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前期提示：天法界：六欲天。
第四是兜率天。兜率天，梵語叫Tushita，翻譯過來叫「喜足」。他時時都歡喜，時時都滿足，這就是知足常樂。他因為知足，所以常常快樂，所以又叫「知足天」；就是一天到晚也無憂無愁的，沒有煩惱，沒有worry(憂愁)，這是第四。
第五叫化樂天，他會變化他的快樂。喜足，他就變不變、化不化，也都是歡喜知足，甚至於不快樂他也知足，總是知足。這化樂天，他會變化，能化出來這個快樂。
第六是他化自在天。怎麼叫他化呢？就是他自己本來沒有這個快樂，他能把其他天上的快樂拿來，做為他自己的快樂，所以叫他化自在天。這個天上有很多天魔在這兒，以天魔為眷屬。為什麼他要把旁的天上的快樂拿到他自己這兒來？就因為他不講道理。好像人間的土匪，多數都是化樂天的天人墮落，他到人間，還想搶人的錢，做為他自己的錢，那麼這是他化自在天。他把人家的東西搶來了，做為他自己的。這是六欲天。
梵天就是大梵天、梵眾天、梵輔天。六欲梵天，「五戒十善」：他們是修五戒十善所得的天上的福報。這五戒十善，都是有漏的善根，所以說「種有漏根」：種有漏的善根。他們寫著「種有漏因」，「因」也可以，種有漏的因。「豈有他焉」，旁人管不了的，這都自己去的。
講經說法是不容易的，我現在因為沒有想就說出來了，有人又說了，說：「師父講錯了！」在心裏這麼樣說，口裏不敢講。但是我這個人也很怪的，你在心要一說，我這兒電報就打來了，所以要把它改了。「輪迴難斷」是不是啊？這回對了嗎？是你心要說我講錯了，是不是？(弟子：是。)不是一個人這麼樣想，還有，趕快自己說出來，是誰這麼樣想來著？要坦白！若不坦白，那就永遠不會成道的。
֍ ֍ ֍
修羅性暴，有福無權；
好勇鬥狠，浮沉業牽。
阿修羅是梵語，翻譯過來叫「無端正」。無端正就是醜陋。醜陋，是這個男的阿修羅，相貌非常醜陋；女的阿修羅，相貌又非常地美麗。男的阿修羅，其性好鬥，是在外邊的鬥爭，向外鬥爭；女的阿修羅，其性也是好鬥爭，但是她在裏邊鬥爭，不是在外邊鬥爭。怎麼在裏邊鬥爭呢？她用心來鬥爭，也就是所謂的妒忌障礙、無明煩惱都在裏邊。
這一類的眾生，有的時候把他論到三善道裏邊，就是天、人、阿修羅這三善道；有的時候又把他放到四惡趣裏邊，就是地獄、餓鬼、畜生、阿修羅，這叫四惡趣。
這阿修羅，畜生裏邊也有阿修羅，人道裏邊也有阿修羅，天道裏邊也有阿修羅，鬼道裏邊也有阿修羅。所以阿修羅自己是一個法界，但是又通於其他三法界，所以在這四道裏頭，都有阿修羅。總而言之，無論在哪一個道裏邊，他是好鬥爭的，他脾氣非常大，好說了算。說了算，就是他願意做boss
(老闆)，願意指揮其他的人，不願意受其他的人指揮；願意管著其他的人，不願意受其他人的管，這都是修羅的表現。
這修羅，你們沒有看見，我可以告訴你們。修羅又有善的阿修羅，又有惡的阿修羅。善的阿修羅，就是國家的軍隊、兵、將軍，這都是阿修羅；惡的阿修羅，不善的阿修羅，就是土匪、小偷一一偷人東西、強搶人東西，好打人這一類的人，好殺人這一類的人，這都叫阿修羅。這是在人道上，我們都看得見的。
天上也有這一類的阿修羅。在天上的阿修羅，他和天兵天將去作戰，一天到晚想要搶帝釋天這個寶座，想要把帝釋天給打倒了，他去做帝釋天。可是他戰來戰去，總要失敗的。為什麼呢？因為他有天福沒有天權；他只可以在天上享受天福，但是他不能有權力，所以他雖然和天兵天將作戰，始終是失敗的。這是人間的阿修羅和天上的阿修羅。
