宣化上人開示錄(九)　Venerable Master Hua's Talks on Dharma Volume Nine

	宣化上人開示錄(九) Venerable Master Hua’s Talks on Dharma Volume Nine
	^上宣^下化老和尚開示 Lectures by the Venerable Master Hsuan Hua	│上一頁│目錄│下一頁│

只准正法住世

Perpetuating the Proper Dharma in the World

居士單獨供養一個出家人，以為有特別功德，沒想到這是破壞和合僧。

Laypeople make offerings to a single left-home person, thinking that there is special merit and virtue in doing so, but little do they know that it actually destroys the harmony of the Sangha.

什麼是正法住世？你老老實實去修行，不好虛名假利，不貪供養，就是正法住世。如果每個出家人能持銀錢戒，能坐襌，能日中一食，能時刻搭袈裟，嚴持戒律，就是正法住世。正法住世，也就是時刻依佛所教，躬行實踐。		What does it take for the Proper Dharma to exist in the world? If you honestly practice without coveting fame, benefit, or offerings, then the Proper Dharma exists in the world. If every left-home person observes the precept of poverty (not holding money), sits in meditation, eats only one meal a day, always wears the kashaya sash, and strictly observes the precepts, then the Proper Dharma exists in the world. The Proper Dharma exists in the world when we practice according to the Buddha's teaching at all times.

你們看看萬佛聖城的出家人，都沒有什麼貪心，每個人都是默默耕耘，精嚴戒律，肅恭齋法，發大菩提心。我的願力是無論到什麼地方去，不准末法存在，只准正法住世。		Look at the left-home people at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas. They have little greed, cultivate quietly, carefully observe the precepts, respectfully receive vegetarian meals, and bring forth a great resolve for Bodhi. My vow is that, wherever I go, I will only allow the Proper Dharma to exist; I will not permit the Dharma to come to an end.

末法，就是佛法跑到末梢上、枝葉上，遠離根本了。在末法時期，真假難分，要具有擇法眼，才可以分辨清楚。什麼是正法？就是不貪名、不貪利、不貪色、不自私。		During the Dharma-ending Age, the Dharma reaches its end, its leaves and branches; it is far removed from the roots. In the Dharma-ending Age, it is difficult to distinguish the true from the false, unless one has Dharma-selecting Vision. To practice the Proper Dharma entails not being greedy for fame and benefits, not lusting after beautiful forms, and not being selfish.

末法時代的人都是邪知邪見，凡是對的他說不對，不對的他說是對；魚目混珠，正法現前，他也不認識。所以在省庵大師的勸發菩提心文裏說：「有教無人，邪正不分，是非莫辨，競爭人我，盡逐利名。」		However, people in the Dharma-ending Age have misguided views. They confuse right and wrong, mistaking fish eyes for pearls. Even if the Proper Dharma were presented to them, they would not recognize it. Therefore, Great Master Xing An said in his essay, "Exhortation to Resolve the Mind upon Bodhi," "There are teachings but no adherents. No one can distinguish the deviant from the proper; no one can tell right from wrong. We compete and struggle with each other. We pursue profit and fame."

至於競爭人我，他倒有本事，例如，跟人競爭造廟。你的廟高七十呎，我便要蓋一間七十一呎的；你的廟高七十二呎，我便要蓋一間七十三呎的，總要比你的廟高。他不會去比一比較，這個人的修行，是否比我高？修行，他不去比賽；造廟，他卻去比賽。因地不真，果招迂曲，浪費施主的錢和米，結果領著大家都進了地獄。競爭造廟，有什麼意思？造好後也沒有人住，空空如也，多可憐呀！末法的現象就是這樣。		People in the Dharma-ending Age excel at competition. For instance, they compete in temple building. "Your temple is seventy feet high? I'm going to build one that's seventy-one feet tall"; "Your temple is seventy-two feet high? Then I'm going to build one that's seventy-three feet tall. Mine will always be higher than yours." Instead of comparing to see who excels at cultivation, they compete to see who can build more temples. With such an attitude, they waste donors' money and lead people into the hells. If people do not cultivate honestly, they will get crooked results. What's the point of competing to build temples if no one lives in them? What a pity that we end up with so many empty temples! That's how the Dharma-ending Age is.

還有居士們供養出家人，切記莫生貪心。好像你去護持一個法師，我去護持一個法師，令出家人分開，不能同住修行，這就是破壞僧團。居士們彼此競爭，單獨供養一個出家人，把那個出家人弄得迷迷糊糊，一個人住在小精舍裏，無所事事－－到頭來你有什麼功德？		Laypeople shouldn't be greedy when making offerings to left-home people. If your attitude is, "You support that Dharma Master, and I'll support this one," you are breaking up the Sangha and preventing left-home people from living and cultivating together. If everyone competes to make offerings to a single monk, that monk will become really confused, living in his own little temple with nothing to do. In the end, what merit is there in that?

