宗薩蔣揚欽哲仁波切北大演講實錄-演講時間:2007年3月15日

以下文字根據宗薩仁波切的弟子姚仁喜現場翻譯整理
很榮幸今天能在這所世界知名的大學做演講,在國外時我就已多次聽說過。
學習終極真理是人類的一種激情。佛教僅僅是另外一個天使,或者說尋找真理的學習工具。佛教不是一個宗教,而是尋找真理,實踐真理的工具和手段。



今天我們會討論佛教的見地,在講見地之前,我會先談一下為什麼需要這個東西?理由很簡單,因為每個人想要快樂,想要幸福,更重要的是,我們希望快樂能持續長久並且唾手可得。我們也希望一種非常方便的快樂。實際上科學技術也總是在尋求快樂。什麼是快樂?對於不同的人,不同的文化和年代,快樂是不同的。所以獲取快樂的方法和工具也是多種多樣的。

悉達多王子已經發現我們並沒有得到我們想要的快樂,就因為一個原因:我們把假的,不可靠的,無常的東西當成絕對的真相。這是無明。這一發現不是宗教上的,它是科學。就像每個人都希望擁有正牌的義大利皮鞋,但你買的是冒牌的皮鞋,而你沒有勇氣面對它。但是悉達多王子有這樣的勇氣面對它。我們可以說悉達多王子對真理做了最大程度的探索——去解決生老病死的問題。而且他發現了真相——你必須接受事實,如果你接受了,你可能就不會再受煎熬。

有很多不同種類的方法可以幫你去瞭解真相。不幸的是佛教現已變成了一種宗教,而人們更感興趣的是方法而非真相。為什麼要有工具/方法呢?比如說,對一個盛滿了極為純淨的水的杯子來說,如果你想找水,你是看不到的,因為它是純淨透明的。水就好比真相。所以為了讓你能夠看見這個水,有人就在其中摻入(顏色),就像這個淡黃顏色的茶水,這幫助你看到了水。摻入是一種方法。方法是假的,並非真相本身。

再比如說,你在做一個惡夢,你夢到一頭老虎,你嚇壞了。你想要擺脫它。這裏有幾件事情可以做。第一你可以趕走那只老虎。第二你可以被澆一桶冷水。這些事情都會有幫助,但它們卻不是真實的,冷水並不能趕走老虎。為什麼會有老虎?因為你在做夢。

現在讓我們回到見地。見地就是觀念。它是驅動我們的東西,就像我們做任何事情都會有個動力。比如說,我們對寶馬的觀念,或者覺得苗條是件很好的事情。這就是見地。然後我們有了動機。但是動機是受條件影響的。沒有了雜誌鼓吹它們是多好的東西,沒有人會想要變苗條或者想要寶馬。在這種條件下,我們就有了比如說想要變苗條的動機。然後我們就會閱讀一些如何變苗條的方法,這就好比禪修。我們採取行動,比如不吃米飯,跑步等——也就是行為。所以見地是非常重要的,因為見地驅動著我們。
我現在要開始介紹四種根本見地。(四法印)

第一個地見是所有事物都是因緣和合而成的,暫時而非永久的。比如說,每次當你看你的手,這裏會有三個最根本的錯誤認識,第一你覺得你的手是一個整體而非許多部分,例如骨頭,脈管等組成了你的手。我們通常將事物視為整體,事實上,這裏沒有所謂的手,而是一大堆分子的組合。第二你覺得今天的手是昨天的手。這不是真相。你的手每天都在老化。今天的手和昨天不再是相同的手。第三,我們認為它是獨立的。如果我有時間的話我會再談第三點。

見地使我們遭受痛苦。為什麼?因為它讓我們以為一樣東西是持久永恆的,所以我們依附於它。我們不會想到有一天我們是會進棺材的。所以我們竭盡所能試圖去保護它——這個永恆的東西。比如說,長壽,對於中國人來說很重要,就像冒牌的鞋子,因為它轉移了你對真相的注意力。所以不論你做什麼,你總會痛苦,因為你的見地本身就是錯的。這就是我們享受不到快樂的原因,因為我們一直在意暫時性的東西。

所有一切事物都是無常的,具有這個見地並不是壞事。無常是個好消息。今天的手不再是昨天的手,如果我們的手乾燥了,我們會用潤膚乳。沒有了無常,做潤膚乳的公司都會沒有生意了。另外一個例子,如果你現在很窮,因為無常,所以你在將來可能會變的富有。無常並不是一種宗教上的恐嚇,它是事實。

