阿羅漢果3 The State of an Arhat 3

阿羅漢果3

 

說到慢心，忘了看哪一部經典的解釋，

轉來轉去窮忙半天，

還是不知道什麼叫微塵的慢心，

窮忙到發慌的程度，只能另外找路走。

半寄

「從AI找出讓人不知所措的解釋： 有一些註解書與講義（尤其是近現代漢譯講解）形容「慢心」： 「如微塵飄散，極難覺察。非烈火之顯然，乃細塵之無形。」   這類譬喻的用意是： 即使在第三果（阿那含）階段，粗重的貪瞋雖斷，但「我慢」仍如空中飄浮的塵埃——看似無物，卻仍存在，微細難除。 此譬喻強調的是「微細與執著難斷」，而非真有塵土一樣的實體。」

 

The State of an Arhat 3

 

Speaking of conceit, I can’t recall which scripture explained it.

After searching and exhausting myself, I still couldn’t grasp what “the conceit as fine as dust” truly means.

After all that restless effort, I could only seek another path.

                                                                                                                                                                                            Master Banji

 

Here’s a confusing explanation I found through AI:   Some commentaries and lectures—particularly modern Chinese ones—describe conceit like this: “It’s like tiny dust floating in the air, very hard to notice. Not bright like fire, but soft and invisible like fine dust.”   The idea behind this is that even at the third level of spiritual attainment (Anāgāmin), when big desires and anger are already gone, conceit still lingers—so small and hidden that you can’t see it, but it’s still there. This image means that conceit is very subtle and hard to get rid of, not expalining that conceit is an actual, tangible substance like real dust.

 

阿羅漢果2 The State of an Arhat 2

 阿羅漢果2

 

四聖果的三果、四果色愛，無色愛也就是肉體跟精神

想要衝出這一關並不容易，解脫肉體與精神需要最高段的解析、推理能力，

 

(到四聖果還存在的「慢」，

好幾年我一直在想「慢」不是一種修養嗎？

為什麼到最後的四果還存在？

直到兩三年前，

我才體悟到「慢」是一種不斷地判別，判別裡面有高低、有優勝、有膚色⋯⋯但判別裡面要不要存在輕蔑？

那是修行者必須搞定的問題

-慢心無色。)

 

這也是原始教典佛陀最初的教導因緣法沒落的主因，

 

在那麽古老的年代，已經可以提出色愛跟無色愛，精神與肉體的解脫，

還提出一套具體的修法跟證入的境界，沒有什麼比這個更值得頂禮。

 

半寄

 

（可以學一點佛法稱《因明學》， 西方的基礎邏輯AI資料）   基礎邏輯」通常指的是**邏輯學（logic）**的入門內容，也就是訓練人如何正確推理、避免矛盾與謬誤的一門學科。不同課程或書本的重點略有不同，但核心內容大致包括以下幾個部分：   🧩 一、邏輯的基本觀念 邏輯的目的：分辨「推理是否正確」，而不是「結論是否真實」。 命題（proposition）：可以判斷真假的陳述句，例如「今天下雨」。 真值（truth value）：命題的真假性質，只能是真（T）或假（F）。 推論（inference）：從若干前提導出結論的思考過程。   🧮 二、命題邏輯（propositional logic） 邏輯運算符： 否定（¬ 或 不） 合取（∧，且） 析取（∨，或） 蘊涵（→，如果…那麼…） 等值（↔，當且僅當…） 真值表（truth table）：列出所有可能的真假組合以檢驗推理是否有效。 常見謬誤：例如「否定前件」、「肯定後件」等推論錯誤。   🔍 三、形式推理與有效性 有效推論（valid argument）：只要前提全真，結論必真。 形式（form）：邏輯的重點在推理的「結構」，不是內容。 演繹推理（deduction）：必然結論的推導，如數學證明。 歸納推理（induction）：由經驗歸納出一般性結論，如科學方法。   🧠 四、類別邏輯（categorical logic） 亞里士多德式三段論（syllogism），例如： 所有人都會死（大前提） 蘇格拉底是人（小前提） 所以蘇格拉底會死（結論）   ⚙️ 五、應用與延伸 語義分析：如何判斷一個句子是否邏輯矛盾。 論證分析：辨別別人的主張是否有邏輯漏洞。 符號化：用邏輯符號精確表達語言推理。

 

The State of an Arhat 2

 

Greetings, friends of NanZen!

