《 释 迦 牟 尼 佛 圣 诞 》

《 释 迦 牟 尼 佛 圣 诞 》

3 - 5 - 2017 （农 历 四 月 初 八 )

值此殊胜日，请大德们忆念世尊，广发善心，行持顶礼、吃素、布施、放生、供养等种种善行，回向、祈愿一切有情众生离苦得乐，究竟圆满。祈愿佛日增辉，正法久住；世界和平，国泰民安，阿弥陀佛！

【上师仁波切今日微博】
今天是农历四月初八，释迦牟尼佛的圣诞日。希望大家为了自己，为了一切众生，念108遍 “南无本师释迦牟尼佛”，同时尽量吃素、放生、发愿、持咒、忏悔等行持各种善法。

Lines Cannot be Drawn on Water.

Once Buddha was holding his camp by the side of a river, and on both sides armies were standing. There were two kingdoms and the river was the boundary, and they had been fighting for generations over which kingdom the river belonged to, because the water was valuable. And they had not been able to decide – so many times they had made the river red with blood and the fight had continued. Buddha had his camp there and the generals of both the armies came to him.  Just by chance, at the same time they entered his camp and saw each other. They were shocked at this strange coincidence, but now there was no way to go back.

Buddha said, ”Don’t be worried; it is good that you have come both together. You both are blind, your predecessors have been blind. The river goes on flowing, and you go on killing people. Can’t you see a simple fact: you both need water, and the river is big enough. ”There is no need to possess the river – and who can be the possessor? – all the water is flowing into the ocean. Why can’t both of you use it? One side belongs to one kingdom, the other side belongs to the other kingdom – there is no problem. And there is no need even to draw a line in the middle of the river because lines cannot be drawn on water. And use the water; rather than fighting….”

It was so simple. And they understood that their fields and their crops were dying because they had no one for them. Fighting was first: who possesses the river? First water had to be possessed; only then could you water all your fields. But the stupid mind thinks only in terms of possession. The man of insight thinks of utility.

Buddha simply said, ”Use it! And come to me again when you have used all the water. Then there will be a problem, then we will see. But come to me again only when you have used all the water.”

 posted in: Buddha Teaching, Self-knowledge Stories 

問：菩薩怎麼講？

聖嚴師父答：菩薩，這也是梵文的音譯，並且是簡譯，全譯是「菩提薩埵」。它的意思，菩提是覺，薩埵是有情；菩薩，便是覺有情。有情是指有情愛與情性的生物，主要就是指動物。菩薩是覺悟的有情，並且也能覺悟一切眾生的痛苦，同情一切眾生的痛苦，進而解救一切眾生的痛苦。所以，通俗都將樂善好施及扶困濟厄的人，稱為「菩薩心腸」。

　　菩薩的本義，和民間的觀念大不相同，菩薩是信佛學佛之後發願自度度人乃至捨己救人的人。所以，泥塑木雕的土地城隍牛鬼蛇神，絕對不能稱為菩薩。

　　菩薩是眾生成佛的必經身分，眾生要成佛，必須先發大願心，最主要的有四條，稱為四弘誓願：「眾生無邊誓願度，煩惱無盡誓願斷，法門無量誓願學，佛道無上誓願成。」可見，要成為一個名副其實的菩薩，並不容易。

　　不過，從最初的發心發願，直到成佛為止，都可稱為菩薩，所以有"凡夫菩薩"與"賢聖菩薩"的不同。通常在佛經中所說的菩薩，都是指的聖位菩薩，依《菩薩瓔珞本業經》，菩薩共分五十二階位，只有十二階位是聖人，那就是從初地到十地， 加上等覺、妙覺。其實，妙覺菩薩就是佛，等覺菩薩是即將成佛的大菩薩。我們熟悉的觀世音、大勢至、文殊、普賢、彌勒、地藏等，便是等覺位的大菩薩。

──《 正信的佛教 》

佛教故事 | 執著“名相”的佣人

修行是從內心找出與佛同等清淨的本性，才是真正修行人的本分。但是凡夫卻迷失了，不知往自己的內心尋找本性，心念時時被外境所引誘，隨著境界打轉。所以，在人生道上生活得非常辛苦!
沒有真正深入內心、啟發清淨的智慧!

