Sincerely Uphold the Ways of Goodness
我们要知道，「烦恼」这个东西，好像是尘沙，那么微细的沙尘，烦恼这么多，八万四千，甚至是无量无数尘沙烦恼，以尘沙来比喻烦恼那么多，我们归纳起来不出于三：「一者烦恼，二者是业，三者是果报。」
烦恼只是内心造作，业就是已经现形去做。再来就是「果报」，做了之后的结果，这就是我们人生，生生世世不断在六道中无法自拔，既然无法自救，我们就要仰仗佛、菩萨、圣人来教导我们。所以佛陀所说的法，就像清净的甘露法水，我们若能接受，这片心地尘土，就不会再满天飞，这就是要知道方法。
此三种法，能障圣道及以人天胜妙好事。
这些烦恼，如果我们没有好好用心、用法来降伏，其实「此三种法，能障圣道以及人天胜妙好事。」我们要知道「此三种法」，就是前面所说的「烦恼、业、果报」。所以说来，恶法能障人天道。我们若是造恶，烦恼生起，身去造业，所得的果报真的是层层叠叠。果报有善有恶，若是恶法，我们已经造恶法了，它会障碍我们。障碍什么呢？人天道。
佛陀教导我们，如果我们要保持人身，来生再为人，只有一项，要守五戒。五戒大家应该都知道：「不杀生、不偷盗、不邪淫、不妄语、不饮酒。」这就叫做五戒。如果你「杀、盗、淫、妄、饮酒」五样都做了，那就叫做「恶法」。
若能持守五戒：不杀生、不偷盗、不邪淫、不妄语、不饮酒，虔心修持善法，就能顾好来生。
如果你能守五戒，我们若能守戒守好，这样叫做「善法」，这样就能够顾好我们来生还能生在人道。生人道很好，因为在人间才有佛法可以听，因为人间的众生多烦恼，人间的众生苦乐参半，有坏的让我们看，有好的让我们学习，所以我们做人能看到很多人间事，所以我们做人可以听到很多的人间法。所以我们想要成佛，一定要在人间；在人间要不失人身；要不失人身要守五戒。
我们若是觉得人生苦，很多不如意的事十有八九，能往生天堂比较好，这样你就要行十善。十善就是，身不杀、盗、淫。不但不杀，还要去放生。
身业不善造三恶，若能身行三善：不杀生、不偷盗、不邪淫，则业可除。
还记得在佛经中也有这样的故事：一位国王看到一群的鹿，他觉得去打猎，猎杀一些鹿，把这些鹿肉带回来吃，是这么的好吃，所以就派人每天都去打猎。
其中鹿王觉得：「国王每天派这么多人来打猎，整个山林中的走兽、鹿类等等…每天都很惊惶。」所以后来鹿王就去找国王沟通，约定每天轮流派一头鹿到国王的厨房赴死。虽然每天都要牺牲一头鹿，但是能换来那个环境的次序平静，所以每天都是这样过。
有一天，一头母鹿已经怀孕了，刚好轮到它，它来向鹿王要求：「我不是怕死，我只是想要保住肚中小鹿的命。如果能够让我小鹿生下来，到时候我很甘愿去赴死。」鹿王听了，也觉得应该要让她把小鹿生下来。但是到底谁愿意去呢？哪一头鹿愿意提早一天去补位？没有人愿意。生命能多一天，就是多一天的生命，所以没有任何一头鹿愿意提早一天去赴死。
后来这头鹿王就想：「既然大家都不愿意，我自己去吧！」所以鹿王亲自来到厨房。厨师看到这头鹿和平常的鹿不一样，它的毛七彩五光，会发光，鹿的身上有色彩，七彩九色，很大很美的一头鹿，所以厨房的厨师不忍心，赶紧向国王报告：「今天来的这头鹿，和平时的不同！」
国王听了就想：「鹿就是鹿，哪有什么不同呢？」去看，原来是鹿王。就问说：「是不是都没有鹿了？」鹿王说：「不是。是因为母鹿已经怀孕了。」国王说：「那还有别的鹿啊！」鹿王说：「任何一条生命，都希望能增加生活的日子，绝对没有一条生命愿意提早夭折。生死是非常挣扎的事情，非常痛苦的事情。像这样，我如果不来的话，实在是没有人愿意。将心比心，所以我来了。」
国王听了觉得很感动，真的很感动：「原来我虽然身为国王，我只是有一个人的头，人的身体，我竟然无法将其他的生命联想在一起。只是顾自己的生命，顾我私己所爱的喜乐，没有想到别人的痛苦，所以我实在是很羞愧，空有人身。」所以因为这样，开始下达命令，不但不杀，还要保护整座山林，所有的动物野兽。
口业不善造四恶，若能口守四善：不恶口、妄语、绮语、两舌，则业可消。
