平等 林鈺堂 簡繁轉換 - 繁體

佛性本具無需爭,有情同體豈高低?
謹守規範修謙下,自是謗法毀道程。

修行重點在證入有情本具之佛性;此中一切平等,無有高下。至於因緣聚合所現之高低,乃一時之現象,無需隨之起伏。若計執有相之高下,則因小失大,忘失修行之正道矣。隨因緣而制定之戒律,可能因時移境遷而顯得不合理。但若一切皆要訴諸講理,則無從由知見的樊籠脫出,更談不上回歸本來。若能隨順戒律,正足以藉之修習無執、無我、謙下、常恭敬一切有情,而蒙法益。若不能遵守戒律,也可還戒、還俗;佛法是隨人自願領受的。若是披著袈裟還要毀棄戒律,等於宣告自己見解高於祖佛之教導,縱能成就我慢,絕難契入正覺。


                     二○○一年三月三十日
                     養和齋    於加州


Equal Yutang Lin

Buddha Nature being innate, no need to fight for.
All beings are in oneness; who is higher or lower?
Carefully abide by the rules to learn humbleness.
Self-righteous criticism just voids mileage traveled.

Comment:

The key point of Dharma practice is to attain Buddha Nature that is innate to all sentient beings. In Buddha nature all are equal without differentiation of being higher or lower. As to the difference in stature and status as a result of the gathering of conditions, it is a transient phenomenon that a practitioner would not need to chase after. If one were to care and haggle over such heights in formality, then one would loose sight of the great goal and be misled by minor distractions into stray ways. Rules of conduct that were formulated as a result of circumstantial situations might appear to be unreasonable under different circumstances with the change of time and tides. Nevertheless, if one maintains that all things must be reasonable to one's satisfaction, then there will be no possibility to escape from the domain of conceptual reasoning, not to mention to return to one's original state of purity. If one can abide by the rules of conduct, one would benefit from their observance to learn about no attachment, non-self, humbleness, and constant respect for all sentient beings. If one cannot accept the rules of conduct, then one could renounce the former acceptance of the rules or even return to laity; in Buddhism teachings and rules are undertaken only voluntarily. If one were to denounce the rules of conduct while wearing the robe, it would amount to claiming the superiority of one's views over the teachings of Buddhas and patriarchs. Even though such acts would accomplish self-pride, they could hardly be in accordance with Right Awakening.


Written in Chinese on March 30, 2001
Translated on March 31, 2001
El Cerrito, California


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