 

In the Four Stages of Enlightenment, the third and fourth stages require breaking free from attachment to the physical body (form) and attachment to non-physical existence (formless states).
This is not easy—it’s one of the hardest challenges on the path.

Reaching complete freedom from both body and mind demands the highest level of understanding and mental clarity.

 

(Even at the fourth stage of enlightenment, the mental habit called conceit can still exist.

For years, I wondered: Isn’t conceit a kind of cultivated self-respect or maturity? Why would it still need to be distinguished, even at the highest stage?

 

It wasn’t until two or three years ago that I realized: Māna is a constant act of comparison—of judging and differentiating.

These comparisons often include ideas like who is better or worse, stronger or weaker, lighter or darker in skin tone, and so on.

 

But should judgment always involve contempt?                              

(To discern without harboring contempt requires a highly advanced level of spiritual mastery.)

This is a challenge every spiritual practitioner must confront and resolve—the conceit that has no form and cannot be perceived.)

 

This profound depth is also a major reason why the Buddha's original teaching of Dependent Origination(Paticca Samuppada) gradually fell out of focus—it is subtle and difficult to grasp.

 

That the Buddha, in such an ancient time, could recognize both types of attachment—physical and mental—and also teach a clear path to overcome them, is truly extraordinary.

It’s something deeply worthy of respect and admiration.

                                                                                                                                                                                            Master Banji  

 

(It may help to study some Buddhist Hetuvidya—the logic of cause and reasoning, similar to the foundation of Western logic. The followings are AI Data.)   Basic logic is all about how we think clearly and avoid mistakes in reasoning. It teaches us how to make sure our thoughts are right and our arguments make sense. Here’s an overview of the main ideas:   🧩 1. Basic Ideas in Logic Logic helps us check if our reasoning is correct, not whether something is true or false. A proposition is just a statement that can be true or false (like "It’s raining"). The truth value tells us if something is true (T) or false (F). Inference is the process of drawing a conclusion from facts.   teaches us how to make sure our thoughts are right and our arguments make sense. Here’s an overview of the main ideas:   🧩 1. Basic Ideas in Logic Logic helps us check if our reasoning is correct, not whether something is true or false. A proposition is just a statement that can be true or false (like "It’s raining"). The truth value tells us if something is true (T) or false (F). Inference is the process of drawing a conclusion from facts.   🧮 2. Propositional Logic Here are some key operations: Negation: "Not" Conjunction: "And" Disjunction: "Or" Implication: "If... then..." Equivalence: "If and only if..." A truth table shows all the possible combinations of true and false to check if reasoning works. Common errors include denying the antecedent and affirming the consequent.   🔍 3. Valid Reasoning A valid argument means that if the premises are true, the conclusion has to be true. Logic cares about the structure of reasoning, not the content. Deductive reasoning: getting conclusions that must be true (like in math). Inductive reasoning: making general ideas from experience (like science).   🧠 4. Categorical Logic A simple example of reasoning: All humans are mortal (major premise). Socrates is a human (minor premise). So, Socrates is mortal (conclusion).   ⚙️ 5. Applications We can check if a sentence makes sense logically. We can look at other people's arguments to find mistakes. We use logical symbols to express our reasoning clearly.

