人生第一件大事

－－皈依三宝

The Greatest Thing in Life

----Taking Refuge with the Triple Jewel

 

宣公上人一九九三年三月二十八日开示于长堤圣寺

Ven. Master Hua's Talk at Long Beach Sagely Monastery on March 28, 1993

净住 记录 Transcibed By Jin Ju

 

我们人生第一件大事就是能皈依三宝。皈依三宝这件事，你要把它重视一点，不要那么轻举妄动。第一，你要选择一个真正的明眼善知识来皈依，以后有什么不懂的道理，都可以得到正确的指导，正确的开示，悟入佛之知见，不要投到旁门左道，听邪师说法。邪师外道不单现在各处都有，就是在佛住世的时候，也是非常之多。那时候就有九十六种外道，七十二个旁门左道，比这个正法还兴旺得多。往往人不懂得真理，就容易投入旁门左道去了。投到旁门左道，害处是很多的，因为你会很容易就误入歧途，走到错的路上去。你一走到错的路上去，就想要得到利益，反而受了害处，这都是很危险的一件事，所以你们皈依三宝，投入正法眼藏，涅槃妙心。

 

要寻访善知识，就是在出家人里头也是龙蛇混杂，分子不齐，你误入旁门左道，那害处大；你误投到邪师说法里头，这害处更大。

 

所以，你们各位学佛法的，不要想要往上升，反而堕地狱了；想要得到快乐，反而受了无量的痛苦。所以我说皈依是第一件大事，这比什么都重要，要看得特别重要才对。所以在我这儿受皈依的，你必须要考虑清楚，你必须要认清了门路。

 

你们每一个人要拿出万分万分的至诚恳切心，在佛前来忏悔以往的罪业，忏悔已竟。诚心忏悔，你罪业就都可以消除了，善根就可以增长了；你若不诚心来忏悔，那罪业还是罪业，善根也不能增长。所以就看你个人的至诚恳切心、专一其心，不要有杂乱心，不要有痴心妄想，狂心野性。

 

皈依三宝，是要凭真诚两个字，没有真诚，你就是那么敷衍了事，苟且塞责，这是没有感应的。

 

正式皈依三宝，如果你信心坚固，行为清净，乃至成佛，一定没有什么困难的；你若信心不坚固，行为不清净，那么就不要希望成佛了。你就成一个人都不容易的，不要说你们各位在家人；就出家人他若不修行，也一样要堕地狱的，所以你们各位在家人要好自为之，特别努力，不要这么对佛教不专心、不恭敬，要恭敬三宝，供养三宝，信仰三宝，要终身地来奉事三宝。你这样子才能有所感应道交；你若不这样，就皈依之后，还像没有皈依以前那样子，那是不会有感应的。

 

你每天一早，在醒来之后，要对佛前发这四弘誓愿，这是每一个菩萨都应该发的誓愿。早晨要发，晚上要问一问自己，众生无边，我度了没度呢？烦恼无尽誓愿断，我断了没断烦恼呢？我如果没有度，我要度众生。没有断烦恼，我要断烦恼。法门无量誓愿学，我学了没学呢？没学！我应该学无量无边的法门，我忙里偷闲也要读诵点经典，看看佛书之类的，这叫法门无量誓愿学。佛道无上誓愿成，我现在还是个凡夫，还没有成佛，我要赶快修行，才能成佛的。每一天都要做这一种的观想，早晨要发愿，晚上要检讨自己是不是满自己这个四弘誓愿了？

The greatest thing in our life is to take refuge with the Triple Jewel. You have to be serious about taking refuge with the Triple Jewel. Don't treat it casually and don't act on a whim. First of all, you have to choose a real Bright-Eyed Good and Wise Teacher to take refuge with. That way, when there is some principle you do not understand, you will receive proper guidance that will allow you to gain insight into the Buddha's knowledge and views. Don't go and join the non-ultimate sects and listen to the instructions of deviant teachers. It is not only now that non-ultimate sects and deviant teachers have become so widespread. They were also very numerous when the Buddha was in the world. At that time, there were ninety-six non-ultimate sects and seventy-two heterodoxies, and they flourished much more than the Proper Dharma. People joined these non-ultimate sects simply because they did not understand truth. Non-ultimate teachings can do a lot of harm, because they can easily lead you down the wrong road. Once on the wrong road, you may want to gain some benefit, but you will only suffer harm. This is very dangerous. On the other hand, when you take refuge with the Triple Jewel, you get a share in the Treasury of the Proper Dharma Vision and the Wonderful Mind of Nirvana.

 

You must look for good and wise teachers. The wise and the unwise are intermingled, even among the left-home people. They are not all the same. When you mistakenly join a non-ultimate sect, there is great harm; however, if you blindly follow the Dharma spoken by a deviant teacher, the harm is even greater.

 

Therefore, all of you Buddhist disciples, don't let it happen that you seek to ascend but end up falling into the hells instead. Don't let it be that you wanted to get happiness, but suffer boundless misery instead. That's why I said that taking refuge is a matter of the highest priority; nothing is more important. You must treat it as especially important. When you take refuge with me, you have to consider clearly and really know the path.

 

Each of you must bring forth the utmost earnesty to repent before the Buddhas of your past offenses. If you are really sincere in repenting, then the karma of your offenses will all be eradicated, and your good roots will grow. But if you do not repent with sincerity, the karma of your offenses will still remain, and your good roots will not grow. So, it all depends on your sincerity and concentration; do not let your mind get distracted, avoid stupid and false thoughts, and restrain your wild mind and nature.

 

You must be true and sincere when taking refuge. If you simply go through the routine in a perfunctory manner, there will be no response.

 

In formally taking refuge with the Triple Jewel, if you have solid faith, then it will be easy for you to practice purely and even become a Buddha. If your faith is weak and your conduct is impure, then you can forget about becoming a Buddha. You have a hard time just being a person. Ah, not to mention you laypeople, even left-home people will fall into the hells if they do not cultivate. Therefore, all you laypeople should do your best and work hard. In Buddhism, don't be someone who is absent-minded and disrespectful. Revere the Triple Jewel, make offerings to the Triple Jewel, believe in the Triple Jewel, and serve the Triple Jewel all your life. Then you will have a response in the Tao. If you cannot do this, then even after you take refuge, it is like you have not taken refuge at all, and you will not get any response.

 

Every morning when you first get up, you should make the Four Vast Vows before the Buddha. These are the vows which every Bodhisattva should make. You should make these vows in the morning, and in the evening you ask yourself, "Living beings are limitless. Have I saved them? I vowed to cut off the endless afflictions. Have I cut them off? Ah, if I haven't, I must cut them off. If I haven't saved living beings, then I must save them. If I haven't gotten rid of my afflictions, I must eradicate them. I vowed to learn the boundless Dharma-doors. Have I learned them? No? I must learn the boundless Dharma-doors. However busy I am, I have to spend some time to recite a Sutra or read a Buddhist book -- that's what is meant by vowing to learn the boundless Dharma-doors. I vow to accomplish the unsurpassed Buddha Way. I am still an ordinary person and haven't become a Buddha. I must hurry and cultivate." You should do this contemplation every day, making the Four Vast Vows in the morning and reflecting to see whether you have fulfilled them in the evening.