Page 17 - Demo

18 %u91d1%u525b%u83e9%u63d0%u6d77 %u4e8c%uff2f%u4e8c%u56db%u5e74%u5341%u4e8c%u6708The Sutra of Emperor Wu of Liang Dynasty Inquiring of Chan Master Zhi Gong about Cause and Effect%u6668%u73ea%u8b6f%u7d44%u3000%u82f1%u8b6f English Translated by the Early Bird Translation Group%u6881%u6b66%u5e1d%u554f%u8a8c%u516c%u79aa%u5e2b%u56e0%u679c%u7d93Emperor Wu asked, %u201cSome monastics fail to uphold the precepts or observe vegetarianism, yet they bow to the Buddha and recite sutras. What blessings, if any, do such individuals receive?%u201d Master Zhi Gong explained:%u201cFor monastics who recite sutras and bow to the Buddha but fail to uphold the precepts and practice vegetarianism, there is no merit, let alone blessings. A sutra teaches that one who seeks blessings must uphold the precepts and practice vegetarianism. These two practices are essential paths to cultivating blessings. Within Buddhism, for any undertaking, upholding the precepts and observing vegetarianism are foundational. Without them, from where can blessings arise?The Mahayana Precepts Sutra states: %u2018A person who eats meat and consumes the five pungent plants remains defiled for forty-nine days. A conscientious practitioner dares not enter the Buddha hall or approach stupas, much less bow to the Buddha or recite the sutras.%u2019 Similarly, the Shurangama Sutra warns that those who consume the five pungent plants attract ghosts. When they sleep, these ghosts come to lick and kiss their lips, spreading ghostly energy to defile them. This causes their blessings to diminish and their karmic hindrances to increase day by day.The Guidance and Elaboration on the Commentary of the Precepts further states: %u2018Those who, while carrying a wine bottle, pressure or persuade others to drink will endure the retribution of having no hands for five hundred kalpas. How much graver, then, is the retribution for those who drink wine themselves?%u2019Alas, when monastics themselves disregard the precepts and vegetarianism, how can their sponsors hope to gain blessings? By paying such monks for sutra recitations, sponsors merely waste their resources.The Buddhist canon recounts a parable about three people seeking to cross the sea to the east. Among them, one was a wise man who built a boat and successfully sailed across. Another clung to the tail of an ox and managed to cross. But the third neither built a boat nor relied on an ox; instead, he foolishly grabbed the tail of a pig, hoping to %u2018sail%u2019 across. How could a pig possibly serve for crossing the sea? Both the pig and the person sank to the bottom, becoming objects of ridicule.%u6b66%u5e1d%u53c8%u554f%u3002%u4e0d%u6301%u9f4b%u6212%u50e7%u9053%u3002%u79ae%u4f5b%u8aa6%u7d93%u3002%u798f%u5fb7%u5982%u4f55%u3002%u8a8c%u516c%u7b54%u66f0%u3002%u4e0d%u6301%u9f4b%u6212%u50e7%u9053%u3002%u8aa6%u7d93%u79ae%u4f5b%u3002%u5168%u7121%u529f%u5fb7%u3002%u6709%u751a%u798f%u7530%u3002%u7d93%u4e91%u3002%u6c42%u798f%u8981%u9f4b%u6212%u3002%u9f4b%u6212%u662f%u6c42%u798f%u3002%u4f5b%u4e8b%u9580%u4e2d%u3002%u9f4b%u6212%u70ba%u672c%u3002%u82e5%u4e0d%u9f4b%u6212%u3002%u798f%u5f9e%u4f55%u4f86%u3002%u300a%u5927%u4e58%u6212%u7d93%u300b%u4e91%u3002%u53e3%u5403%u4e94%u8f9b%u9152%u8089%u3002%u56db%u5341%u4e5d%u65e5%u3002%u6c61%u7a62%u4e0d%u6de8%u3002%u5c1a%u4e14%u4e0d%u6562%u767b%u4f5b%u6bbf%u5bf6%u5854%u3002%u4f55%u6cc1%u79ae%u4f5b%u8aa6%u7d93%u3002%u53c8%u300a%u695e%u56b4%u7d93%u300b%u4e91%u3002%u5403%u4e94%u8f9b%u4eba%u3002%u591c%u81e5%u4e4b%u4e2d%u3002%u6709%u9b3c%u4f86%u8210%u5507%u543b%u3002%u53d7%u5176%u6c61%u6c23%u3002%u4ee4%u4eba%u798f%u5fb7%u65e5%u6d88%u3002%u7f6a%u969c%u6642%u76ca%u3002%u300a%u6212%u758f%u767c%u5f15%u300b%u4e91%u3002%u63d0%u58fa%u76f8%u52f8%u3002%u611f%u4e94%u767e%u52ab%u7121%u624b%u8db3%u5831%u3002%u6cc1%u81ea%u98f2%u4e4e%u3002%u566b%u3002%u70ba%u50e7%u9053%u5c1a%u4e0d%u4fe1%u9f4b%u6212%u3002%u6cc1%u65bd%u4e3b%u600e%u5f97%u6709%u798f%u7530%u3002%u6789%u8cbb%u8cb2%u8ca1%u3002%u5f92%u52de%u5fc3%u529b%u3002%u300a%u5927%u85cf%u7d93%u300b%u4e91%u3002%u6614%u6709%u4e09%u500b%u4eba%u3002%u6b32%u5ea6%u5927%u6d77%u3002%u8981%u904e%u6d77%u6771%u3002%u6709%u4e00%u5927%u667a%u58eb%u3002%u5c31%u9020%u4e00%u96bb%u8239%u3002%u800c%u6e21%u6d77%u53bb%u3002%u53c8%u6709%u4e00%u4eba%u3002%u7528%u4e00%u5927%u725b%u3002%u62fd%u4f4f%u725b%u5c3e%u3002%u4ea6%u6e21%u6d77%u53bb%u3002%u53c8%u6709%u4e00%u4eba%u3002%u4e0d%u9020%u8239%u3002%u4e0d%u7528%u725b%u3002%u53ea%u7528%u4e00%u8c6c%u3002%u62fd%u4f4f%u8c6c%u5c3e%u3002%u4ea6%u6b32%u6e21%u6d77%u3002%u5176%u8c6c%u7109%u80fd%u6e21%u5f97%u6d77%u3002%uff08%u7e8c%uff09(continued)%u6cd5%u8a9e%u6cd5%u96e8DHARMA TALK DHARMA RAIN%uf063%u5f85%u7e8c %uf063To be continued