 

阿羅漢果1 The State of an Arhat1

阿羅漢果

 

大家好！

 

19號台南讀書會提出一個問題：

 

104經：白話文翻譯 (Grok AI)

「我是這麼聽佛說的：

有一次，佛陀住在舍衛國的祇樹給孤獨園。當時，有一位名叫焰摩迦的比丘，產生了一種錯誤的、有害的見解。他說：「依照我對佛所說法義的理解，一個斷盡所有煩惱的阿羅漢，當他身體毀壞、生命結束之後，就完完全全地什麼都不存在了。」

 

「舍利弗再問：「對於這樣一個無常、苦、不斷變化的東西，一位聽聞正法的聖弟子，會不會在其中找到一個真實不變的『我』、或一個『獨立於我之外』的實體、或是一個『我與它相互依存』的實體呢？」焰摩迦回答：「不會的，舍利弗尊者！」

 

有位大德問說：焰摩迦是說阿羅漢果死後完全沒有，

舍利弗卻回答他關於無常的問題，

那這個要怎麼看？

 

半寄：

焰摩迦說的阿羅漢果是指一個果實的問題，你可以說焰摩迦對佛法的認知是；修行到最後果實是沒有的。

 

一般我們在佛教寺廟受到的教育都是認為身體是臭皮囊，無常迅速生死事大，

所以這個身體是要趕快丟掉的，

身體都不要了！

那被理解為到最後什麼都沒有應該才是對的，也沒錯啊！

 

讓我們從實際修行的角度看，你說身體拖累我太深，要丟掉，然後肉體就真的可以丟掉嗎？

 

如果不是自殺（自殺也不等於是丟掉肉體）

要把肉體從修行的角度丟掉它或者解脫它，事實上是一件非常困難的事。

 

舍利弗尊者從佛法修行的過程裡面，去指出來你必須認知「修入無常」或「理解無常」你才能知道阿羅漢果的世界，

 

不從「果」講起，而是直接講過程是最正確的，

因為不了解過程，

講因跟果通常會是錯誤的較多

，

理解過程的學習者在過程裡面如果指標弄對，修行理解正確，他隨時隨地就在累積功力，累積功力就已經不斷在累積果實，

所以阿羅漢果到底有沒有？

對於整個佛法修行過程都正確的學習者而言，答案早已出現。

 

半寄

 

The State of an Arhat 1

 

Greetings, friends of NanZen!

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

On the 19th, during the Tainan study club, we discussed Sutra No. 104:

“Thus have I heard.
Once, the Buddha stayed in Jeta’s Grove, Anathapindika’s Park, in Sravasti. A monk named Yamaka developed a wrong and harmful view. He said, ‘From my understanding of the Buddha’s teaching, when an Arhat, having ended all defilements, dies and the body perishes, he completely ceases to exist.’

Sariputta then asked, ‘Regarding what is impermanent, suffering, and ever-changing, would a noble disciple who has heard the true Dharma find in it a real, unchanging self, or an entity independent of the self, or one that depends upon the self?’
Yamaka answered, ‘No, Venerable Sariputta.’”

 

A member of the study club asked: “Yamaka said that after death, an Arhat completely ceases to exist. Yet Sariputta responded by speaking about impermanence — how should we understand this?”

 

Banji:
Yamaka’s understanding of Arhatship was focused on the “fruit” — and in his view, the final fruit was nothingness.

 

In traditional Buddhist education, we are often taught that the body is just a “stinking sack of skin,” impermanent and frail, and that we must quickly discard it because life and death are great matters.
So, if one concludes that in the end “nothing remains,” might seem logical,— and yet, it isn’t the full picture.

From the perspective of actual practice:
You might say, “This body burdens me too deeply — I want to abandon it.” But can the physical body really be discarded just like that?

Unless through suicide — which is not genuine liberation — it is actually extremely difficult to “let go of” or “be liberated from” the body through practice.

 

Sariputta pointed out that one must understand impermanence to truly grasp the world of the Arhat.

He did not begin by talking about “the result,” but by emphasizing “the process.”
This approach is most accurate, because without understanding the process, discussions of cause and effect often go astray.

 

For those who comprehend the process correctly — whose practice is aligned and whose understanding is right — they are continuously accumulating inner strength.
That accumulation itself is already the unfolding of the fruit.

