and yet, your thoughts and habits mirror theirs.

 

If you embrace the concept of spiritual cultivation and want to overcome this challenge, your bloodline stands in front of you like a big wall you have to climb.

Just like the "shadow" I once wrote about, this barrier is is a really tough challenge.

In the classic Chinese novel Investiture of the Gods, Nezha offers his bones back to his father and his flesh to his mother, then is reborn from a lotus.

This metaphor precisely illustrates that true spiritual practice requires a complete transformation—a rebirth through the Dharma (like the lotus).

To me, this kind of transformation is like realizing the truth of “ śūnyatā and dependent origination.”

One circles again and again before that heavenly barrier, unwilling to accept it, yet still unable to break through.

But—if the body is shattered, how can one still cultivate?

If we drag our bodies along without the power to transform, how do we truly face ourselves?

Spiritual cultivation is not something that can be fully explained in a couple of words.

Every (human) body carries its own genetic imprint. For those on the spiritual path, exploring this is not only helpful—it’s necessary.

The scriptures point toward liberation, and liberation comes only through transformation.

Master Banji

自我愛問題回答

 大家好！

自我愛問題回答

最近部落格的閱讀率很高，當臉書擁擠的時候更多，這也讓我知道讀者來自哪裡！

新的點閱率讓我很感動，從流動的數字會知道很多人是一篇一篇認真的在讀，

今天有讀者想問我，最近點閱率很高的2011年12月份的「自我愛」內容到底要怎麼修，

我自己重新看了一遍，已經有把整個修持內容交代清楚，

人是自私的，所以修「自我愛」會很困難，你從思想下手會比較容易，

因為想法改變了，做法就會改變，

你要強迫自己把你所愛、所需要的人事物丟掉，那不是修行，那是暫時的一種滿足外相看起來像修行而已！

過一陣子你就會被自己擊倒了，

要從思想下手，我在文章有交代清楚，不要心急，慢慢思索出一個對自己有幫助的方向，一定會對自己大有幫忙。

如果再不能解決，那你就得私訊Mail給我，談談你的切身問題，祝福🙏

masterjg05@yahoo.com.tw

半寄

斷滅空Annihilative Śūnyatā

斷滅空

    

大家好

 

斷滅空，台南讀書會上面有大德說：空是斷滅空。（什麼都不存在）

我說：根本沒有斷滅空，離開因緣（存在的條件說）

去說空才叫斷滅空，

 

《中論》論述沒有離開因緣條件的架構，怎麼可能是斷滅空？

當只說空的時候才叫斷滅空，

而什麼都不存在的斷滅空真有必要再討論嗎？

 

《中論》提出了「八不」去解說「空」都是有其內容的論述空。

 

這是攻擊的人有意的直接攻擊，

或是說他們根本是對「八不」無法了解做出的攻擊。

至古至今沒有任何一家的學說可以只說「空」（主題），而不見其敘述的內容就可流傳至今，

 

如果有這事，是在嘲諷譏笑《中論》的態度，不是去讀與了解學問的人，至多只能說這論點不能接受。

 

讀書會也討論到黑暗跟光明一直都存在，

我說：依據《中論》的理論，

如果說；黑暗是具體（有自性）存在，就不可能產生光明的，

（現場引發不可置信的笑聲）

 

黑暗是透過「緣」的方式而產生的黑暗與光明，

這個走到芬蘭看到日不落的「永晝」就完全清楚，進而禮敬龍樹菩薩，

 

個人相信一個學問立足走了近2千年，一定是立下這學問的智者通過仔細的反覆推敲才寫成的，

如無其必要，也早就被時代淘汰。

 

衝不破的是我們個人的認知在一定的範圍跟習慣性才會認為龍樹菩薩的「八不論空」是斷滅。

 

這斷滅空的說法，從古至今都有，個人認為也已經沒有時代意義，

時代走到現在《中觀論、空論》的很多想法一再被提出來研究，考驗著研究者的探索。

 

  整個《中觀論、空論》龍樹菩薩的立場是；

只是要指出「空」而「不立空。」

用這樣的思維去看《中論》「八不」就對了！

半寄

 

（芬蘭的日不落-永晝是拍不出來的，現場的見證令人難忘）

 

Annihilative Śūnyatā

 

Greetings, friends of NanZen!

