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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印度人的苦文化 4 Indian's Culture of Dukkha 4

苦是人世間的存在事實，去說明它是有必要的，但這也無法否認，印度人講苦的確講到了極端，不但把它變成一種普遍的消極，還相當的給予合理化，前面說過地理孕育人文，也許這也是原因之一，苦的導向結果就是他們自己的國家，至今仍然窮困，也間接促使佛學起了重大變化，還原歷史的腳步，去看它演化的過程，讓讀者自己明白，在原始教典與大乘佛學間，不需要舉棋不定，不知該選擇那一個才好，我很了解許多的修學者，面對龐大的佛學，經常是徬徨無助的，然而每一個思想從生起到成熟，中間的演變，不可能不起變化，會流傳下來的學問，在歷經時代的考驗後，會顯現屬於它自己的光澤。

Suffering is part of life, and it is necessary to explain it. But it is also true that Indians had discussed suffering to the extreme. Not only did they made concept of suffering a common passivity and negativity, they also made it reasonable and legitimate. I have previously said that geography breeds humanity and culture. Maybe this is part of the reason that the focus of suffering make their country the way it is today, still full of poverty. But it also became a catalyst for Buddhism to change. If we go back in time and follow the footsteps of history, we can see the evolution of Buddhism, and the readers will be able to understand how to choose between Early Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism. I understand that many practitioners, when faced with the tremendous volumes of Buddhist Texts, often felt helpless. But every idea, from birth to maturity, must undergo changes. Whatever remains are tested by time and will show its own brightness.

而後來的修學者，更應有能力去吸收它的精華，至少演變大致已告一個段落、過程也清晰的反應出來，剩下的是吸取，或者純粹欣賞光芒而已!

The practitioners that came after the maturity of an idea should have more ability to absorb the essence of these teachings. Because the evolution of the idea has come to a stopping point and all that remain is to absorb or simply enjoying the light.

明白苦的歷史，讓修學者可以更坦然去修四聖諦，苦、集、滅、道，從容的從苦諦 (道)邁開步伐，往前方走去。

Once you have understand the history of dukkha, you will be able to practice the 4 Noble Truths undisturbed, and leisurely use dukkha as a starting point and walk forward.

註一 : 佛陀最初說的法
苦諦（迷的果．即苦果）
集諦（迷的因．即苦因）
滅諦（悟的果．即樂果）
道諦（悟的因．即樂因）

Note 1: Buddha's original teaching:
Suffering, dukkha (Result of confusion, also result of suffering.)
Origin of Suffering, Dukkha Samudaya (Cause of confusion, also cause of suffering.)
Cessation of Suffering, Dukkha Nirodha (Result of awakening, also result of happiness.)
The Path Leading to the Cessation of Suffering, Dukkha Nirodha Gamini Patipada Magga (Cause of awakening, also cause of happiness.)

半寄 Master Ban Ji

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印度人的苦文化 3 Indian's Culture of Dukkha 3

在阿含經的內容記載裡，可以看到佛陀的教學方法 (雖然很苦悶)，日常生活、及與弟子間的互動情形，真實的感受佛陀血肉之驅的存在，

We can see Buddha's teaching (although gloomy), daily lives, and the interaction between his followers in the Agama. But we can also feel the existence of Buddha's physical body.

在後來衍生的大乘經典裡，思想的內容，及思考方向，已全然朝不同的層次在演進，佛陀已遠，佛教正式進入論師與論典的時代，那蘭陀大學的興建 ，除了是世界上第一間大學外， 那蘭陀大學蘊育無數的人才，其中也包括中國著名的玄奘法師，如同現今的綜合大學研究所，教師與學生，不斷演進著印度本身及佛陀留下的思想，還學習醫藥，語言。

In the development of later Mahayana Buddhist Texts, the contents, ideas and the directions were all evolving toward a different level. Time of Buddha had long passed, and Buddhism is entering into an era of theoreticians and theories. The establishment of Nalanda college, other than the fact that it was the world's first college, developed many talents, one of which is the famous Dharma Master Xuanzang. Like today's research labs in a university, teachers and students are continuing improve Indians' and Buddha's ideas, but they also learned medicines and language.

