執無 林鈺堂

一概不執本靈活,見解欠通落執無;
佛號念珠避取用,猶在苦海竟棄船。

「無執」意謂一概不執,契入本來的天真靈活。奈何遇到見解未透徹者,將之誤會成「執無」,並依之「教」人放掉佛號、念珠,稱為「無相念佛」。實際上,這樣是滯於執「無相」之死水中。真正通達無相,是無住於相而不為相所拘,因此能善用萬相,又何需避用佛號、念珠?似此之以盲導盲,害得一些學佛者,尚未達解脫彼岸,卻紛紛由佛號、念珠之救生艇上,跳落煩惱海中。見未徹而「說法」,害人慧命而不自知,末法時期之迷失有如斯者!


                     二○○三年九月三十日  
                     養和齋    於加州


Grasping to Nothingness Yutang Lin

Originally free and alive, no traces of grasping.
Lack of full comprehension, fallen to vainness.
Avoid using prayer beads or Buddha's epithets;
Still amid sea of suffering, to abandon the ship!

Comments:

"No grasping" means not to grasp to anything so as to merge into the original state of pure innocence and liveliness. Nevertheless, to some people that lacked thorough understanding of the Buddhist principles, the saying was misunderstood as "grasping to nothingness"; and they accordingly "taught" others to renounce using prayer beads or Buddha's epithets, and called the resulting state as "Mindful of Buddha without Form." In fact, this is to remain stagnant in the still water of grasping to "no form." Real and thorough comprehension of "no form" amounts to non-abiding by any form and not to be bound by forms; consequently, such a being would be well-versed in making good uses of all forms. Why would there be any need to avoid using prayer beads or Buddha's epithets? Leading purblind persons by a purblind person in such a manner had harmed the followers, causing them to jump off the lifeboat of Buddha's epithets or prayer beads amid the ocean of suffering before reaching the shore of liberation and enlightenment. "Preaching Dharma" before having gained a thorough comprehension and harming people's wisdom life without self-awareness, there are even such stray persons in this period of decay of Dharma.


Written in Chinese on September 30, 2003
Translated on October 1, 2003
El Cerrito, California


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