Back to the library

KMG046 0002.Commentary on Engaging in Bodhisattva Activity, The Ocean of Eloquence and Logic.g2.0f

English

The past is gone. The Blessed One said: "Monks, thus, it is extremely difficult to obtain a human body." So it is. The proof by reasoning is: The so-called "sin committed in a single moment," as it appears in the commentaries, such as the uninterrupted sins, is the very moment of the completion of the action. If evil thoughts arise towards a particular object, even until the end of life, even that will cause one to remain in the Avici hell for a kalpa. What need is there to mention that the sins accumulated in samsara since beginningless time will cause one to go to the lower realms instead of the higher realms? If one only experiences the results of previous sins, one will not be liberated from suffering, because while experiencing this, one will generate and accumulate other sins that are the cause of suffering. The third has two parts: the teaching and the explanation. The first is: Having obtained such leisure, if I do not cultivate virtue, there is no greater deception than this, and no greater ignorance than this. So it is said. The second has three parts: contemplating the results of foolishness and ignorance, criticizing its nature, and examining its cause. The first is: If I understand the faults of transgressing the precepts, but still, due to ignorance, I am lazy and do not strive in learning, then at the time of death, regret and great sorrow will arise. After death, the fire of hell will be difficult to bear, and when my body is burned for a long time, the unbearable fire of regret will ignite and burn my mind, which is inevitable. The second is: How is it that after accidentally obtaining this extremely rare and beneficial leisure and endowment, I, myself, possess the wisdom to know good and evil, faults and virtues, but still commit sins and lead myself back to hell, as if bewitched by a mantra? Do I have no mind here? So it is said. The third is: By what cause am I deceived by ignorance, which I did not know before? If I examine what cause there is in my mind for such a change, there is nothing other than afflictions. Therefore, now I will explain the third, which is to be vigilant about the afflictions that should be abandoned. There are three aspects to this: examining afflictions as something to be abandoned, and the desire to abandon them.

Chinese

生起,以及生起能够断除的欢喜。第一者有二,思维过患,以及因此应于不应依止而作意。第一者有三,如民族般地损害,以及作大损害,以及劝诫不应依止。第一者是,嗔恨和贪欲等怨敌们,没有手脚等,且与精进相等,具有勇猛和骄傲,虽非贤善,然如何彼等如奴仆般地无力役使我?如此安住于我的心中,欢喜而无畏地损害我,对此不嗔恨而忍耐,是对不应忍耐之处忍耐,是圣者所呵责之处。第二者,损害的自性大是,纵然天和非天等一切皆与我为敌,彼等也不能将我牵引而投入于无间地狱之火中,然烦恼力大之怨敌此者,与谁相遇,则能于刹那间将我抛掷于焚烧须弥山亦或人身的无间地狱之火中。时间长久是,我的烦恼怨敌是,此从无始以来即为怨敌,如是其他怨敌皆不能如是长久。第三者是,若顺应承事而依止,则其他一切皆能作利益和安乐,然烦恼诸蕴若依止,则反作痛苦和大损害。第二者是,如是长久从无始以来,相续不断地传递损害,成为损害之众一切增长之唯一因的烦恼怨敌,此若决定安住于我的心中,则我于轮回中怎能无惧而欢喜?定不能。又,因不能从轮回的牢狱中解脱,故彼之守护者,于地狱等中成为杀戮之刽子手的烦恼,此等若于心识之处生起执着,即安住于贪恋之网中,我怎能有安乐?如是作意。第二者有三,披上断除烦恼的盔甲,以及不应因痛苦而厌倦,以及对治的勇

