..續本文上一頁是緊要的關頭，切記切記！一失足成千古恨！境界來考驗我們修道人，我們也要考驗境界是假是真。用什麼方法呢？這方法非常簡單，就是念「阿彌陀佛」，一心不亂、一念不生地念。是假的境界，便會慢慢消失了；是真的境界，越念便越清楚。坐禅人不明白這個方法，有許多人走火入魔，喪失道業；又有許多人認爲自己入了魔，而放棄開悟的機會。
Just about the time you”ve meditated to the point of success, the demons appear to test your resolve and to challenge your work in the spiritual path. They may appear as a very beautiful woman or a handsome man who comes to seduce you. If the sight doesn”t disturb you, then you pass your test. But if you”re distracted by this illusion, you”ll fall. Right there is the critical moment; just that is the test. So I exhort you at all costs, don”t fail this test; because once you fall, you”ll regret it forever. When states arise to challenge your resolve, you should test the state to see whether or not it”s true. What”s your method of testing
It”s very simple. Just recite the name of Amitabha Buddha. Recite with single-minded, unwavering concen-tration. If it”s a false state, then gradually it”ll disappear and then vanish. If it”s a true state, then the longer you recite, the more clear the state will grow. Chan meditators who don”t understand this method will fall into the demons” traps. They”ll fall among demons and their work in the spiritual path will be scattered and lost. Some cultivators will lose their opportunity for enlightenment after they join the demons.
在我年輕的時候，聽人說：「修道就有魔。」我不相信，還驕慢地說：「什麼魔我都不怕，妖魔鬼怪我都不生恐懼心！」自己以爲沒有什麼關系，哪知道沒有多久，魔果然來了。什麼魔呢？是病魔，這場大病害得我七、八天人事不省，什麼也不知道。當時，自己知道功夫不夠，所以經不起考驗。妖魔鬼怪、天魔外道我都不怕，就怕病魔，還是降伏不了，還是忍受不了。所以修道人，不能說自滿的話，說自己什麼都不怕。如果你自滿，麻煩就來了。
When I was young I heard someone say, "As soon as you cultivate the spiritual path, demons will appear." I didn”t believe it and arrogantly said, "I”m not afraid of demons at all! Witches, ghosts, and goblins don”t frighten me in the least." I thought that it didn”t matter what I said. Who could”ve guessed that soon after my boast, a demon would show up
What kind of demon was it
It was a demon of sickness, which made me so ill that I lost consciousness for seven or eight days; I lapsed into a total coma. Only then did I realize that my skill was far from the mark and that I”d failed my test. Maybe I wasn”t afraid of witches, ghosts or goblins, or even celestial demons and heretics. But I was afraid, as it turned out, of sickness demons. I couldn”t subdue them; I couldn”t handle them; I couldn”t endure their attack. So we cultivators of the spiritual path cannot claim proudly that we fear nothing. As soon as we become self-satisfied and arrogant, troubles come seeking for us.
那麼修道人要怎樣呢？要用戰戰兢兢的心情來修道，如臨深淵，如履薄冰，時時刻刻要謹慎，要注意，提高警覺，這樣才可以修道。一言以蔽之：「少說話，多打坐。」這是修道的基本大法。
Well, how should cultivators of the spiritual path be, then
We should maintain a humble and circumspect attitude, and be as cautious as if we were treading the brink of a deep abyss, or as if we were standing on thin ice. At all times we should be prudent and careful. We should pay attention and stay alert. Only then can we really cultivate the spiritual path. To sum it up, talk less and meditate more. This is the fundamental requisite of cultivation.
修道人的道業有所成就，是誰幫助的呢？就是魔來幫助的。好像一把利刀，是在石頭上磨利的；修道人開了智慧光，也就是魔來幫助你開的。這個魔，應該把他當做護法看，所謂：
見事醒事出世間，
見事迷事墮沈淪。
When cultivators of the spiritual path actually gain some accomplishment, they get it with someone”s help. Who helps them
Demons bring cultivators to accomplishment. This is just like a knife being honed on a whetstone so that it becomes very sharp. When a cultivator realizes the light of wisdom, it is with the help of the demons. These demons can be regarded as Dharma-protectors. There is a saying:
If we see things and awaken to them, we can leap out of the mundane world.
If we see things and they confuse us, we”ll fall back on the wheel of transmigration.
你若能覺悟，對境能明白，這就是超出世界；你若不能覺悟，遇著事就迷了，就會墮入地獄。所以修道人不怕有魔，只怕沒有…
《魔是來幫助你修道 Demons Help You Cultivate》全文未完，請進入下頁繼續閱讀…