In our study club in Tainan, someone equated "śūnyatā" with nihilistic or annihilative śūnyatā—the notion that nothing exists.

I explained that true śūnyatā is never annihilative. It turns into a nihilistic concept only when it is abstracted from the principle of dependent origination.

The Madhyamaka (Middle Way) philosophy does not depart from the framework of causes and conditions, so how can it possibly be annihilative śūnyatā?

And truly—does such a misrepresentation, the idea that absolutely nothing exists, still warrant serious discussion?

Nāgārjuna’s Mūlamadhyamakakārikā presents the “Eight Negations” not as abstract denials, but as rigorous arguments for understanding the nature of śūnyatā.

This kind of criticism is either a deliberate attack or stems from a failure to comprehend the profundity of the “Eight Negations.”

Historically, no philosophical tradition has survived through time by proclaiming "śūnyatā"alone, without providing thorough explanations 

To act in such a way is not an attempt to study or understand the Mūlamadhyamakakārikā, but rather to ridicule and scorn it. At most, one can only claim that such a position is untenable.

 

In our group, we also discussed how darkness and light coexist.I said, according to Nāgārjuna’stheory, if darkness inherently existed, then light could never arise. (The audience burst into incredulous laughter.) Darkness and light arise interdependently, through conditions. This becomes evident when we experience phenomena like the “midnight sun” in Finland. It deepens my reverence for Nāgārjuna. 

I believe that any philosophy that has endured for nearly 2,000 years must have been formulated with rigorous reasoning by a great mind. 

Without such depth, it would have been discarded by the passage of time.

It is not Nāgārjuna’s philosophy that is constrained, but our perception, limited by habit and conceptual boundaries. Such limitations are what cause people to misinterpret the “Eight Negations” as nihilistic.

This notion of annihilative "śūnyatā" has existed for centuries, but in my view, it no longer holds relevance in our time.

Today, many ideas from the Mūlamadhyamakakārikā and the philosophy of " śūnyatā " are being studied anew, challenging the depth of researchers’ understanding.

Nāgārjuna’s position in the entire Madhyamakaand Doctrine of Śūnyatā is this: to reveal "śūnyatā " , not to establish or cling to the concept of śūnyatā itself.

That’s the way to correctly interpret the “Eight Negations” in the Mūlamadhyamakakārikā.

Master Banji

(The midnight sun in Finland—that endless daylight—can’t be captured well in photos. Witnessing it in person is unforgettable.)

 

 

芬蘭日不落的永晝太陽是拍不出來的，唯現場的見證令人難忘

臺灣南禪精舍台南讀書會

 大家好！

臺灣南禪精舍-台南讀書會

想說買屏東的蘆筍去讀書會送給讀書會的大德們，常在接收她們的禮物💝，

結果，在旺季買不到蘆筍！

果不其然，又收到淑青弟弟種的真正有機成大認證的鳳梨🍍

今年氣候太不穩定，整個農產品都欠收，要不然她們都宅配一整箱讓我還可以送給精舍的其他居士們！

雅惠老師的先生國禎退休了，幫讀書會送午餐，謝謝喔😊

今天見面的黃旭占中醫師夫婦我都沒有印象，黃醫師說他們夫妻幾年前跟惠宜、雅惠老師跟我吃過飯，

我怎麼一點印象都沒有呢？要健腦了。

惠宜一來就笑容滿面，大概開悟了，一直讚嘆《中論27道題》這書很好！哈

台南讀書會很久沒合照，

左前ㄧ.百秀主任，執行長芳純.右前一嘉瑜主任。

左後方ㄧ.淨妃老師.重德主任.雅惠.淑青.惠宜.瑜芬老師，

照片第三張右後ㄧ.黃中醫師。

老師們7月是旅遊旺季，8月見了！

半寄

解讀中論27道題.第8章Interpretation of 27 Questions on the Mūlamadhyamakakārikā, Ch. 8

《解讀中論27道題》第8章解讀

 

