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《上人法雨》

 

VENERABLE MASTER'S DHARMA RAIN

藥師琉璃光如來本願功德經淺釋
Sutra of the Merit and Virtue of the Past Vows of
Medicine Master Vaidurya Light Tathagata with Commentary

宣化上人講於一九八三年美國加州洛杉磯金輪聖寺 Explained by the Venerable Master Hua in 1983 at Gold Wheel Monastery in Los Angeles

前期提示:第八大願。

那麼為什麼極樂世界只有男人,沒有女人呢?就因為女人的身體,有的時候不清淨,有的時候很多的病痛來逼惱。病 一來的時候,也有許多不方便的地方,因為這個嘛,人才不願意成為女人身,也就是不願意有這一些個百惡。為什麼叫百惡呢?就因為它很多很多的,恐怕不止百 惡,那麼或者一百一、一百二、一百三,也不一定。或者有九十、八十也不一定。總起來這個數說是百惡,就表示這個女人身,有很多麻煩的問題,有很多不乾淨的 時候。那麼在這不乾淨的時候,做什麼事情也不太方便,所以這叫百惡。因為這個,修行的人有的時候,就覺得女身有很多麻煩、很多問題,所以願意就轉女成男, 就是沒有那麼多的病痛,沒有那麼多不方便的時候。

好像女人,這個月數若來的時候,就心情也不太好,有的人又這個經前痛,或者經後痛。在這個月數沒來之前,就痛 得不得了;或者月數完了之後,又痛得不得了;或者月數就不停止地那麼來;或者嘛又總也沒有,這都是一種疾病的現象;有這種疾病的現象了,那麼就很多事情也 都不能做,因為這個嘛,女人身是不方便,所以願意轉女成男,是這個道理。

尤其男女這個欲念,也有的時候很重的!我們現在這個時代,是奇奇怪怪的事情都發生了,很多的問題也都發生了, 妖魔鬼怪都出世了!所以藉著男女這個問題,也在這兒弄麻煩,尤其是這個同性戀。

「第八大願」:藥師如來的第八種大願。他說「願我來世得菩提時」:願我來世的時候,若證得這個佛果。「若有女 人」:假如有女人。「為女百惡之所逼惱」:為女人的百惡所逼惱。「極生厭離」:很要離開這女人身。「願捨女身」:願意把這個女身捨棄了。「聞我名已」:聽 見我這藥師如來的名號之後。。「一切皆得轉女成男,具丈夫相」:就是像男人一樣了。「乃至證得無上菩提」:到最後證得無上佛果。這是第八個願,轉女成男 願。

第九大願。願我來世得菩提時。令諸有情。出魔罥網。解脫一切外道纏縛。若墮種種惡見稠林。皆 當引攝。置於正見。漸令修習諸菩薩行。速證無上正等菩提。

「第九大願」:藥師如來在因地所發的第九個大願,是破魔羅網,脫離外道這個惡見的稠林。所以他就說,我第九個 大願,「願我來世得菩提時」,「令諸有情」:令所有的一切眾生。「出魔罥網」:我們現在作人的時候,和魔王是很接近的,和佛是很遠的;我們若願意做作魔 王,隨時都可以作;若願意成佛,就要破除種種的惡見稠林,沒有邪知邪見,常修正知正見,才能出魔這個羅網,所以說出魔罥網。

這個罥是一種很柔軟、又很不容易斷的這種東西,也就好像現在有這一種的拉纜,雖然很細,但是它力量很大,不容 易斷。這個譬如魔那種網,就用這種不容易斷的東西來織成的。那麼織成的這個網,把我們每一個人,捲入到這個網裏頭,就不容易出來,就作魔王的眷屬,作阿修 羅的眷屬。

