Greate Good Affinities, and Bad Conditions Vanish
我们常常说：「这念心善恶杂揉。」
过去生有善有恶。当然，过去生不知道有几生几世的烦恼、善恶因缘一直都不断牵引、复制，当然来到了这一世，也是有善有恶。恶的种子现前时，所面对的环境都是不好的环境；就是在好的环境中，也不会遇到好的人；就是遇到好的人，我们的心也不会起欢喜心。这就是过去生的恶因、恶缘。
我们既然来到这一世，真是庆幸得遇佛法。更欢喜的就是，能在一个菩萨的团体中，我们能将过去的习气，自己好好提高警觉。就算你看到不是很欢喜的人，不是喜欢的人，他不一定是坏人。人家他和别人就很好，只是对于你的时候，你不是很欢喜。
同样的话，他对别人说的时候，别人可以很契机，别人觉得那个人所说的句句都是好话。都是法，为什么我们听了，就不能起欢喜心，不能接受对方呢？如果是这样，就要赶紧自我警惕，可能在过去生中有恶因，所以结了恶缘，我们这一世有了不好的因缘，现在借助菩萨的团体，我们要自我警惕，尽量培养好缘，再培养回来。
人随业而来，业力虽不可改，但缘可再造，若能自我警惕，多结好缘，诸业或可随缘了。
就像我们在大林慈济医院，有一位老先生，老太太来住院，老先生看起来他也是很关心太太，但是他就是不进去病房里面，都是在外面徘徊，感觉很矛盾。所以慈济的委员就过去询问：「你的什么人住在这里？我看你心事重重，你想不想跟我说话？把你的心事说出来。」
这位阿公就说：「小姐，我为什么看到我太太就不会起欢喜心，不过我也有关心她。说实在的，她生病我也很烦恼。但是为什么我很想去跟她说话，看到人就是说不出来。就是起不了欢喜心。」
委员就问他说：「你们夫妻在一起有多少年了？」阿公说：「算一算差不多也有四、五十年有了。」「这四、五十年间，你们的生活是怎么过的？」阿公说：「我是庄稼人，若是农作闲暇时，我都是在我家前埕的大树下坐，我们一群人就在哪里，喝一下酒、抽烟、吃槟榔，就在那里聊天。有的时候我太太很凶，看到我喝酒就开始来骂我，如果看到我抽烟，一进房子就开始骂我。我从年轻的时候被她骂到老。可是现在想到她生病了，我也是会担心啊！」
委员就说：「阿公，我们人不要有后悔，你看她病得站不起来，你也是会烦恼啊！我想你也有话要跟她说。」阿公说：「我也不知道为什么，每次走道她的面前，想要问她：『你会不会饿？会不会口渴？』连这样我也问不出来。」
阿公想了想，就对委员说：「我看妳真的很好，我的儿子如果可以娶到妳，可能我们家会很和谐。」委员说：「阿公你看我真的有这么好吗？你可知道，当初在我还没有加入慈济的时候，我有多凶吗？我如果看到男人，就像看到蚂蚁，想要把他捏死。」阿公就说：「妳有这么凶啊！」所以为委员就说：「师父教我们，做人不要比较，你比到好的，到你手上不一定很好。最好我们都不要比较，其实我们自己的最好，我们不要跟自己的人计较。」
「阿公你不要后悔，我想阿嬷的心和你是一样，她的心里也有话要跟你说，你赶紧去和阿嬷说说话。都已经这么多年了，这么大的年纪了，现在不说，你真的会后悔。我们师父说：『最折磨人的人就是后悔。』应该就是因为我们来不及，等到你想说的时候已经说不出来了，这是最重的惩罚。」阿公说：「嗯！我也是有这样想过。上次你们有一位师姊也跟我说不要有后悔，我实在是后悔了，但是不知道如何去消除后悔？」委员就说：「阿公，走！我陪你去。但是你到了阿嬷面前，你一定要勇敢说出来。」
阿公问说：「我要说什么？」委员说：「你第一句话要先表达，你是很关心阿嬷的，这就表示你爱她。你们几十年的时间，我相信你没有对阿嬷说过一次爱。」阿公说：「笑死人了，夫妻也要说这样的话啊？」委员说：「是啊！这个时候就是要说，说出来之后你会很欢喜，因为你说出爱她的心内话。阿嬷一定也会很快乐，因为她终于等到，等到她心里面想要的东西。」阿公说：「这么好用喔？」委员说：「就是这么好用！阿公，走…」
就陪着阿公到了阿嬷床前。志工就先跟阿嬷说：「阿嬷，今天有比较轻松吗？」阿嬷就说：「心烦都烦死了，身体怎么会轻松。」志工就说：「阿嬷，今天就可以让你很轻松了，阿公说有话要告诉妳。可能他对妳說这句话，对妳会很好用，心就不会烦了。」阿嬷说：「会有什么话？没话说了。」
志工就说：「阿公来，走近一点。你刚才对我说的那些话，赶紧对阿嬷说一下，说出你对阿嬷的想法，很想说的那句话。」阿公就很勇敢，不过也很粗鲁的说：「老婆，我爱妳！」好像不知道压了多久，突然间冲出来，实在说的很粗鲁。志工就说：「阿公，你这样讲实在是很粗鲁。来，再一次阿嬷才听得懂。因为你说得太快了，声音要放软一点，阿嬷才听得懂。」他就轻声细语的说：「老婆，我实在很爱你耶。不好意思，也谢谢妳这么多年来照顾我。」阿嬷听了之后，整个眼睛都睁大了：「你刚才所说的是你自己要说的话吗？」阿公说：「是啊！是我自己想说的，只是不好意思说而已。」阿嬷就笑了。