大家好！

有部分的大德，想要看《解讀中論27道題》第8章解讀，第8章是下面照片的概念。

我在找資料的時候順道看到了就先給你們去做參考。

半寄

語言與概念的自我解構性 在龍樹的《中論》中,他使用四句破(離有、離無、離亦有亦無、離非有非無)的方式, 指出任何概念立場都無法最終成立。這一點上也有反自反性的特徴:語言與概念無法為自己提供最後的正當性,因為它們本身也是緣起的,依賴他緣才有意義。 ・維根斯坦的《邏輯哲學論》後期思想:語言的極限不能由語言自身說明。

 

Interpretation of 27 Questions on the Mūlamadhyamakakārikā, Ch. 8 

 

Greetings, friends of NanZen!

Some people have expressed interest in reading Chapter 8 of Nagarjuna’s Middle Way: Mulamadhyamakakarika. The content of Chapter 8 corresponds to the concept shown in the photo below.

While I was looking for related materials, I happened to come across this and thought I’d share it with you for reference.
Master Banji

 

The Self-Deconstructive Nature of Language and Concepts In Nāgārjuna’s Mūlamadhyamakakārikā, he uses the method of the "fourfold negation" (freedom from existence, non-existence, both, and neither) to show that no conceptual position can ultimately be established. This reveals a kind of self-reflexivity: language and concepts cannot provide final justification for themselves, because they too are dependently arisen and gain meaning only through conditions beyond themselves. This is similar to the later thought of Wittgenstein in the Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus, where he states: the limits of language cannot be explained from within language itself.

 

性空緣起Śūnyatā and Dependent Origination

性空緣起

 

大家好！

個人修行生涯都在搞通這一題，之前文章說過了，「緣起性空」比較好理解，

「性空緣起」根本就是無字天書。講解這個根本無從開口。

 

當然就文字敘述是很簡單，如果你想藉這思維去悟法，它就是無字天書。

所以才會說懂佛陀「因緣法」的就只有舍利弗跟龍樹智者。

而方法只有一種，「因緣法」通過種種方式去思維，常掛在腦袋裏，哈

半寄

 

AI資料 「性空緣起」 是佛教中一個非常核心且深奧的概念，主要來自中觀派的思想，由龍樹菩薩系統性地闡發。這個概念結合了「性空」（即萬法皆空，沒有自性）與「緣起」（即一切事物因緣和合而生，沒有獨立存在）的兩個觀點。以下是對這個概念的簡要說明：   一、什麼是「性空」？ 「性空」是指一切法（事物、現象）都沒有「自性」（svabhāva），即：  沒有固定不變的本質。 沒有獨立自主的存在。 離開了因緣條件，無一法可自立存在。 這意味著，事物本身是「空」的，空不是「什麼都沒有」，而是「沒有固定、獨立的本質」。   二、什麼是「緣起」？ 「緣起」是說一切事物都是依因緣條件而生起的，沒有一個東西是從自己本身單獨生起的。例如： 稻子是由種子、水分、陽光、土地等條件合和而生起。 人的身心也依父母、環境、習慣、認知等因緣而成。   三、「性空」與「緣起」的關係：性空即緣起、緣起即性空 這是龍樹菩薩《中論》中最核心的觀點之一。 他指出：以有空義故，一切法得成。若無空義者，一切則不成。 ——《中論》觀四諦品 這意思是說： 因為一切法「性空」，所以才能夠依因緣生起（緣起）。如果法有固定不變的本性，它就不能隨因緣而變動，那就不會有緣起，也無從解脫。   所以： 因為一切法是空的（無自性），才可能依因緣而起； 因為是緣起的，才顯示它們是無自性的（空）。 這種觀點打破了常見的「有/無」二元思維，是中觀思想最深刻的洞見。   四、實踐意涵 破執著：了解萬法性空，可以破除對「自我」和「事物」的執著，從而減少煩惱。 中道觀：既不落入「實有」（執著萬法真實存在），也不落入「斷滅」（認為什麼都不存在），而是看到萬法因緣生、無自性，行於中道。 有助解脫：透過觀空，破除無明，見到真實的「如實相」，是通往涅槃的道路。