English

generating, and generating the joy of being able to abandon. The first has two parts: contemplating the faults, and therefore, considering what should not be relied upon. The first has three parts: harming like a tribe, doing great harm, and advising against relying on them. The first is: enemies such as hatred and desire do not have limbs, etc., and are equal to diligence, possessing courage and pride, although they are not wise, how do they helplessly employ me like a slave? Thus, while dwelling in my mind, they happily and fearlessly harm me, and not being angry with them but enduring it, is enduring what should not be endured, it is a place condemned by the holy ones. The second, the nature of the harm is great: even if all the gods and non-gods, etc., were to rise up against me as enemies, they could not lead me and throw me into the fire of the uninterrupted hell, but this powerful enemy of afflictions, whoever it encounters, can in an instant throw me into the fire of the uninterrupted hell that burns Mount Meru or the human body. The duration is long: my enemy of afflictions is, this has been an enemy from beginningless time, and other enemies cannot last as long as that. The third is: if one serves and relies on them in accordance, then all others can bring benefit and happiness, but if one relies on the aggregates of afflictions, they will instead cause suffering and great harm. The second is: thus, for a long time, from beginningless time, continuously transmitting harm, the enemy of afflictions, which is the sole cause of the increase of all the hosts of harm, if this definitely dwells in my heart, then how can I be fearless and happy in samsara? It certainly cannot be. Moreover, because it does not allow liberation from the prison of samsara, therefore its guardians, the afflictions that have become executioners who kill in hells, etc., if these arise in the place of the mind, that is, dwell in the net of attachment, how can I have happiness? Thus, contemplate. The second has three parts: donning the armor of abandoning afflictions, and not being discouraged by suffering, and the courage of the antidote.

Chinese

结束语。第一,正如我没有亲身彻底摧毁烦恼之敌,我将不会放弃在此的努力。例如,即使是对待小小的、普通的敌人,那些愤怒且傲慢的众生,在没有摧毁敌人之前也不会入睡。更何况要努力摧毁烦恼之敌呢?第二部分有三点:要思维断除之过患,对治之利益,以及观察自己所立誓言而不灰心。第一,不依赖于杀戮,而是因其本性而死亡,成为痛苦之源的烦恼,对于那些成为慈悲之境的敌人,在战场上勇敢战斗时,即使被箭和矛等武器击中,也要忍受痛苦,在没有完成目标之前,不后退或逃跑。那么,对于总是痛苦之源,本性上就是敌人的烦恼,我为什么要因为成百上千的痛苦而灰心、沮丧、不快乐呢?第二,与无意义的敌人战斗,即使在身上留下伤疤,也像装饰品一样炫耀勇敢。为了所有众生的大利益而真正努力的我,为什么认为痛苦是有害的呢?此外,渔夫、贱民(屠夫和农民等)只想着自己的生计,也能忍受寒冷和炎热等伤害。为了所有众生的幸福,我为什么不能忍受呢?我必须忍受。第三,向十方虚空尽头的众生发誓,要将他们从烦恼中解脱出来,如果自己还没有从烦恼中解脱出来,甚至不了解自己的智慧或能力,这样说话难道不是疯了吗?因为变得像疯了一样,所以要先让自己解脱,才能解脱他人。结束语。第三,因此,为了摧毁烦恼,要永远不退缩。

English

Conclusion. First, as long as I have not personally and thoroughly destroyed the enemy of afflictions, I will not abandon my efforts here. For example, even when dealing with small, ordinary enemies, those angry and arrogant beings will not sleep until they have destroyed the enemy. How much more should one strive to destroy the enemy of afflictions? The second part has three points: to contemplate the faults of what is to be abandoned, the benefits of the antidote, and to examine one's own vows without becoming discouraged. First, afflictions, which do not depend on killing but are the source of suffering because of their very nature, for those enemies who are the object of compassion, when fighting bravely on the battlefield, even if struck by arrows and spears, one endures the pain and does not retreat or flee until the goal is achieved. So, for afflictions that are always the source of suffering, enemies by their very nature, why should I be discouraged, disheartened, or unhappy by hundreds and thousands of sufferings? Second, fighting with meaningless enemies, even leaving scars on the body, one flaunts bravery as if they were decorations. Why should I, who am truly striving for the great benefit of all beings, think that suffering is harmful? Furthermore, fishermen, outcasts (butchers and farmers, etc.), thinking only of their own livelihood, also endure harm such as cold and heat. For the happiness of all beings, why can't I endure it? I must endure it. Third, having vowed to liberate all beings to the ends of the ten directions of space from afflictions, if one has not liberated oneself from afflictions, and does not even know the extent of one's own wisdom or ability, is it not madness to speak in this way? Because one has become like a madman, one must first liberate oneself in order to liberate others. Conclusion. Third, therefore, in order to destroy afflictions, one should never retreat.

