開曉幽冥
簡繁轉換 - 繁體
林鈺堂
今晨夢中見一頗長，雖不厚但堅實之石橋，約六人並行之寬，兩側無護欄，由此岸平直而達彼岸。我走向對岸。近對岸一小段塵封橋面，我即以抹布拭淨之。為了早點使兩岸通達，我先將左側抹通一人行之道，再橫向拭盡餘塵。在拭淨的過程中，心中不停地念著：「幽冥眾生，悉蒙開曉。」（記得這是藥師佛大願中的一句。）第一次的地藏菩薩火供即將舉行；此夢應是相應之瑞兆。
隨即以淺顯語言闡釋「空性」：
「空性」不是沒有東西，而是有東西但沒特性。
較諸通常「空、有」之說明，然後再說「真空妙有」，似更易了解。
吾人所有經驗是一整體，但經驗之內容則幻化（無可把捉）而不停遷變。一般執著於種種分別，隨之在心中產生整體經驗似乎可以切割之幻覺，甚至迷於表相之分別而忘失整體。「空性」之觀念提醒我們不要為種種特色所迷，而回到整體經驗之實際。
不忘失整體之後，則不妨運用種種分別，以助成所有眾生皆能回復不忘整體之覺醒。
有了如上之了解，也可說：「空性即是吾人整體經驗的本質，因此它確實有（可以體驗），但沒有一定的特色。」
二○○八年十一月八日
養和齋 於加州
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Exposition on Blank Essence in Simple Words
----- Original Message -----
From: "Yutang Lin"
To: "Dharma Friends"
Sent: Monday, November 10, 2008 11:17 AM
Subject: FW: New Work
Below is disciple Stanley's response to my work Enlightening Beings in Darkness; see attached files.
以下是弟子成穗對我所寫〈開曉幽冥〉一文的回應，見附呈檔案。
The interpretation he offered below is wonderful and significant.
下面他所提供的解釋很好且有意義。
This email is Bcc to all on my list.
此電郵以密件傳給我名單中所有的人。
May all beings attain Enlightenment soon!
願一切眾生早日成佛！
Yutang
鈺堂
-----Original Message-----
From: Thubten Detong
Sent: Monday, November 10, 2008 12:44 PM
To: 林 成穗
Cc: Dr. Lin
Subject: Fw: New Work
成穗,
師父說您這篇寫得好
為了利益中文讀者
可否勞您有空時將之譯成中文給我上傳呢？
法安
茶桶
From: info@yogichenorg
Sent: Monday, November 10, 2008 6:39 AM
To: 'Thubten Detong'
Cc: 'Dr. Lin'
Subject: RE: New Work
Detong,
I just wrote down my first reaction upon reading last night before sleep.
Here's my translation below, you can see if the Chinese is correct and clear enough:
Thanks and regards,
Stanley
林博士，
謝謝您這殊勝的教授。
我粗略地看完五論之二後（辨法法性之後辨中邊），剛轉而重溫另一「宗」的主要作品——《中論》（初閱此論已是十七、八年前的事）。讀首兩品中頗為複雜的言句和論辯時，我不由得感覺有點破得太厲害了（然而在造論時的歷史背景當然是很恰當的）。我思索當中的論辯時似乎有點體會，全都只是說明並沒有由我們的經驗營造出來惑人的自性（即與「他體」性有所區別的「自體」性），因為一切都是一體。不過我覺得若不將反複出現的「無」字習慣地換成「沒有自體性」，我會感覺太過銳利。
而您這篇新作我覺得是用了更簡約但出奇地完整的方式再行表述，因為將第二和第三轉法輪都涵蓋了。我難以想象如何可以有比這更簡潔的表述。實在奇妙！
雖然您沒有解釋夢中的象徵意義，但我的猜想是這樣：
六個人寬的橋可到達彼岸，那是象徵通過六波羅蜜能到達覺悟的彼岸。
此道直接，但很少人能到達最接近彼岸的高深之境界，因此那段橋面是塵封的。
橋的兩側無欄，象徵墮二邊的危險。
拭淨橋面，意指您將闡明此道之理，以令人較易通往彼岸（證覺）。
您由左側的六分之一開始拭淨，象徵先從般若波羅蜜開始闡明（從右數起，左邊是第六）。
幽冥眾生並不單指鬼道、地獄等下界眾生，而是所有未覺悟的眾生，因為他們都是在無明的黑暗之中（取「幽冥」的字面義）。
感恩致候
成穗
Enlightening Beings in Darkness Yutang Lin
This morning in a dream I saw a rather long stone bridge, not thick but solid, about six-persons side-by-side wide, no railings on either sides, and it stretched straight and even from this shore to the other shore. I walked on it toward the other shore. Near the other shore a small section of the surface of the bridge was covered with dust. I mopped it clean with a piece of cloth. In order to clear a passage for the two shores sooner, I first cleaned on the left most side a passage wide enough for one person to go through. Then I mopped sidewise to clean all the rest of the dusts. While mopping I continued to repeat in my mind a Chinese statement that says, "Sentient beings in darkness (ghosts or hell beings), all are blessed with enlightening guidance." (I remember that it was a statement in one of the twelve vows of Medicine Guru Buddha.) The first ever fire puja to Bodhisattva Earth Treasure will soon be held; this dream should have been an auspicious omen born of inspiration.