在佛典中有一段故事──有一天，主人要出門時，特別交代守門的佣人說：“我這次出門，很多天才回來。你要看好門戶，也要注意驢子，不要讓它走失了。”

佣人說：“一個人怎麼能同時看守門戶，又要注意驢子的行蹤，這怎麼做得到呢？”

主人告訴他：“你只要專心把門看好，將驢子用繩子綁住就行了。”

主人出門後，佣人就拿張椅子在門前，看著用繩子綁好的驢子和門戶。這時，村里正在演野台戲。佣人聽到遠處的戲台傳來的鑼鼓樂聲，心里很想去看戲；但是眼前必須看好門戶及驢子，無法出門看戲。

佣人想了─個自認兩全其美的方法──他將門拆下來，和繩子綁在驢子的背上，帶著門及驢子到戲棚下看戲。等到曲終人散，他才緩步牽著驢子走回家，此時，遠行出門的主人正好從外地回來，望見家中的凌亂情形，感到很憤怒!大門不見蹤影，連帶─些好的家當都被小偷搬空了!

這時，佣人安然自在、邊走邊唱歌地牽著驢子回來了。主人見了非常生氣地說：“叫你看好門戶，注意驢子的行蹤，你怎麼沒有守好本分事，讓門戶大開呢？”

佣人說：“有啊!你交代的事我都做到了，你看，門不是在這里好好的嗎？驢子也在啊!有哪里不對呢？”

主人很生氣地說：“我要你把門戶看好，不要讓小偷進去愉竊；現在門被你拆掉，小偷進去把有價值的東西都偷走了。你只看好門，有什麼用呢?”

自認聰明的佣人，誤解了主人“看門”的意思。他擅自作主將大門拆下，導致家中門戶大開、家當被竊。凡夫平常說：“要照顧好自己的心”，卻往往只在“名相”上打轉，所以，在人生道上生活得非常辛苦！

這個故事描寫凡夫執著在“名相”的心態，平常只會在名相上說：“照顧好自己的心，”沒有真正探入內心，尋找本性的智慧和清淨的大愛。

人生的道路是很簡單的，但是我們常常不去體會、不從正路走向目標而往往走向岔路，這就是平時欠缺真正的用心!

文：本文選自《上人說故事》

依本师所说，依祖师所解，依佛言祖语，依法不依人

淨空老法師：學佛無非是去貪嗔癡而已

我們學佛修什麼？無非是去“貪嗔癡”而已。《金剛經》上說，“一切法得成於忍。”《金剛經》上六波羅蜜，它是教誡初學先修兩樣，一個布施、一個忍辱。

布施是放下，絕對不是說我有錢趕快拿去布施做好事情，那你可把佛的意思全搞錯了，這個不是布施的真正意義。

真正的意義是要把你的見解放下，把你的煩惱放下，把這個布施掉，把你的貪嗔癡布施掉，把你的身見、邊見、見取見，戒取見、邪見布施掉，是這個意思。

單單把你的錢財布施掉，你來生得福報。現在我們世間有錢的人、有勢力的人很多，過去生中就是修這個因得來的。你看他現在有了錢，道心沒有了，不再修行了，不再念佛了，這個問題嚴重！

佛教給我們布施，是教我們放下一切知見，放下一切煩惱，是教我們把這些東西統統布施掉！所以修行功夫就在這個地方用。

《金剛經》雖然講六度，只有布施、忍辱講得最多，其他的略略帶過去，可見得六度裡面這二度是非常地重要。

布施是度貪心、忍辱是度嗔恚，一定要學忍辱！何況經上告訴我們，一切法得成於忍，世出世間一切法，你要想成就，怎麼才能成就？忍就能成就。

中國佛教古大德的教學，你看看《禪林寶訓》裡面，有很多是專門教學生修忍辱，其他的他什麼都不教，你就明了了。一切法得成於忍，我們要常常記在心裡，要常常拿這個反省檢點。

南無阿彌陀佛

财富无常

记得吃素 26 / 04 / 2017 （农历四月初一）

大德们请记得吃素念佛，行善积德，广结善缘

The Unseen Power Of Karmic Affinities

One day, when the Buddha entered a village with his assistant Ananda, he approached a poor woman to share his teachings with her. However, the woman disliked the Buddha so much, that despite his magnificent and pleasing appearance, she could not even stand the sight of him. Wherever the Buddha went, she would turn away. When he went to her right, she would look left. When he went to her left, she would look right… Even when the Buddha used his supernormal power to levitate above to catch her attention, she looked down and refused to look up. However, when she saw Ananda, her attitude became the reversed. She was naturally drawn to him, and happily listened to the Buddha’s teachings related by him, which she found to be beneficial. This is very interesting as though Ananda almost resembled the Buddha in form, he was still not his equal, and especially not the same in compassion, wisdom and skilful means. How is this outcome possible then?