在泰國,和尚都要剃頭。剃頭是用來提醒你無常這件事情。這是一種宗教儀式。儀式是帶領你走向真相,但是我們總被儀式所吸引而忘掉了無常。就像我剛才說的,為什麼是佛教的見地?這是因為我們想要快樂。但為了變快樂,我們需要認識到所有的因緣和合都是無常。沒有這個認識,即便你可以活一萬年,你都不會快樂。悉達多王子知道如何真正地去尋找真相——他是非常實踐性的。在他的禪修過程中,他可以通過觀察知道很多的事情,比如一頭鹿吃什麼。但那不重要。他想要深入所有問題的根源。其中之一便是無常。

第二個問題也就是第二個見地:痛苦從哪里來?痛苦不僅僅是頭痛或諸如此類。人的痛苦來自於我們得不到我們想要的,以及不得不一直生活在無常中。我們有自己愛的人,但我們是否下一次還能夠見到我們愛的人呢?什麼導致了這個?這裏沒有什麼邪惡的力量。沒有外境會製造痛苦。一切都是由我們對自我的執著而引起。我們有很多情緒:愛,恨,嫉妒,等等。所有的情緒都來自於我執。這是一個很大的發現。為什麼?因為我們總是把自己的痛苦歸咎於他人,但現在我們沒有任何人可以責怪——我們唯一可以責怪的只有我執。這是個很大的課題。例如我們被教育要無我。但是佛陀並沒有說自我是錯的,或者說我執是惡魔。這不是宗教,只是思維無我的工具變成了宗教性的。

但我想要跟大家說一個事情,並不是因為佛陀發現自我是邪惡的,因此說執著自我是錯的,完全不是那樣。所以再度要說的是,第二個見地也完全非宗教性的,可是不幸的是,這種反思無我的方法又變得非常宗教性。悉達多並不是說發現了邪惡的自我,他也從來沒有說過,執著自我會帶你到痛苦。事實上,他發現沒有自我,因此執著於自我是錯的,這就是我們為什麼會受苦,這個非常重要。因為我們佛教徒經常說,哦,我很自我,我很自私,所以我們經常批判自己,而且以一種非常倫理或宗教性的態度來批判自己.

我執的無明來自於我們總看到暫時由因緣和合所成的事物。比如,我們看這個桌子,它有腳,有木板等等。但是桌子只是那些部分組合而成的。事物組合在一起,成為了某樣東西。比如我在12和14當中寫了個13在紙上,你會說這是13。而如果我寫在A和C之間,你會說這是B (展示紙)。所有的一切都是由一些事物組合而成的。如果你加入另外一個成分,那它就會變成另外一樣東西。比如如果我們把枕頭、床單放到這個桌子上,它就變成一張床,如果我們把它砍成一片片的,它又會變成木柴。所以說自我就好比這個13和B。我們一直尋求將成分拼合在一起。心經中說,空中無色,無受想行識等等。一樣東西只是由許多成分組合在一起形成的。這個自我並不存在,所以執著於自我是很荒謬的。

和我執做鬥爭是很艱難的,因為我執是一個長久的習慣。要戒煙都是件非常難的事情,但它還算是一個新的習慣——畢竟你剛出生的時候你是不抽煙的。但是我執是一個相當久遠的習慣。自我總是在尋找一個隱匿之處,一個舒適、安全而有力量的所在,例如金錢,權力,地位,以及友誼等等。如果沒有自我,便會沒有經濟。如果人們一直在實踐無我,市場會崩潰。如果沒有不安全感,就不會有生意。我想這是生意的精華所在。我們總是在尋找我們沒有,但我們認為我們應該擁有的東西。為了讓原本不存在的自我感到更舒服,我們,從大範圍來講,正在毀滅我們的世界,比如環境。從小範圍來講,為了我們的親人朋友,我們說我們愛他們,但其實那是因為我們愛我們自己。我們把他們放到了自我的上面,每次你需要他們的時候,你便可以利用他們。

在金剛經中,佛陀說凡所有相,皆是虛妄。當所有的辦法都用盡時,我們總喜歡有個救世主,或者說有某個人可以去責怪或者祈禱。有繪成金色的佛像,或者我們說金色的佛陀,那是因為我們喜歡金色。外相只是一種善巧方便。真理才是佛陀。除了真理之外沒有別的佛陀。真理是沒有顏色,沒有形狀的,它不是銅制的佛像。為了吸引人們瞭解真相,所以我們才把佛像塗成金色。