我說的是真話，出家人應該共同住在大叢林，互相用功辦道，互相警惕策勉。單獨住在小精舍裏，願意不用功，沒有人管；願意吃好東西，沒有人管；願意吃一點肉，喝點酒，都沒有問題。居士們以為這是功德，其實是幫助那個出家人下地獄哩！你的功德跑到那兒去？我說的話都是大家不喜歡聽的。		I am speaking the truth. Monks should live together in a large monastery so that they can cultivate diligently and alert and urge each other on in their practice. If a monk lives alone in a small temple, no one knows when he slacks off in his practice or indulges in good food. It won't be hard for him to eat a little meat and drink a little wine. Laypeople think they are creating merit when they give all their offerings to an individual monk. Actually, they are just sending that monk into the hells! What merit and virtue could the donors possibly attain? The things I say are things that no one likes to hear.

你們應該知道：要供養三寶，應該擁護大道場，應該護持真正修行的地方。不是你佔著一個出家人，我霸著一個出家人，這種事並不如法。		You must understand that if you want to make offerings to the Triple Jewel, you should make them to a large Way-place--a place of true cultivation. It should not be that you make personal offerings to one monk and I make personal offerings to another. That is not in accord with the Dharma.

我說這番話，很多出家人一定很討厭。為什麼呢？因為他不自在了。在大叢林裏，睡覺也不能隨便睡，又不能隨便吃東西，不能開齋破戒。單獨一個人就可以為所欲為。當然，也有些人單獨修行，是真正用功的，但目前來講，這是少之又少的。		I am sure many left-home people are annoyed by my words, because I am hindering their freedom. In a large monastery, they cannot sleep or eat casually, nor can they eat meat or break the precepts. Living alone by themselves, they can do whatever they please. Of course there are true cultivators who live alone and work hard at their practice. However, nowadays, such individuals are extremely rare.

為什麼居士要單獨供養一個出家人？他以為有特別功德，沒想到這是破壞和合僧。僧是和合眾，就是大家要住在一起修行。你一個人住，怎堪稱和合眾，跟誰和合？老跟在家人和合，就變成在家人了。		Why would laypeople want to make offerings to a single left-home person? They think there is special merit and virtue in doing so. Little do they know that it actually destroys the harmony of the Sangha. The Sangha is a "harmonious assembly"--everyone lives together and cultivates. If you live alone, how can you call yourself a "harmonious assembly"? With whom are you harmonizing? If you are always harmonizing with laypeople, you will end up a layperson yourself.

我的話是苦口婆心，所謂「忠言逆耳利於行，良藥苦口利於病。」法師不應該是「私家」的，應該是「公家」的。所以金山聖寺、萬佛聖城等道場，常常住很多人，大家彼此勉勵，勸善規過，不是競爭人我。		I am saying this out of deep concern. "Truthful words jar the ear, but help one to act wisely. Good medicine is bitter to the taste, but cures sickness." Dharma Masters should not be privately "owned"; they should be accessible to the public. Therefore, there are always many people living at Gold Mountain Monastery, the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, and our other temples. They encourage each other, exhort one another to reform, and correct each other's faults. They do not compete against one another.

為什麼要讚己毀人？因為貪圖供養。所以勸發菩提心文裏說：「舉目滔滔，天下皆是，不知佛是何人，法是何義，僧是何名？」要四位出家人以上合和相處，方稱為僧，是和諧共住，無爭無執，單獨一個出家人不能稱為僧。		Why would left-home people praise themselves and slight others? Because they are greedy for offerings. The "Exhortation to Bring forth the Bodhi Resolve" says, "The world is filled with people who don't know who the Buddha is, what the Dharma means, and what a Sangha is." A Sangha refers to a group of at least four left-home people dwelling together in harmony, with no disputes. One left-home person all by him or herself cannot be called a Sangha..

現在更流行另一種弊病：很多人不單不知道三寶是什麼，有些居士還要設立四寶。不是居士們供養三寶，而是要三寶來供養居士。恐怕不久又會發明五寶、六寶、七寶，你看！這不是末法的現象是什麼？		Another widespread problem is that many people don't know what the Triple Jewel is. There are laypeople who want to set themselves up as a fourth jewel. Nowadays, not only do laypeople fail to make offerings to the Triple Jewel (the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha), they expect the Triple Jewel to provide for them. They may soon come up with fifth, sixth, and seventh jewels. If this is not a sign of the Dharma-ending Age, then what is?



一九七九十一月開示		A talk given in November 1979

法界佛教總會 ‧ DRBA ／ BTTS ／ DRBU

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