我们把这个故事拿到现在，我们在说：「能斋戒吗？」哪怕是一天，哪怕是三天，哪怕是一个月，真的是功德无量。就像是大赦天下，使令一切众生都能延寿自由。这个功德多么大！功德就是福，很多福聚合起来，一切的灾难就会消除。
所以人就是因为身体、心有贪念，所以身就造了杀业。我们如果能不只不杀，还能放生，这就叫做善。不杀只是守戒而已，守戒还不够，我们还要为善。所以不但不杀，还要护生，这叫做身的一项善业。
我们不但不偷盗，因为我们的心念起了贪心，所以不肯守于清贫，或是我们的身，没有好好管制，盗、赌、饮酒、赌博、吸毒等等……这就会变成不得不偷、不得不抢。所以偷盗，都是起于这些习气、烦恼。我们如果沾上坏的习气，这种烦恼，自然我们的身体必然就会去做这样的事。
所以我们做人，一定要守好规矩，我们如果守好规矩，生活很简单，有三餐饭、有房子住。衣、食、住能用多少呢？不必多少，所以能守于清贫。甚至有的人是贫中之富，还能去布施，这又是一善。
十善——身行三善：不杀生、不偷盗、不邪淫。
「淫」，淫就是男女之间的情欲爱染。不过世间、人间道都有家庭，一夫一妻一个家庭，这是很正常的，但是人有的时候贪色，色字头上一把刀，真的会伤害我们的慧命。所以不但不邪淫，还能好好守护人生的规则，这样身心清净，这又是一善。所以身能除三恶、行三善。
口守四善：不恶口、不妄语、不绮语、不两舌。
口：不但不恶口、不妄言、不绮语、不两舌，我们还能以用口说法。听到的好事说给大家听，人与人之间的感情不好，我们来替他们作桥梁等等…所以我们的志工到了医院，都说我们有四宝——「嘴要甜、脸要笑、腰要软、手脚要勤快。」是啊！「嘴要甜」，但不是绮语喔！而是轻柔软语。来到医院的人，都是心很惶恐、很怕、很担心，如果我们多说好话，我们以智慧，经过口舌能安抚他的心。所以口有四恶，四恶去除了，再积极一点就是四善。这样就是七善了！
意持三善：不贪、不嗔、不痴。
内心我们知道，一切都是从烦恼、从心起。「贪、嗔、痴」这三样，就是内心的三毒。各位，十恶若能去除，我们就不犯做人的规则。我们如果能不但不犯，还积极去做，那就是十善了！所以十善就是感人天之报。假使是十恶，或是犯了五戒、十恶，或者是五逆等等，这就是障人天法。
各位，我们只要能守五戒，就能够保持人身。我们如果想要更有福到天堂去，那就要行十善。我们如果能把十善、五戒合起来，更发一分心，我们就能出世间道，这叫做善法。
行善法，我们能出世间道。不过，善法聚集之后，如果我们的心常常执着——「我是能为善的人，我也守五戒、我也行十善、我也有去救人！」这同样也是一种障碍，就是善法障出世间道。
诸位菩萨，师父不是常常说：「付出无所求，还要感恩。」就是感恩，如果不是有他们，我们哪有做善事的机会？我们做善事要「走前脚、放后脚。」我们的心不要常常执着「我是能救人的人！我已经做了多少好事！我怎么会这样？所得到的都是不如意。」不要这样想。如果这样想，做好事就容易被消掉。
总而言之，不要让心中的我慢心去想「我会做好事！」如果这个我慢心起了，就会消掉前面做的五戒十善，就会一直障碍我们出世行菩萨道的法。所以我们学佛就是要好好照顾好我们这念心。说起来烦恼很多，微细的事很多，我们更要关紧心门。当然关心门也要先把我们周围的烦恼都清光，这道心门才能关得紧。如果心门关得紧，烦恼才真的不会再来染着我们的心。
希望我们的心能够不染尘！这就是我们学佛最重要的。
We must realize that affection is like dust, it is very fine and subtle. There are 84,000 types of afflictions. The number is actually countless, like grains of dust. So dust is a metaphor for affliction. The many afflictions fall into just 3 categories. "First is affliction, second is karma and third is retribution."