 

So, does the Arhat state “exist” or “not exist”?
For those who follow the right path and understand the Dharma rightly, the answer has long been realized within their path.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

                                                                                                                                                                                                        Master Banji  

笑話 A Humorous Scene at the Studying Club

說個笑話

 

我們18號的讀書會，我說到如果有人請托我迴向去幫他的父母投胎，

我會拒絕，因為我沒有辦法找出一戶人家讓他的父母投胎！

然後我們潮州讀書會的大德們，

馬上看著我，

全部說：師父我們都太老了！

哄堂大笑，哈😄😄

半寄

 

A Humorous Scene at the Studying Club

 

At the study club on the 18th, I said that if someone asked me to dedicate merit to help their parents be reincarnated, I’d have to say no — I wouldn’t know which family to send them to!

The moment I said that, all the laymen in our Chaozhou study club turned to me and said, “Master, we’re all too old for that!”

The whole room roared with laughter. 😄😄

錄音檔及文字敘述Recognizing and Managing One’s Emotions in Practice

英文讀者的文字敘述

 

10.18號的南禪讀書會，主要提到一個修行者應該可以掌握自己的情緒，

 

比如；你對情緒上的生氣，或是瞋恨這兩者之間的差別性質是，

我對一件事情生氣並不代表我一定是瞋恨的，

這中間的情緒變化，想修智慧的修行者對於這種自我情緒的拿捏，

如果沒有辦法辨別清楚，則自信度無法建立，想進步就少了力量。

 

我個人認為《原始教典雜阿含經》提出的「慧解脫」，至少必須從建立自我情緒的辨認度開始。

半寄

Recognizing and Managing One’s Emotions in Practice

 

In the NanZen study club on October 18, we mainly discussed that a true practitioner should be able to manage their own emotions.

 

For instance, there is a subtle difference between anger and hatred. Being angry about something does not automatically imply hatred. A practitioner who aims to cultivate wisdom must be able to discern these emotional nuances; otherwise, self-assurance cannot be established, and without confidence, progress in practice will be limited.

 

In my opinion, the concept of “Liberation through Wisdom” in the Saṃyukta Āgama must at least begin with developing the ability to recognize one’s own emotions accurately.

 

Master Banji

 錄讀書會一段錄音檔，

講了快一點，我在竹科講課就是這樣的速度，沒調回來。

不要再唸我，我已經努力回饋了！

哈哈😄

251018-南禪讀書會在潮州錄音檔-分享到FB-請下載後收聽

https://reurl.cc/A3oNYK

讀書會問題Discussion Topics for Tomorrow’s Study Group

明天下午3點讀書會問題

 

半寄：如果沒有人提問，我們可以討論如何不生瞋恨，

還有慢心在修道中的重要。

 

這一些容易被歸類為道德或修養

其實這裡面要釐清是最困難的。

 

下面截圖是智美老師早上寫的，

 

經典一直講色患，色苦，

那是因為他們要把肉體直接解脫，不要了，

 

但是人要活著，基本上面臨的困難是超乎想像的，

 

當面對生病的肉體，要解決就沒有那麼簡單。

 

就像我們的醫學也是幾萬年以後才到達這樣的進步。

 

我們現在研究佛法，

觀點應該要深廣來解釋。

少子化問題，我本來是開玩笑，有人認真起來了哈😄

 

半寄

 

Discussion Topics for Tomorrow’s Study Group

 

Banji:
If no one raises any questions during tomorrow’s session, we might explore two themes: how to keep ourselves free from anger, and why arrogance plays such an essential role in spiritual cultivation.

These topics are often mistaken for matters of morality or personal refinement, yet in truth, understanding them clearly is among the most difficult parts of the path.

 

The screenshot below shows what Ms. Zhimei wrote this morning.

The scriptures often speak of the body’s afflictions and sufferings. That’s because, in ancient times, practitioners wanted to be completely liberated by discarding the body.

 

However, for those of us still living in this world, the challenges we face go far beyond imagination.

 

Curing an ill person is never that simple.

 

Just as it has taken humankind tens of thousands of years to achieve today’s level of medical advancement, our study of Buddhism should likewise deepen and broaden in scope.

As for my comment on the issue of declining birth rates—it was meant as a joke, but someone took it rather seriously, haha. 😄

 

Master Banji