清海無上師以中文講於福爾摩沙澎湖 1987.02.11 |
釋迦牟尼佛在世的時候，有一個婦女，她有一個小男孩，有一天小孩忽然沒有生病就死掉，她受不了這個打擊，一天到晚痛哭不停。那個時候正好釋迦牟尼佛在附近講經，那位婦女就來向釋迦牟尼佛抱怨哭訴，請求釋迦牟尼佛用神通、用力量、用祂的大智慧，救她的兒子。當時釋迦牟尼佛告訴她：「好！我可以救他。但是妳應該先回去，去問看看有沒有那種五、六代沒有一個親人死掉的家庭，然後拿他們的衣服或家裡的東西來給我。我有那樣東西以後，才能救妳的孩子。」
那個母親聽了以後，真的挨家挨戶去問，一天到晚去問，但是都找不到那種五、六代都沒有親人往生的家庭。她又累又失望，只好回來。釋迦牟尼佛問她：「有沒有任何家庭五代都沒有人往生？」她說：「真的沒有這種事！」釋迦牟尼佛這才告訴她：「就是這樣，人生本來無常，沒有人生出來以後不往生的，任何人有一天都會往生，早晚都應該離開世界，妳不要為了這個無常的身體太難過。」當佛講到這裡時，那個母親立即開悟了，於是皈依佛，當祂的徒弟，也很努力修行。
還有一個故事：有一個夜叉鬼長得很醜、很可怕，這個夜叉鬼有一個很可怕的習慣--喜歡吃人，就好像老虎喜歡吃人，普通人喜歡吃牛、豬、雞、鴨等等一樣。那個夜叉鬼特別喜歡吃小孩，看到小孩就捉來吃，就這樣整個村莊的小孩都快被她吃光了。那個村莊的父母親都跑來求釋迦牟尼佛幫忙。
那個夜叉鬼也有一個小孩，她很疼愛自己的孩子，就像老虎可以吃任何動物或人，但是不會吃自己的小老虎，牠也很愛自己的小孩。
釋迦牟尼佛告訴他們：「你們回去，等這個夜叉鬼出去的時候，把她的孩子藏起來，不要讓她知道，以後的事再講。」那些小孩的父母等夜叉鬼出門以後，立刻把她的小孩藏起來。夜叉鬼回來以後，找不到孩子，傷心得不得了，很痛苦，在地上滾來滾去，痛哭流涕，最後她也跑去請示佛。你們看，鬼也尊敬佛，只要是真正修行的人，鬼魔都尊敬。
釋迦牟尼佛對她說：「妳很疼愛妳的小孩是不是？」她說：「是！」佛說：「妳的小孩對妳來說是世界上最珍貴的寶物是不是？」她說：「是！」佛說：「如果妳那麼疼愛妳的小孩，其他的父母也很疼愛他們的小孩，妳為什麼把他們的小孩都快吃光呢？如果妳答應我，以後不吃別人的小孩，我會幫妳找到妳的孩子。」夜叉鬼馬上答應了。鬼也會開悟，是不是？釋迦牟尼佛告訴她這番道理，她馬上開悟，以後再也不敢吃其他的小孩。
對我們來說，小孩子那麼小，話也不能講，路也不能走，跟大人不一樣，但是我們知道，他也是眾生，以後會長大，變成和我們一樣。從這個故事，我們可以進一步推論，動物也是眾生，以後牠修行多了，也會生為人，也能成佛。所以如果我們真正學佛，真正發慈悲心，就應該發願不吃動物才對。
從這兩個故事中，我們可以知道：智慧或是了悟並不是每個人可以自然得到的，有時候必須有人講給他聽，他才會了解。就像第一個故事中的母親，她的兒子往生了，但是她不曉得其他的小孩有一天也同樣會往生，人都會往生，但是她不明白。如果釋迦牟尼佛當時馬上用自己的智慧勸她：「妳為什麼哭呢？妳應該知道，人生是無常的，早晚我們都應該走，有因就有果，如果妳的小孩因果不好，他當然馬上往生，因為沒有福報，所以妳不必這樣傷心痛哭等等。」她也聽不進去，我們多數人碰到這種情況，都只會這樣勸人。
但是釋迦牟尼佛不用這種方法，祂叫這個母親自己去找，找一個從來沒有人往生的家庭，她當然不可能找得到。那個時候不論釋迦牟尼佛講什麼，她都馬上懂，因為自己有了體驗。開始的時候，師父也有講體驗的事，如果我們自己不能悟「道」，就必須找到一個人，他自己知道，同時也能教我們怎麼找、怎麼做，以後我們自己有體驗，自己可以知道真理。
比如說我們看《阿彌陀經》，釋迦牟尼佛講：「阿彌陀佛是無量光，阿彌陀佛每次都放光救我們，在阿彌陀佛的地方，有什麼什麼境界，有小鳥唱歌、有美妙的音樂等等，如果我們聽到那種音樂，會一心不亂，念佛、念法、念僧等等。」我們聽佛這樣講，又聽說有的人可以去西方享受那種境界，但是如果我們自己沒有那種體驗，也不會相信，也不能真正了解西方淨土到底是怎麼樣。所以聽經、看經，都是聽人家的體驗，聽人家講自己的等級，跟我們沒有關係。任何人要開悟、要了解，要真正體悟這種境界，就應該有同樣的體驗，最少也要有一點點西方淨土的體驗。
如果當時釋迦牟尼佛馬上叫這個夜叉鬼來，告訴她：「妳不要那麼壞，不要吃其他人的小孩，妳難道不知道那些小孩的父母心很痛，妳這樣做是不對的，不應該傷害別人的心。」釋迦牟尼佛如果直接這樣對她說，這個夜叉鬼很可能不肯聽，因為她自己還不知道，還不曾體驗過痛心是怎麼樣的感覺。所以釋迦牟尼佛沒有馬上跟她講道理，祂叫人先把她的小孩帶走，讓她也體驗到失去小孩的痛心，以後再跟她講的時候，她馬上就了解了。我們凡夫也有類似的講法：「為人父母時，方知父母心。」 
http://www.godsdirectcontact.org.tw/ch/news/174/
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Enlightenment through Personal Experience – Even a Demon Could be Enlightened by Buddha’s Teaching
Spoken by Supreme Master Ching Hai in Penghu, Formosa,
February 11, 1987 (Originally in Chinese)
At the time of Sakyamuni Buddha, there was a woman who lost her little boy to no apparent illness. Devastated by this heavy blow, the mother buried herself in tears. She sought Sakyamuni Buddha, who happened to be delivering lectures in the area, poured out her grief, and begged Him to revive her son with His magical power and great wisdom. “Yes, I can save him,” the Buddha promised. “However, you must first find a family that has not lost a single member in the past five or six generations, and bring me a piece of clothing or some other item from their family. I can save your child only when I have that item.”
