50陰魔The 50 Māras of the Aggregates

50陰魔

 

大家好！

 

國外讀者熟悉的《楞嚴經》50陰魔，

有人想知道那也是假的嗎？

 

研究佛教史就知道從佛陀以後的部派佛教到中國的佛教，

動輒上萬、上千的僧團，這裡面的生、老、病、死，還有修行所發生的問題，其實都是被掩飾沒有寫的，

 

這些沒有寫出來的事實，可能全部歸到《楞嚴經》，前幾篇文章有寫過台北松山寺的道安法師日記才有寫幾篇！

 

佛陀本身帶的僧團生、老、病、死《阿含經》記載的清清楚楚，佛陀以後就全部不寫了，

如果有寫都會冠上神秘色彩，

譬如說；生病是示現，種種的⋯⋯。

 

我去大陸旅行的時候，看到青海塔爾寺的僧侶養老院，門口還掛著的門牌，

上面竟然寫著台灣人捐贈！

 

我當時就很感慨，我們台灣的佛教道場誰敢掛這個-僧侶的養老院，

彷彿僧侶的生老病死都是必須藏到看不見的地方，養老院這個點，密教的做法很人性。

 

我之前的文章已經點過《楞嚴經》可以存在這麼久，有它的原因，

因為這部經也背負了僧團不願意記載的事實，

往這個方向去想就可以知道50陰魔在說什麼！

半寄

 

The 50 Māras of the Aggregates

 

Greetings, friends of NanZen!

 

International readers are familiar with the "The 50 Māras of the Aggregates" in the Śūraṅgama Sūtra, and some ask whether that section, too, is fabricated.

 

Historical research reveals that from post-Buddha sectarian Buddhism to Chinese Buddhism, monastic institutions—sometimes numbering in the tens of thousands—consistently concealed and omitted the realities of birth, aging, illness, death, and the challenges of practice.

 

Such suppressed realities may have been projected onto the Śūraṅgama Sūtra. As discussed in earlier essays, only the diary of Master Dao’an of Songshan Temple in Taipei contains a few rare references to them.

 

The Āgamas document with precision the birth, aging, illness, and death within the Buddha’s own community. After his passing, however, such realities ceased to be recorded, and when mentioned at all, they were enveloped in mystique—illness, for example, being described as a mere “manifestation”

 

While traveling in China, I encountered a monks’ retirement facility at Kumbum Monastery in Qinghai, with a plaque at the entrance stating it was donated by people from Taiwan.

 

The sight stirred me. In Taiwan, no Buddhist monastery would openly post a sign for a “monks’ retirement home,” as though the birth, aging, and death of monks must remain concealed. On this matter, the tantric tradition seems more humane.

 

As argued previously, the Śūraṅgama Sūtra has endured precisely because it embodies truths that the sangha was unwilling to record. Approached from this angle, the significance of The 50 Māras of the Aggregates reveals itself.

 

Master Banji

三心了不可得The Unattainability of the Three Minds

三心了不可得

 

大家好

 

「AI資料： 《金剛經》中講的「三心了不可得」，就是「過去心不可得、現在心不可得、未來心不可得」。 這句話的意思是： 過去心不可得:過去已經過去，不存在了，想再抓也抓不到。 現在心不可得:現在剎那生滅，瞬間即逝，沒有固定的實體。 未來心不可得:未來尚未到來，還沒有生起，自然也不可得。」

 

半寄：

按實際的修行功力而言，能夠實地進入這「三心了不可得」的修行者應該非常了不起，

因為它已經超越了「三摩地、入定」以及人體能感知的一切，

我在想，哪怕你體驗「三心了不可得」的一點點，你的實際生活都要起變化，

因為慣有的經驗與能力被你認識的佛法改觀。

但這麼好的佛法為什麼會得出「如夢幻泡影」的結論呢？

 

北傳佛法的編輯，看起來好像在知道與混亂之間把佛法編纂起來。

個人曾經想過一個問題，

假如這寫佛經的人真正修持進入「三心了不可得」，

打死他，他都不會寫出夢幻泡影來，

 

這好像人世間，世人很努力的所得，你可以說會有因緣聚散，

但你不可能說皆如夢幻泡影，那個努力的人也會把你打死。

 

就如同，阿難聽到的「人活百歲如看到一隻老水鳥，他的福報功德最大」，

引起阿難尊者的緊張、傷心。

 

很多流傳的佛法冠上宗教的功德以後什麼事都合理，

連佛法的邏輯也不要了！

 

半寄

 

The Unattainability of the Three Minds

  

1. Greetings, friends of NanZen!

    

   AI Data: The Diamond Sutra articulates the concept of “the minds of three times (past, present, future) being ultimately unattainable”:   The mind of the past is unattainable The mind of the present is unattainable The mind of the future is unattainable   This implies: The past is no longer extant; it cannot be retrieved. The present is fleeting, arising and ceasing instantaneously; it lacks any abiding form. The future has yet to manifest and, thus, cannot be grasped.