婆羅門教加佛教，再加民間信仰的需求 ( 含醫藥、消災解厄，當時修道者知識份子居多，也就兼負醫療責任)，大乘佛教以全新的面貌，展現在世人眼前，不僅苦的論述減低，新的論文內容不斷出爐，除思想、修法外、也有像小說情節的內容加入，極俱幻想性，華嚴經這部大經典更是為個中翹楚 ! 可以想見在這麼豐富的文化、思想交集下。於是乎 ! 大乘佛學如萬馬奔騰般，全力往中國、西藏、日本，韓國傳開，跟苦悶的原始教典比較，它不僅開花結果，還成了當地主要的信仰。

Combined Brahaminism, Buddhism and the beliefs and needs of the populace (Including medicine, exorcism, many practitioners at the time are intellectuals, so they also took on the responsibilities of medicine.), Mahayana were presented to the world with a whole new face. Not only were there less discussion of suffering, new contents also appeared constantly. Other than theories, ideas and practices, they also included contents that are like fictional novels, full of imagination. Avataṃsaka Sūtra was the pinnacle. It is easy to see why Mahayana was able to spread to China, Tibet, Japan and Korea. Compare to the gloomy Agama, not only was it able to spread, it also became the main religion of those countries.

半寄 Master Ban Ji

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印度人的苦文化 2 Indian's Culture of Dukkha 2

拿中國人跟印度人的戰爭比較一下，會出現天壤之別，印度人軍隊戰爭時，老百姓是可以在旁邊圍觀的，依據大藏經文獻的記載會看到一個有趣畫面，兩軍在交戰時，不打戰的人們，竟然可以站在旁邊指指點點，比手畫腳評論一番，不知道這世上除了印度人的戰爭外，還有哪個國家是這樣 打戰的?

If we compare the wars of Chinese and Indians, we will see a huge differences. When Indians' armies were fighting, civilians could stand on the side and watch. Historical texts from Dàzàngjīng (Great Treasury of Sūtras) recorded an interesting scene. When two armies were fighting, the people who were not fighting stood at the side and opinionated about the battle to each other. Is there any other country fight wars this way?

反觀中國人的戰爭，在春秋戰國時代，為了國家生存、個人的功名(相當於近代的軍事學者)所催化出來的戰爭手段，其殘酷、冷血、至今依然令人髮指，在大環境相同的戰亂裡，竟有著這麼多不同的手法，似乎說明了為什麼對苦的詮釋，兩個國家接受程度有這麼大的不同。

On the other hand, if we look at the wars in China, in the Spring-Autumn period, many cruel and cold blooded tactics, strategies and methods were conducted in the name of the survival of the country and fame and fortune of the military advisers. The drastic differences in the wars and battles conducted under the similar context, seem to explain why these two cultures have different acceptance of the interpretation of suffering.

阿含經(原始教典) 在整個華人區域幾乎是消失的，一直到最近幾年，國際間掀起原始教典熱烈的討論，才又讓華人區域重新去看到它的價值，然而除了修學者會迫切想知道不同的修法外，一般信眾的焦點、目光還是不太可能放在阿含經身上，這是文化的距離造成的，也沒有所謂對與錯的問題。

Agama (Early Buddhist Texts) also disappear from Chinese Buddhism. It is not until recently that it received any attention. But this is due to the enthusiastic discussion of Agamas internationally. But other than practitioners who are interested in knowing about different Practices, most Chinese Buddhists' focus are not on Agama. This is due to cultural differences, and not a question of right and wrong.

半寄 Master Ban Ji

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印度人的苦文化 1 Indian's Culture of Dukkha 1

看過幾本佛經(尤其是原始教典阿含經)的讀者，印象最深的應該是[苦]這個字，苦這個名詞在佛經，處處可見，人生一定是有痛苦，可是印度人講的特別多，隨便翻開一本印度人的書籍，都可以看到苦的身影，或許你會說那是因為大部份印度人，生活現在過的還不怎樣，當然特別講苦，那如果說苦是每個國家都有，而它卻是印度人的講學文化之一，會不會有點驚訝!

Most readers, having read a few Buddhist Texts (Especially the Early Buddhist Texts Agama), should have dukkha this word burned into their mind. "Dukkha" is prevalent in Buddhist Texts. Of course there are pain and suffering in life, but Indians discussed it more than anyone else. If you open any Indian books, you would see the shadow of dukkha everywhere. You might think that it is because the quality of life is not great for most Indians today, of course they are going to talk about dukkha. But if every country has suffering, would you be surprised that it is one of cultural lecture theme for Indians?

把苦當作是一種文化，並且視它為理所當然，怎不會是匪夷所思!? 沒錯! 很多思想的促成都跟當地文化的走向，認同有著絕大關連，個人就一向認同地理孕育人文的觀點，既然地理的特質對文化的產生有這麼大的緊密互動，看一個思想時，去了解它背後的孕育過程，應該是不錯的。
 
It is incredible that a culture would treat suffering as a cultural theme, and consider it to be the norm. But the catalyst of many ideas and concepts are related to the local culture. I have always thought that geography breed humanity. So the characteristic of the geography would be closely tied to the birth of a culture. When you look at an idea, you need to understand how it was developed.

