Chung Tai Shan Magazine #239
我們修行，一個是心、一個是境，沒有別的。眾生的心對外面的境起了執著，認為這個世界上的現象是實在的，不知道美醜、苦樂都是虛妄的境界，是我們自己的妄想、執著所現出來的幻相，所以心當中就有取捨。看到好的東西，就想要去追求、占有；得不到，就起煩惱。如來智慧圓滿，知道一切現象都是虛妄不實的，都是假相，一下就看破；眾生不知道這是個假相，偏偏在假相上面兜圈子，所以就有生死。
Our cultivation has two aspects: one is the mind, the other is dealing with external phenomena. Besides these, there is nothing else.
The minds of sentient beings raise attachments toward external phenomena, believing that all things in this world are substantially existent. As sentient beings, we don’t realize that states like beauty and ugliness, suffering and pleasure, etc., are all illusory and insubstantial, dreamlike appearances created by our deluded thoughts and attachments. Thus, our minds have notions of gain and loss. When we see something attractive, we try to chase after and possess it. If we cannot get what we want, we give rise to afflictions.
The Tathagata has complete, perfect wisdom and knows that all phenomena are illusory and insubstantial; he sees them for what they are: conditioned appearances. Sentient beings don’t know that all phenomena are conditioned appearances and habitually turn in circles, attaching to one form or the other. Therefore, they are subject to samsaric birth and death.
運心轉念 心光自明
Use the mind to transform our thoughts, let the mind’s light shine naturally.
王陽明先生說：「破山中賊易，破心中賊難。」六根對六塵，對外境起執著，生了無明、起了貪瞋癡的煩惱，這就是賊人，搶奪了我們的自性功德。所以要時時刻刻警惕自己，有了過失，就要慚愧懺悔、要看破。如果不看破、不慚愧、不懺悔，我們心當中這個賊人就始終存在。
Wang Yangming (王陽明 1472-1529) said, "It is easy to defeat the thieves in the mountains; it is difficult to defeat the thieves in the mind." When the six senses encounter the six sense objects and we raise attachments toward external phenomena, miscomprehend reality, and give rise to afflictions of greed, anger, and ignorance, these are the “thieves” that steal away the intrinsic virtue of our true nature. Therefore, we must always be vigilant, reminding ourselves: when we do wrong, we must have contrition, practice repentance, and see through our attachments. If we do not overcome our attachments, have contrition and practice repentance, the thieves in our minds will always remain there.
佛法是以人為根本，人以心為根本，以慈悲心、平等心、不動心、智慧心、無住心為根本。這念心就是佛、就是道；心迷失了，就是眾生。心當中起一個善念，就是一個光明相；起一個惡念，就是一個地獄相、黑暗相。儒家講：「惟聖罔念作狂，惟狂克念作聖。」一個人起什麼心念，就和什麼法界相應。起一念貪心，就墮入餓鬼道；起一念瞋心，就墮入修羅道；起一念癡心，就墮入畜生道，這並不是形容詞。真正在這裡用一番功夫去觀照，就知道確確實實是如此。
The root of Buddhadharma is found in human beings. The root of human beings is found in the mind—the mind of compassion and equality, the unmoving mind, the mind of wisdom and no-abidance—this mind is the root.
This very mind is the buddha and the Way. When the mind becomes deluded, that is a sentient being. When the mind raises a wholesome thought, there is the appearance of brightness; when it raises an unwholesome thought, there is the appearance of hellish realms and darkness. The Confucians say, “Sages who succumb to their thoughts become deluded beings. Deluded beings who subdue their thoughts become sages.” Whatever thoughts one raises in the mind, that is the dharma realm they resonate with. Raise a thought of greed, fall into the realm of hungry ghosts; raise a thought of anger, fall into the realm of asuras; raise a thought of ignorance, fall into the animal realm. These are not figures of speech. When we put real effort into observing and contemplating this, we will know that this is indeed the way it is.
所以，知道了佛法的道理，有了煩惱，自己就要調。怎麼調？把佛法的道理拿來想一想，一下就轉過來了。每一個人都有過失，都有妄想、煩惱，我們修行就是要轉煩惱，要知道運心；懂得運用這個心、轉這個心，有了煩惱，把煩惱轉化，這念心就能回復清淨，自己的修行就不會退轉。否則，遇到一點點煩惱，不知道怎麼樣去化解、去突破，那修行就靠不住了。佛法就是告訴我們要轉念頭，時時刻刻念佛、念法、念僧，以善念對治惡念，等到惡念俱捐，最後連善念也完全放下，歸於無念，無念就是中道、就是實相。
Therefore, when we understand the teachings in Buddhism, we must be the ones to subdue our afflictions when they arise. How? Use the teachings to contemplate them, and right away, we can transform these afflictions. Everyone has wrongdoings, deluded thoughts, and afflictions. Our cultivation is very much in order to transform these thoughts and afflictions, but we must know to apply and use the mind. By knowing how to apply and use the mind to transform afflictions when they arise, this very mind returns to a state of purity—then our cultivation will not regress. Otherwise, when we encounter a few afflictions and don’t know how to clear and overcome them, our cultivation will become very precarious indeed.