古早人就是这样，熟不拘礼，虽然是结婚了，但是太太对先生一切生活举止行动，她不喜欢就会直接说。尽管他们有很好的缘可以结为夫妻，但夫妻间的生活就是这样的话题而已。会结为夫妻一定是有很好的缘，如果没有缘怎么可能会结为夫妻？这个缘从过去的因，来到现在加上这个缘，撮和在一起，应该要疼惜。看这对阿公和阿嬷，如果不是遇到这个团体，如果不是有这个人来牵针引线，夫妻就像有一条鸿沟隔开了。阿公轻轻一句话，把所有几十年的怨都抹消掉了。阿公压理几十年得爱的种子，就是没有缘发芽，就是缺乏团体的因缘来撮和。
所以说起来，人生夫妻之间，不是为什么看别人都那么好？为什么看我们自己的就是好不起来？其实原来自己的太太实在很好。看别人的先生都是那么的体贴，看我们自己的先生就只是这样？其实自己的先生也很好，只是在那念心。
善缘一转恶缘消，会遇佛法，懂得珍惜与与感恩，就是增上胜心。
诸位，我们过去的因，现在的缘，这分缘如果能会合起来，好缘一转，不好的缘就消了。我们要常常感恩，感恩在这个团体中，我们能常常听到，听到很多人的身教，现身说法。每个人所说的话都是妙法，所以我们这念心，要以感恩心来面对外面的境界，如果能这样，就是增上胜心。
我们要很庆幸，我们每天都是在增上缘中，每一个人都在启发我们很好的心念，这种胜妙的好心，在这个环境中，我们要好好培养。
就像刚才所说的，阿嬷听到阿公一句好话，心开意解，烦恼就消了。就像阿公听到别人这样教他，他知道：「我过去的态度是错的，我现在要赶快改。」改过来就是忏悔，忏悔即清净，若是这样我们的三障就能消灭。
三障是烦恼、业、报，会障碍我们清明的智慧，唯有发露忏悔，才能清净累藏的垢秽。
「欲灭三障者，当用何等心？」我们现在知道，这三障就是「惑、业、报」，「烦恼叫做惑，惑就是无明，无明叫做烦恼。」
这三障到底要怎样做才能够消灭？忏文的前面也说过：「诸佛菩萨教作方便。」大家应该记得，已经说过了，诸佛菩萨来到人间，就是要来教育我们，用了种种方便方法，应我们的根基来教导我们，我们如果听得进去就得法了。
因为我们有八万四千的烦恼，所以开了八万四千的法门，所以我们的根机，也有八万四千种的根机。所以佛陀如同大医王看病下药，看众生有什么心病，应该用什么法来治疗他的心病，去除他的烦恼，这就是诸佛菩萨来人间，所以教作方便。教导我们各种方便，如何预防业不会再从内心产生出来！教导我们如何把惑、烦恼都能打开来。我们什么时候如何能够把惑、无明的阴霾打开来呢？这就是要用佛法。
欲灭三障者，当用何等心。
各位，我们在平时的生活中，绝对不离开佛法，每一项我们所学的，不要过去就没事了，还是要永远铭刻在我们的内心：「所以要用什么样的心，才能使此障灭除？」就像刚才所说过了，你不要认为：「师父只是在说别人的故事，和佛法有关系吗？」就是有关系！没有缘不会在一起，有缘相聚，如何培养来生来世的因？ 「因、缘、因缘果报」这都是连环性的，你既然有了因、有了缘，就会结果。
像那对阿公和阿嬷，过去有因，这辈子有缘，结果结为夫妻。但是结为夫妻之后，却是我看你和别人比起来，别人比你更好。这种不欢喜的心，就是一种心灵的感觉。阿嬷有时候听到阿公在嫌她，她心理就开始有怨了，这份怨埋在心里，夫妻间面对面就是直来直去，真的那分爱的种子，埋下心底，没有缘引发出来。所以那分缘如果没有引发出来，那个因会变成现在的报，又累积起来。一个人是不欢喜的因，因为他爱比较，一个人是感受到的怨，所以那种不喜而怨，结下来就是一个因。夫妻就把这种恩怨再带到来生，这个报又构造未来的因。如此因缘果报、因缘果报，实在是没完没了。
总而言之，我们应该要运用这念心，好好消除。人生果报实在很可怕，我们要赶紧从源头除掉「惑、业、报」。若能如此，大家惜福在佛法的道场中，在菩萨的环境中，我们应该要时时以感恩心来对待。所以请大家时时要多用心啊！
The Dharma as Water Episode 32 – 21 Apr 2011 - Create Good Affinities, and Bad Conditions Vanish
As we have often said, good and evil are intermixed in our minds.
