佛法

Aspects of Dharma

如今，能够真正了解佛法并如理行持的人实在寥若晨星。有些所谓的修行人，对佛法不但没有系统的认识，连一些基本常识都不具备，却口口声声宣称自己在行持佛法，岂不贻笑大方？

An authentic practitioner should understand Buddha’s teaching and put it into real practice. But these days such people are as rare as stars in the morning sky. Some alleged practitioners, lacking not only systemic studies but also foundational knowledge, still proclaim themselves as Dharma practitioners. Aren’t they making a laughingstock out of themselves?

在佛教历史上被称为第二佛陀的世亲论师在《俱舍论》中曰：“佛之妙法有二种，教法证法之体性，持教法者唯讲经，持证法者唯修行。”也就是说，以听闻讲说的方式获取教法，以修持的方式摄取证法，教法与证法，涵盖了佛法的一切内涵。

Master Vasubandhu, who is revered as the second Buddha in Buddhist history, says in Abhidharma-kosa Shastra: “There are two aspects in Buddhism: the Dharma of transmission and the Dharma of realization. The Dharma of transmission relies on language while the Dharma of realization requires practice.” In other words, the Dharma of transmission is made possible by teaching and listening, while the Dharma of realization is attained through actual practice. These two Dharmas, transmission and realization, include everything in Buddhism.

为了佛法能长住于世，必须借助于经论，《天子如意持请问经》中云：“诸法经论两种摄，善说乃其密意释，以之于此世界中，佛法能得长久住。”无数的前辈，为受持弘扬佛法，剥皮为纸、析骨为笔、刺血为墨，为我们留下了无数珍贵的三藏教法，使我们得以闻听佛性之义，而得了悟：众生因由一念无明，障蔽心源，不知六尘境界，当体本空，以致由惑造业，因业受苦。

For the Dharma to long remain in this world, we must rely on sutras and shastras. In The Sutra Requested by Deva Ruyi it says: “The Dharma is held by sutras and shastras that are respectively the wonderful teachings from the Buddha and the commentaries on their implicit meanings. Through such means the Dharma can long remain in this world.” Numerous sublime beings in the past, in order to hold the Dharma and to spread it, strived in peeling their skins for paper, using bones as pens, dripping blood for ink, and so on, to pass down to us the precious Tripitakas. These teachings reveal to us the meaning of the Buddha nature and help us to realize that due to a flicker of ignorance, all sentient beings have had their original minds obscured. Unable to recognize that the phenomena perceived by the six senses are empty by nature; sentient beings commit negative actions through delusion and suffer as a consequence of their actions.

如果没有教法的指引，则如同没有日月灯光作为航标，使我们只能无休止地辗转于轮回生死苦海之中；也使我们如同没有向导的盲人，只能在三有的荒漠中徘徊，即使精疲力竭，也永无出期。

Without the guidance of the Dharma, it’s like setting off on the road without the sun, the moon, or other light to navigate our course; as a result we will forever cycle in the suffering torrent of samsara’s death and rebirth. We will be like a blind person without escort, forever wandering in the barren desert of the three worlds. Try as we may to the point of total exhaustion, there is still no escape whatsoever.

当了悟轮回缘由之后，就应当实修实证，令戒、定、慧三种证法与心相融，以之消除惑业，增长福慧。

Once we comprehend the root cause of samsara, we should study and practice the Dharma in authentic ways. Melding the Threefold Training––virtue, concentration, and wisdom––in our being, our obscuration and confusion will be eradicated, and our merit and wisdom will grow remarkably.

佛性虽然本具，却如同矿石中的黄金，木柴中的火焰，稻谷中的稻芽，如果不经过一番冶炼、钻磨与种植，则永远不能获得其成果。如果了知其理而不实修，终如说食数宝，不能得其受用。于长劫轮回苦海中，轻易地将千载难逢的解脱大舟放弃，始终不得解脱。

The buddha nature is innate to us. Yet it is like the gold in the ore, the flame in the unlighted match, or the seedling in the rice grain; without the process of smelting, striking, or planting, no outcome is ever attainable. Without practicing what we know intellectually, we are like someone who describes delicious food without personally partaking of it, or who counts others’ money without owning any himself. There is no real benefit at all. Having been cycling in the suffering ocean of samsara for countless eons, this boat of liberation we have now is utterly rare and extremely difficult to obtain. Should we bargain it away lightly, we will never be liberated.

教法与证法，二者不得偏废，通过教法获得正见，并在此基础上实修证法，才是真正的行持佛法。

We should neglect neither the Dharma of transmission nor the Dharma of realization. Through transmission we establish the right view, and on this basis we engage in practices to attain realization. This, then, is the authentic way to abide in the Buddhadharma.

壬午年四月二十七日　
2002年6月7日

27th of April, Year of RenWu
June 7, 2002