Chinese

我应当执着于断除烦恼,应当对烦恼怀有敌意,与之交战并摧毁它。那么,虽然一切烦恼都应断除,但这种执着或怀有敌意应该如何运用呢?对于那些能够摧毁此类烦恼的方法,暂时不应断除,最终也应断除,这在注释中已经阐明。有些人说“除了烦恼”,这也在注释中有所提及,但并非完全如此。我宁愿被烧死或被砍头,在任何情况下,都不要屈服于烦恼的敌人,不要受其支配。第三点是,普通的敌人即使一次被逐出国土,也会在其他地方安身,完全占据那里,在那里积蓄力量,然后再次返回并造成伤害。但烦恼的敌人并非如此,一旦从根源上断除,就不可能再复发。那么,如何断除呢?因为这些烦恼经过分析很容易被摧毁,所以用轻蔑的语气称之为“烦恼”。正如注释中所说:“因为这些烦恼没有根基,仅仅通过看到究竟的真理就可以断除,所以称为烦恼。”以及《释论》中所说:“贪欲等烦恼,这些烦恼是……”这是通过证悟无我的智慧之眼来观察而断除的。当它从我的心中消除时,它会去哪里呢?它无处可去。它在哪里安身,积蓄力量,然后回来伤害我呢?它不会回来。因此,对于我这种愚钝的人来说,如果没有精进,那就完了,如果有了精进,不可能不断除。那么,应该如何用智慧之眼来观察呢?烦恼不住在外境色等之中,也不住在眼识等集合之中,因为即使它们存在,也可能不存在。不住在外境和根识之间,也不存在于它们之外,因为无法确定。因此,这些烦恼从何处安身,对一切众生造成伤害呢?如果加以分析,它们并不能成立为损害者,但却显现为损害者,所以这就像幻觉一样,虽然显现,却没有真实性。

English

I should be attached to abandoning afflictions, and I should hold animosity towards afflictions, engage in battle with them, and destroy them. Now, although all afflictions should be abandoned, how should this attachment or animosity be employed? The methods that destroy such afflictions should not be abandoned for the time being, but eventually, they too should be abandoned, as clarified in the commentaries. Some say "except for afflictions," which is also mentioned in the great commentary, but it is not exactly so. I would rather be burned to death or have my head cut off; in no way should I submit to the enemy of afflictions, nor be dominated by them. The third point is that ordinary enemies, even if expelled from a country once, will settle in another place, completely occupy it, accumulate power there, and then return and cause harm. But the nature of the enemy of afflictions is not like that; once abandoned from the root, it is impossible to return. So, how to abandon them? Because these afflictions are easily destroyed when analyzed, they are contemptuously called "afflictions." As the commentary says, "Because these afflictions have no basis, they can be abandoned merely by seeing the ultimate truth, hence they are called afflictions." And as the Explanation says, "Afflictions such as desire, these afflictions are..." This is abandoned by looking with the eye of wisdom that realizes selflessness. When it is removed from my mind, where will it go? It has nowhere to go. Where will it settle, accumulate power, and then come back to harm me? It will not come back. Therefore, for a foolish person like me, if there is no diligence, it is over, but if there is diligence, it is impossible not to abandon them. So, how should one look with the eye of wisdom? Afflictions do not reside in external objects such as forms, nor do they reside in the aggregates of eye consciousness, etc., because even if they exist, they may not exist. They do not reside between external objects and sense faculties, nor do they exist outside of them, because they cannot be determined. Therefore, from where do these afflictions settle and cause harm to all beings? If analyzed, they are not established as harmers, but they appear as harmers, so this is like an illusion, appearing but without truth.