We have done both good and evil in our past lives. For an unknown number of lifetimes good and evil causes and conditions have been replicating and influencing us. So we come to this life and, of course, have both good and evil [seeds].
When negative seeds manifest, the conditions we face will be unfavorable. Even if we live in a favorable environment, we will not meet good people. Even if we do meet good people, we will not be happy with them. This is due to evil causes and conditions from past lives.
In this life, we are truly fortunate to encounter Buddha-dharma. Furthermore, happily, we are among a group of Bodhisattvas. We can heighten our awareness of our accumulated habitual tendencies. So when we see someone we dislike, we realize that he may not be a bad person. Perhaps he gets along well with everyone else and we are the only ones who dislike him.
Other listens to him and finds his words very useful. They feel that every word he says is good is Dharma. Why is it that when we hear his words, we cannot be pleased? Why can't we accept him? If we in this situation we must be alert, for we may have planted a bad seed in our past lives that resulted in this bad affinity. Thus we have a bad relationship in this life. Now with the help of this group of Bodhisattvas, we must be self- vigilant so we can strengthen good affinities and improve our bad affinities.
Karma brings us to this world. Though we cannot change our past karma, we can create new conditions. If we can be self-vigilant and create more good conditions, perhaps we can reshape the manifestation of karma.
There is the story of an elderly man who visited his wife in Dalin Tzu Chi Hospital. He really cared about her, but he refused to enter her hospital room. He paced back and forth outside. It seemed rather contradictory. So, one of our Commissioners asked him, "Grandpa, who is in the hospital? You seem to have a lot on your mind. Would you like to talk about it? Tell me what's on your mind."
