【證嚴法師開示】
人云身是「載道器」, 能夠生得這個人身, 能徹悟出人人本具的佛性, 我們就可以藉著人身的緣, 好好的修行. 我們的心念, 不知道在多久以前, 就不斷地污染我們每個人的內心, 都含藏很多污洉, 所以善惡常常在我們的內心交戰, 知道是好的我們會去學, 但是時時都有惡事向我們拉扯, 所以善惡之間好像在拔河, 善的 如果力量較強, 就把我們拉向善的那邊去, 如果惡的力量較強, 很快就會把我們拉過去, 使我們有了污染. 所以一切唯心造, 我們面對這麼多的環境, 哪怕有許多染緣在我們周圍, 我們要保持這念淨因, 清淨的心將我們的心, 轉污染的境界回歸清淨的境界.
Our bodies are the means for spiritual cultivation. Since we have been born as humans and learned that we all have the same nature as the Buddha’s, we should make good use of our bodies to cultivate ourselves. Since eons ago, our minds have become tainted by the impurities that keep accumulating in our minds. So, within our minds, there are many impurities. That’s why we often experience a tug of war between good and evil. Knowing that something is good, we’ll try to do it. But oftentimes, evil will pull at us. So, we get caught in a tug of war. If the side of good is more powerful, we’ll lean over to it. But if the evil force is stronger, we’ll quickly get pulled toward it and our minds will become tainted. So, it all depends on us ourselves. No matter what environment we are in and no matter how many impurities surround us, we must maintain a pure heart. That way, we’ll be able to turn impurity into purity.
“The kindhearted Monkey” 慈猴救人
有一隻猴子, 雖然牠是一隻猴子, 不過牠本性猶存, 在深山修行. 牠的心地非常仁慈, 牠會愛護山林中的一切動物. 有一天 牠在樹上採水果, 好像聽到有人求救的聲音, 牠心裡想, 不去救他 心不忍, 所以牠循著聲音不斷尋找. 發現了這個人, 但是要去救他 非常不容易, 斷崖山谷 很深, 哪怕是斷送自己的生命, 能夠救人, 牠也願意, 所以想盡辦法, 攀著樹枝 草木, 甚至是石頭 石壁, 很危險的從上而下, 看到這個人受傷, 牠就說: 來, 趴在我的背上, 我揹你上去, 山壁是斷崖, 石頭非常粗糙, 光是攀爬己經很艱苦了, 何況背後又揹了一個人, 終於爬上了山頂, 牠將人放下, 自己已是精疲力竭, 就跟這個人說: 你安全了, 你走吧! 然後就在樹下睡著了. 這個人很感恩, 但是自己是很累, 又很餓, 看到這隻猴子在睡覺, 睡得非常沉, 他就想: 動物生來就是給人吃的, 這隻猴子, 我如果吃牠的肉來充飢, 我就有力氣了. 主意打定後, 他就拿起一粒石頭, 朝著猴子的頭丟過去, 牠的頭部受傷了, 趕緊爬到樹上. 牠居高臨下看著這個人, 牠哭了, 牠覺得人頪的心, 怎麼會這凶惡殘酷. 我的力氣能救他的人, 不過我的德 還不能感化他. 我要趕緊再修行, 德行力量俱全, 將來我還是要度化他, 這就是清淨的念. 那隻猴子(久遠劫後) 就是釋迦牟尼佛.
Once upon a time, there was a monkey. The monkey lived in the mountains. Although it was a monkey, it was very loving and kindhearted and it cared for all the animals in the mountains. One day, when it was picking fruit on a tree, it heard someone crying for help. The monkey thought to itself: “I have to help him.” So it followed the cries to find the man. It saw the man at the bottom of a cliff. However, saving him would be no easy task. As the cliff was very deep and steep. But the monkey wanted to save the man even if it meant risking its own life. So, it started descending the cliff. It went down along the cliff wall, grasping onto vines and cocks. It was very dangerous. When it reached the man and saw that he was injured, it said to him, “Get on my back. I’ll carry you up.” The cliff was very steep with an uneven surface. It was hard enough to climb up, let alone carry someone on the back. When they finally reached the top, the monkey put the man down. The monkey was exhausted. It said to the man: “Go on! You’re safe now.” Then, the monkey fell asleep under a tree. Then man was very grateful to the monkey. But he was also exhausted and hungry. Watching the monkey sleeping soundly, he thought to himself: “Animals are meant to feed humans. If I kill the monkey for food, I’ll recover soon.” He decided to kill the monkey. He picked up a rock and hurled it at the monkey. The rock hit the monkey’s head Started, the monkey scrambled up a tree. Looking down at the man from above, it cried. The monkey thought to itself: “How could humans be so cruel? I’m strong enough to save his life, but I’m not virtuous enough to save his mind. So, I must work harder to cultivate myself so I can change him in the future.” Such is a pure heart. That monkey was Sakyamuni Buddha in one of his lives.
看, 釋迦牟尼佛, 他累生累世來人間, 就是抱持這念清淨的本性, 就是這種慈愛的心, 不論他碰到什麼樣的境界, 還是這念愛, 這念慈. 這種心態還是很清淨, 不管什麼樣的境界來臨, 他都不受到污染, 他不會因為說 我救你, 你怎麼會來殺我呢, 他沒有一點怒氣. 也沒有一絲怨嘆, 他還是對眾生起憐憫心. 他憐憫人頪就是如此愚痴, 所以他起憐憫, 所以他再發願. 還是要來度化他, 不管是人身或是動物之身, 身形雖不同, 卻是心性統一, 堅守那念清淨的因, 周圍的緣, 就能化污濁為清流, 這就是修行.
我們每天面對著人群. 世間的事物, 哪一樣不是令我們煩惱, 哪一樣不是令我們感到無奈, 我們若能時時保持住心, 我們就絶對不會受這個境界影響. 我們還能時時起感恩心. 所以學佛沒有別的. 很單純, 若能顧好清淨的因緣, “因”就是我們內心的種子, “緣”是外面與我們(接觸)境界, 若能轉惡緣為善緣, 這樣我們就人事圓融了.
Life after life, the Buddha comes to this world with such a pure heart and loving-kindness. No matter what circumstances he comes across, he always maintains such loving-kindness and his heart remains pure and clean. Whatever happens to him, his heart never gets tainted. He did not think, “I’ve saved you. Why did you still want to kill me?” He did not get angry or resentful at all. Instead, he was sad and felt for living beings.
Seeing how ignorant humans can be, he felt sorry for them. So, he vowed to cultivate harder and come back to help the man in his future lives. Whether in the form of humans or animals, the Buddha keeps the same pure heart. When he harbors such a pure heart at all times, he can turn impurity around him into purity. This is what self-cultivation is about. As we face people and matters every day, there are times that we get afflicted and become frustrated. If we can keep our hearts pure, then we won’t be affected by what’s happening around us. We will even be grateful at all times.
So, in learning the Buddha’s way, we have only one purpose, which is to take good care of our minds. When we keep a pure heart within, no matter what external conditions we come across, we’ll be able to deal with people and matters in a well-rounded and harmonious way.
( Source: Da Ai TV Television 2014/1/5 - 證嚴法師說故事–Stories Told by Dharma Master Cheng Yen )
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