修行要忍耐

　　Cultivation Requires Patience

　　修行人，主要能忍罵忍打、忍冷忍熱、忍風忍雨、忍饑忍渴。

　　For cultivators, it”s important to be able to endure cold and heat, wind and rain, hunber and thirst,

　　and insults and beatings.

　　釋迦牟尼佛，在往昔修福修慧的時候，經過叁大阿僧只(無量數)劫，才成正覺。所謂「勿以善小而不爲，勿以惡小而爲之。」釋迦牟尼佛在行菩薩道的時候，像頭發那樣細的善，也不放棄；像微塵那樣小的惡，也不去做。所以他福慧功德圓滿了，成爲兩足尊。

　　In the past, when Shakyamuni Buddha was cultivating blessings and wisdom, he passed through three great asamkhyeya (a limitless number of) eons before he accomplished Proper Enlightenment. As the saying goes, "Don”t assume a good deed is too small to do and fail to do it; don”t assume a bad deed is too small to matter and do it." When Shakyamuni Buddha was practicing the Bodhisattva Path, he didn”t overlook a good deed even as small as a strand of hair, nor did he do an evil deed as tiny as a mote of dust. Therefore his merit and virtue and his blessings and wisdom were made perfect, and he became known as the Doubly Perfect Honored One.

　　各位注意，善雖然小，也要修，聚沙成塔，便成大善。惡雖然小，若去做，積少成多，便成大惡，永遠不會成就道業。修行就是「諸惡莫作，衆善奉行。」如果能諸惡莫作，那麼福報會一天比一天增加。若能衆善奉行，那麼智慧會一天比一天增加。雖然在增長，但還要繼續修行，而不間斷，才能有所成就。

　　Please pay attention to this, all of you! Although a good deed may be small, you should still make a point of cultivating that deed, because "Grains of sand accumulated over time can grow into a pagoda." Over time you will have created a great deal of goodness. If one does evil deeds, even trivial ones, they can also accumulate from few to many and can become great evil. In such a case, one will never succeed in cultivating the Way. Cultivation is nothing more than "doing no evil and respectfully performing all good deeds." If you can avoid doing any evil deed, then your blessings will increase daily. If you can do all good deeds, then your wisdom will increase daily. Even though it increases, you still must continue to cultivate without cease; only then can you meet success.

　　我們現在行行坐坐，坐坐行行，在禅堂裏用功修行，這就是修福修慧。如何修福？就是「不作諸惡」。如何修慧？就是「衆善奉行」。在這種情形之下，福報也圓滿，智慧也圓滿，然後很快會成就佛道，不需要經過叁大阿僧只劫。

　　Here in the Chan Meditation Hall, as we walk and sit, sit and walk, using our method of cultivation, we are doing precisely that: cultivating both blessings and wisdom. How are we cultivating blessings

　　 We do so by refraining from all manner of evil deeds. How are we cultivating wisdom

　　 We do so by offering up all manner of good deeds. In these ways our blessing-reward is made perfect, and our wisdom is also made perfect. Once this is done, very quickly we accomplish Buddhahood, without having to pass through three great asamkhyeya eons until the work reaches completion.

　　釋迦牟尼佛在往昔修行時，走錯很多冤枉路，可是他很有耐性，不灰心，繼續精進，勤修戒定慧，息滅貪瞋癡，最後成就佛果。

　　When Shakyamuni Buddha was a cultivator in ages past, he often went down dead-end roads without realizing it. He was very patient, however, and never gave up. He maintained his vigorous advance, continuing to diligently cultivate precepts, concentration, and wisdom and put to rest, greed, hatred, and stupidity. Finally, he arrived at Buddhahood.

　　我們修行佛法，比釋迦牟尼佛幸運。他老人家給我們留下正道，只要按照目標前進，就可以很快達到目的地––彼岸的淨土。

　　As we now cultivate the Buddhadharma, we are luckier than Shakyamuni Buddha was, because we have the example of the Proper Path that he set for us. We need only walk the Way as he did, and we can quickly realize our goal: The Pure Land on the Other Shore.

　　釋迦牟尼佛前生是常不輕菩薩時，修一種忍耐的苦行，見人就頂禮，口中還說：「我不敢輕視汝等，汝等皆當作佛。」有人討厭他的行爲，所以他向人家叩頭時，還要遭受人罵他或打他。

　　In one of his past lives, Shakyamuni Buddha was "Never Slighting Bodhisattva," who cultivated the ascetic practice of patient endurance. Whenever he met someone, he would always bow to him and say, "I don”t dare slight you, for you will one day become a Buddha." Some people detested this behavior, so on occasion he had to endure curses and beatings while he bowed.

　　有一次，他行菩薩道，向人叩頭，被人踢掉兩顆門牙；但是他不灰心，還是再接再勵，行叩頭的苦行。不過這回他學到經驗，見到…

《修行要忍耐 Cultivation Requires Patience》全文未完，請進入下頁繼續閱讀…