This elderly man replied, "Why can't I be happy when I look at my wife? I do care about her and am worried that she's ill. But when I wish to speak to her, I just can't say anything. I just can't be happy."
The Commissioner asked him, "Grandpa, how long have you been married?" He answered, "About 40 to 50 years." "How was your life together for those years?" He said, "I'm a farmer. When there's no work to be done in the fields, I am usually under the tree in the courtyard, in front of my house. My friends and I drink, smoke, chew betel nuts and chat. Sometimes, my wife would be very mean. She would scold me, when I drank or smoked. She has been scolding me my whole life. But now that she is ill. I am a worried."
The Commissioner then said, "Grandpa we do not want to have regrets. You are very worried when you see her bed-ridden. I believe you have things you want to say to her." He said, "I don't know why. When I'm next to her I want to ask if she is hungry or thirsty, but even those words won't come out.
As he thought about it, he looked at the Commissioner and said, "I think you are a very nice person. If my son had you for a wife, maybe our family would be more harmonious." There Commissioner said, "Grandpa, I am nice now, but do you know how mean I was before I joined Tzu Chi? When I saw men, I saw them as ants that I wanted to squash." He said, "You were that mean?" Our commissioner replied, "Grandpa, Master Cheng-yen taught us not to compete or compare. The grass is always greener on the other side. It's best not to take issue with anything. Actually, what we already have is the best. Do not take issue with other people."
"Grandpa, don't live with regrets. I think Grandma probably feels the same way, and has a lot she wants to say to you. Hurry up and talk to her and you are both quite old. If you don't say something now, you will truly regret it." Our master says," "Regret is the greatest torture; we lose the chance to say what we wish to say that is something we will deeply regret. It will be too late. That is the most punishment." The grandpa said, "Yes, I have thought about this volunteer told me to not have any regrets. I am truly regretful, but I do not know how to get rid of this regret." The commissioner said, "Grandpa, let's go. When you think of it, just do it. I will accompany you. But when you are standing before Grandma, you need to speak out bravely."
He asked, "What should I say?" "Your first words should convey that you care about her. Show your love for her. I think you probably have never told Grandma that you love her in all the decades you've been married." He said, "That is embarrassing. Do marred couples say this?" She replied, "Yes, now is the time to say it. You will be happy once you do. After you say what is in your heart, she will be very happy because she will finally have what she's always wanted." He said, "Is it really that effective?" "Yes, it really is. Now let's go, Grandpa."
She accompanied him to grandma's bedside and talked, to her first "Grandma, are you felling well today?" She answered, "I'm worried to death, how can I feel well?" Our volunteer said, "Grandma, you will be very happy today. Grandpa has something to tell you. Maybe what he is about to say is exactly what you need. You won't be worried anymore." "What does he have to say? Nothing."
Our volunteer then said, "Grandpa, come closer. Tell Grandma what you just told me. Tell her what you think about her, what you really want to say her." He gathered up his courage and barked out, "Wife, I love you." It was as if he has held it in for so long and it suddenly burst out. He said it very gruffly. So our volunteer told him, "Grandpa that was too gruff. Say it again so she can understand you, you said it too quickly. Please say it more gently more slowly, so grandma can understand you." So he said, "Wife, I really love you. I'm sorry and thank you for taking care of me all these years." The grandma's eyes grew wide and she asked, "What you just said, did you think of it yourself?" "Yes, I wanted to say that, I have just been too embarrassed." The grandma smiled.
Couples from older generations are devoted but very reserved. Though they are married, the wife disapproved of all of her husband's activities and expressed this bluntly. In their married life, this was pretty much all they talked about. Of course they had some good affinities, otherwise they would not have marred. They must have shared affinities. They sowed the seeds in the past and then conditions in this life brought them together. They should cherish each other. Look at this old couple. Had they not encountered Tzu Chi, and in particular, this volunteer who patiently encouraged them, there would still be a gulf between them. The grandpa's few words wiped away decades of resentment. He suppressed the seed of love for decades. It did sprout when this organization provided the right conditions.