Following the Buddha’s instruction, the mother went from house to house, day after day, but she failed to find any family that had no one die in five or six generations. Totally exhausted and disappointed, she came back to the Buddha. Sakyamuni Buddha asked her, “Is there any family that has not lost a member in five or six generations?” She replied, “No, there isn’t such a family.” Sakyamuni Buddha then told her, “That is right! Life is ephemeral. No one born can ever escape death. Sooner or later, everyone must die and leave this world. You should not feel too upset over this ephemeral body.” When the Buddha pointed out this truth, the mother was immediately enlightened. She then became a devoted disciple to the Buddha and practiced diligently.
There is another story about an ugly and horrible Yaksa (a demon). But even more terrible was her habit of devouring humans, just as tigers love eating humans, and ordinary humans eat cows, pigs, and poultry. This Yaksa had a special appetite for children, and every child she saw became her food. Very soon, she had eaten almost all the children in the village. The parents in the village came to seek help from Sakyamuni Buddha.
The Yaksa had a child whom she loved dearly, the way tigers love their young and do not eat their own cubs even when they eat all other animals and humans.
“Go home and wait until the Yaksa leaves her house. Then hide her child from her. I will tell you what to do next,” said Sakyamuni Buddha to the villagers. When the Yaksa left her home, the parents in the village hid her child. When the Yaksa returned and could not find her child, she was in deep grief and agony, weeping and rolling on the ground. Finally, she also went to seek help from the Buddha. You see, even the demons respect the Buddha. The ghosts and demons respect all genuine and serious spiritual practitioners.
Sakyamuni Buddha asked the Yaksa, “Do you love your child dearly?” She replied, “Yes!” The Buddha asked, “Is your child the most precious thing on earth to you?” She replied, “Yes!” To this, the Buddha said, “You love your child dearly, as other parents love their children. Then why have you eaten almost all their children? If you promise to stop eating others’ children, then I will help you find your child.” The Yaksa immediately made the promise. Even demons can be enlightened. Is that not right? After Sakyamuni Buddha explained the truth to her, she was immediately enlightened and dared not eat others’ children any more.