我們每一個人,如果常常有脾氣,常常發大無明火,這都是在這個魔的罥網裏頭。我們人去打魚,把魚打到網裏,我 們就很高興:「哦!可得到一條大魚,可以吃。」魔把我們人,捲到他那個網裏,他也很高興的,他說:「我又得到一個人來受用了!」也就好像我們人打到魚那麼 歡喜。出魔罥網,怎麼樣出去這個魔的罥網呢?這個方法很簡單,就是要沒有脾氣、不發火;沒有無明火,沒有脾氣,那就是出魔的罥網了。魔他就是用這種邪術, 來控制著我們人的知見,令我們不起正知正見,盡生這邪知邪見,所以,這是很不容易擺脫魔的羅網的。那麼現在藉著藥師琉璃光如來這個願力,我們很容易就可以 出魔的罥網,就跑出去了!

待續


Text from last issue: The eighth great vow.

Why does the Land of Ultimate Bliss have no women? It's because the bodies of women are sometimes impure. Sometimes women are afflicted by many illnesses, and when that happens, things become quite inconvenient for them and they undergo a lot of trouble. Some people prefer not to be women, because they don't want to undergo the myriad sufferings of being female. There are said to be a hundred sufferings, which means there are extremely many sufferings, perhaps even more than 100. There might be 110, 120, or 130, or only 90 or 80; it's not fixed. In general, the myriad sufferings refer to the many troublesome pains and sicknesses that commonly afflict women. Their bodies are periodically unclean, and during those times, they cannot do much. That's why cultivators sometimes find a woman's body too much hassle and wish to become men, so they don't have to endure so much pain and inconvenience.

When a woman has her menstrual period, she's usually not in a good mood. Some women experience great pain right before or after their periods. Their menstruation may be irregular, so that it doesn't stop flowing, or else they never have their period. These problems make having a woman's body very inconvenient, and so some cultivators prefer to be men.

Moreover, the sexual desire between men and women can be very strong. In this day and age, there are all sorts of strange problems. Demons and ghosts take advantage of the lust between men and women and stir up trouble. This refers to homosexuality.

In the eighth great vow, Medicine Master Buddha says: “I vow that in a future life when I attain Bodhi, when I become a Buddha, if there are women who give rise to a deep loathing for their female body and wish to renounce it because they are oppressed and disturbed by the myriad sufferings of being female, if they desperately wish to renounce the bodies of women, upon hearing my name, they will be able to turn from women into men who are replete with the features of a hero and ultimately realize unsurpassed Bodhi. They will become just like men, and will eventually attain the supreme fruit of Buddhahood.”

Sutra:
“The ninth great vow: ‘I vow that in a future life when I attain Bodhi, I shall liberate sentient beings from the nets of demons and the bonds of external sects. If they have fallen into the dense forests of evil views, I shall lead them to have proper views and to gradually cultivate the practices of Bodhisattvas so they will quickly realize Unsurpassed, Proper and Equal Bodhi.'”

Commentary:
The ninth great vow concerns destroying the nets of demons and gaining liberation from the dense forests of the evil views of externalists. Medicine Master Buddha said: “I vow that in a future life when I attain Bodhi, I shall free sentient beings from the nets of demons.” Right now as people, we are very close to the demons and very far from the Buddhas. If we wish to be demons, we can do so anytime. If we wish to become Buddhas, we have to break through many dense forests of evil views. We have to cast out deviant views and constantly cultivate proper views before we can escape the demons' nets. As these nets are very tough to break, we may easily become followers of demons and asuras. If we are always getting angry or doing stupid things, we are in the demons' nets.

When a fisherman nets a big fish, he thinks, “What a big fish I've caught for supper today!” When a demon catches a person in its net, it thinks, “Great! I've got another person for my retinue!” How can we escape the nets of demons? It's very simple. Just avoid getting mad and doing stupid things. Demons use their tricks to lead people to believe in wrong views, and it's very difficult for them to get free. However, if we rely on the power of Medicine Master Buddha's vow, it becomes very easy to escape the demons' nets.

to be continued

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