怨親平等 Equal to All

怨親平等是佛法的教示
然而修行者往往難以對自身的人際關係釋懷
因之在發心及迴向上每多偏私

菩薩所以能救濟眾生
做到所謂「千處祈求千處應」
正因為其菩提心是平等普及一切有情
所以能在本來清淨無限的一體上
發揮整體自救的功能

若不認清這一個基本真理
而執著於某種偏私
則自絕於同體大慈大悲的救濟功用
雖做佛事　卻難以見效

修行者應認清
所做功課功德之所以能對其他有情產生助益
不在於分辨怨親　有所偏頗
而完全在於超越怨親之局限　平等為了一切眾生
愈是超越局限　功效愈是明顯及速見
故修菩薩道者　應安住於平等發心及對待有情

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　二○一四年一月十六日
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　養和齋　　　　於加州

Equal to All

Yutang Lin

To relatives or strangers
To others that one likes or dislikes
One should treat them all equally with compassion
Thus is the teaching of Dharma
However a practitioner often finds it difficult
To release personal concerns on one's relationships
Consequently, from aspiration to dedication of merits
Often there are biased tendencies to self-interests

The reason that a Bodhisattva can help sentient beings
To the extent of "responding at thousand places to calls therefrom"
Is precisely due to the fact that
His Bodhicitta is universally equal to all sentient beings
And hence from the originally pure limitless-oneness
The function of self-help by the totality can be applied

If one fails to recognize clearly this basic truth
And grasps to certain kind of preferences
Then one will insulate oneself from the salvation functions
Those come from the great compassion of limitless-oneness
Even though one conducts Dharma activities
It remains difficult to see positive results

A Dharma practitioner should recognize clearly that
The reason that one's Dharma practices and their resulting merits
Can be helpful to other sentient beings
Is not due to distinguishing foes and friends, and then leaning to one side
But completely due to transcending such limitations, and equally for all
The more one transcends such limitations, the sooner and more obvious the benefits
Therefore a Dharma practitioner treading on the Bodhisattva path
Should abide in universally equal aspiration toward and treatment to all beings

January 16, 2014
El Cerrito, California

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