原始教典處處可以看到苦，苦講到極點時，連修行的比丘也受不了，進而產生自殺行為，讓佛陀自己傷感之餘，立下不能自殺的戒律，這也是大乘佛學興起的主因，苦的思想流傳到中國以後，幾乎無立足之地，華人自己幾經戰亂的摧殘，已不堪再負荷苦的傳播，阿含經在華人世界的傳遞，只停留在翻譯出來的階段而已。

Dukkha is everything in the Early Buddhist Texts. When it was discussed to the extreme, even the bikkunis cannot the thought of suffering and choose to suicide. Not only was Buddha sadden, he also declared the precept against suicide. This is another reason for the rise of Mahayana Buddhism. The concept of dukkha was not well accepted in China. Chinese people were no longer able to stand the broadcast of suffering, because they had experience the savages and suffering of wars many many times in their history. The spread of Agama in China only went as far as getting translated.

半寄 Master Ban Ji

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佛陀是人 3 Buddha is Human 3

中國禪宗第二代祖師慧可，問他師父達摩一個問題，很有名! 問題是我心不安!?  沒錯! 【我心不安】，所以我來找尋安心良方，有什麼問題比這個問題更急迫? 是人，才會不安不是嗎? 理所當然修道要解決的是人性的困難點，唯有修過這一切或通過這些人性考驗的修行者，才能教導別人該如何通過! 甚至是取得戰勝人性病態的勝利!

The second patriarch of Chinese Zen Huike asked his teacher, Bodhidharma, a famous question. The question is: My mind/heart is troubled. That's right, my heart/mind is troubled, so I come to find a cure for it. Is there a question more urgent than this? Only people can be troubled, so it is obvious that the whole point of Practice is to take care of the difficulties of human nature. Only practitioners who have conquer all the challenges of human natures can teach other people how to get through it. Even to claim victory in the war again the human sickness.

人因脆弱的性格無法克服，會期待救世主的降臨，但是人們忽略了一點，重重黑暗的人性加在一起祈求，其結果會呈現什麼狀態? 假如把這些祈求，轉變成實際上的行為努力，佛、菩薩、想拉群眾往前走，也會變得輕鬆許多。

People are hoping for a savior to arrive because they cannot conquer their human weakness. But people forget one thing. When you have a group of people praying, what kind of situation would their collective dark side create? If we took these prayers, and turn them into actual efforts to change our behaviors, Buddha and Bodhisattva will have an easier time pushing everyone forward.

站在神與人之間讓我選擇，個人寧願追隨一個真正有著肉體的修行者，去領略什麼叫做人走出來的路!? 我從來清楚人性的光明面，要顯現出來有多麼的困難，悉達多的偉大在於他是人，試著對付自己的人性看看，爾後你會知道那個高峰長相怎樣!? 攀越上去的修行者，值不值得頂禮。

Standing between God and Human, I rather follow a practitioners who has a real physical body, and to understand the path walked by a human being. I have always know how difficult it is to show the brightness of human nature. Siddhartha is great because he was human. If you try to take care of your human nature, you will know what the summit looks like when you get there, and you will know whether you should to respect the practitioners who can climbed to the top.

半寄 Master Ban Ji

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佛陀是人 2 Buddha is Human 2

第一次我對修行燃起了絕大的信心，在一個封閉的教育體制下，個人一直不知道該如何看待自己? 自己這個凡人身軀，有著七情六慾，卻想修行，那神聖的殿堂裡怎容得下我? 我只能服侍佛 (神)嗎? 可我是佛教徒，是修行者，不是服侍者，這些存在個人心中激盪的想法，被木村泰賢教授給解救出來!

That was the first time I gain tremendous confidence about Practice of Buddhism. In a closed educational system, I never knew how to view myself. I am an ordinary human, full of emotions, but intended to Practice. How can a saintly palace allow me to stay? I can only be in servitude to Buddha (God)? But I am a Buddhist, a practitioner, not a servant. These conflicting thoughts were answered by professor Kimura Taiken.

往後的歲月裡，個人致力一件事，很會修理自己，懦弱的、虛偽的、各種人性的病態，都在承受的起的範圍盡量去試鍊 自己，慢慢的，隨著時間的過去，驚訝的發現，人性的病態有轉移，昇華的跡象出現，雖然不多! 但已足夠支撐自己在人世間，活的從容，過得像人。

For the years that followed, I worked on one thing, and that is to fix myself. All the sicknesses of human nature, the weak and the fake, I tried to overcome. Slowly, with the passage of time, I was surprised to find that my sicknesses had changed, and had a sense of becoming sublime. Not a lot, but enough to support myself, enough for me to live leisurely, like a human being.

就因為個人很努力在修理自己，才發覺這件事好難 !  好難 !

It is because I am trying to fix myself, that I found that this is very hard.