例如,如果我們愛某個人,我們會試圖讓他高興,所以我們會做任何的事情讓他高興——這好象慈悲。因為慈悲,我們必須用盡所有的方法去讓他們瞭解真相。但是真相是沒有顏色,沒有形狀的。更重要的是,真相是痛苦的。比如我前幾個月在印度被人邀請去參加婚禮。對那對新人,你不可能說“你們總有天會死的”,或者說“你們總會在將來的某一天吵架的,因為你們都是人。”為了教授真理,你必須讓它具有吸引力。這就是為什麼我們把佛像塗成金色的。我們甚至還有很多別的精緻的顏色,比如紅的藍的等等,為了不同的目的。這是帶領你走向真理的可靠方法。對於金色的或者耳朵很大垂到肩膀的佛來說,他們會變成你男朋友或者你會和他們約會麼?不。你不會和他們約會,儘管他們有著完美的外相。所以佛教的一些象徵是吸引你的可信的方法,從而引領你認識真相。因為人總被外形、顏色這些組合的現象所束縛。

Q:我是學物理專業的。我讀了一些佛法的書覺得被深深吸引了。我感覺我甚至可以放棄一切來追尋真理。但是我實際該怎麼做呢。
A: 這是一個大問題。你在要我幫你計畫你整個的人生。你需要以評判性的態度入手,去學習,去研讀,去思考。不要試圖變成一個佛教徒——而是要變的更具分析性。
Q: 我讀了你很多的書很崇拜你,但同時也產生一些困惑,讀了你的書後我覺得生命是個很大的幻象。什麼才是生命真正的目的呢?
A: 我很抱歉我的書讓你感到困惑——我不是有意的。生命的目的是我們應該快樂。幻象不是一個壞事情。我們需要知道怎麼和幻相做遊戲。就象我剛說到的老虎,如果你不知道這是個夢,這就是一個問題。如果你知道它只是一個夢,那就和它遊戲吧。你可以騎在它身上,撫摸它,揪它的鬍鬚,這都取決於你,這就是目的——與老虎共眠。

原文如下

北大欽哲佛學講座
四法印(一,二)
宗薩仁波切

It is my great honor to make a speech today in this world famous university, which I have heard about for many times when I am abroad.

Learning of ultimate truth is a passion of human beings. Buddhism is just another angle/tool of leaning/finding truth. Buddhism is not a religion, but a means/tool to find/actualize the truth.

We will discuss on Buddhist Views (見地). View is what drives us. Before discussing the Views, l will talk about why Buddhism; like we discuss anything else, we must ask why this thing is needed at first. The reason is simple, because everyone wants fun, to be happy; then we think it is absolute truth. This is ignorance(無明). This finding is not religious-it is science. It is like everyone wants genuine Italian leather shoes(義大利真皮皮鞋), but you bought fake leather shoes, and you just don’t have the courage to face it; but Prince Siddhartha has the courage to face it. We may say that Prince Siddhartha made the biggest request for truth-to solve the problem of sickness and death. And he found the truth-you must accept the truth; if you accept, you won’t suffer.

There are many methods of different categories to get to the truth. Unfortunately, Buddhism has now become a religion, and people are attracted to the methods (修行的方法)rather than the truth. Why should there be tools/methods? For example, for a glass filled with absolutely pure water full to the brim, if you are looking for the water, you can’t see water because it is pure. The water is like the truth. Then to make you see the water, someone dilutes it, just like this yellowish color (指桌上的茶水), which helps you see the water. Dilution (著色)is the method. Methods are fake, not the real truth. Do they help? Very much. Without them, you don’t see the truth/water. However, we get attracted to the color. Why did Prince Siddhartha teach so many schools (教派)? It is just like if you are forced to say that sky is red or green under gun threat, you have to agree sky is red or green, although inside you know it is not. The same way, it is because Buddha has no choice but to teach so many schools-although without gun threat, he still has no choice; because he has great compassion (慈悲). For example, you are dreaming; you are having a nightmare. You dream about a tiger, you are frantic; you want to get out of it. There are several things can be done. The first one is to chase away the tiger. The second, you get a bucket of cold water. These things help, but they are wrong. The cold water can’t chase away the tiger. Why is there tiger? It is because you are dreaming.

Now let’s go back to the Views. Views are ideas. They are what drive us, just like in everything, we have a driving force. For example, we have the idea that BMW(寶馬車), or a slim body (苗條的身材)is a good thing. This is a view. Then we have motivation, but the motivation is conditional. Without the magazines saying that they are good things, nobody wants to be slim, or want a BMW. Under this condition, we have the motivation, for example, of being slim. Then we read about how to being slim-this is like mediation(冥想,靜修). We do things, like cutting rice(節食), or running-these are like action(修行). Therefore, views are very important, because they are what drive us.

I am going to introduce the Four Fundamental Views(四法印).