In our eyes, children are very small; they cannot speak or walk, and are quite different from adults. However, we know that they are sentient beings all the same and will grow up to be like us. From this story, we can further deduce that animals are also sentient beings. In the future, as they practice more, they will also be born as human beings and become Buddhas. Therefore, if we really want to study the way of the Buddha and develop our compassion, we should not eat animals.
From these two stories, we realize that wisdom or enlightenment is not naturally attained. Sometimes it takes an explanation from someone to be able to understand it. Take the mother in the first story for instance. Her son had died, but she did not realize that the children of other people would also die one day. Everyone must die, but she did not understand that. Suppose at that time, Sakyamuni Buddha had tried to comfort her with such words of wisdom as: “Why are you crying? You ought to know that life is ephemeral. Sooner or later we must go. Where there is cause, there is retribution. If your child has bad karma, of course he will die early because he is short of blessed retribution. Therefore, there is no need to cry so sadly.” The woman would not have listened to these words. However, in this kind of situation, most of us would only know to offer comfort in this way.
Sakyamuni Buddha did not do it this way. Instead, He sent the mother out alone to find a family in which no one had ever died. Of course she could not find one. At this time, whatever teachings that Sakyamuni Buddha said to her, she would comprehend immediately, because she had personally experienced it. In the beginning, I also talked about spiritual experiences. If we are unable to realize the “Truth” by ourselves, then we will need someone who has attained it and is capable of teaching us how and where to find it. Later, when we have had a personal inner experience, we can realize the Truth by ourselves.
For example, in the Amitabha Sutra, we read about Sakyamuni Buddha saying, “Amitabha Buddha is the Infinite Light; He always radiates His light to save us. In the Amitabha Buddha’s world, there are such and such realms. There are chirping birds and wondrous music, etc. When we hear that music, our mind will become tranquil and concentrated to recite the Buddhas’ names, the saints’ names and to remember the teachings.” This is what we heard the Buddha say, and we have also heard about people going to the Western Paradise to enjoy those wonderful realms. However, without personal inner experience, we would not believe or truly understand what the Western Paradise is like. Therefore, reading the scriptures or listening to discourses on them is merely listening to other people talking about their spiritual experiences and spiritual level, which have nothing to do with us. Whoever aspires for enlightenment and true realization should have the same inner experiences, or at least have a glimpse of the Western Paradise.
If at that time, Sakyamuni Buddha had immediately summoned the Yaksa and ordered her, “Stop doing such evils and stop eating other people’s children. Don’t you understand the grave pain in the hearts of the parents? What you are doing is wrong. You should not break people’s hearts.” If Sakyamuni Buddha had talked to the Yaksa directly like this, she might not have listened, because she did not know and had not experienced the feelings of the brokenhearted parents. Therefore, Sakyamuni Buddha did not reason with her in the first instance. Instead, He told the people to take away her child, so that she, too, would experience the pain of losing her child. After that, she understood immediately when the Buddha talked to her. We ordinary humans also have a similar saying: “We can only realize the feeling of our parents after we ourselves have become parents.” 
在戰場上，各種情況千變萬化，不是光靠死背出來的理論就可以應對，更何況每個地方的地理形勢、風水和氣候都不一樣，如果每次打仗都在那邊套用書上的理論，怎麼行呢？還有，每次面對的敵方軍隊也不一樣，而且我方軍隊的士氣和身體狀況，有時候也會隨著各地不同的風土而有所差異，所以不能隨便這樣依樣畫葫蘆。這位將軍的兒子從不曾跟隨他的父親去打仗，沒有親自學習那種實際的經驗，所以無法打勝仗。
哇！你們知道他怎麼反應嗎？他馬上破口大罵：「你這個業障很深重的人，你不知道我閉關打坐一年剛回來嗎？你不知道我是聖人嗎？你怎麼敢把垃圾倒在我身上？」（師父及大眾笑）他不只是罵而已，還抓著侍者的掃把，追在他後面想打他。那個侍者趕緊躲到師父後面，他就抓不到了。於是他只好回去河邊再洗澡一次，然後再去找他的師父。他說：「師父啊，我已經打坐一年了，您給我的指示，我都做到了，我什麼時候才能夠看到上帝？」
那位師父說：「孩子啊，你還無法控制自己的心，剛才你的行為就像發瘋的野狗一樣，人家只是倒一點東西在你身上，那些東西就是昨天的迦帕蒂（註：一種印度薄煎餅）而已（大眾笑），你就在那邊追著人家，吼那麼大聲恐嚇人，你覺得一個聖人會這樣嗎？這樣能夠看到上帝嗎？」那個徒弟覺得很不好意思，說：「我知道了，謝謝師父！我一定會改善。現在，我應該怎麼做呢？」
身 (6)