畜生怎麼又有阿修羅呢？畜生阿修羅，好像老虎，這是畜生裏頭的阿修羅；獅子，這是畜生裏頭的阿修羅；豺狼，這是畜生裏頭的阿修羅。那麼這類阿修羅，牠就願意欺負其他的同類，欺負其他的畜生，就好像那個狼啊、虎啊、老虎、獅子，都想吃其他的畜生。為什麼牠要吃其他的畜生呢？就因為牠是一種修羅性。還有蛇、飛禽裏邊那個鷹，這都是阿修羅。
總而言之，阿修羅就是不講道理，他脾氣大，無論對任何人，他常常要發脾氣。Too
much temper！
(太多脾氣了！)那麼這畜生裏頭的阿修羅，是這樣子。鬼裏頭也有阿修羅，這種阿修羅，他就欺負其他的鬼。
鬼裏頭也有善鬼、有惡鬼。這惡鬼在鬼裏頭，也不講道理。本來鬼就是不講道理的，他在不講道理的裏邊，還更不講道理！所以說「修羅性暴」：他的性非常暴躁。
「有福無權」：他是有天福而沒有天權的眾生。他想要爭權奪利，但是也爭不到。「好勇鬥狠」他好和人作戰，好和人鬥爭。現在你看這個世界，都是修羅世界，都講鬥爭、鬥爭；鬥爭這個，鬥爭那個，你把我鬥倒了，我把你鬥臭了。
你看，在中國那個林彪就是豺狼轉世，所以他那麼惡，百萬大軍他都可以帶，有方法把他們都管得服服貼貼的。周恩來是個人，周恩來不單是個人，而且還是一個非常非常聰明的人，比諸葛亮都聰明，所以他在這麼壞的一個世界上，他還能立得住，這是我告訴你們。
前五、六年，我就告訴你們這個祕密，不過你們都不注意。有人現在就問了，說：「您知道林彪是豺狼，朱德是個什麼呢？」那麼有人說：「那我是個什麼呢？」你就是個你，我就是個我。因為我所說的這是世界最有名的人，我說一說；沒有名的人還談不到，還輪不到你。
所以這都是修羅，他們都好勇鬥狠，就鬥爭、鬥爭，鬥爭一百年，鬥爭二百年，鬥爭三百年，鬥爭五百年，鬥爭一千年。你看他這種的理論，鬥爭要鬥爭到一千年去。唉！佛法所以到這鬥爭堅固的時候，是末法時代。
但是，我們大家要發願：「我們不要末法，我們就要正法！我們走到什麼地方，什麼地方就要變成正法！」我們發這個願，就是在末法時代，我們若到哪個地方，哪個地方就要變成正法。那麼人人發這個願，人人就都滿這個願。到這個末法時代把它變成正法，這就叫天翻地覆，把天地都給它翻過來。它是這樣子嗎？我們不教它這樣子。
「浮沉業牽」：這阿修羅，他或者生天，或者在人道，或者在畜生道，或者在餓鬼道，都是由著業力牽
引著他，才起惑、造業、受報，就在這個地方，就受這種的果報。所以說浮沉業牽，由他業力牽引著到哪一道裏頭去。所以人修行，切記不要和人鬥爭，不要好勇鬥狠，不要性暴，那麼就和修羅脫離關係了。
若詳細分析阿修羅，在這個九法界裏頭的眾生，有五個法界裏頭都有阿修羅。在這個畜生法界裏邊，飛禽有飛禽的阿修羅，走獸有走獸的阿修羅，在水裏的動物有水裏的阿修羅。好像那個鱷魚，那就是水裏的阿修羅。鳥也有阿修羅，所謂「害群之馬」，有這個馬在這兒，這一個馬群就不平安了，就很多麻煩，這叫害群之馬。這害群之馬是馬裏頭的阿修羅。這個牛呢？牛也多數是阿修羅，你看那個牛頭上生兩個角，這個角就是表示自己這個硬，能頂其他的東西，用頭來頂，這就是阿修羅的性。說「牛性」，牛性就是阿修羅。狗更是阿修羅！所以你們誰願意養狗的人，就是親近阿修羅；你親近阿修羅，將來和阿修羅就會接近了；接近就會有危險，恐怕就走到阿修羅的道裏頭去。那麼各人要特別注意，小心一點，不要跑到阿修羅裏頭去。
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待續
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From last
issue:
The Dharma-realm of Gods: The Six Desire Heavens.