佛陀是人! 這個論點有這麼可怕嗎? 他是人卻可以克服那麼多人性的通病，去達到一種理想的人格，就是這樣的人格值得頂禮! 足以供奉在廟堂裡膜拜，佛陀是人! 並無損於他的光華，假使他從頭開始就是神的存在，不僅佛學觀點有問題? 更教千千萬萬的追隨者，何去何從 ?

Buddha is human. Is this idea so horrifying? He was a human being, but he was able to conquer many weakness of human nature, to achieve an ideal. This is what deserve our respect. This is why we pay respect to him in the temples, because he is human. This does not reduce his accomplishments and glory. If he was a god from the beginning, then not only does Buddhism become problematic. The millions of followers, what happens to them? Where would they go?

半寄 Master Ban Ji

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佛陀是人 1 Buddha is Human 1

佛教雖然號稱是無神論者，但是在歷經流傳的過程後，悉達多 (佛陀的名字)這個年輕的修道者，在流傳過程中變成早已是成佛的人，他只是來人間示範如何成佛而已!? 所以不能當他是由凡人修成佛的立場來看待，要認定祂早已成佛，已是神聖體的身軀，就連後期發展出來的大乘佛教，裡面所提到的諸佛、菩薩、也是早就修道成就很久的聖人! 這些話在傳播佛教的場合聽起來名正言順，沒什麼好懷疑的，離開傳教的場所，想一下! 佛法是用來修的，如果! 悉達多早就不是一般人，祂跟我不一樣，我學習他的修法，究竟要修到何年何日才能有點影子?

Although Buddhism is suppose to be atheistic, during the spread of Buddhism, Siddhartha (name of the Buddha), the young practitioner, had achieved God like status. People thought of him as a God that came to the human realm to show us how to become Buddha. Because of this attitude, people think that we cannot look at his experience as those of an ordinary human being. People think that we should think of him as a Buddha at birth, with the body accord a deity. Even the Mahayana Buddhism consider the various Buddhas and Bodhisattva as accomplished saints from a long time ago. All these talks seem normal in most Buddhist gatherings, and no body found that there is anything to be suspicious about. But let's think about it, away from Buddhist gatherings. We are trying to practice Buddhism. If Siddhartha was not an ordinary person, if he is different than me, how would I get anywhere with his method?

一個提出生死看法，及解脫之道那麼多見解的宗教，教主與凡夫有著這麼遠的距離，著實令人恐慌 !

It should make people panic if they realize that a founder of a religion that talked about how to view life and death and how to be liberated is so much different than ordinary people.

日本佛教學者木村泰賢 先生，所著的書裡 : 原始佛教思想論，提出一個看法，悉達多當初決定入森林修道時，應該是恐慌的，森林裡伸手不見五指，他又自己一個人 ......... 看到這一段時，大腦頓時像被打了一下，(是腦被打，不是頭 ) 對啊! 怎麼都沒假設這種情況的可能，許多該有的正確想法都被聖人論吞沒了。

Japanese Buddhist scholar, Kimura Taiken, mentioned a view point in his book: "Genshi Bukkyō shisōron"[Note]. He wrote that when Siddhartha went into the jungle to practice, he should be panicking. The jungle was so dark that he could not see his own hand, and he was by himself.....When I saw this part, I felt my brain was struck (The brain that was struck, not the head). Of course, why didn't we assume that this was a possibility? Many correct ideas were all swallowed by the view that Buddha is a saint.

悉達多會恐慌 ，這個意義太大了! 那代表他走過的路，我也可以走，假使他是聖人，那他走過的路，我是無法到達的，他有恐慌需要克服，我也有恐慌，如果我可以克服，那修道的路就會現出來，不是嗎?

Siddhartha was panicking. This means a lot. It means that the path he had walked is accessible to me. If he is a saint, then I will not be able to walk his path. But he has panic attacks that he needed to overcome, so do I. So if I can overcome my feeling of panic, then the path will appear as well. Isn't that so?

半寄 Master Ban Ji

[Note]原始佛教思想論 "Genshi Bukkyō shisōron": I don't think there is an English translation for this book. It meant "Ideas of the Original Buddhism"

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地獄在哪裡? 2 Where is Hell? 2

看到非洲某些國家狀況的人們，不必再問地獄到底在哪裡? 答案很明顯，在有些人生存的環境裡，那裡的人們像似被綁著一樣，想為自己爭取一點什麼? 那怕只是一小口水，一小口麵包，都像被詛咒一般，求也求不來，還有兇惡的獄卒把守，百般被摧殘，可見只要條件符合，就會出現地獄的現象。

When we see the living conditions of certain countries in Africa, we don't need to ask where hell is. The answer is obvious. It is in some people's living conditions. People there cannot even get a drink of water or a bite of bread even when they beg and pray. It is like they are tied up in jail. They also have mean jailers, who abuse them in every possible ways. It is clear that if the conditions are satisfied, the appearance of hell will appear.