So married couples should not think highly of other people's spouses and poorly of their own. Your own wife is actually pretty good. Do not think other peoples husbands are so considerate and wonder why your husband is not. Your husband is pretty good too. It is all in your state of mind.
When we create good affinities, bad conditions disappear. Once we encounter Dharma, if we learn to cherish it and be grateful for it, this is the Advantageous Superior Mind.
Everyone, observe your past karmic causes and present conditions. If the right elements come together to create good conditions bad conditions will vanish. Let us always be grateful that within this organization, we can often hear people share their experiences. They teach by example and their every word is wondrous Dharma. Let us face external conditions with gratitude. If we can do this, it is the working of the Advantageous Superior Mind.
We should feel very fortunate to live in advantageous conditions every day. Everyone around us inspires us to be good. Let us nurture a wondrous and wholesome mind in this environment.
As I said earlier, when the grandma heard her husband's kind words, her heart opened and her resentments dissolved. As for the grandpa, he listened to other people's advice. He knew that his old attitude was wrong and wanted to change. To reform is to repent and to repent is to cleanse. If we can do this, we can eliminate the Three Obstructions.
The Three Obstructions are affection, karma and retribution. They obstruct our pure and clear wisdom. Only by openly repenting can we wash away our accumulated defilements.
The Three Obstructions start with affliction, or delusion. Delusion is also known as ignorance, and ignorance is synonymous with affliction.
How can we eliminate delusion, karma and retribution the Three Obstructions? As the Buddha said, "All Buddhas and Bodhisattvas teach skillful means. A few days ago we said, that all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas come to the world and teach us various skillful means that are appropriate for our aptitudes. When we are receptive to Dharma, we can learn it.
The Buddha introduced 84,000 Dharma methods because we have 84,000 types of affliction. Therefore, we also have 84,000 different levels of aptitude. Therefore the Buddha is the Great Healer King. Based on the mental illnesses of sentient beings, he prescribed specific Dharma to treat those conditions and eliminate their affections. So Buddhas and Bodhisattvas came into this world to teach us skillful means. With these methods, we can keep our minds from creating karma and break through our delusions and afflictions. Delusion is another word for ignorance. How can we break through this haze of ignorance? We need to use Dharma.
What mindset must we use if we wish to eliminate the Three Obstructions?
Everyone, everything in our daily living is absolutely related to Dharma. Do not learn each lesson lightly, but forever etch it in your minds. So, what mindset do we need to eliminate these obstructions?
As I just said, do not think that I am just telling stories which are unrelated to Buddhism. Actually, they are closely related. Without affinities, we would not be together. Affinities enable us to meet. Let us learn to sow the seeds for the future. Causes, conditions effects and retributions are all interlinked in a cycle. Once we have causes and conditions, there will be fruitions.
That old couple sowed seeds for their marriage in the past, and this life provided the conditions for them to become husband and wife. But they each felt that their spouse was not as good as someone else. Such feelings of unhappiness are a state of mind. Hearing her husband's constant complaints, the old woman became resentful. She harbored resentment toward him. They were very direct with each other. The seed of love that they felt was buried deeply. The conditions were not right for it to emerge. If these conditions for growth were never present, negative causes would accumulate. The husband planted the seeds of unpleasantness because he was always comparing. The wife felt resentful and her grudge was becoming a negative cause. They would have carried this conflict with them to their next lives. The present effects would create new causes. Thus the cycle of cause and effect repeats itself endlessly.
In short, we should try to stop this vicious cycle. Karmic retributions are truly frightening. We should eliminate them at the source by eliminating delusion, karma and retribution. Let us cherish the opportunity to be in this place of spiritual practice among Bodhisattvas. We should constantly be grateful towards each other. So everyone please always be mindful.
出处：http://moya.iyard.org/bin/view/Blog/BlogEntry2245
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