..續本文上一頁n the forest." He then began to shown little or no respect toward the practitioners of the city by no longer honoring them or presenting them with gifts. As a result, the practitioners and teachers got jealous and they started to spread slander about the bodhisattvas, saying they were really not buddhists and that they were only pretending to be practicing, and they should be executed. The king, being fickle minded, had them executed. So, from this story, we should learn that one should not be deceptive with ones behavior and always act one hundred percent in accordance with the dharma.

　　 The next chapter, the twenty-second chapter, defines the ordinary body. The Buddha says, "Do not be attached or too overly fond of this human body." Even though we have this human body, and although it is extraordinary like a precious jewel, by the means of this precious body we can make use of the body as a support to further the teaching of the dharma. In other words, employ it in order to be helpful toward others. There are stories of the Buddha when, in past lives, he was a prince and in which he sacrificed his body by offering it to a sick tiger, and in another life the Buddha gave away his head. Shantideva said, we should not sacrifice our life without having complete compassion and this is only achieved when, as aspiring bodhisattvas, we reach the eighth bhumi. So to sacrifice ones body without compassion being utterly pure doesn”t hold any great merit, which can be achieved in another way.

　　 One should apply oneself to the practice of the profound dharma and the extraordinary great state of samadhi. By proceeding in this way we can accomplish the perfect welfare of oneself and, based on that, in the future we will be able to help other beings. So it is better to use our body to help others rather than to sacrifice it, unless we have first attained the higher states. To be generous with ones body is to have embraced the dharma fully.

　　 The next chapter, the twenty third, is entitled, "Defining the Body of the Tathagata." The Buddha explains that in order to give rise to samadhi, it is important to develop faith and devotion in the buddha, and when we think of the buddha, in the physical form of Sakyamuni Buddha, that is the most eminent support for giving rise to faith and devotion. Do not regard the Buddha as a form body, but regard him as the qualities of the Dharmakaya (truth body). Think of him as the body of the enlightened qualities of the Dharmakaya. The enlightened speech and body will bring about faith. By these qualities, rest upon the wisdom qualities the Dharmakaya. Do not regard the Tathagata as a form body.

　　 The twenty-fourth chapter is entitled, "The Inconceivable Qualities of the Tathagata." As mentioned in the previous chapter, the qualities of the Buddha is the Dharmakaya, this means that we should not think of the Buddha as being composed of physical characteristics, but should consider him as the embodiment of Dharmakaya. These qualities are in the causing of realization and accomplishing the wisdom qualities of all the Buddhas; the Dharmakaya, the body of enlightened qualities. So now the Buddha begins to declare these four qualities, and how a bodhisattva who wishes to realize the Dharmakaya should apply oneself toward these four qualities, which are described as the four correct discriminations. The correct discrimination of dharmas, of meaning, of definitive words, and the right discrimination of courageous eloquence.

　　 The first of these four is the correct discriminations of dharmas. The meaning of dharmas, in this context, is referring to all phenomena as noble entities that can be taken as an object of understanding. Here they are pided into among the five aggregates. The…

《King of Samadhi Sutra》全文未完，請進入下頁繼續閱讀…