按佛經的脈絡，人們只要在某個行為達到一定的能量，便會爆發屬於那個能量，所引起的命運，有些人在一夕之間破產，也像似從天堂掉到地獄，而一夕致富的人，該是直升天堂的暢快。

According to Buddhist teachings, if a person's certain behavior achieved a specific level of energy, the fate that belongs to this energy based on the person's behavior will be manifest itself. So some people go bankrupt over night, like falling from heaven to hell. Other people who become wealthy over night should feel the bliss of ascending to heaven.

懂得這些理論就知道，真該畏懼的是自己的創作力，其餘圍繞在自己身邊的，不過是隨著自己已開拓的路線在產生罷了! 有修行經驗的學者，會去看到【自己行為還沒出現前的想法】，假如是不好的，而你自己這個時候有能力，在還沒引發成行動前就自己摧毀它，那才是真正要關心的重點。

If you understand this theory, then you would know that you should fear your own actions. Everything else surrounding you just follows the road that you have paved. An experienced practitioner will see "the thought that precede the behavior." If the thought is not good, and you have the ability, you will destroy the thought before it becomes a behavior. This is what you need to worry about.

半寄 Master Ban Ji

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地獄在哪裡? 1 Where is Hell? 1

地獄! 所有的宗教都會提到的地方，有很多人好奇的想知道，究竟在哪裡? 有人認為地球中心是熱的，地獄應該在那裡，很多借現象界有的情形，去說明地獄的所在，以佛教觀點來看地獄不見得在特定的地方，畢竟地獄講的已是最惡劣的苦果，尤其佛教不講神的審判，當然也無需設制地獄的牢籠，來懲罰有罪的人。

Hell, a place mentioned by all religions. Many people are curious about its actual location. Some people think that center of the earth is hot, so hell must be there. Others used the phenomenons of the worlds to explain location of hell. From the point of view of Buddhism, hell does not have to be someplace in particular. Because hell is about the worst possible karmic result that one could get. Since Buddhism is not about the judgement of gods, there is no need to create a jail, like hell, to punish people who made mistakes.

一個佛教徒首先一定要清楚，佛陀看見的世界很多部份是別人給祂的想法，例如: 看見一個有福報的人，用祂的觀察去知道他的福是怎麼形成的，看見一個受苦的人們為什麼這麼痛苦? 也是動用觀察的結果，這裡面有的是現象已存在，借現象去說明它背後的原因而已，所以說佛教是無神論者，除了自己的行為產生的限制外，大時代產生的戰亂，歸類於惡業的共業，大時代的繁榮，是福報聚集的共業，沒有神可以審判誰?!

A Buddhist must understand that most of the world that Buddha saw are result of watching other people's lives and behaviors. For example, when he looked at a person with good karma, his observation would showed how good karma formed. He also observed why people suffered. The phenomenons already exist, and he used his observations to explain the reason for the phenomenons. So Buddhism is atheistic. Other than the restrictions caused by one's own behaviors, the time of wars and conflicts are the collective bad karmic result of the people. But the prosperous era is also the collective good karmic result as well. There is no god to judge.

根據這樣的理論，地獄如果存在，可能是如影隨形的跟著有這種業力的人身上，進而演化成個人的遭遇，成為看得見的苦難，以非洲的苦難情況而言，就算有那麼多的善心人士伸出援手，食物還是送不進去，一定要送就得冒著生命的危險，不是地獄是什麼? 連被救濟都顯得困難!

According to this type of theory, if hell does exist, it should be following the person with bad karmic results. The bad karmic results further manifest itself as personal encounters and become visible sufferings. If we use the suffering of the African continent as an example. Many charitable people and organizations are trying to help, but they must risk their lives to just to sent food to the needed. If this is not hell? What is? Even helping them is difficult.

半寄 Master Ban Ji

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梁武帝的功德 3 The Merits of Emperor Wu of Liang 3

一則故事含有許多層面的背景，華人有句話說；無心插柳柳成蔭，沒想到後來的佛教徒從這個故事開始認真的計較起來，自己所做的布施是否是真正的功德? 也就是無相布施，其實人們去做很多的善行為，都屬於勞心勞力的，有付出有果實，也是必然的結果，真心付出的自己，為什麼不能自我肯定? 非得冠上是所謂最高等級的布施，才會心安?

A story has many layers of complex backgrounds and contexts. There is a saying in Chinese, "unintentionally planting willow, and soon willows become shade."(unintended consequences.) It is surprising that Buddhists took this story and began to seriously discuss whether their generosities have real merits or not. And what is the considerations for non-attached generosity? In reality, people's very real charitable behaviors are all results of real labors and efforts. It is obvious that if you give, you will receive the fruit of giving. If you can be sincere about your generosity, why can't you affirm yourself? Why do you need to derive comfort from the label of the highest level of generosity?

