精進佛七與金剛經 The Vigorous Recitation Session and the Vajra Sutra

精進佛七與金剛經

The Vigorous Recitation Session and the Vajra Sutra

培德高中學生　吳適有

Franklyn. S. Wu, Student of Developing Virtue High School

俗話說：「萬事起頭難」。不管是修行、讀書、寫文章或其他各種事，起頭都是最難的。舉個例子，這次參加精進佛七，就感覺到頭一、二天是最難熬的，後幾天就慢慢好了。再說《金剛經》，我們剛開始只要起一個信念，去接受經中的道理，慢慢地自能明暸。這可反映到修行上，最難是起頭，假如能發菩提心皈依三寶，將來終能究竟成佛。

從我個人的觀點來看，《金剛經》和精進佛七雖是兩個不同的法門，但卻是殊途同歸，而且本質上也都是一樣的，是為度化種種不同的眾生而產生的法門。念佛法門一方面，是對佛起尊敬心，並且祈請阿彌陀佛加持以往生西方淨土；另一方面就是清心寡欲、增長智慧。在七天的法會中，有一些規矩，像禁語、日拜一千拜、日行七炷香和守八關齋戒，都是對人身心有好處的法門。禁語可減少大量的外務，俗務少了，煩惱也少了，貪瞋癡也會少了，戒定慧自然會慢慢增長。念佛七炷香和拜佛千拜可以增進禪坐的定力。最重要的是，念佛若能念到一心不亂，可往生西方極樂世界，享無量壽、無眾苦，而且沒有做惡事的機緣，證佛果就容易多了。

《金剛經》是另一種法門，是空的法門，一切都是空的，連法都是空。《金剛經》有偈：「一切有為法，如夢幻泡影，如露亦如電，應作如是觀。」一切世俗美妙的事物，都是夢，都像露水和閃電一樣，雖然美麗，但只是假相，一閃即逝，是給世人一個警示—縱有家財萬貫，百年之後，一樣糞土一堆。依照《金剛經》的教導，世人應該將所有世俗外務都放下，世上所有的煩惱，都是因眾生執著于一切外務，產生貪瞋癡所引起的。

眾生需要佛法來洗滌心靈，像唐朝神秀大師的偈語：「身如菩提樹，心如明鏡台，時時勤拂拭，勿使惹塵埃。」這是我們凡夫俗子的境界。在《金剛經》最後的境界是無我，佛果只是一個名，他們並沒有證到甚麼，只是發現自性，像六祖惠能大師的偈：「菩提本無樹，明鏡亦非台，本來無一物，何處惹塵埃？」甚麼都沒有，怎麼會弄髒呢？到了最後連法都要放下。

這兩個雖然是兩個不同的法門，但是在實行上都需要一個原動力，那就是信心。《金剛經》中有強調信心的重要：若有人以恆河沙等身布施，但是功德卻比不上一個聽聞《金剛經》後信心不逆的人。由此可知《金剛經》是比較令人難信，尤其是此經叫人放下一切，世俗的人假如沒有一點智慧，很難去相信和實行，再加上此經較為抽象，所以在經中特別強調信心的重要。

而信心對實行念佛法門的人也是最重要的。念佛法門是很殊勝，卻又挺容易做到，只要一句「南無阿彌陀佛」不離口和虔誠的禮拜就是了。但是也許就是太容易了，而且功德又那麼殊勝，所以有時會有人不相信，或是相信卻有一點懷疑的心理。所以事實上這是外表看似簡單，但是要持續卻需要有很堅強的信心與毅力才能完成。

 It is said, “Everything is difficult at the start.” Whether cultivating, studying, writing an article, or doing anything else, the most difficult part is always at the beginning. Take my participation in the Vigorous Recitation Session. I felt the first two days were the most difficult to get through, while the last few days went well. Similarly, when we first start reading the Vajra Sutra, if we believe in the principle it expounds, then we will gradually understand its meaning. In cultivation, the most difficult part comes at the start: if we can bring forth the Bodhi mind to take refuge with the Triple Jewel, then eventually we can accomplish Buddhahood.

From my point of view, although the Vajra Sutra and the Vigorous Recitation Session are different Dharma doors, they lead to the same destination and they have the same function – to teach and transform all the different kinds of living beings. By reciting the Buddha’s name, on the one hand, we grow to respect Amitabha Buddha and we pray that he will help us be reborn in the western Pure Land. On the other hand, we purify our minds, reduce desires, and increase wisdom. In the seven-day Dharma Assembly, the rules of not talking, bowing one thousand bows a day, reciting for seven periods, and upholding the Eight Lay Precepts all benefit our body and mind. By keeping silent, we greatly reduce our external involvements. Fewer involvements results in fewer afflictions, greed, hatred and stupidity. Our power of precepts, concentration and wisdom then grows. The daily schedule of seven recitation periods and one thousand bows increases our samadhi power in meditation. Most of all, if we can reach the state of reciting with an unconfused mind, we can be reborn in the Land of Ultimate Bliss in the West where we will have endless life, no suffering, no chance to do evil, and a much better chance to realize Buddhahood.