Views drive us to suffer. Why? It is because they make us to think that a thing lasts forever, and therefore we get attached to it. We won’t think that one day we will go to the coffin. Therefore we go around the world trying to protect it-the thing lasting forever. For example, to live long, which is very important to Chinese, is like the fake shoes, because it diverts you from the truth. Therefore no matter what you do, you will suffer because you are wrong in the view. This is the reason that we don’t have fun, because we are caring for the impermanent. The view that everything is impermanent is not bad. Impermanence is good news. Today’s hand is not yesterday’s hand, if we get our hands dry, we use moisturizer. Without impermanence, moisturizer companies will have no business. Another example, if you are poor now, because of impermanence, you can get rich in the future. It is not a religious threat. In Thailand, monks have their head shaved. The shaving is to remind you of impermanence. It is ritual. Rituals are to take you to the truth, but we are caught by the rituals and forget impermanence. Like what I just said, why is there Buddhism? It is because we want to have fun. But to have fun, we need the understanding that all compounded are impermanent(一切因緣和合皆是無常). Without this understanding, even if you can live for ten thousand years, you won’t have fun. Prince Siddhartha knows how to really seek for truth-he was very practical. During his mediation, he could know many things by observing, for example, what a deer eats; but it doesn’t help. He wants to get to the bottom of all problems(從根本上解決所有的問題). Problem one is impermanence.

all the emotions come from clinging to the self. This is a big discovery. Why? This is because we tend to blame some one else for our pains, but now we have no one to blame-we should only blame clinging to the self. This is a big subject. For example, we have the teaching of selflessness. However, Buddha didn’t find that the self is wrong, or clinging to the self is evil. This is not religious; this is only because the tools to contemplate selflessness have become religious.

He didn’t discover an evil self, and cling to it is wrong. He found there is no self; therefore clinging to self is wrong. Egoistic is wrong, because everything is conditional. The ignorance(無明) of clinging to the self comes from that we are looking at something only temporarily compounded. For example, we look at this table-it has legs, plank, etc; but the table is only those parts put together. Things put together, then it becomes something. For example, if I write 13 between 12 and 14 on a paper, you will say it is 13; if I write it between A and C, you will say it is B (展示紙). Everything is some things put together. If put another component, then it will become another thing. For example, if we put pillows, sheets on this table, it becomes a bed; if we cut it into pieces, it becomes firewood. Therefore the self is like 13 and B. We are seeking components put together. The Heart Sutra says “in emptiness there is no form, feeling, etc”(心經:空中無色、受...) . A thing is only several components put together. The self doesn’t exist; therefore clinging to it is ridiculous.

In The Diamond Sutra, it says “Buddha’s mark (相) is not truth.”(金剛經:不可以身相得見如來). We like to have a savior(救世主), or some one to blame or pray to when all the options are run out(無計可施的時候). There are Buddhas painted gold(金身佛). We talk about gold Buddha, because we like gold. The marks are skillful means (善巧方便). Truth is Buddha. There is no other Buddha than the truth. Truth has no color, no shape; it is not blond, nor male or female. (真理無色,無形,不是金髮碧眼的,不是男性,也不是女性).We need to get people attracted to the truth, so we paint Buddha gold. For example, if we love somebody, we would try to make him happy; so we would do everything to lead him to happiness-this is like compassion. Because of compassion, we have to try every means to make them understand the truth. However truth has no color, no shape. Furthermore, truth is bitter. For example, I was invited to a wedding several months ago when I was in India. To the couple, you can’t say “you will die finally” or “you will fight with each other some day in the future because you are human beings”. In order to deliver the truth, you must make it attractive. That is why we paint Buddha gold. We even have other elaborate colors, such as blue or red, etc, for different purposes. This is the authentic method to bring you to the truth. For Buddhas of golden color or having long ears touching the shoulders(金身或長耳垂肩的佛像), will they become your boyfriends and will you date with them? No, you won’t date with them although they have good marks. Therefore Buddhist symbols are authentic methods to make you attracted, then lead you to the truth; because people are bound by shape, color-they are bound by compounded phenomenon (因為人被色、形,和因緣和合的表像所限制).

問答:

1. Q: I am a physical major. I read some books on Buddhism and I got deeply attracted. I feel that I would even give up everything to search for truth, but what should I do practically?

A: This is a big question. You are asking me to plan your whole life (眾笑). You need to begin with a critical mind. To study, to read, and to contemplate. Don’t try to become a Buddhist-try to be analytical(眾笑).

2. Q:I read your books and I admire you so much. After reading your book, I feel life is a big illusion. What is the real goal of life?

A: I am sorry that my book confounded you-I didn’t mean it to be(眾笑). The goal of life is we should have fun. Illusion is not a bad thing. We need to know how to play with the illusion. Just as the tiger I just talked about, if you don’t know it is a dream, it is a problem. If you know it is just a dream, then play with it: you can caress it, pluck it-it’s up to you. To sleep with the tiger.





主持人
宗薩蔣揚欽哲仁波切北大演講實錄