   Banji’s Reflection:

   In terms of actual spiritual realization, those who can experientially enter the state of “the three minds being unattainable” must be truly extraordinary. This insight transcends samādhi, meditative absorption, and even the full range of human sensory perception.

   I believe that even a momentary encounter with this realization would bring about transformative shifts in one’s daily life, as the foundational framework of perception shaped by habitual experience is restructured by the Dharma.

   But still—why does such a profound truth lead to the idea that "all things are like dreams, illusions, bubbles, or shadows"?

   The scriptures of Northern Buddhism seem to have been compiled amid a tension between comprehension and confusion.

   I have pondered this:

   If the authors of these scriptures had genuinely realized the unattainability of the three minds, they would not have described phenomena as dream-like, even under the threat of death.

   In real life, people work hard for what they get. Yes, things arise and pass away due to conditions, but to claim that all is mere illusion or fantasy? That disrespects the effort behind it. People who’ve suffered and struggled would never accept that—it would feel like an insult.

   It’s like the story where Ananda hears that “someone who sees an old water bird in their hundredth year receives the greatest merit.” He feels uneasy and saddened by it.

   Many contemporary interpretations of Buddhist teachings, once enveloped in religious doctrine and the notion of merit, tend to rationalize everything—even at the cost of forsaking the internal consistency of Dharma logic.

   Master Banji

偽經4-5 A Spurious Sūtra 4-5

偽經4

 

《阿含經》裡面會常常出現佛陀弟子提出這個說法我不了解，那個地方我不清楚，質疑的聲音總是不斷。

 

以虛老的「真如，是遍地的山河大地」而言，人在這裡是看不到的，

 

山河大地是沉默的，而大部分的麻煩或喜樂都是人群製造出來的，

 

相對於山河大地的沉默，人群是最複雜的，

《阿含經》談了很多人群的事，反而覺得索然無味，

 

祖師們入三摩地，一下子把最麻煩的人弄掉了，所以往往給追隨者、閱讀者一種爽朗的感覺，

假如，追隨者、讀者變成修行者的時候，

會發現這裡面想要切入的點是非常困難的，

因為入定是祖師們的，而那裡面充滿沈默，

你很難從裡面思考出什麼來？

 

入定的輕安、喜樂讓修行者駐留其中，

還有華人祖師的悲願大菩薩道也分散了注意力，

所以經典真偽在華人圈裡面一直不是重要的問題，

因為一代代的華人祖師都倚靠那一些，後來考證是偽經而證悟的！

可能祖師們也不明白，這裡面主導他們修行的，大部分是他們的善根與福報，

累世之福所成就的三昧（三摩地）。

 

最終，唯心、唯識、真如、極樂世界都可以跟「夢幻泡影」混雜在一起，

這相對於「四聖果」而言根本比天方夜譚還誇張，

不懂為什麼這麼辛苦地修行到最後要跟夢幻泡影畫上等號，

而且還認為必定要有夢幻泡影才是最高超的？

從來沒想過這已經是失去佛法邏輯的幻想。

一切有為法是空性的存在。

 

半寄

 

A Spurious Sūtra 4-5

 

In the Āgama Sutras, it's common to see the Buddha's disciples openly express confusion, pose doubts, or admit lack of understanding. Questioning is a recurring theme. 

Take Master Xuyun’s statement, “True Suchness is the mountains and rivers all around us.” From a human perspective, this isn’t something we can see directly. Nature—the mountains and rivers—is silent. But most of our joy and suffering are created by human society.

Nature’s silence contrasts sharply with the complexity of human society. The Āgamas, focusing extensively on the affairs of people, may appear somewhat prosaic to modern readers.

By contrast, the patriarchs who entered samādhi (deep meditative absorption) seemed to transcend these mundane concerns altogether. For followers, this creates an impression of refreshing detachment. However, for actual practitioners, samādhi is extremely difficult to attain—and once attained, it is full of silence. It’s hard to think or analyze anything in that state.

 

The lightness and bliss of meditative absorption entice practitioners to remain immersed. Meanwhile, the expansive vows of Chinese Mahāyāna masters—like the Bodhisattva ideal—further disperse analytical focus. As a result, in Chinese Buddhism, the question of textual authenticity has not been a major concern.