Afflictions are what we create in our minds. Karma is the manifestation of thoughts in action. The third is retribution, the consequences of our actions. That is why we interminably go through cycles of rebirth in the Six Realms and cannot extricate ourselves. Since we cannot save ourselves, we need to rely on the guidance of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and sages. So the Buddha's teachings are like pure dew, like Dharma-water. If we can receive them into our minds, the dust will settle and not be stirred up. So we need to know the night methods.
These three will obstruct the noble path and obstruct the good deeds that lead to Human or Heavenly Realms.
However, if we do not mindfully utilize Dharma to subdue our afflictions, then these three will obstruct the noble path and obstruct the good deeds that lead to Human or Heavenly Realms. "These three" refer to what we mentioned earlier, affliction, karma and retribution. Evil can block the way to Human or Heavenly Realms. If we commit evil, we give rise to afflictions, create bad karma and receive retributions which and up layer by layer. There are both good and bad retributions. If we do evil, it will become an obstruction. What does it obstruct? Rebirth in the Human and Heavenly Realms.
The Buddha taught us that there is only one way to guarantee human birth next life. We must abide by the Five Precepts. We should be familiar with the Five Precepts. No killing, no stealing, no sexual misconduct, no lying, no drinking alcohol. These are the Five Precepts. If we engage in these five acts, we are committing evil.
If we can abide by and uphold the Five Precepts, no killing, no stealing, no sexual misconduct, no lying, and no drinking alcohol, and sincerely cultivate good ways, we can ensure a positive future life.
If we properly uphold the Five Precepts, we are doing good. This will ensure that we will be born again in the Human Realm in our future lives. Being born in the Human Realm is very good. Only in this realm can we hear Buddha- dharma. Beings in this realm have many afflictions and experience a mix of joy and suffering. The bad show us what to avoid, and the good show us what to emulate. As humans we can see many things and hear many principles of the world. So to attain Buddhahood, we must be in the Human Realm. To be here, we must not lose our human form. To ensure that, we must uphold the Five Precepts.
We may feel that life is miserable and most things never turn out as we wish, so we would rather be reborn in Heaven. To do so we must practice the ten Good Deeds. They go beyond refraining from killing stealing and sexual misconduct. Besides not killing, we must save lives.
Through bad actions we create Three Evils. If our bodies can perform the Three Good Deeds, no killing, no stealing, no sexual misconduct, we can eliminate karma.
There is a Buddhist story about a king who saw some deer. He felt that freshly hunted deer meat was delicious. So he sent out hunters every day. The Deer King felt that the presence of so many hunters every day caused all the creatures of the forest, including the deer, to live in constant fear. So the Deer King communicated with the king. Every day he would send one dear to the royal kitchen to be killed. This went on for a period of time. Though a deer was sacrificed every day, it brought peace to the forest. This continued every day.
One day, it was the turn of a pregnant doe. She told the Deer King, "I am not afraid to die, I just want to preserver my baby's life. After my baby is born, I will willingly go to my death." Hearing this, the Deer King felt that she should be allowed to give birth. But who would go instead? Which deer would willingly die ahead of schedule? No one was willing. Living for one more day would be one more day of life, so no one was willing to die early.
In the end, the Dear King went because no one else volunteered. The deer King went to the Royal kitchen. The chef noticed that this deer looked different. It had a radiant multi-colored coat that glistened. This deer was very colorful. It was so majestic and beautiful that the chef could not bear to slaughter it. He quickly reported to the king, "Today's deer looks different from the usual deer."
"A deer is a deer," thought the king "What could be unique?" When he saw it was the Deer King, he asked, "Are there no more deer?" The Deer King replied, "No, I am here because today's doe is pregnant." "But there are other deer!" The Deer King replied, "Every living creature wishes to live longer. No living being is willing to die earlier. Death is a great struggle. It is very painful. If I did not come today, no one would be here. I can understand their feelings, so I came."
Hearing this, the king was very moved. He felt, "Even though I am a king, I just have a human head and human body. I have never thought about how I am connected to other living creatures. I only care about my own life, my own selfish pleasures and cravings. I have never thought about others' suffering. I am truly ashamed. I am wasting this human form." From then on, the king issued orders not only to stop the killing, but also to protect the forest and all its creatures.
Through bad speech we create Four Evils. If in our speech we can uphold Four Good Deeds: no harsh words, no lying, no flattery and no gossip, we can eliminate karma.
