Page 38 - 加拿大佛教会湛山精舍杂志季刊第76期

法脈摭實
D HARMA COLLECTION

of spreading Buddhadharma. He/she may renounce
his/her head, hands, or any part of his/her body while The third is the perfected virtue of patience (ksan-
maintaining the mind of equanimity; or give up own tiparamita). Insults are very difficult to bear. When
country, family or spouse and turn the merit over to a bodhisattva hears someone speaking to him/her
all sentient beings. Providing protection from danger harshly and offensively, he/she wisely remains quite
or assurance of safety is the last of the three kinds of at ease and contented. Some insults can be consid-
giving (abhaya-pra-dana in Sanskrit). The most ex- ered good teaching and there is no reason for anger.
cellent of all is the gift of complete enlightenment for One may ask oneself, “who speaks, who hears, how,
the benefit of the world. When a bodhisattva has giv- to whom, by whom? How can one’s left hand fight
en a gift, he/she never expects a reward, nor does he/ with one’s right hand? To separate oneself from the
she give any thought to the recipient of the gift. Ac- thieves-as-difilements, one should think “as many ills
cording to the Vajracchedika-prajnaparamita Sutra as there are in the world, I will endure them all.” Then
(Diamond Sutra) “A bodhisattva’s mind should not the practitioner stands in the perfection of patience.
abide anywhere when giving alms”. Although the
mind does not abide anywhere, it nevertheless does The fourth is the perfection of vigor or zeal (viry-
not exhaust cause and effect and the bodhisattva’s aparamita). The practitioner on the enlightening path
merits of retribution and blessings surpass by far needs to foster a pure and courageous mind when
those of someone with a hidden agenda when doing practicing the excellent perfection of vigor. Keeping
good. The pure and passion-free being, liberated of in mind his/her duty towards other beings, day and
karmic action, can recover the original perfection of night in his thought free from hesitation he/she abides
his/her luminous mind and by comprehending it he or in his/her resolute intention similar to that of a mother
she, the bodhisattva, can surpass all the merit in the attending to her only child.
world, Such circumstances are pristine, incompara-
ble and outstanding. The fifth is concentration or meditation (Ch’an in
Chinese, dhyanaparamita in Sanskrit). In its early
The second is morality (silaparamita). Perfect mo- stages, this practice calms the body and focuses the
rality is the foremost quality of enlightenment. The mind, freeing it from stay thoughts. The concentra-
object of this virtue is to develop an acute sense of tion applied to daily activity may lead to samadhi of
wholesome action strengthened by refraining from action. Practice-of-Principle samadhi is described
evil actions, thus generating the cool calm of perfect in the Awakening of Faith as follows: “(The adept)
morality while the one practicing it is still attached should be in a quiet place, sit erect and even-tempered
to the sense-qualities. The guidelines, called precepts, and should not pay attention to breathing, nor to form
are usually arranged in sets. In Buddhist practice sev- or color, space, earth, water, fire, wind, the seen,
en sets of precepts are known; within these , the num- the remembered, the heard, the conceived. Arising
ber of precepts increases in proportion to the depth of thoughts should be instantly released and the thought
commitment on the part of the practitioner. Chinese of releasing them should, likewise, be allowed to
adherents to the teachings of Confucius, for exam- vanish. Whatever is out there transcends thought and
ple, follow rules whereby ceremonies are performed should not be produced and extinguished moment to
at the sound of appropriate music as a means to es- moment. The meditator should not meditate on the
tablish the mind of courtesy, delight and happiness. Âexternal’ objects of the senses and subsequent-
There should not be anything contrived and during ly negate them, eventually negating the meditating
such an occasion everything should happen natural- mind. Should the mind wander, it should be gently
ly. Our practice of precepts, once we have accepted led back to the correct thought. It should be under-
them, should by uninterrupted in order to eradicate stood that Âcorrect thought’ is the thought that is of
our defelements. the moment. All is mind only and whatever Âexter-

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