彌陀佛七開示
Instructions During an Amitabha Buddha Recitation Session
念一句佛，虛空裏便有一度光明。
When we recite the Buddha”s name even once, a ray of bright light appears in the air.
娑婆世界的人，都歡喜快樂，不歡喜苦惱；地獄的衆生，歡喜苦惱，不歡喜快樂；餓鬼道歡喜瞋恨，不歡喜慈悲；畜生道歡喜愚癡，不歡喜有智慧，所以牠才跑到畜生道去。
All the people here in the Saha World enjoy happiness and dislike suffering. Beings in the hells enjoy suffering and dislike happiness. Hungry ghosts enjoy hatred and anger, and dislike kindness and compassion. Animals enjoy stupidity and dislike wisdom. That”s why they”ve descended to the destiny of animals.
我們人雖說歡喜快樂，不歡喜苦惱，但卻不知道怎樣才能沒有苦惱；天上的衆生，也是歡喜快樂，不歡喜苦惱。
Although we say that people enjoy happiness and dislike suffering, none of us really know how to end our troubles. Living beings who dwell in the heavens also prefer happiness to suffering.
在佛和菩薩的境界上，沒有苦惱，也沒有快樂，苦樂俱忘。衆生多數是顛倒，以是爲非，以非爲是；將黑作白，將白作黑。究竟他知不知道這是顛倒呢？知道的。雖然他知道，他仍然去做不對的事；明明知道不合法，可是他專門去做；知道什麼是對的，他卻不去做。
The state of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas is such that they are free of suffering, and they are also free of happiness. They”ve forgotten both joy and sorrow. Most of us living beings are inverted. We take right for wrong, and see wrong as right. We turn black into white and white into black. And yet, are we aware that this is inverted behavior
On the one hand, you might say we do know. But even though we know, we still insist on doing wrong things. We clearly know that something is not in accord with Dharma, yet we do these deeds more often than not. We know what”s right, but we cannot bring ourselves to do it.
譬如，念佛時去喝茶。喝茶有特別的時間，不是隨時隨地可以喝。用念佛的時間去喝茶，是躲懶偷安。念佛念得倦了，就去喝一杯茶休息休息，懶惰一下。要是真心念佛，怎麼會想起去喝茶？早就把喝茶忘了，更不用說喝牛奶，他什麼都忘了。真正在念佛，吃飯了沒有也不知道，更何況喝茶？
An example would be somebody who goes off to drink tea when it”s time to recite the Buddha”s name. There”s a special time reserved for drinking tea; people can”t drink whenever they feel like it. A person who drinks tea when it”s time to recite the Buddha”s name is just being lazy. He gets tired reciting the Buddha”s name, so he decides to take a rest and help himself to a cup of tea. If someone is reciting the Buddha”s name true-heartedly, how could he possibly think of drinking tea
He”d have forgotten about drinking tea altogether. Even less would he think of drinking milk. He”d have forgotten everything else. When a person is truly reciting the Buddha”s name, he”s not aware of whether or not he”s eaten. Even less would he think of drinking a cup of tea.
有人說：「念佛太危險了，連飯也不知道吃了沒有。」這就是功夫。真正用功的人，吃飯沒吃飯他不知道，穿衣沒穿衣也不知道，睡覺沒睡覺也不知道－什麼都忘了。是白天？不知道；是黑夜？不知道。上不知有天，下不知有地，中不知有人，一切都空了。一切都空了，怎麼會想起要喝茶、要喝牛奶？
Someone may say, "Reciting the Buddha”s name must be dangerous if you don”t even know whether or not you”ve eaten." Nonetheless, this "not knowing" reveals true skill. Someone who understands cultivation isn”t aware of whether or not he”s eaten, gotten dressed, or slept. He”s forgotten everything. He doesn”t know if it”s day or night. He is not aware of the heaven above, the earth below, or the people in between. Everything is empty. Everything being empty, how could he possibly think of drinking tea or milk
金山聖寺有位法師便不敢喝牛奶。一喝牛奶，欲念便高升，他控製不住，于是不敢喝。我們吃東西只爲維持生命，以食物作藥品。不吃東西會死亡，所以吃一點維持生命；並不需要什麼營養的食物來滋補身體。營養一多，麻煩就大了。修念佛法門，就要時時刻刻都念這一句「南無阿彌陀佛」，沒有停止的時候。醒時也念，睡覺時也念。這一句「南無阿彌陀佛」六字洪名，拉也拉不斷，扯也扯不斷，用劍斬也斬不斷。它的力量，比鑽石還堅固，你沒有任何方法能破壞這句「南無阿彌陀佛」，這才叫做「念佛叁昧」。
One Dharma Master at Gold Mountain Monastery doesn”t dare to drink milk, because as soon as he does, his thoughts of desire multiply and he cannot control them. So he doesn”t dare to drink it. We should eat only enough to sustain our life. We should take food as medicine, taking a bit to sustain ourselves because if we didn”t eat, we”d die. However, there”s no need to eat very nutritious food to bolster our body. If we eat excessively nutritious food, we”ll have a lot of tr…
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