The fourth of the Desire Heavens is the
Tushita Heaven, which translates as "happiness and
contentment." The beings there are always happy and
satisfied. Those who know contentment are always happy. That
heaven is called the "Heaven of Contentment," because the
beings there never have a worry or care from morning to
night. They don't have any afflictions or worries.
The fifth of the Desire Heavens is the
Heaven of the Transformation of Bliss [Nirmanarati]. The
beings in this heaven can derive happiness from
transformations. In the previous heaven of "happiness and
contentment," the beings are happy and content regardless of
whether there are transformations; they are content even in
unhappy situations. In this heaven, the beings bring about
happiness through transformations.
The sixth of the Desire Heavens is the
Heaven of the Transformation of Others' Bliss [Paranirmita-vashavartin].
The beings of this heaven haven't any bliss of their own,
but they can take it from beings in other heavens for their
own enjoyment. Many demons live in this heaven along with
their retinues. Why do they take the happiness of beings in
other heavens?
Because they are unreasonable. Common
thieves in the world of men are generally gods fallen from
the Heaven of the Transformation of Others' Bliss. Having
fallen, they still have the habit of stealing money from
others.
The Brahma Heavens include the Great
Brahma Heaven, the Multitudes of Brahma Heaven, and the
Ministers of Brahma Heaven. Beings of the Six Desire Heavens
and the Brahma Heavens practice the five precepts
and the ten good deeds. Because these beings
cultivated the five precepts and the ten good deeds, they
obtain the blessings and rewards of the heavens. However,
the cultivation of the five precepts and the ten good deeds
plants good roots that have outflows, so the verse says:
Planting seeds with outflows. / It has
nothing to do with anyone else at all. You yourself are
responsible.
It's not easy to explain the Sutras. I
don't prepare ahead of time for my lectures. Some of you are
thinking that I said the verse wrong, but you don't dare to
say it aloud. Strangely enough, though, once you say it in
your mind, I receive your telegram. So I'll correct the last
line: They cannot terminate their transmigration.
Am I right this time? Did you think to yourselves
that I said it wrong? [Disciple: "Yes."] More than one of
you thought that way. The rest of you should also admit to
having such thoughts. Be honest. If you aren't honest, you
will never attain the Way.
֍ ֍ ֍
Text:
Asuras have a violent nature,
Laden with blessings, lacking power.
Absolutely determined to fight,
They bob along in karma's tow.
Commentary:
Asura is a Sanskrit word that means "ugly." Male asuras are
extremely ugly; the females are beautiful. It is the nature
of the male asura to initiate fights. The female asura is
also naturally fond of fighting, but wages covert wars,
unlike the overt physical battles of the males, using
weapons of the mind such as jealousy, obstructiveness,
ignorance, and affliction.
Sometimes this realm is included in the
Three Good Realms-gods, humans, and asuras. At other times
they are classified as one of the Four Evil
Realms-hell-beings, hungry ghosts, animals, and asuras.
There are asuras in the animal realm, in
the human realm, in the heavens, and among the hungry
ghosts. Although the asuras are an individual Dharma Realm
by themselves, they appear in the other realms as well. In
general, regardless of what realm they are in, they like to
pick fights, and they I have bad tempers. They enjoy bossing
others around and I like to be supervisors, but they can't
stand supervision. They won't be controlled by others. These
are the characteristics of asuras.
If you haven't noticed the asuras, I can
tell you more I about them. Among people, asuras can be good
or bad. The good asuras include military officials and
troops, and bad I asuras are bandits, thieves, robbers,
thugs, murderers, and I the like. We can see these asuras in
the world of men.