梁武帝用了近似強迫的手法，讓大臣們捐款，除了是不樂之捐，也說明了古代帝皇專權時，貴為皇帝還是不能為了他的信仰，專制的要別人拿出錢來，這也是身為佛教徒的驕傲，古代國外，含印度本身有多少的信仰是權威的可怕，不容懷疑，宗教的紛爭及戰鬥，奪去了多少人的自由與生命，連人才被冠上妖魔鬼怪的帽子，也是一個個的追殺，而這些痛苦在佛教徒身上，少之又少! 佛教徒從不為別人或與自己不合的教內思想，發動過戰爭，大規模的排除異己，佛教徒大概也不能理解為什麼要為信仰殺人? 因為佛法不是信仰而已! 還要修練的，如果說這世界上有真正的自由，那佛教的精神，該名列第一位。

Emperor Wu of Liang used coercion to make his ministers to donate. Other than the fact that it was done with reluctance, it also illustrated that even in the authoritarian world of ancient empires, an emperor did not choose to directly force other people to give money based on the emperor's belief. This is a pride of Buddhists. In other countries of ancient time, many faiths and beliefs, including India itself, have horrifying authoritarian regimes. Conflicts and wars due to religion took away the freedom and lives of many people. People are even labeled as ghosts and demons and pursued and killed one at a time. But very few of these incidents applied to Buddhists. Buddhists never started war to remove oppositions due to different ideologies. Buddhists cannot also understand why people want to kill in the name of a belief. This is because Buddhism is not a belief, it is also a practice. It there is real freedom in the world, then the spirit of Buddhism should be listed first.

半寄 Master Ban Ji

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梁武帝的功德 2 The Merits of Emperor Wu of Liang 2

歷史上沒有說明，達摩是否知道這些事? 假設一、達摩知道他的作為，認為那是強迫性的捐款，所以不加以肯定，假設二 、達摩認為他已非常好，希望他更上一層樓故意講的話，菩提達摩這個修行者，從印度來中國傳大乘佛法，成績斐然，後來被列入中國禪宗第一代祖師，他在跟梁武帝意見不合後，就去了嵩山少林寺面壁，也用一種世人不解的型態，來訴說他想表達的思想，大乘佛學相當重視無上法的修學 (無上法； 是離相不被眼前可看見的一切、牽制 、阻礙的意思)，般若心經是其中最好的一部代表著作，色不異空、空不異色、到不增不減 ............. 短短的經文卻是大乘佛學想要述說的空法精華。

Historically, it is not clear if Bodhidharma knew any of these. If Bodhidharma knew about it and felt that it was forced charity, he obviously would not affirm this behavior. However, if Bodhidharma thought he did very well as a Buddhist, he might say what he did as a way to encourage Emperor Wu of Liang to further height. Bodhidharma came to China from India to spread Mahayana Buddhism with impressive results. He was considered the father of Chinese Zen. After his disagreement with the Emperor, he went to the Shaolin Temple on Mount Song to face a wall. He used a behavior that cannot be understand by people to express his thoughts. Mahayana Buddhism consider "non-attachment" to be an important part of Buddhism. (Non-attachment method: means that practitioner should not let what he can see become an obstacle.) Heart Sutra represents Mahayana Buddhism the best. From form does not differ from Śūnyatā; Śūnyatā does not differ from form, ... to and they neither increase nor diminish.... This short Buddhist Texts is the essence of Śūnyatā that Mahayana Buddhism wants to express.

一個具有空法思想的僧侶，來對待一個想跟他炫耀豐功偉業的帝王，交織的結果，當然是不歡而散，或許達摩剛到中國，知道有這麼一位虔誠信佛的皇帝，一心想對他傳播他學的大乘空法，下猛藥的結果是離題更遠，弄得大家都不了解他，面壁似乎成了不錯的選擇!

The result of an encounter between a monk with knowledge of Śūnyatā, and an emperor that wanted to brag about his works had no choice but to result in the displeasure of both participants. Maybe when Bodhidharma learned of a such devoted emperor when he arrived in China, he was fully prepared to teach him the knowledge of Śūnyatā from Mahayana. The result of such a strong medicine was that people totally misunderstood his intentions, so maybe facing a wall is not such a bad choice.

半寄 Master Ban Ji

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梁武帝的功德 1 The Merits of Emperor Wu of Liang 1

梁武帝魏晉南北朝時期中國的一個帝王，是一個虔誠的佛教徒，他跟印度來的高僧菩提達摩一場的辯論，掀起中國古代最具爭論的話題，梁武帝有一天問達摩，我一生修造無數的廟宇，渡無數人出家修道，佛教裡能做的都做了，我累積了多少功德? 達摩回答他說並無功德，達摩認為梁武帝做的都是著相的有為法，要修無為法才是最高級的，這場問答為後人留下很大的想像空間， 華人佛教徒都在問，什麼才是無為法?

