第一一七集視頻文字檔如下:
Please find the full texts of Ep 117 below：
(This text is free for sharing and distribution, BUT no alterations should be made to it for further circulation. Thank you for your kind co-operation).
我們為什麼學佛 - 第117集
Why do we learn Buddhism?
「十方三世佛，共同一法身」，《華嚴經》上說的。十方講空間，無窮大，沒有邊際，為什麼？是自性變的。自性沒有邊際，所以虛空法界沒有邊際。自性沒有染污，自性具足無量智慧德能。我們為什麼學佛？
It is stated in the Avatamsaka Sutra, “All buddhas of the ten directions and in the three periods of time share the same Dharma body.” ‘Ten directions’ refer to the gigantic and unbounded space. Why is it unbounded? Because it is manifested by the true nature. The true nature is unbounded, so the empty space of the Dharma realms is endless too. The true nature, which is undefiled, is replete with infinite wisdom and virtuous abilities. Why do we learn Buddhism?
想回歸自性，回歸自性證得大圓滿。回歸自性跟一切萬事萬物同一體，證得了一體，在這一體當中才叫徹底的覺悟，這個求學就畢業了，證得大圓滿。這個大圓滿，梵文稱之為大般涅槃，所以涅槃在中國也翻作圓寂，圓是圓滿，寂是寂滅。寂滅是什麼？
Because we want to return to our true nature (i.e., to attain great perfection and achieve one entity with all things). Only then can we be regarded as having attained Supreme Enlightenment and graduated from our Buddhist study. This great perfection is termed ‘great nirvana’ (supreme, perfect enlightenment) in Sanskrit. That’s why nirvana is also transliterated as perfection and tranquil extinction (Yuán JÌ) in Chinese. What is tranquil extinction?
像我們現在講的真空，它什麼都沒有。可是它什麼都沒有，它什麼都能現，妙就妙在這裡。真的，什麼都沒有，所以叫它做空。這個空不是無，不當作無講，它遇緣會現相，所以說真空不空，妙有非有。妙有是什麼？
Like the true emptiness we are talking about now, it has nothing at all but it can manifest anything. This is its marvellousness. It is called ‘emptiness’ because it really has nothing at all. However, this emptiness is not termed ‘non-existence’ because it will manifest phenomena when it encounters a condition. That’s why it is said: true emptiness, yet it is not empty, and marvellous existence because it does not exist. What is marvellous existence?
我們感覺得有，全是假的，確確實實不存在，是我們眼睛看錯了，我們沒有看到真相，看到妄相，許許多多妄相糾纏在一起，我們以為它是真的。其實它不是真的，根本就不存在，我們以為它存在，早就過去了。你想想看，一秒鐘一千六百兆個生滅，你能掌控一個生滅嗎？決定不可能的。我們的時針一秒一秒的過去，你一秒都掌握不到，何況一秒鐘裡頭有一千六百兆次的生滅。
We feel that everything exists, but they really do not exist and are illusory. It is our eyes that are wrong because we did not see the reality. All we see are the entanglement of many illusory phenomena, and we think they are real. They are actually not real because they have never existed at all. We thought that they existed, but they had long gone. Think about it: there are 1600 trillion arising-cum-ceasing in a second; can you take control of one arising-cum-ceasing? Definitely impossible! Our hour hand is ticking by every second. You cannot grasp even a second, let alone there are 1600 trillion arising-cum-ceasing in a second.
一個生滅就是一個畫面，全宇宙的畫面。宇宙從哪裡來？不是大爆炸，十法界依正莊嚴從心想生，阿賴耶裡的種子那是因，心想是緣，想什麼現什麼，全是自作自受，與任何人都不相干。這是事實真相，只有佛在大乘經裡頭講得透徹、講得明白。
One arising-cum-ceasing is one picture of the universe. Where did the universe come from? It did not come into existence because of a massive explosion. The circumstantial and direct adornments of the Ten Dharma Realms arose from the mind, with the seeds in our Alaya being the cause and our thoughts being the condition. Since everything is manifested by our own thoughts, they are all self-inflicted and have nothing to do with anyone. This is a reality that only the Buddha had thoroughly and clearly explained in the Mahayana sutras.