The Vajra Sutra is another Dharma door, that of emptiness. Everything is empty, even the Dharma itself. One verse in this Sutra says, “All conditioned dharmas are illusory, like dreams and bubbles, like dew and lightning. We should contemplate them in this way.” All the wonderful things in the world are nothing but dreams, like dew and lightning, beautiful but unreal, gone in an instant. This serves a warning - Even if a person is a millionaire, after he passes away, his wealth will be like a pile ofexcrement. The Vajra Sutra instructs us to put down all mundane business. All the afflictions in the world come from living beings’ attachments to external states, arising from greed, hatred and stupidity.

Living beings need the Buddhadharma to purify their minds. As Great Master Shen Syou of the Tang Dynasty said in verse, “The body is a Bodhi tree, the mind like a bright mirror stand. Time and again brush it clean, and let no dust alight.” This is ’the state of ordinary people. The ultimate state of the Vajra Sutra is no-self, and the Buddhahood is merely a name. Nothing is certified to; only the self-nature is discovered. As the Sixth Patriarch Hwei Neng said inverse, “Originally Bodhi has no tree; the bright mirror has no stand. Originally there is not a single thing; where can dust alight?” Since there is nothing, how can there be defilement? Ultimately, even the Dharma must be renounced.

Although these are two different Dharma doors, in practice they require the same motivation of faith. In the Vajra Sutra, the importance of the faith is emphasized–if a person makes offerings with as many bodies as the sands in the Ganges River, his merit and virtue is not as great as that of a person who hears the Vajra Sutra and believes in it. From this, we can know that it difficult to have faith in the Vajra Sutra, especially since the Sutra tells us to put everything down. A worldly person without wisdom can hardly believe and follow such a principle. Since this Sutra is rather abstract, it stresses the importance of faith.

Faith is also of key importance in cultivating the harma door of reciting the Buddha’s name. This Dharma door is both supreme and easy. All you have to do is chant “Namo Amitabha Buddha” without stop and sincerely bow in homage. But perhaps since it is so easy and its merit and virtue is that special, people do not believe in it. Or even if they do, they still have a little doubt in their minds. Therefore, although it appears to be simple, you need firm faith and persistence in order to be successful.

以我個人經驗來說吧，我在參加佛七前擦傷了左膝，扭傷了右膝，在拜佛打坐時傷口流膿，假如不是一股信心支持著，依照往常的慣例，我早就倒下去了。不要說我這個特殊的例子，就是其他人也是靠著一股信念直到最後一刻。不必講別的，單是七天過午不食，早上四點起來做早課，一天一千拜，都是不容易的。信心是一個很大的力量，當你有信心時，不論是再苦的事情，都不再覺得苦，反而甘之如飴，會感到很快樂，會心甘情願地繼續下去。

我個人對信心本就有一些認識和經歷，因為在還未成為佛教徒之前，我是一個基督教徒。我之所以信教，是因為向往《聖經》中描寫的天堂，我覺得和西方淨土很相近，只是人換成耶穌的彼得，而不是西方三聖，那里的人也是享有無量壽。所以在我聽到西方淨土後，我便立刻生起信心並且時常考驗自己，這種信心是從自己內心發出來的，而不是在別人逼迫下才產生的，那才算真正的信心。

像我們這些凡夫俗子，有時常會對經典不明白之處產生懷疑，像有人在閱讀《金剛經》空的法門，再去看佛七中，以誠心念越多越好，拜越多越好的法門時，心中可能會產生懷疑－既然一切要看空了，為什麼拜佛，念佛卻要越多越好呢？為什麼還要修福德呢？師父在《金剛經淺釋》中有回答這個問題，最主要是不種福德時就會造業，所以福德還是要修，只是在修時不要執著于福德相。我個人的想法是對我們這些凡夫俗子而言，沒有足夠的善根、福德、因緣，是沒辦法悟到空的境界，所以我們一定要靠做善事來修善根、福德、因緣。到了哪天悟了空了，那時事事都行中道，做善事便成了自然的舉動，不會著相，也不會有我在修福德的心。所以雖然一切皆空，但是福德還是要修的。