Emperor Wu of Liang was an emperor during The Period of Disunity in China. He was a devoted Buddhist and his debate with Bodhidharma became one of the most discussed topics of ancient China. The story goes: one day, Emperor Wu of Liang asked Bodhidharma: I constructed and fixed numerous temples, and enabled countless number of people to join sanghas. I did everything that can be done in Buddhism. How much merits (good karmas) did I accumulate? Bodhidharma told him that he had accumulated no merit. Bodhidharma considered all of Emperor Wu of Liang actions was "attached," and non-attachment is the peak of all methods. This story left people with a lot of rooms for imagination. Every Chinese Buddhists asked, how to be non-attached?

這裡的無為法，不是中國老莊的思想，是佛教的空法在中國的另一個翻譯，依照現實的布施行為來看，做了這麼多事情，竟然被評擊到一無是處，還真是心灰意懶，不過梁武帝相當有帝王風度，沒有對達摩做出忤逆者的任何裁決，而這個公案卻為後代華人留下心病，大家都在想著怎樣才可以達到無相布施?

The non-attachment we are discussing here is not Lao-Zhuang's idea of "No Action." It is another explanation of Śūnyatā in China. If we look at the reality of donation, after you did all these and was criticized as doing nothing, wouldn't you be totally dispirited? But Emperor Wu of Liang had some sense of imperial grace, and did not treat Bodhidharma harshly. But this koan left a problem for Chinese. Every one wants to know how to accomplish non-attached generosity.

攤開中國歷史，梁武帝曾經三次捨身同泰寺出家，在皇朝中沒有皇帝的情形下，大臣們只好捐錢給寺廟讓皇帝還俗，這麼奇怪的做法高達四次，每次都是用億元為單位去贖回皇帝的，沒錯! 那些錢都是捐給了寺廟 去做事，可是這樣的做法，該說是梁武帝捐的錢，還是大臣們的不樂之捐。

If we look at Chinese history, Emperor Wu of Liang went to Tong Tai Temple three times to become a monk. When the empire was without its emperor, the ministers and chancellors of the empire had no choice but to donate money to the temple, so the Emperor can return to laity. He did this four times, and every time, it cost these ministers billions of dollars to redeem the emperor. Sure, these money all went to the temples, but did the Emperor donated his own money, or did the ministers donated with reluctance?

半寄 Master Ban Ji

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咒語 5 Mantra 5

純粹從修行角度來看，既然修行要成就也得累積不可數的資糧，一大群人真心向上集結而成的福報共業，一樣具有抵制黑暗力量的效果，這個方法比咒語、手印、更見陽光、積極、只是人群大都有盲點，不能認識自己生而為人所努力產生的一切善行為，同樣具有威力。

If we look at it purely from the angle of Practice, the amount of capital that is required to have any accomplishment in Practice is uncountable. The collected good karma from a group of people who are truly focused to improve also create powers to defend against the power of darkness. This method is even better than mantras and mudras. It is positive. The problem is that people all have a blind spot. People cannot see the virtuous efforts put forth by a person, have the same power as mantras.

就藏傳密宗而言，達賴喇嘛一直想廢除密宗存在的一些無形世界，他也坦言那是民族性不容易做到，如果佛學的教育， 能讓普羅大眾清楚人性光明面的價值，那才算是成功，佛經裡的一大教育，就是強調人身的尊貴，其他動物都無法有邏輯思考，唯有人可以完全被教育，再憑藉思維攀登精神世界的高峰，人的角色不該消失不見，反而被一大堆儀式取代，沒錯! 人也是很脆弱的，需要儀式的幫助，但人也可以從依賴裡再次重生，重新看待自我的價值。

For Tibetan Buddhism, Dalai Lama has always tried to eliminate the existences of invisible worlds of Tibetan Buddhism. But he was clear that it is difficult to do based on culture. The success of a teaching of Buddhism can only be judged on its effects to let people understand the value of the "Light Side". The biggest teaching of Buddhism is the importance of 'being human'. We have logical reasoning facilities that other animals do not have. Only human beings can be educated, and then use reasons to summit the peak of the world of human spirits. The role of people should not disappear to be replaced by rituals and ceremonies. Sure, people are weak, and need the support of rituals. But people can also be reborn from dependencies, and revisit the value of themselves.

從多種層面探討咒語的面相，讀者想從那個角度切入?

I have discussed many aspects of mantra from different angle. Which angle would you like to think of mantra?