The Buddhadharma is telling us that we must transform our thoughts. At every moment, keep the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha in mind. Use wholesome thoughts to counteract unwholesome ones. When there are no unwholesome thoughts left, let go completely of even the wholesome thoughts and return to no-thought. No-thought is the middle way; it is true reality.
《尚書》云：「人心惟危，道心惟微，惟精惟一，允執厥中。」「惟精惟一」，「精」就是使我們這念心像一面鏡子一樣，當中沒有煩惱，有了煩惱馬上就要轉過來。這念心時時刻刻都清楚明白，無論是白天、晚上、順境、逆境，始終像一面明鏡一樣，不落一點塵垢，這就是「精」、就是「一」。這念心達到「精」、「一」，始終安住在這個地方，「允執厥中」，這樣就能契悟中道。
The Book of Documents says: "The human mind is precarious; the heart of the Way is subtle. Only with perfect purity and single-mindedness, may one abide in the middle.” Here, “perfect purity” is to let this very mind be like a mirror, cleansing it of afflictions. When afflictions arise, we should transform them right away. This very mind must always be clear and lucid, whether it be day or night, in favorable conditions or adverse circumstances—it is like a bright mirror at all times, without a single stain or speck of dust. This is “perfect purity”; this is “single-mindedness”. When this very mind attains perfect purity and single-mindedness, and always abides in this state, then “may one abide in the middle.” In this manner, we will realize the middle way.
了解了這個道理，就要在靜中養成、動中磨鍊。如《金剛經》所說：「應如是住，如是降伏其心。」時時刻刻都要使我們身口意三業清淨，六根不要攀緣、顛倒；這念心只起善念，不起惡念，最後善念也了不可得，歸於無念。
Having understood this teaching, we must nurture the mind in stillness and temper it through action. As the Diamond Sutra says, “Good men and good women who resolve to attain anuttara-samyak-sambodhi should thus abide and subdue their minds." Keep the three karmas of body, speech, and mind pure at all times; regulate the six senses so they do not cling to external conditions and become distorted. This very mind raises only wholesome thoughts and not unwholesome ones. In the end, realize that wholesome thoughts are also ungraspable and return to no-thought.
以善捨惡 以捨捨善
Relinquish the unwholesome through the wholesome; relinquish the wholesome through no-attachment.
所以修行有這麼一個層次，佛法講：「先以善捨惡，後以捨捨善。」雖然善念、惡念都不是真實的境界，都是夢境，但我們可以先作好夢──天天想到善法，布施、持戒、忍辱、精進、禪定、智慧，念佛、念法、念僧、念戒、念施，發大菩提心，弘揚佛法，普度眾生，安住道場……這樣子念念不斷。等到壞的念頭統統沒有了，好的念頭統統現前，起心動念都是善念，講話都是善言，做事都是善事，進一步，要了解善法也是夢，是一場好夢；好夢也不執著，達到無夢，就超凡入聖了，這就是如來的境界。
Thus, there are these different levels of cultivation. Buddhism teaches, “First, relinquish the unwholesome through the wholesome; then, relinquish the wholesome through no-attachment.” Although wholesome and unwholesome thoughts are both insubstantial, dreamlike states, we should first have good dreams—everyday think of wholesome dharmas like practicing charitable giving, upholding the precepts, and cultivating tolerance, diligence, meditation, and wisdom; keep the Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, precepts, and giving in mind; bring forth the all-encompassing bodhi mind, spread the Buddhist teachings, liberate all sentient beings, and abide in the place of the Way. Continue like this in thought after thought, until no unwholesome thoughts remain, and every thought raised is a wholesome one, every word spoken is a wholesome word, and every action performed is a wholesome deed.
Going one step further, we must understand that wholesome dharmas are also illusory, nothing more than a good dream. Do not attach to good dreams, awaken yourself to have no dreams—this is to transcend the mundane to enter sagehood. This is the realm of the tathagata.
《六祖壇經》云：「不思善，不思惡。」明白善惡都是虛妄，這念心不住善、不住惡，了了分明、常寂常照，就像一面明鏡，有映諸萬物之功，「像來則現，像去則無」。時時刻刻都要保持這念心存在。這念心就是覺性，就是實相，這才是真正的自己。
The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch says, “Think neither of the good nor the bad.” Understanding that good and bad are both illusory and insubstantial, this very mind abides in neither good nor bad, and is always clear and lucid, constantly still and constantly aware, just like a bright mirror that reflects all things truthfully— “when a form appears, so does its image; when a form disappears, so does its image.” We must maintain this very mind present at all times. This very mind is pure and intrinsic awareness; it is true reality and the true self.
契悟了實相，就與釋迦牟尼佛、與十方諸佛同一個鼻孔出氣，這就是我們自己的法身佛。悟到這個道理，心當中就是一片光明，無論走到什麼地方，都能夠自在。
After realizing true reality, we “breathe from the same nose” as Shakyamuni Buddha and all buddhas of the ten directions; this is our dharmakaya buddha. When we realize this truth, our mind will be filled with brightness, and no matter where we go, we will have intrinsic freedom and effortless composure.