In a distant previous life, the woman once lost her child and was consumed by much grief. A spiritual practitioner passed by and enquired after her. After hearing about her misfortune, he replied somewhat ‘indifferently’, that there was no need to grieve as death is natural. As he seemed detached, his words felt cold and hurting, which gave rise to her aversion. When another practitioner came by and enquired similarly, he kindly offered his condolences, before sharing about the truth of death. The first practitioner was the Buddha-to-be and the latter Ananda-to-be. Due to these karmic affinities formed, the woman developed a ‘natural’ disdain for ‘the Buddha’ and a ‘natural’ attraction to ‘Ananda’. As such, positive and negative karmic affinities can be carried not only from one moment to the next in this life, but also from one life to the next. This is a crucial reason why we ought to be mindful of the impact of our fewest words and slightest gestures, or even the lack of them, as they can affect present and future relationships for better or worse.

Although the Buddha, with his great wisdom, already knew the outcome of his approaches to the woman, what he demonstrated was the importance of doing our best in connecting to others, with as many skilful means as possible, before deciding the next skilful means is to step back, to let the ‘next better player’ try. The inexplicable ‘first’ impressions we have towards total or near strangers are often due to affinities formed in past lives. As these perceptions are not always rational, and often result from emotional bias, as in the case above, we should learn to manage all relationships anew, to form updated and thus truer perceptions of people as they are now. Feel-good vibes might not always turn out good, just like feel-bad vibes might turn out unjustified.  Unless proven ‘hopeless’ for the time being, all deserve second chances – including ourselves. Remember, if you believe any affinity to be beyond hope, you are fatalistic with disbelief in the dynamic nature of karma, whose power you always hold!

Source : thedailyenlightenment.com 

Posted by Shen Shi'an on January 10, 2012

今日教言

修 行 的 原 則

【 修 行 的 原 則 應 是 】：

第一、誓斷一切惡。
就是時時反省三業，是否有不善之業產生，有則應克制與斷除。

第二、誓修一切善。
除了消極的斷惡之外，還要積極的修持善業，以增進內在的涵養與修持。

第三、誓修菩提心。
更進一步，應圓滿修持菩提心─ 就是保持利他與正覺的心靈狀態。

《感恩 湛 明 法 師 相片分享》🙇

【海 濤 法 師 ~ 慈悲心 法語】

《如何增長我們的福報?》 ——星雲法師

人人都希望自己的福德因緣深厚，因為有時候增加財富，財富不一定是我們的，增加物質、財產有時反而是個累贅。唯有福報是真的，到哪裡都享用不完。如何增加福報呢？

　　一、少貪多舍：舍就是一種佈施、結緣，緣結得越多，就像播了種，必有收成。所以少貪多舍，必能增廣福報。

　　二、少聚多散：不要積聚財富，因為財富是五家所共有。遇到水災、火災、貪官污吏、盜賊及不肖子孫，財富轉眼成空。錢要用了才是自己的，因此要多佈施、多結緣。

　　三、少執多放：人不要太執著，執著於一點往往失去全部。要把眼光放大、放遠、放開，要能放得下，才能提得起。

　　四、少傲多謙：做人要謙虛，所謂“滿招損，謙受益”，太自滿、太傲慢，讓人看不起，謙虛的人才會受尊敬。

　　五、少私多公：人不能只為自己而活，因此不要處處只為自己著想。要常常想到別人，想到大眾，能夠少私多公，才能融入大眾，才能擴大小我。　

　