Let us now bring this story into a modern context. We are talking about vegetarian discipline. Even one day, three days, or a month of this can create innumerable merits. It is like issuing a great pardon so all animals can freely live longer lives. These merits are so great. Merits are blessings. When we all accumulate many blessings, all disasters will come to an end.
Because of this human body, our minds give rise to greed and our bodies create karma by killing. If we can not only refrain from killing but can also save lives, we are doing a good deed. By not killing we are just observing the precepts. That is not enough. We must further engage in good deeds. So aside from not killing, we also need to protect living creatures. That is a good deed of the body.
Perhaps we steal because when greedy thoughts arise, we are dissatisfied with humble living. Or maybe we cannot control ourselves so we gamble, drink alcohol, take drugs, etc, and then are faced to steal and rob to maintain those habits. The act of stealing originates in our bad habits and afflictions. If we have picked up bad habits and these types of affections, then our bodies will naturally commit such acts.
So as human borings, we must abide by the rules. If we can do so, we can live simply with three meals and a place to stay. How much food, clothing and shelter do we need? Not much. So it is possible to live humbly. Some people even feel rich despite their poverty. They can still give to others. This is another good deed.
The Ten Good Deeds - Three Good Deeds of the Body: No killing, no stealing, and no sexual misconduct.
Sexual misconduct involves men and women. Families with a husband and a wife are the norm in this world. But some people are lustful. The Chinese character for lust is "crowned with a knife". It can truly harm our Wisdom-life. So aside from refraining from sexual misconduct, we should faithfully abide by life rules. Thus we maintain purity of body and mind. This is also another good deed. So the body can commit Three Good Deeds and eliminate the Three Evils.
Four Good Deeds of Speech: No harsh words, no lying; no flattery and no gossip.
With our mouths, aside from not engaging in stander, lies, flattery or gossip, we can also exposure Dharma. We can tell people the good things we have heard or serve as a bridge to mend relationships when people do not get along etc.
Our hospital volunteers say, "We have Four Treasures, we speak sweet words, smile, readily bow, and are quick to help." Speaking sweet words means saying gentle, kind words, not flattery. Many who come to the hospital feel much anxiety, fear and worry. If we speak kind words to them and use our wisdom, we can comfort them through our speech.
Through speech, we can commit Four Evils. If we can eliminate them and be more diligent, we can perform Four good Deeds. These add up to Seven Good Deeds.
Three Good Deeds of Mind: No greed, no anger and no ignorance.
As for the mind, we must realize that everything arises from affections, from the mind. Greed, anger and ignorance are the Three Poisons of the mind. Everyone, if we can eliminate the Ten Evils, we will not violate life's rules. If we can go beyond that and be more diligent, we will be performing the Ten Good Deeds. The retribution for the Ten Good Deeds is rebirth in Heavenly and Human Realms. If we violate the five Precepts, commit Ten Evils or the Five Rebellious Acts, etc, we obstruct our path to rebirth in Heavenly and Human Realms.
Everyone by upholding the Five Precepts we can retain our human form. If we want more blessings to be born in Heaven, we must perform the Ten Good Deeds. If we can both do good deeds and uphold precepts, and have a stronger resolve; we can transcend the worldly path. This is called the way of goodness.
We can transcend the worldly path, however, if we become attached to the good we do, we constantly think, “I'm a good person. I uphold the Five Precepts perform the Ten Good Deeds. I can help others.” This can also become an obstruction where Goodness can block our path.
All you Bodhisattvas, don't I always say we must give unconditionally and also be grateful? Gratitude is recognizing that if it were not for others, we would have no opportunity to do good. So as we do good deeds, we walk forward and let go of the past. Do not cling to it and think, “I am the one who can help others, I have already done many good deeds. So why do I suffer from misfortune?” We must not think this way. If we do, we lose the benefit of doing good deeds.
In short, do not allow arrogance to arise when we do good deeds. Once arrogance arises, it cancels out the merits of the Five Precepts and Ten Good Deeds. It will be an obstruction to our transcendence to walk the Bodhisattva path.
Therefore, in learning Buddhism, we should take good care of our minds. There are so many afflictions, so many subtle aspects. So we must safeguard our minds. Aside from that, we must also clear away all the afflictions surrounding us. Only then can we safeguard the mind so afflictions truly have no way to enter and defile it.
I hope that no such dusts taint our minds. This is the most crucial part of learning Buddhism.
出处：http://moya.iyard.org/bin/view/Blog/BlogEntry2233
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