半寄 Master Ban Ji

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咒語 4 Mantra 4

常跟咒語一起運用的是密宗的手印，手印有加強咒語能力的效果，在很多佛教法會的儀式，尤其是以超度法會為主的儀式，顯教的(大方向是指漢傳佛教) 、密宗的、都可以看到咒語跟手印一起的運用，大概是想借雙重效果，達到超薦、伏魔的目的。

Vajrayāna Buddhism's mudra are often used with mantras. Mudra can amplify the effects of mantra. In many rituals of Buddhist services, especially the services that focused on salvation of the dead, whether it is Chinese Buddhisms or Vajrayāna Buddhism, it is common to see mantras and mudras used together. I guess the idea is to double the effects to reach the goal of salvation or exorcism.

密宗由印度傳入西藏，再結合當地的笨教成為密宗，笨教首重咒語、巫術、而密宗儀軌的前身來自印度婆羅門教，印度釋迦牟尼佛時代，以辯論哲學、八正道、十二因緣，四果的證悟為基礎 (參考阿含經，現今國際的稱呼為原始教典)，這些教法完全看不見咒語的出現，純粹是針對人的修行及可達到的境界做討論與說明，法會的儀式出現是後來，大乘佛法開始的時期，似乎說明佛教從修道與教學的殿堂，走下來遁入人間，開始重視人世間生活的需求，生、離、死、別、的歡樂與哀愁，都須要儀式的慶祝、超度，以達到人性的要求，佛法流傳中，隨著地方性的傳播，也納入當地的習俗。

Indian Vajrayāna Buddhism was spread to Tibet from India, and combined with the local religion, Bon, to become Tibetan Vajrayāna Buddhism. Bon's main focus is mantra and sorcery. The rituals of Indian Vajrayāna's predecessor is Brahmanism from India. At the time of Sakyamuni Buddha's India, Buddhism uses philosophical debates, Noble Eightfold Path, Twelve Niadana and the Four stages of Enlightenment as foundations. (Consult Agama for reference.) These teachings did not show any existence of mantras. At that time, the teaching of Buddhism was simply focused on Practice, and the discussion and clarification on the stages that practitioners can achieve. The rituals and services appeared later, with the start of Mahayana Buddhism. Its appearance seems to imply that Buddhism left the palace of Practice and academic surroundings, to the human world, and started to focus on the need of the people. The joy and sorrows of birth, separation and death, celebration and salvation all needed a ritual. Therefore, the spread of Buddhism also incorporated many local traditions.

古代所有民間的資訊大都是遲緩、黑暗的較多，應運民間需求的宗教，儀軌與儀式一定是佔大部份，甚至是超越佛學本身的。

In ancient time, information that reach the populace tended to be slow, late and dark. To meet the need of the populace, rituals and ceremonies are needed. Sometime, these rituals even exceed the teaching of Buddhism itself.

半寄 Master Ban Ji

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咒語 3 Mantra 3

每個佛、菩薩、都有自己的跟隨者，既然有侵犯的力量出現，保護自己的追隨者，也是必然要做的，咒語就是這種情況下出現的，由修學有成就的諸佛、菩薩、匯集自己修成的福德或智慧能量、演化為保護力量，加持自己的跟隨者。

Every Buddha and Bodhisattva have their own followers. So if there are attackers, they will of course protect their followers. So Buddhas and Bodhisattva used their own good karma or the power of their own Prajñā, and create mantra as a protective force to support their followers.

我在敬鬼神而遠之裡，有提到鬼神如果有機會，使它們自己的力量得到增強，會變成精魅，所謂妖怪，鬼魅之類，它們的力量都已遠勝鬼神，如果無法出現制衡力量，情形就跟現實世界一樣充斥著黑道，想修正道的行者是不可能得到寧靜的，現實世界需要維持正常運作的法則，修道世界也一樣，失去維持正常運作的軌道時，誰都是無法做事情的。

In "Respectfully staying away from gods and ghosts", I mentioned that if ghosts and gods have a chance, they will increase their own power and become demons and devils. The power of these demons and devils are superior than that of ghosts. So if there is no counter force, the world of practitioners will become the same as the real world. There would be full of crimes and gangs, and the practitioner on the right path will never have a moment of quiet. Real world requires laws to be operated normally, the world of practitioners are the same. Once it is off balance, no one can get anything done.

咒語無法解釋，已包含這一層看不見的原因，咒語大有跟看不見的無形世界對話的意思，對話內容為何? 只有擁有咒語能量的修行者清楚，這是我對咒語了解的程度，當然不是所有佛教咒語都是這種情形，但有一點可以肯定，它們代表著有成就的修行者一種專屬的符號。

Mantra was not explained, because it has this layer of reason that is invisible to us. But it is generally a speech to the invisible world. What's the content of the speech? Only a practitioner who possessed the power of the mantra know. This is what I know about mantras. Of course not all Buddhist mantras are like this. But one thing is certain, it is a unique symbol for an accomplished practitioner.

半寄 Master Ban Ji

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