說到功德，精進佛七功德是很殊勝的，但有時在法會中起了爭念，要和別人比，誰拜最多，念最多，又時常將自我的利益做為佛七的目的。這種人有時不但沒有修到功德，反而還會造業。當人起爭心或把自我利益放在前頭時，貪瞋痴三毒就現在心頭，把自性都蒙蓋過去，因此容易造罪業，起煩惱。在佛七時，心中甚至不能有一個求的念頭，要為其他人想，自己拜或念的數目，只是自己的進度、和別人沒關系。自己雖然把功德回向給眾生，但心中不可以起布施心，不能著布施相，更不能為己，正如《金剛經》所講的，「菩薩無住相布施，福德亦復如是，不可思量。」大家應以此偈為示，行真布施，修真功德。

經過粗淺的分析後，我們可以說這兩個法門是殊途同歸，大同小異，只是一些名字，而自性都是同一個。我們可以把《金剛經》看成是一個理論，精進佛七看成是個實行的方法，目的都是要我們眾生放下外務牽掛、放下執著，恢復本來的佛性，好能了生脫死，離苦得樂。我們只要有足夠的善根、因緣和信心，再依照法門好好實行，終可以了脫煩惱，發現自性，最後終可證得佛果。

Let me talk about my personal experience. Before the Session started, I scraped my left knee and twisted my right knee. Pus flowed from the wounds when I was bowing and sitting in meditation. If I didn’t have the inner faith to endure, I would soon have left the Session. All of us relied on this faith to persist until the last moment. During the seven days, it was already not easy to not eat after noon, get up early for the Morning Recitation, and bow one thousand bows a day, not to mention anything else. Faith has great strength. If you have faith, then no matter how difficult something may be, you will no longer suffer. On the contrary, you will be delighted and willing to continue.

I have some understanding and experience of faith because I used to be a Christian. My faith stemmed from my admiration of the Bible’s description of Heaven. I felt it was much like the Pure Land in the West, with Saint Peter instead of the Three Sages of the West. People also enjoy endless life there. Therefore, when I heard about the Western Pure Land, I had immediate faith and frequently tested myself. Since this faith came from inside, and was not forced by others, it is true faith.

Sometimes, we ordinary people may have doubts when we do not understand the Sutras. For example, we know that in the recitation session, the more we single-mindedly recite the Buddha’s name and bow to Buddha, the better. However, after reading the Vajra Sutra, we may have a doubt – since we have to contemplate everything as empty, why do we want the recite and bow as much as possible? And why must we plant blessings and virtue? The Venerable Master answered in his Commentary on the Vajra Sutra that when we are not creating blessings and virtue, we are creating offenses. That’s why we must cultivate blessings and virtue. But we should not become attached to the appearance of blessings and virtue when we cultivate it. My personal view is that without sufficient good roots, blessings, virtue, and causes and conditions, we ordinary people simply cannot attain the state of emptiness. That is why we must do good deeds to plant good roots and to accumulate blessings, virtue and causes and conditions. The day we reach that state of emptiness, everything will be done according to the Middle Way, in a most natural manner. We will no longer become attached to appearances, nor have the thought that we are cultivating blessings and virtue. Therefore, although everything is empty, it is necessary to accumulate virtue.

The merit and virtue of the Vigorous Recitation Session is supreme. But some people in the session compete with others to see who bows and recites the most; others participate in the session only for their own benefit. Such people not only gain no merit and virtue, they also create offenses. When people want to contend, or put self-benefit first, the three poisons of greed, hatred and stupidity appear in their minds and cover their self-nature; then it is easy for them to create offenses and get afflicted. During a Recitation Session, we cannot have any thought of seeking; we must consider others. The number of bows and recitations one makes concern one’s own progress, and have nothing to do with other people. Although we transfer the merit and virtue to all living beings, we cannot be attached to the mark of giving, nor think of ourselves. As the Vajra Sutra says, “When a Bodhisattva who does not abide in marks practices giving, his blessings and virtue are thus incalculable.” As revealed in this verse, we must all practice true giving and cultivate real merit and virtue.

In my rough and superficial analysis, we may say these two Dharma doors reach the same destination through different means; they are basically the same with minor differences. They are just names, while the self-nature is one. We may regard the Vajra Sutra as a theory, and a vigorous recitation session as a practical method. The aim of both is for us to put down all involvements and attachments and restore our original Buddha nature, so that we can end birth and death, leave suffering and attain bliss. As long as we have the good roots, causes and conditions, and faith needed to practice according to the Dharma door, we can ultimately eradicate afflictions, discover the self-nature and realize Buddhahood.