Then I said in simple language an exposition on Blank Essence:
Blank Essence is not empty of things, but something that has no particular characteristics.
Compared with the usual explanations in terms of "emptiness and phenomena," and then adding "indeed empty but wondrous appearance," the above seems easier to comprehend.
All our experiences is a totality, but its contents are illusive (could not be grasped) and incessantly evolving. Usually people grasped to all sorts of distinctions, and consequently sustained in their minds an illusion as if the totality of our experiences could be divided into pieces, and even became deluded by grasping to superficial distinctions to the extent that they had forgotten the totality as a whole. The notion of Blank Essence reminds us not to become deluded by varieties of characteristics, and thus return us to the reality of the totality of all our experiences.
After we had resumed our awareness of the totality, then we may freely make use of all sorts of distinctions to help all sentient beings to resume their awareness of the totality of all their experiences.
With the above comprehension one may also say, "Blank Essence is the original essence of the totality of all our experiences; therefore, it indeed exists (can be experienced), but it has no particular characteristics."
Written in Chinese and translated on November 8, 2008
El Cerrito, California
Below is disciple Stanley's response to my work Enlightening Beings in Darkness; see attached files.
The interpretation he offered below is wonderful and significant.
This email is Bcc to all on my list.
Detong, add this to the end of E0139, and post it on-line.
May all beings attain Enlightenment soon!
Yutang
-----Original Message-----
From: info@yogichenorg
Sent: Sunday, November 09, 2008 8:21 AM
To: 'Yutang Lin'
Subject: RE: New Work
Dr. Lin,
Thank you for the great teaching.
After roughly finishing the second of the five treatises (辨中邊after辨法法性）, I digress to the other "school's" main work 中論 for a seriouos re-reading (I first read it about 17 or 18 years ago). While reading the first two chapters' rather complicated languages and arguments, I can't help not having the feeling of a bit overkill. (but of course it's highly understandable in its historical context). I was pondering the arguments and seem to come to the understanding that they are all about the lack of 自性 as fooled by construction in our experiences, which is the self-ness, as distinctive to 他性 (other-ness) because everything is a big Oneness, but repeated use of words “無” feels somewhat overdone unless gotten used to substituting the word with lack of "self-ness" instead of its own meaning.
Now your new work seems to me like a rephrase of it in even more elegant way with amazing completeness because that puts the second and third turning of Buddha's Dharma together into context. It's hard to imagine how to put it in simpler words. So wonderful!
You didn't explain symbolisms in the dream, but my guesses are:
Bridge of 6 person's width to the other shore is 6 paramita to enlightenment.
The path is straight and direct but not many have gotten through the most advanced / deepest meanings, hence covered with dust near the other end.
There's no railing hence the danger of falling to either extremes.
You mopped clean the dust means to clarify the path so as to make it easy to get through the other end (enlightenment).
You start from one-sixth from the left side means the clarify first about wisdom paramita (starting from right side, then left side is the sixth).
Sentient beings in darkness are not just those in the underworld, but all unenlightened sentient beings because they are in the darkness of ignorance.
Thanks and regards,
Stanley
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