Episode 31 — 覺悟的功夫是什麼

大乘佛法裡頭所講的是平等法，「一切眾生本來是佛」，這個話是真的，不是假的。凡夫跟佛的差別就是迷悟，凡夫覺悟了就成佛。覺悟的境界也千差萬別，怎麼覺悟？覺悟的功夫全是放下。為什麼？你為什麼迷？

The teachings imparted in Mahayana Buddhism are that of impartiality. As the sutra states, “All sentient beings are originally buddhas.” This statement is true and not false. The difference between ordinary beings and buddhas is delusion and enlightenment. That’s why ordinary beings become buddhas once they are enlightened. The states of enlightenment vary significantly too. How can one achieve enlightenment? The effort to achieve enlightenment is none other than letting go. What is the reason? Why are you deluded?

因為你有執著，你迷了，你有分別，你迷了，你起心動念，你迷了。佛把我們的障礙，就是障礙我們不能明心見性的，三大類的煩惱，起心動念就是無明，無明煩惱，無明是不明瞭，就是迷了；換句話說，不起心、不動念你就覺悟了。在哪裡修？方法太多了，八萬四千法門、無量法門，門門都通達涅槃道，涅槃就是不生不滅，就是明心見性，門門都通。

Because you have attachments, discrimination, and thoughts. The Buddha told us these three major categories of afflictions that hinder us from seeing into our mind and true nature. Thoughts are nescience and afflictions; nescience is ignorance or delusion. In other words, you will become enlightened once you stop giving rise to thoughts. Where should you cultivate? There are too many methods of cultivation. In fact, every of the 84,000 (innumerable) Dharma methods is connected to the path of nirvana ^[1]. Nirvana is neither arising nor ceasing (i.e., seeing into the mind and true nature).

所以大乘教說，哪一法不是佛法？佛法就是通往涅槃的方法，佛道就是通往涅槃的道路，道是道路，法是方法。可是眾生的根性不相同，無始劫以來習氣種子不相同，這就造成什麼？我們根性不一樣，有人一看就明白，有人一聽就明白，一接觸就明白。

That’s why it is mentioned in the Mahayana teachings, “Which method is not Buddhism?” Buddhism is the method which leads one to nirvana, and the path to Buddhahood is the path leading to nirvana. But sentient beings’ inborn natures are different because the seeds of their habituated tendencies carried from beginningless kalpas vary. What is the consequence? The consequence is we have different natures; some people understand it as soon as they see, hear and come into contact with the Dharma.

我們今天看不懂，也聽不懂，接觸還是不懂，看錯了，想錯了，於是說錯了，幹錯了。這個錯誤裡面有善惡，善感應的是三善道，惡感應的是三惡道。諸位一定要曉得，三善道、三惡道統統是錯誤，為什麼？

Today, we do not understand what we see, hear and come into contact with. Due to our erroneous perception and thoughts, what we say and do are wrong. There are wholesomeness and unwholesomeness in these wrong speech and deeds. Wholesome ones will sow the seeds in the Three Good Realms while unwholesome ones will result in rebirth in the Three Evil Realms. You must know that both the Three Good Realms and Three Evil Realms are wrong. Why is that so?

根本就沒有六道輪迴，六道輪迴是假的。就好像作夢一樣，你做美夢，你做惡夢，醒了統統都是夢，都不存在了。所以，善惡是毫無意義的。在六道裡頭善惡有，好夢跟惡夢不一樣，可是夢醒了就都沒有了，都等於零。

Because the Six Realms of reincarnation are illusory and do not exist at all. It is just like having a dream. Whether you have a good or bad dream, both are just dreams that do not exist when you wake up. That’s why both wholesomeness and unwholesomeness are meaningless. Even though they do exist in the Six Realms, with good and bad dreams being different, both do not exist and are equal to zero once you awake from your dream.