 

Śūnyatā and Dependent Origination

 

Greetings, friends of NanZen!

 

In my personal journey of spiritual practice, this has been the core question I've been trying to understand. As I mentioned in a previous post, “dependent origination and śūnyatā (pratītyasamutpāda śūnyatā)” is relatively easier to grasp.

 

But “śūnyatā and dependent origination (śūnyatā pratītyasamutpāda)” — that feels like an unintelligible scripture with no words.

There's simply no way to even begin explaining it.

 

Of course, putting it into words seems simple enough, but if you try to use this way of thinking to truly realize the Dharma, then it really does become a scripture without words.

 

That’s why it’s often said that only Śāriputra and Nāgārjuna truly understood the Buddha’s teaching of dependent origination.

And there is really only one method: to contemplate dependent origination in various ways and keep it constantly in mind.

 

Master Banji

 

 

AI Data Śūnyatā and Dependent Origination (Śūnyatā-pratītyasamutpāda) This is one of the most central and profound concepts in Buddhism, especially within the Mādhyamaka (Middle Way) school, systematically articulated by Nāgārjuna Bodhisattva. The concept integrates two key ideas: • Śūnyatā: All phenomena are empty of inherent existence. • Dependent Origination (pratītyasamutpāda): All things arise dependent on causes and conditions. Below is a brief explanation of this core teaching:   1. What is " Śūnyatā"? “Śūnyatā” means that all dharmas (phenomena or things) lack intrinsic nature(svabhāva). This implies: • They have no fixed or unchanging essence. • They do not exist independently or autonomously. • No phenomenon can exist on its own apart from conditions. Thus, śūnyatā doesn’t mean “nothingness,” but rather that things do not possess a permanent, independent essence.   2. What is " Dependent Origination " (Pratītyasamutpāda)? Dependent origination means that all phenomena come into existence due to a web of causes and conditions. Nothing arises independently. For example: • A stalk of rice grows from a seed, water, sunlight, soil, and time. • A human being’s body and mind arise from parents, environment, habits, perceptions, and so on.   3. The Relationship Between Śūnyatā and Dependent Origination Śūnyatā is Dependent Origination; Dependent Origination is Śūnyatā This is one of the most essential insights in Nāgārjuna’s Mūlamadhyamakakārikā. He writes: "It is because of the śūnyatā of all things that they can arise dependently. Without śūnyatā, nothing could come into being." — Mūlamadhyamakakārikā, Chapter on the Four Noble Truths In other words: • Because all things are empty of inherent existence, they are able to arise based on conditions. • If things had a fixed, unchanging essence, they wouldn’t be able to change or respond to causes—thus, dependent arising would be impossible, and liberation would be unattainable. Therefore: • It is because all things are śūnyatā that they can arise dependently. • And it is because they arise dependently that we understand they are śūnyatā. This view transcends the common binary of "existence" and "non-existence," revealing one of the deepest insights of the Middle Way philosophy.   4. Practical Implications • Letting Go of Attachments: Understanding that all things are śūnyatā helps us let go of attachments to the self and external phenomena, reducing suffering. • Middle Way Perspective: We avoid falling into either eternalism (believing in inherently existing things) or nihilism (believing nothing exists at all). Instead, we recognize that all things are conditionally arisen and lack inherent nature. • Path to Liberation: Through insight into śūnyatā, we eliminate ignorance, see the true nature of reality, and progress on thepath to nirvāṇa.