 

In fact, many patriarchs attained realization through scriptures now recognized as inauthentic. What truly powered their realization may not necessarily have been the texts they used, but their own deep karmic roots and accumulated merit over lifetimes.

 

Ultimately, concepts such as Mind-Only, Consciousness-Only, True Suchness, and the Pure Land have become entangled with the notion that everything is merely a dream or illusion. When compared to the Four Fruitions of Enlightenment, such ideas appear even more exaggerated than fairy tales.

It’s hard to understand why one would endure such intense spiritual effort only to conclude that everything is, in the end, nothing more than an illusion.

 

Even more puzzling is the belief that recognizing this illusion is somehow the highest realization.

Few seem to reflect on the fact that this view may already have strayed from the coherent and logical structure of the Buddha’s original teachings.

 All conditioned phenomena are inherently śūnyatā.

Master Banji

偽經5

 

佛法流傳已久自有其不可撼動的地位，

 

寫這些只是希望幫助佛法更清澈，

讓廣大的佛教徒更得到慧學的助力，

幫助用功的人們有更寬闊、明朗的佛法指標，

僅此而已！

 

一切有為法是空性的存在。

 

半寄

 

A Spurious Sūtra 5

 

The Buddha-Dharma, having been transmitted through the ages, possesses an unassailable and enduring status.

My writing is composed solely in the hope of clarifying the Dharma.

To help more followers of Buddhism deepen their understanding and insight.

And to offer earnest cultivators a more precise and discerning compass within the path of the Dharma.

Nothing beyond this humble intention.

 

All conditioned phenomena are inherently śūnyatā.

 

Master Banji

 

偽經3 A Spurious Sūtra 3

 偽經 3

 

在佛陀的聖果與祖師輩的三摩地（三昧）相作比較「四聖果」的內容是最豐富的，

來看下面內容：

「AI. 三摩地指的是一種高度專注、心一境性的禪定狀態。 心專注一境，不散亂 → 遠離雜念，內心安住。 身心平等安住 → 不隨境界起伏，寂靜安定。」

 

佛教的部派佛教到華人的祖師輩所敘述的證悟內容都是一個三摩地的敘述，

入定是基本功，但入定後大腦是不會起思考的，當然有天眼通的人可以用天眼看，但看跟深入其實是兩回事。

 

例如：

一件事情的發生想要知道來龍去脈必須深入去研究，

能夠一眼就看穿事情始末的其實很少，就算有天眼通的修行者還是必須深入才可能知道事情的始末。

 

就連具有神通也不可能是暢行無阻的，

如果能夠把這些內容弄清楚，我個人一定選擇「四聖果」做為修持的主題，不動腦對我個人而言，絕對不能接受。

 

虛老說：他的證悟是看到「山河大地遍皆真如」，

那就說明他是看到的是三摩地的清淨，光明，安定，這裡面有著「身心脫落」的痛快感！

 

這情況像扒掉一件穿很久的厚重舊大衣後，同時穿上新絲綢的愉悅，但這種經驗是發生在修行者的身體。

 

我們稍微論述一下就可以清楚，證悟中的「真如」如包括山河大地，那就是等於修行者可以扭轉乾坤，

 

但是事實上，我們只要向第二者、第三者去溝通所產生的困難就會出現，所以真如的清淨與光明是存在修行者自己的福報所累積的世界中，

 

這之前我在探討廣老的極樂世界，也提過佛教「變現」的問題，讀者也可以往下找。

 

或許有讀者認為既使是這樣，高僧們也夠厲害的，這個點我完全認同，但除了致上我個人的敬意以外，個人不會跟他們修行的，

 

理解真正佛陀所說的佛法所延伸出來的修道樂趣，範圍是很大的，

 

入定在一處的「身心脫落」，只稍作體驗就好。但對於修行者而言，這種體驗也必然要具備過，才能再走入下一步。

 

半寄

 

A Spurious Sūtra 3

 

In comparing the Buddha’s the Four Fruitions of Enlightenment with the samādhi described by the patriarchal masters, the “Four Fruitions” present a far richer and fuller teaching.

Consider this description:

AI Data: Samādhi refers to a state of profound concentration, where the mind abides in a single focus. The mind remains undistracted → free from distraction, inwardly settled. The body and mind rest in balance → unmoved by external conditions, calm and serene.

 

In the schools of early Buddhism, and later in the Chinese tradition, enlightenment is commonly presented in the language of samādhi.
Meditative absorption is the fundamental skill, yet once established in it, thinking will cease to function. Even those gifted with the “divine eye” may perceive visions, but perception is not the same as insight.