There are also asuras in the heavens.
Heavenly asuras I wage battles against the heavenly troops
of Shakra. From morning to night, they attempt to overthrow
Shakra so that I they can seize his jeweled throne and
become the heavenly king. But no matter what strategy they
use, they are always I defeated, because they are "laden
with blessings, lacking I power." They have accumulated the
blessings that earn them rebirth in the heavens, but they
have no authority I there. For that reason, they are
invariably defeated in their battles with the heavenly
troops.
Are there asuras in the animal realm?
Yes. Tigers, for instance, are asuras among the animals.
Lions and wolves are also asuras among the animals. These
asuras bully the other animals. Wolves, tigers, and lions
kill other animals for food. They prey on other animals
because they have the I nature of asuras. Snakes and eagles
are also asuras. In general, asuras are utterly unreasonable
and have huge I tempers. They are constantly blowing their
tops. Too much temper!
There are also asuras in the ghost realm,
and they go around bullying other ghosts. In the realm of
ghosts there are kind ghosts and evil ghosts. Evil ghosts
are utterly unreasonable. Ghosts are not reasonable to begin
with, but these asura ghosts are even more unreasonable. And
so the verse says: Asuras have a violent nature.
They have explosive tempers.
Laden with blessings, lacking power.
They have heavenly blessings, but lack heavenly authority. They fight
for power and advantages, but fail to obtain them.
Absolutely determined to fight:
they love to fight and I wage war. The modern world
is a world of asuras — everyone is fighting and struggling,
trying to knock each other down.
China's Lin Biao [Mao Zedong's successor] was
a wolf in a previous life; that's why he was so evil. He could
lead an army of millions of soldiers. He knew the ways to tame
them and make them obedient. Zhou Enlai was a human being in his
past life, and a very intelligent one at that. He was even
smarter than Zhu Geliang [the brilliant strategist in the Three
Kingdoms era]. That's why he was able to stand firm in such a
tumultuous world.
I told you these secrets five or six
years ago, but none of you paid any attention. "You say that
Lin Biao was a wolf. What about Zhu De [senior vice-chairman
of the Chinese Communist Party when Mao was the chairman]?"
someone asks. Zhu De was a lion. Someone else asks, "Then
what was I?" You're just you, and I'm just me. I'm talking
about famous people in the world. You aren't famous, so you
don't get a turn.
Asuras are so belligerent that they can
keep fighting for one hundred, two hundred, three hundred,
five hundred, or even a thousand years. They could fight for
a thousand years without getting tired of it!
This is the Age Strong in Fighting and
also the Dharma-ending Age. Nevertheless, we don't want it
to be the Dharma-ending Age; we want the Proper Dharma to
prevail. We should vow that wherever we go, the Proper
Dharma will prevail. If we do that, every place we go will
become a place of genuine Dharma. If everyone fulfilled this
vow, the Dharma-ending Age would become the Proper Dharma
Age. We can turn the situation around.
They bob along in karma's tow.
Asuras may be born in the heavens, in the human realm, or in
the realms of animals and hungry ghosts. Dragged by the
force of their karma, they become deluded, create more
karma, and undergo the retribution. The force of their karma
pulls them to undergo retribution in various realms.
Cultivators should take care not to be belligerent and
hot-tempered. Then they won't get dragged into the asura
realm.
If we study them in detail, we find that
there are asuras in five of the nine Dharma Realms of living
beings. In the animal realm, there are asuras among
creatures that fly in the air, those on the land, and those
in the water. Crocodiles are an instance of asuras in the
water. Wild stallions are asuras among horses. They bring
trouble and disturbance to the herd. Most bulls are asuras,
too. They butt their two horns against things to show their
tough asura disposition. Bulls are asuras by nature. Dogs
have even more of an asura nature, so people who own dogs
are in close association with asuras. If you hang around
asuras, you become closer to them. And getting close to them
is dangerous; you might just fall into the realm of asuras.
Everyone should pay attention to this and be careful not to
run into the realm of asuras!
~ To be continued |
