..续本文上一页是紧要的关头，切记切记！一失足成千古恨！境界来考验我们修道人，我们也要考验境界是假是真。用什么方法呢？这方法非常简单，就是念「阿弥陀佛」，一心不乱、一念不生地念。是假的境界，便会慢慢消失了；是真的境界，越念便越清楚。坐禅人不明白这个方法，有许多人走火入魔，丧失道业；又有许多人认为自己入了魔，而放弃开悟的机会。
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.
在我年轻的时候，听人说：「修道就有魔。」我不相信，还骄慢地说：「什么魔我都不怕，妖魔鬼怪我都不生恐惧心！」自己以为没有什么关系，哪知道没有多久，魔果然来了。什么魔呢？是病魔，这场大病害得我七、八天人事不省，什么也不知道。当时，自己知道功夫不够，所以经不起考验。妖魔鬼怪、天魔外道我都不怕，就怕病魔，还是降伏不了，还是忍受不了。所以修道人，不能说自满的话，说自己什么都不怕。如果你自满，麻烦就来了。
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.
那么修道人要怎样呢？要用战战兢兢的心情来修道，如临深渊，如履薄冰，时时刻刻要谨慎，要注意，提高警觉，这样才可以修道。一言以蔽之：「少说话，多打坐。」这是修道的基本大法。
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.
修道人的道业有所成就，是谁帮助的呢？就是魔来帮助的。好像一把利刀，是在石头上磨利的；修道人开了智慧光，也就是魔来帮助你开的。这个魔，应该把他当做护法看，所谓：
见事醒事出世间，
见事迷事堕沉沦。
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.
你若能觉悟，对境能明白，这就是超出世界；你若不能觉悟，遇着事就迷了，就会堕入地狱。所以修道人不怕有魔，只怕没有…
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