　　六、少憂多喜：人生苦短，不要讓生命充塞太多的憂鬱、傷感。要把歡樂、喜悅常駐心頭，並且影響他人。

　　七、少愛多慈：愛是有染汙性的，是自私的，是不究竟的，唯有把愛昇華為慈悲，才能平等對待一切眾生，才能對人有所助益，所以我們要少愛多慈。

　　八、少色多德：不要把生命浪費在愛情、美色的追求上，因為愛情、美色會隨著時間遷流而產生變化。我們應該在道德、修養上用功，這才是永恆不滅的。

　　九、少自多他：不要凡事只想到自己，要想到自己以外還有他人，包括父母、兄弟、姊妹、同學、朋友、同胞及一切眾生。

　　十、少拒多容：泰山不辭土壤才能成其大，所以，能夠少拒多容，才會增加福報。

海濤法師/開示 【學會原諒】

超度～ 增福消障，不墮惡道

超度，又稱為「超薦」，是指為了讓被超度者「超生樂土，度脫苦趣」所作的供僧和念經功德迴向。換句話說，也就是藉著迴向來幫助眾生，使其能增福消障，不墮惡道。

由於人類的投胎轉世是隨業力和心識所決定的，若是惡業多就墮入三惡道，若是善業多就能繼續作人，甚至生天。超度是藉著佛法之力來開導化解三毒煩惱心，讓眾生能夠解冤釋結、遠離惡趣。佛經中的佛理和佛菩薩聖號都可以讓眾生放下愚癡執著、心開意解，這就是所謂的「佛力超薦」。一般而言，常見的超度方式有：

超度往生者 
超度亡者所作的功德主要有供僧和誦經兩種。許多人花錢請僧尼前來替過世的親人誦經超度，並認為這樣的作法合情合理，其實這樣的作法其實並不如法。原因是不應該將供僧和誦經混為一談，因為供僧主要是在於供養修行人的修持，而非花錢請僧尼來誦經。再者，誦經最好是由亡者的親友親力親為比較好，僧尼在應供之後只須要為亡者及其家屬祝願就行了。

參加超度法會 
除了超度個別的往生親人之外，藉由參加超薦法會，除了超度歷代祖先之外也可超度自己的冤親債主。超薦冤親債主的功德，除了解冤釋結之外，還能夠化解自身所造惡業，懺悔前衍，誓不再犯。換個角度來看，其實這些冤親債主所代表的正是過去我們因無明所犯下的惡業。因此，超度冤親債主，表面上是在度人，實際上則是以度己的成分居多。

寫消災、超薦牌位 
寫消災牌位即是為生者供養三寶，能加被生者消災增福，修道無礙；而寫超薦牌位則是代替亡者供養三寶，仰仗三寶之力拔薦亡者離苦得樂，超生淨土。在法會上寫消災、超薦牌位，則可以仰仗大眾共同修法的殊勝功德力來迴向，功德更加不可思議。

海濤法師強調：「如果填寫超薦牌位時寫完自己的歷代祖先姓名，其他的都不寫，那就太過自私，顯示悲心不夠。應該連過去吃過的葷食餐廳，那裡有非常多的眾生曾被宰殺，應該把地址也寫上一併超薦。」

文章来源：海濤法師慈悲志業

Become The Best You Can Be

The first step for someone who aspires to follow the spiritual path is to understand how precious this human life is. Used wisely, it offers a unique opportunity to actualize the potential for enlightenment that is within us all, yet it is very easy to neglect or squander. According to Buddhism, of all possible life forms that we may take in the round of existences, being born as a human is highly unusual. It is compared to enjoying a banquet after centuries of famine.

One reason why this life is so precious is that all beings have within them what is called ‘Tathagatagarbha’ in Sanskrit, the essence of, or potential for, Buddhahood, which is the fundamental nature of all conscious beings. That nature, temporarily obscured by confusion and disturbing emotions, is like a treasure buried within us. The purpose of practising the Buddhist path, or ‘Dharma,’ is to remove those obscurations.

We are not trying to ‘manufacture’ the state of Buddhahood but simply to reveal what is already there since we cannot add to or subtract from that nature, which is very basic of our mind. The qualities acquired on the way to enlightenment are not fabricated. They reflect the gradual reactivation of our nature, like the brilliance of a jewel covered in the mud that is revealed gradually as the dirt is removed. Some scholars of Buddhism have a slightly different view and consider that the Tathagatagarbha, or essence of Buddhahood, is not fully present in every being but develops through the practice of the path, like a seed that matures and eventually gives fruit, in this case Buddhahood.

On The Path To Enlightenment: Heart Advice From The Great Tibetan Masters

Compiled By Matthieu Ricard