For instance:

To discern the full causal web of an event, one must examine it deeply.
The capacity to grasp the entire sequence at a glance is extremely rare. Even those with supernatural vision must probe further to reach true understanding.

Thus, even with spiritual powers, there are limits.
On this basis, I would unquestionably choose the Four Fruitions as the axis of cultivation. To abandon the activity of mind altogether is, for me, wholly unacceptable.

Master Xuyun once said: his realization was to perceive that “mountains, rivers, and the great earth are all True Suchness.”
This indicates he experienced the purity, brilliance, and stability of samādhi—together with the liberating joy of “body and mind falling away.”

 

It is like shedding a long-worn, heavy coat and at once putting on a garment of new silk—a vivid delight. Yet such rapture occurs only within the practitioner’s own embodied experience.

 

If we reason further: if True Suchness is said to encompass mountains and rivers, this would imply the practitioner could overturn heaven and earth.

 

In reality, difficulties already arise when trying to communicate with others. Thus, the purity and clarity of True Suchness are confined to the realm conditioned by the practitioner’s own accumulated merit.

 

Previously, when discussing Venerable GuangQin’s Pure Land, I also raised the issue of “manifestation” in Buddhism. Readers may revisit that.

 

Some may argue: even so, such masters are extraordinary. I fully agree. I offer them my respect, yet I do not adopt their path of cultivation.

 

The true Dharma taught by the Buddha opens a far wider joy in practice.

The experience of “body and mind falling away” within samādhi should indeed be touched, but only as a preliminary taste. For the practitioner, such an experience is required in order to proceed to the next step.

 

Master Banji

 

 

偽經2 A Spurious Sūtra 2

偽經 2

 

1.我們對比佛法原始教典《阿含經》的阿羅漢境界，阿羅漢境界必須解脫「無色愛」，也就是對精神世界方面的徹底解脫，

 

以現代人能理解的字義來說，是指理智方面也徹底得到昇華解脫，而這不是哲學的理解，是加入了修行的境界所成就。

 

「2.  AI. 中國《虛雲和尚年譜》裡記載，他在雲棲寺閱《楞嚴經》到「覺海性澄圓，圓澄覺元妙」處，忽然大徹大悟，說道：「山河大地，悉皆在我心中」。

 

《虛雲和尚口述年譜》有提到他悟境時「山河大地，遍皆真如」。」

後來的華人禪師普遍有上面虛老的體悟，

 

為什麼同樣修佛法，從佛陀口中親自說出的修法流傳到中國以後會相隔千萬里？

 

這等於說印度的佛法跟中國是完全不相干的，

雖然不相干，但也一樣各自有證入境界，這個說法是不是比較持平呢？

 

我個人從禮敬廣欽老和尚到印順導師以後，致力在這方面想要做出個人可以理解的佛法與境界，

那就是為什麼佛法修行者之間的修行所得會相距如此遙遠？

 

一路馬不停蹄的追去，或許像崇山峻嶺的阻隔一般，地域、民族、人文的認知把佛法變成各家要的樣式了！

 

半寄

 

A Spurious Sūtra 2

 

In the early Buddhist scriptures, the Āgamas, the Arhat is described as one who has fully overcome attachment even to the formless realms—signifying a complete liberation that includes intellectual and spiritual transcendence. This is not only the understanding of philosophy, but also the highest level of achievement in spiritual practice.

 

The Chronicle of Master Xuyun recounts that, while reading the Śūraṅgama Sūtra at Yunqi Monastery, he encountered the line, “The ocean of awareness is clear and perfectly still, its clarity intrinsically wondrous.” At that moment he experienced great awakening, declaring: “Mountains and rivers, the entire earth, are within my mind.” In his oral record, he further expressed: “Mountains and rivers, everywhere, are none other than true suchness.”

Such expressions of realization became characteristic among later Chinese Chan masters.

 

Why, then, should the Dharma spoken by the Buddha himself, once transmitted to China, diverge so profoundly? It almost appears that Indian Buddhism and Chinese Buddhism are worlds apart. Yet, despite this distance, both lead to yield a realm of realization that is unique to the practitioner. Would it not be fairer to acknowledge this?

From venerating Elder Master Guangqin and then to Master Yinshun, I have sought to make sense of this divergence: Why are the attainments of Buddhist practitioners so vastly different?

Perhaps it is like being separated by vast mountains—geography, culture, and ways of thought have shaped Buddhism into different forms in different lands.

 

Master Banji